Bishop Guertin QB Nate Bowen looks to pass under pressure during Friday night's win at Keene. (Photo by Michael McMahon/Keene Sentinel)

KEENE — There was no stopping Nate Bowen, Rocco Roy and the Bishop Guertin offense on Friday night.

The Cardinals hung 48 points on the board for the second consecutive week, running away with a 48-7 win over Keene Friday night at Keene High’s Alumni Field.

The Cardinals (3-0, 2-0 in NHIAA play) scored early, and they scored often, bursting out to a 21-0 lead in the opening quarter and taking a 42-7 lead into the halftime break.

Bowen tossed for six touchdowns, with Roy hauling in four of them on seven catches for 140 yards.

Bowen finished 18-for-25 through the air, passing for 278 yards with a second-half interception. He had five touchdowns in the first half.

“He’s got full control of the offense,” Bishop Guertin head coach Anthony Nalen said. “He’s able to make audibles when he needs to, to get us in the right position, and we have full faith in him moving the ball down the field.”

And move it he did, like a bullet train. The Cardinals drove 91 yards on 12 plays in less than four minutes on their first offensive possession. Bowen was 6-for-7 on the drive for 62 yards. He found Sam Fayad from eight yards out to open the scoring. After a Keene three-and-out, BG needed just 1:45 to make it 14-0, with Bowen hitting Roy for his first touchdown reception — a 10-yard haul.

Another three-and-out stop from the Cardinals defense led to another quick score. Hudson Schmitt took care of the ensuing drive, stringing together back-to-back carries for 59 and 19 yards before plunging in for a one-yard touchdown to make it a three-score game.

After Keene got on the board early in the second to make it 21-7, Bowen’s next two passes were touchdowns to Roy. The pair connected for a 77-yard score on a strike deep down the middle. Roy then picked off Keene quarterback Brayden French on the second play of the ensuing drive, and two plays later, he was in the end zone again on a 26-yard touchdown reception. He added another pick and a fourth touchdown haul — a one-yarder — in the second half.

“We have a bunch of receivers that we like to get the ball to,” Nalen said. “So each one has to take advantage of it when they get their throw, and he did. Every time we threw it to him, he was in the right spot and he made great catches and great plays.”

Fayad also added another touchdown reception, in the final minute of the first half. He finished with 72 yards on five catches. The Cardinals added 197 yards on the ground before the starters were pulled in the fourth quarter. The BG defense allowed just 116 total yards of offense. It raked in three interceptions, holding French to 5-of-20 passing with just 24 yards.

Bishop Guertin travels to take on Salem (2-1) on Friday.

COACH ABSENT

The Blackbirds played without their head coach, Shawn DeCost, due to what Keene athletic director Mike Atkins called “a personal matter.” Keene offensive coordinator J.J. Conboy ran the team.