RallyNorth.net

Pinkerton dominates season-opener

Friday, September, 01 By David Willis
Staff writer

HUDSON, N.H. — With the memories of a rough 2016 season still fresh, Pinkerton football was determined to kick off 2017 on a very different note.

“We wanted go out there, play as hard as we could, and show everyone we aren’t the team we were last year,” said senior running back Ty Hicks, whose squad finished 4-5 and missed the playoffs last fall. “We have a good team. We know we are better than last year, and that’s what we wanted to show.”

The Astros showed plenty to be excited about in their season-opener on Friday night.
Pinkerton dominated every facet of the game, scoring on seven of its eight possessions and allowing Alvirne just 68 yards of offense, rolling to a  48-0 victory.
“We wanted to prove that we weren’t going to go through what we went through last year,” said tri-captain Kayden Baillargeon. “We have a new view going on. We are feeling confident right now, but we aren’t going to get ahead of ourselves this season.”
The Astros wasted no time jumping on the Broncos.
Pinkerton took the opening kickoff, and eight plays later QB Aiden Goujon connected with Ryan Auger on a 16-yard score.
After a 3-and-out, Avery Battle added to the advantage with a 5-yard score. The Astros then forced a turnover and Battle went in again, this time from 12 yards out.
Hicks then followed by striking for a pair of TDs. He started with a 10-yard touchdown, then — after Pinkerton’s lone punt — ran for a 29-yard score to make it 35-0 with just over two minutes until halftime. The Astro backups played the entire second half, but still scored on both of their possessions.
“We were driving down and pushing the ball up the field,” said Hicks. “That’s the key. We had good drive and posted some early points. It felt good to put a few TDs in after a rough year last year.”
Meanwhile, the defense also dominated. Alvirne managed just 14 total yards in the first half against the Pinkerton starters, and did not pass the 50-yard line. The Broncos didn’t complete a single pass for the game.
“The defense did so well all-around,” said Baillargeon. “We played hard and we didn’t give up much. We feel good, but we know it only gets harder from here. We will need to keep working.”