The ConVal football team played its most competitive game of the season against Stevens Friday night, and despite a pair of costly fumbles leading to a 22-14 homecoming loss, the Cougars look to be on the rise with a slate of winnable games down the stretch.
With the cool evening’s condensation settling on the field and creating slippery conditions, ConVal turned the ball over on a fumbled center/quarterback exchange on the opening possession which set up a first-drive Stevens touchdown.
“We didn’t get a ton of penalties,” said head coach Mike Jillson, now midway through his first true season with ConVal after ushering the Cougars through last fall’s skills-and-drills. “We made errors of commission. What are you going to do? I can’t fault them. I just wish tonight we had gotten the W.”
ConVal kept the game close, as running back Eric McGrath followed the early Cardinal score with a 60-yard scamper to paydirt and quarterback Jaxon Salamy shook off a few Stevens defenders and ran one in from 10 out in the second half. But the Cougars handed the Cardinals more than their share of short fields, and even with Stevens missing both of its field goal attempts, they were able to stay ahead.
ConVal’s defense was strong, with Caleb Cloutier and Gareth Armstrong creating pressure in the Stevens backfield and linebacker Wyatt Hutchinson keeping the boys in order. But Cardinal rushers Hunter Christian (90 yards, two TD) and Jai-Lique Ribeiro (132 yards, one TD) combined for over 200 yards on the ground.
“We’re attacking every gap,” Jillson said. “When you don’t attack, it breaks down the defense that we’re trying to execute, and they they’re just beginning to understand that. Tonight, they’re getting it. Our dogs, our outside backers come in hard. They did a great job.”
The Cougars (0-5) are entering the more favorable portion of their schedule after opening against a murderer’s row of Trinity (5-0), Campbell (4-1), Monadnock (3-1) and Pelham (5-0) that all beat ConVal by a combined 162-14. After a competitive game like Friday’s, pulling off a victory down the stretch against teams like Winnisquam (0-5, lost to Stevens 35-8) and Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough (1-4, only win was over Winnisquam) doesn’t seem far-fetched.
“What we have to learn, and what it takes good teams a while to learn,” Jillson said, “is individuals play the game, but teams overcome odds and we have to play collectively…It was a great effort on their part. Our kids played hard, you know, and that’s something. So now we play hard and cut down on the mistakes and we’ll get that much better.”
ConVal is at Laconia (2-3) Friday at 7 p.m.