BEDFORD, NH — Senior quarterback Bennett Matthews rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another, leading unbeaten Bedford High to a 35-28 win over Bishop Guertin, before a capacity crowd, Friday night.
Matthews rushed for 116 yards on 16 carries, teaming with bruising fullback Brody Helton (21 carries, 156 yards, TD) to lead a punishing Bulldog ground attack that rolled up nearly 300 yards and was unstoppable over the final three quarters.
Bishop Guertin (5-2 overall, 4-2 D-1) was led by junior quarterback Nathan Bowen, who threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns on 12 of 16 passing.
It’s been a challenging eight days for the Cardinals, who have now dropped two straight games after starting the season with five straight wins. The team was also playing without Head Coach Anthony Nalen, who was serving the first game of a two-game suspension, after having been ejected from last week’s emotional loss to Nashua South.
Serving as interim head coach is BG Defensive Coordinator Jermaine McKenzie, who said he was proud of the way the Cardinals competed against the top-ranked team in Division 1 West.
”Hats off to our guys. We talk about keeping focus all the time and I thought they played (hard for) four quarters,” said McKenzie. “If a couple of plays go a little differently and I think this score is a little different.”
While the offense has thrived all season, Bishop Guertin’s defense has struggled, at times, over the past month. The Cardinals have given up an average of 29.5 point over their past four games. Friday night, Bedford (7-0 overall, 6-0 D-1) scored on five straight possessions and were driving for a sixth as time expired.
BG lost the battle in the trenches, getting worn down by a Bedford offensive that averages over 280 pounds and by Helton, a 215-pound senior who prefers running over tacklers to going around them.
Bishop Guertin got off to a strong start, taking a 14-7 lead in the second quarter on a pair of touchdown passes by Bowen, who repeatedly picked on the middle of the Bedford secondary. Scoring strikes to Sam Fayed from 22 yards and Rocco Roy from 29 yards came on nearly identical routes between the hash marks.
Roy finished with five catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns and now has a division leading 605 receiving yards this season.
Bedford pulled to within a point just before halftime on a 1-yard TD run by Helton, capping a 65-yard scoring drive. The extra point attempt clanged off the left upright.
Bedford took the lead for good on its opening possession of the second half, marching 70 yards in 11 plays, capped by a 1-yard keeper by Matthews. The senior, who also completed all six of his pass attempts, ran in the two-point conversion to put the Bulldogs up, 21-14.
After forcing a punt, Bedford took command with a 55-yard scoring drive. This time Matthews scored on a 32-yard scramble, putting the Bulldogs up, 28-14.
Bishop Guertin didn’t fold. The Cardinals cut the deficit to 28-21 on a 6-yard touchdown run by Logan Curran, early in the fourth quarter. The score was set up by a brilliant 40-yard hookup between Nathan Bowen and his brother, freshman Jake Bowen.
Down a score with plenty of time remaining, Bishop Guertin was unable to get the big stop it needed on defense . Instead, Bedford rolled down the field and scored again on a 23-yard keeper by Matthews to make it 35-21.
Roy’s second touchdown catch came with 5:13 left in game, as Bowen converted on fourth-and-goal from the eight, with a picture-perfect strike, just inside the pylon.
With its lead cut to 35-28, Bedford went back to its ground and pound attack with ruthless success. Starting from their own 40, the Bulldogs ran off 10 plays, all on the ground, netting three first downs to run out the clock.
Bishop Guertin will look to end its two-game skid, with its final home game of the season, Saturday, 6 p.m., at Stellos Stadium, against Goffstown (0-7).
Bedford will look to remain unbeaten, when it visits Londonderry (3-4), Friday at 7.