LONDONDERRY — The Pinkerton Academy football team played a dominant game all together as they pounded Londonderry High 31-12 in front of a packed house on Oct. 4.
The arch rivals have a lopsided recent history, with PA taking the last 8 out of 10 Mack Plaque football games.
Eric Guinto played his usual outstanding game, with 93 yards on just seven carries. For the season, Guinto has 11 touchdowns and 525 yards on the ground in four games.
The win put an exclamation mark on a dominating Mack Plaque weekend for Pinkerton. The Astros claimed the coveted championship, 8-0-1. The only thing keeping PA from completing a clean sweep was a 1-1 tie in field hockey.
The football game was as one-sided as the overall competition. Londonderry was held to just 139 yards total yards on the night and committed four turnovers. Pinkerton held Londonderry to 14 points less than their per game average.
One play stood out on the night for PA's team. Straight out of a movie, Coach Brian O'Reilly had his defensive linemen create havoc against the Lancer offensive line. The goal was for PA to go right for Londonderry's shins, with players piling onto their backs, blocking where the offense needed to go.
"I wasn't so much hesitant but unsure if it was going to work, but after practicing it, I was confident that it would work and help us beat Londonderry," said senior Ryan Raymond, a versatile player for the Astros, who plays offensive and defensive tackle, along with nose guard.
Kicker Shawn Clukey was perfect on the night, making all four of his PAT attempts and an impressive 34-yard field goal.
Senior right guard Ali Bahremand and tight end Colton Desmarais had strong games, leading a Pinkerton offensive line that opened holes all night long, allowing the team to rush for 331 yards on 46 carries. Captain Chris George (13 carries for 133 yards) and Matt Mangano (8 carries for 81 yards) combined with Guinto in a three-pronged attack.
The Astros climbed to sole possession of first place in the Division I standings.
Editor Bill Gilman contributed to this story.
