LACONIA, N.H. -- After defeating Bishop Brady in the semifinals last week, the Tigers' coach John Proper told his team they had the talent to win it all if they didn't beat themselves. 

But Newport did just that with four lost fumbles, some untimely penalties and failure to seize scoring opportunities in a 21-7 loss to Somersworth in the NHIAA Division IV finals at Jim Fitzgerald Field on Saturday.

"I told them we had to win the turnover battle and the penalties and we lost both," Newport coach John Proper said. "You can't turn the ball over to a good team. We were down there twice ready to score and gave the ball away. That was the difference in the ball game."

 

Newport (8-1) was able to move the ball and recovered four Hilltopper fumbles but failed to cash in when deep in Somersworth territory. The sometimes sloppy play on both sides was punctuated late in the first quarter and early second when there were four loss fumbles, two by both sides, in a span of eight plays. 

Newport's Gabe Howe recovered the first one with Newport leading 7-0. When the Hilltoppers (8-1) pounced on the last of the four on their own 40 they put together a 60 yard, 12 play drive that included 30-yard pass play from Erich Goodrich to Thomas Rees to the 21. Goodrich then hit Kayden Bickford on a fourth and goal and the game was tied 7-7.

On its next possession, Newport started at its own 27 and on the first play from scrimmage, senior Kyle Ashley raced around end for 38 yards to the Somersworth 35. Newport would get down to the 14 before losing the ball on a fumble late in the second quarter and the teams went into halftime tied.

The game's turning point came early in the third when Howe recovered a muffed punt on the Somersworth 40 yard line. Newport would get inside the 30 before again, fumbling the ball away and Bickford scooped it up and took it down to the Newport 32. Five plays late, Tayshawn Sheppard scored from the 12 and the Hilltopper led 13-7 after a missed extra point.

The Tigers, who scored first on a nine-yard run by Ashley in the first quarter after stopping a fake punt deep in Somersworth territory, had a golden opportunity to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. A drive began on the Somersworth 30 and with Ashley doing the bulk of the running work and also hitting Kobie Curtis with a 10-yard pass play, the Tigers had a first and goal on the nine yard line. But a delay-of-game, a two yard loss and a sack on a bad snap left them with a fourth and goal from the 26. Newport's pass attempt was incomplete.

Newport would not get close again and Somersworth sealed the win when Seth Worrell intercepted a pass on the Newport 25 and ran it in for a score followed by a two-point conversion with less than three minutes remaining.

Proper said it was a tough way to go out but the team should be proud of its accomplishments

 

"I told them not to hang their heads," Proper said. "There are a lot of teams that wish they were in this game. Don't let this take away from what you accomplished this season."

For the seniors, Proper said it would have been nice to go out on top but they won the title as freshmen, went to the playoffs as sophomores and have been to the finals the last two years.

"That is not a bad four years of football," Proper said.

Ashley, who ran for more than 100 yards in his final game, echoed Proper's game assessment.

"They did better than us. We had a lot of momentum but we didn't capitalize and had errors and mistakes," Ashley said.

Patrick O'Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com

LACONIA - After defeating Bishop Brady in the semifinals last week, the Tigers' coach John Proper told his team they had the talent to win it all if they didn't beat themselves. 

But Newport did just that with four lost fumbles, some untimely penalties and failure to seize scoring opportunities in a 21-7 loss to Somersworth in the NHIAA Division IV finals at Jim Fitzgerald Field on Saturday.

"I told them we had to win the turnover battle and the penalties and we lost both," Newport coach John Proper said. "You can't turn the ball over to a good team. We were down there twice ready to score and gave the ball away. That was the difference in the ball game."

 

Newport (8-1) was able to move the ball and recovered four Hilltopper fumbles but failed to cash in when deep in Somersworth territory. The sometimes sloppy play on both sides was punctuated late in the first quarter and early second when there were four loss fumbles, two by both sides, in a span of eight plays. 

Newport's Gabe Howe recovered the first one with Newport leading 7-0. When the Hilltoppers (8-1) pounced on the last of the four on their own 40 they put together a 60 yard, 12 play drive that included 30-yard pass play from Erich Goodrich to Thomas Rees to the 21. Goodrich then hit Kayden Bickford on a fourth and goal and the game was tied 7-7.

On its next possession, Newport started at its own 27 and on the first play from scrimmage, senior Kyle Ashley raced around end for 38 yards to the Somersworth 35. Newport would get down to the 14 before losing the ball on a fumble late in the second quarter and the teams went into halftime tied.

The game's turning point came early in the third when Howe recovered a muffed punt on the Somersworth 40 yard line. Newport would get inside the 30 before again, fumbling the ball away and Bickford scooped it up and took it down to the Newport 32. Five plays late, Tayshawn Sheppard scored from the 12 and the Hilltopper led 13-7 after a missed extra point.

The Tigers, who scored first on a nine-yard run by Ashley in the first quarter after stopping a fake punt deep in Somersworth territory, had a golden opportunity to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. A drive began on the Somersworth 30 and with Ashley doing the bulk of the running work and also hitting Kobie Curtis with a 10-yard pass play, the Tigers had a first and goal on the nine yard line. But a delay-of-game, a two yard loss and a sack on a bad snap left them with a fourth and goal from the 26. Newport's pass attempt was incomplete.

Newport would not get close again and Somersworth sealed the win when Seth Worrell intercepted a pass on the Newport 25 and ran it in for a score followed by a two-point conversion with less than three minutes remaining.

Proper said it was a tough way to go out but the team should be proud of its accomplishments

 

"I told them not to hang their heads," Proper said. "There are a lot of teams that wish they were in this game. Don't let this take away from what you accomplished this season."

For the seniors, Proper said it would have been nice to go out on top but they won the title as freshmen, went to the playoffs as sophomores and have been to the finals the last two years.

"That is not a bad four years of football," Proper said.

Ashley, who ran for more than 100 yards in his final game, echoed Proper's game assessment.

"They did better than us. We had a lot of momentum but we didn't capitalize and had errors and mistakes," Ashley said.

Patrick O'Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com