Nashua South's Josh Tripp tries to keep the play alive his hand while covered by Memorials Jacob Schuff during Friday night's Division I clash at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – They prepared all week for it, the play the Nashua High School football team called “the rocket sweep.”

But the Panthers still couldn’t stop it on Friday night, and instead watched Manchester Memorial senior Jacob Schuff blast off four times for touchdowns – three in the fourth quarter – in a stunning 46-28 Crusader victory at Stellos Stadium.

“We were concerned about it all week,” Nashua South coach Josh Porter said. “Step one was we’ve got to stop their rocket toss game and we didn’t. It’s not a good sign when the number one thing you say you’ve got to take care of is (the difference). They were better on the perimeter, more physical.”

Schuff’s four sweep TDs were of 29, 71, 56 and 50 yards. The final three were in the fourth quarter, two of them answering South scores and on the last one he stiff-armed defenders. Memorial rushed for 457 yards overall and Schuff had 247 of that on seven carries.

“No one could stop me,” Schuff said, matter-of-factly. “No one could stop me and my offense made amazing blocks. We block with pride on this team.”

“I’m speechless by that performance,” Memorial coach Rob Sturgis said. “If you were going to say what kid could go off for 300 yards and three or four touchdowns – Schuff. He’s the best athlete in our school, hands down.”

The Crusaders (5-1 in Division I, 6-1 overall) didn’t just live by the big play. They led 19-13 at halftime on Ledum Adumene’s 18-yard tiebreaking TD run around the left side with 2:21 left in the second quarter.

But then they put together a 17-play drive that took up most of the third quarter, Gabriel Felch scoring from 4 yards out on the first play of the fourth period to make it a 25-13 game, the two-point attempt failing.

Schuff’s 71-yard journey helped make it a 32-13 game with 8:52 to play. Then came a rinse-and-repeat. The Panthers scored on two quick drives (four plays each) ending in Cody Jackson TD passes of 25 and 6 yards, only to have both answered by Schuff’s TD runs of 56 and 50, the last coming with 4:23 left to account for the final. Jackson was a South bright spot completing 26 of 41 for 356 yards and two TDs.

“Offensively, we’re going to run the ball,” Sturgis said. “We’re going to put it in our athletes hands and we’re just going to keep going and going. … If you start flexing on the edges, it opens up the inside. And if you load up the box on the inside, we’ve got the weapons to go outside. It’s fantastic to see it work.”

Manchester Memorial’s Jacob Schuff scores one of his four TDs on the night as the Crusaders toppled Nashua South, 46-28 Friday at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Not even the South offense coming to life in the fourth quarter could rescue the Panthers, now 4-2 in Division I 5-2 overall and headed to Merrimack for a big West Conference showdown next Friday.

“Too late, too late, too late, right?” Porter said. “Unfortunately that and untimely penalties too.”

Especially on a Justin Fish run of 23 yards on a fake punt into Crusader territory on the Panthers’ first possession of the second half. South was called for a hold, and that was that. “Man, we got that on tape and we didn’t even get the benefit of it,” Porter said. “That would’ve helped swing momentum there, for sure.”

Early on, the Panthers turned a Fish interception on the Crusaders’ first series into a Sam Levine 4-yard TD and a 6-0 lead. They also led 13-6 on Jackson’s 1-yard plunge with 1:57 left in the opening quarter. But that was the Panthers’ last lead. Memorial tying TDs were Schuff’s 29-yarder and a Gabriel Felch 1-yard TD.

“We’ll bounce back and learn from it,” Porter said. “I told the kids, it’s not about what happens, it’s how we respond. A little bit of a wakeup call. … All the credit to (the Crusaders). We’ve got to learn from this and be better next week.”