By DAN BARILE
Eagle Times Correspondent
GILFORD, N.H. — After jumping out to a 12-0 lead against Gilford last week, Newport looked like it might be on its way to earning a home playoff game in the Division 3 playoffs.
Gilford responded by scoring 26 unanswered points to claim the victory, which resulted in Newport having to travel to Gilford for a rematch in the opening round of the playoffs.
This time around it was Gilford who held an early 12-0 advantage, and despite Newport’s efforts, it was a lead the Eagles would never relinquish during a commanding 40-20 victory.
Gilford opened the scoring when they caught the Tigers off-guard on a fourth-and-two play. After running the ball on each of the previous plays on the drive, the Eagles went to the air and connected on a 27-yard strike for the score.
About a minute later, Gilford found the endzone again after a fumble recovery allowed them to regain possession at Newport’s 12-yard line. The Eagles rushed to paydirt on the first play of the drive to take a two score lead before the end of the first quarter.
Despite a slow start offensively by the Tigers, they managed to cut the deficit to six on a 1-yard touchdown run by Kobie Curtis with less than five minutes remaining until halftime.
With things looking up for Newport following the touchdown by Curtis, hopes for a second half comeback quickly diminished when Gilford found the endzone twice in the final two minutes to enter the break with a 26-6 edge.
Newport had a glimmer of hope in the second half when they struck first on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Fellows to Tyson DiPaola, but Gilford scored on the following possession to maintain a three score lead through three quarters.
Gilford extended its lead to 40-12 in the fourth quarter before DiPaola added his second touchdown of the game in the final minutes.
Newport finished the season with a 5-4 record. Gilford (6-3) will travel to top-seeded Campbell (9-0) for its semifinal contest. Campbell earned a 50-14 victory over Gilford earlier this season.
