BEDFORD, N.H. — For a few moments, it appeared Pinkerton Academy might throw the entire New Hampshire Division I football scene into disarray.
When Ryson Michaud sprinted around the left side for a 7-yard touchdown with 7:14 left in the game, the Astros held the lead and all of the momentum against Bedford, the undefeated No. 1-ranked team in the Granite State.
But then, the Bulldogs showed why they are the two-time defending Division I state champions.
Bedford responded with a clock-killing drive to take the lead back with 1:47 left, then squashed a late Astros gasp to deal Pinkerton a heartbreaking 28-25 loss.
“The kids answered the bell tonight, much better than the performance we had last week,” said Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly. “I was not pleased with our performance last week, but I saw a lot of hope here tonight. We showed some good things. But we have a lot to fix.”
The loss was the second straight for Pinkerton (4-2), which entered the day as the No. 3 team in the state, the other to No. 5 Salem. Bedford improved to 6-0.
“We have two losses in a row, but it’s going to be OK,” said O’Reilly. “It’s not like there’s something wrong here. We’ll rebound. I have no idea where this will put us seeding-wise, but it doesn’t matter. We can still match up with anyone.”
The Astros came out flying. On the third play of the game, superstar running back Matt Morrison took a handoff up the middle and broke free for a 73-yard touchdown. But would be his final carry of game.
Pinkerton then delivered a defensive stop, but was dealt a crushing blow. On the ensuing punt, Morrison suffered a finger injury that ended his night. The Astros were already without starting running back, Jamie Isaac, who was injured last week.
“When Matt fielded the punt, it bounced off his finger and there was some kind of break,” said O’Reilly. “He left the game at halftime to get an x-ray and see the doctor. He’s out for an extended period, as is Jamie. It’s been tough to plug some of the holes.”
But Pinkerton showed plenty of life, with a 57-yard drive that sophomore Brady Spellman ended with a 4-yard touchdown. Bedford responded with a score, but the Astros bounced right back, as QB Aiden McDonald connected with tight end Anthony Caruso for a 50-yard TD.
Bedford scored again and drove into the red zone in the final seconds of the first half, but Astro David Souther intercepted a pass in the end zone to keep it 19-14 Pinkerton at halftime.
The Bulldogs took the lead on the opening drive of the third quarter, but Pinkerton wasn’t going away.
After Spellman had to leave the game temporarily, the Astros called on fellow sophomore Michaud — the brother of former Eagle-Tribune All-Star Caden Michaud — who had not yet had a carry. In one drive, Michaud rushed eight times for 57 yards, including the go-ahead TD.
But Bedford had one last big drive, twice executing on third-and-long, to score the winning touchdown.
“I really like the way my sophomore running backs stepped up tonight,” said O’Reilly. “We found ourselves in a tough situation, and offensively we didn’t really miss a beat with Brady and Ryson coming in. But it’s tough when you lose two of your fastest guys. Our sophomores hung in there on defense. I still like our chances as long as we get all our guys back.”
Bedford 28, Pinkerton 25
FIRST QUARTER
P — Matt Morrison 73 run (kick failed), 10:31
P — Brady Spellman 4 run (Andrew Perfetto kick), 5:47
B — Brody Helton 3 run (Bennett Matthews kick), 0:00
SECOND QUARTER
P — Anthony Caruso 50 pass from Aiden McDonald (kick failed), 10:11
THIRD QUARTER
B — Helton 2 run (Jack Maye rush), 5:27
FOURTH QUARTER
P — Ryson Michaud 7 run (rush failed), 7:14
B — Landon Ellsmore 6 pass from Maye (Matthews kick), 1:47
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING: Pinkerton — Matt Morrison 2-79, Ryson Michaud 8-57, Brady Spellman 6-34, Ben Quintiliani 6-40, Joe Osanya 2-6, AJ Scholz 9-5, Aiden McDonald 2-7
PASSING: Pinkerton — McDonald 3-7-1, 74
RECEIVING: Pinkerton — Anthony Caruso 2-59, Spellman 1-15