DERRY, N.H. — As Kevin Todisco broke free, with nothing but green turf, the end zone and a sea of fans dressed in blue in screaming front of him, the Salem High star knew his squad had just made a statement.
“I saw everyone on the sidelines screaming and going crazy for me,” said Todisco. “It was an amazing moment. I knew we could get it done tonight with this group here. I feel like we made a statement.”
The red-hot running back erupted for 242 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries, and the Blue Devils defense grabbed three interceptions as Salem stunned rival Pinkerton — the No. 2-ranked team in the state — 27-13 on Friday night in front of a packed house of over 2,000 fans.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Devils (3-2) to Pinkerton (4-1), dating back to the 2019 season.
“We were confident and knew we could do this,” said Todisco. “It felt great. We are loaded with talent. It took a little but for this team to get going, but Salem is here.”
This marked the third straight monster game for Todisco, who has rushed for 603 yards during Salem’s current three-game winning streak.
The win was even sweeter for Todisco, taking down his middle school teammates.
“It feels amazing,” said Todisco. “I played with all of these (Pinkerton) kids as an eighth grader, and they’re all my friends. I grew up with them. They’re great guys, and I can’t even put into words how good it felt to beat them.”
It was Pinkerton that took the first lead, when star back Matt Morrison plunged in for a 1-yard touchdown with 3:06 left in the first quarter.
But Salem struck back one possession later, when sophomore Aidan Shikrallah broke free down the left sideline for a 24-yard touchdown.
“That was my first score of the season,” said Shikrallah. “I felt like we needed a score right there. The line opened up a great hole and I took it.”
The Astros responded by driving to the Salem 14-yard line, but Eagle-Tribune All-Star linebacker Talen Walton intercepted a pass at the goal line. Three plays later, Todisco took off down the left sideline, and broke free for an 85-yard touchdown.
Pinkerton then drove again to the 14-yard line in the final seconds of the first half, but Shikrallah out-jumped an Astro and pulled down the interception in the end zone.
“There was about 13 seconds left on the clock, so we knew the play was coming,” said Shikrallah. “I saw the wideout going deep, I had to drop back and I went up and got it.”
Todisco opened the second half with another touchdown, a 9-yard score. and after Pinkerton cut the lead to one score — on a Morrison 9-yard TD — Todisco struck one more time, a 43-yard game-clinching touchdown.
The Blue Devils added one more interception, a Jordan Zannini pick.
“Salem did a great job today,” said Pinkerton head coach Brian O’Reilly. “They overpowered us. They pushed us up and down the field, and they had an excellent defensive scheme to take away the long passes and the outside plays. Salem outplayed us the entire game. They did a great job.
Salem 27, Pinkerton 13
FIRST QUARTER
P — Matt Morrison 1 run (kick failed), 3:06
SECOND QUARTER
S — Aidan Shikrallah 24 run (pass failed), 11:49
S — Kevin Todisco 85 run (Ryan Bryant kick), 6:06
THIRD QUARTER
S — Todisco 9 run (Bryant kick), 8:24
P — Morrison 9 run (Andrew Perfetto kick), 4:05
FOURTH QUARTER
S — Todisco 43 run (Bryant kick), 11:07
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING: Salem — Kevin Todisco 18-242, Aidan Shikrallah 8-56, Colin Salkovitz 4-16, Felix Gonzalez 5-30, Jordan Zannini 1-3; Pinkerton — Matt Morrison 13-73, Joe Osanya 6-26, Jamie Isaac 1-0, Aiden McDonald 4-7
PASSING: Salem — Christopher Goss 2-2-0, 14; Pinkerton — McDonald 15-30-3, 161
RECEIVING: Salem — Calen Smith 1-14, Gonzalez 1-0; Pinkerton — Morrison 5-89, Anthony Caruso 5-30, Jimmy Knudsen 2-22, Camren Dillon 1-10, Marcus Navarro 1-7, Osanya 1-3