HOLDING ON – Hooksett’s Chris Allen, despite the stiff arm from Pelham running back Dan Lamont, holds on to make the tackle in his team’s 18-10 Division 1 loss. (Jerry Liptak Photo)

PELHAM – Already down 12-0 at halftime, the Hooksett Hurricanes Jr. Midget Pop Warner football team took another body blow; the undefeated hosts from Pelham- Windham returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a score.

Down 18-0, its supporters quiet, the ’Canes followed the lead of their coaches – specifically head coach Dave Tremblay – and fought back before falling, 18-10, in an exciting Division 1 state final at Muldoon Park in Pelham on Sunday, Nov. 7.

“We’ve been down before,” said Tremblay. “They know how to handle that situation.”

Though disappointed in the game’s outcome, Tremblay was far from discouraged by his team’s resiliency.

In addition to the kickoff return just 13 seconds after the break, the Razorbacks managed two first-half scores – a 30-yard TD pass and one sustained drive resulting in a rushing touchdown.

For the final 19:47 of the game, though, the ’Canes were more than able.

Hooksett began moving the ball more effectively against the top-ranked defense in D-1, regularly invading Razorback territory in the third quarter.

Chris Allen and Gerid Paquette handled most of the running chores as the locals moved to P-W’s 22 before turning the ball over on downs.

After the Razorbacks began a march of their own, Sam Swanson pounced on a fumble.

A 24-yard burst from J.R. Jarnigan moved the ’Canes to midfield, then Jake Tremblay picked up a first down on 4thand- 5.

Still, as the fourth quarter began, it looked like the hosts would hand Hooksett an identical defeat to the 18-0 P-W victory on Sept. 26. Though the Hurricanes moved the ball closer to paydirt, Pelham-Windham pushed back, stopping Hooksett with an interception at the twoyard line.

The defense and special teams finally put the locals on the board. Just missing a safety on second and third down, the Hooksett “D” forced a P-W punt attempt, which never made it out of the end zone. The safety was the team’s first score this year against the Razorbacks in nearly 77 minutes of play.

Down 18-2, Hooksett moved 57 yards after receiving the free kick. The offense scored when Jake Tremblay crashed over with 30 seconds left. Taylor Vazquez banged through the two-point kick. The score was 18-10.

And the ’Canes still had some fight left in them.

The inevitable on-side kick bounced off a waiting Pelham player’s chest and into the arms of Allen, giving Hooksett one final chance.

The never-say-die roster includes Mike Berthiaume, Vazquez, Ryan Bigg, Patrick Tatro, Jarnigan, Nathan Collins, Allen, Max Auger, Tremblay, Anthony Cecilio, Brandon Carter, Sam Robertson, Alex Auger, Travis Gelinas, Steven Pahigian, Andy Muniz, Swanson, Paquette, Josh Cote and Dan Charpentier. Tremblay’s coaching staff includes Michael Tatro, Martin Auger, Pat Bigg and Nelson Vazquez.

“Today, we can honestly say we got beat by a better team,” said Tremblay, addressing the upbeat parents, his state runners- up team and the state champion Jr. Midget cheer squad after the loss. “We came out slow and made a few mistakes. But you guys never stopped ... and you should be proud of yourselves.”

Game notes

Hooksett was only the second team to score in double figures against Pelham-Windham this year. Salem – beaten by Hooksett, 40-7, in the state semifinals – turned the trick in October.

Tatro turned in a remarkable fourth-quarter run on 4th-and- 10, breaking several tackles along the far sideline to pick up a first down.