WINDHAM, N.H. – Saturday afternoon was pretty dreary. Matt Morrison and Pinkerton Academy didn’t seem to mind.
The Astros’ senior carried 25 times for 166 yards and all three Pinkerton touchdowns in the 24-8 win in the rain and slop at Windham High.
The win brings the Astros to 3-0 on the season, outscoring opponents 112-25. With the loss, Windham falls to 1-2.
“It’s important for running backs on a day like today, you can rely on 5 or 6 yard plays time after time,” said Morrison. “You don’t have to worry about dropping the ball on a pass, you can keep things moving, and it’s key.”
Only one forward pass was completed all day, by either team.
“We did what we had to do, and the weather did not help with what we normally do, we’re a speedy and passing team,” added Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly. “Both of those were limited today, but we did what we had to do.”
The Astros rode four huge turnovers to keep Windham off the board for nearly the entire 48 minutes. John Hanlon, Caiden Morrow and Anthony Caruso all had fumble recoveries, while Cam Dillon added an interception.
Windham’s Hayden Tedesco had a game for himself, running 35 times for 135 yards. Jaguars quarterback Kevin Murphy was out due to injury, while backup Adrian Bergman kept six carries himself for 36 yards.
“Windham’s a really good football team, and they should know that,” said O’Reilly. “They like to play us, and I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Pinkerton jumped out to a 10-0 lead at the break, thanks to a one-yard score from Morrison, and a 29-yard field goal from Andrew Perfetto.
The Astros continued right where they had left off, as Morrison ran in the final two touchdowns of the afternoon, from 5 and 15 yards in the third quarter to put it away.
“We started out slow today, but we changed some of our plays around to cater to the strengths of the weather, and who we had out there,” said Morrison. “We just pounded the ball forward, and it worked.”
Chris Brearley ran in Windham’s lone touchdown from 10 yards out, spoiling the shutout with just two minutes remaining in the contest.
For the Astros, it’s all about taking things week by week.
“Pinkerton is one big team, one big family,” said Morrison. “I didn’t know what the team chemistry would look like after last year, losing many senior starters, but we’ve come out so far this year.”
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Pinkerton 24, Windham 8
Second Quarter:
P — Matt Morrison 1 run (Andrew Perfetto kick), 5:21
P — Perfetto 29 field goal, 0:41
Third Quarter:
P — Morrison 5 run (Perfetto kick), 8:34
P – Morrison 15 run (Perfetto kick), 2:45
Fourth Quarter:
W — Chris Brearley 10 run (Tedesco rush), 1:53
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING: W – Hayden Tedesco 35-135, Chris Brearley 8-31, Adrian Bergman 6-36, Jack Koutrobis 3-24; P – Matt Morrison 25-166, Jamie Isaac 5-21, Ben Quintillani 4-12, Aiden McDonald 1-0
PASSING: W – Adrian Bergman 1-8-1, 2 yards; P – Aiden McDonald 0-2
RECEIVING: W – Jack Koutrobis 1-2