MANCHESTER, NH – After dropping their first two games by comfortable margins, the Manchester West Blue Knights have now won three straight games for the first time in 15 years.
On Friday night, they won 54-28 against Hollis-Brookline, the third time in the past four games that Hollis-Brookline has allowed more than 50 points to an opponent.
West struck first with senior Icean Taylor’s 44-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening drive, but Cavalier senior quarterback Riley McQuilkin returning the favor on the next drive. McQuilkin capped off a nine-play drive with a one-yard scoring rush and a successful two-point conversion gave the visitors an 8-6 lead.
Hollis-Brookline added another touchdown on their second drive of the evening, this time with McQuilkin finding freshman J.C. Cora through the air on a five-yard strike, but after that moment the momentum began to swing back toward the Blue Knights.
Immediately after Cora’s score, junior Taylor Gallant returned a kickoff 76-yards to bring the score to 16-12, and while West was unable to add any points after the touchdown for a second straight time, Gallant would force a fumble on the Cavaliers’ next drive just as Hollis-Brookline seemed to reach the red zone once again.
Gallant added a rushing touchdown from eight yards out with 1:07 left before the half and West would immediately force another fumble once Hollis-Brookline regained possession, leading to a passing touchdown from Taylor to senior William Mara with 21 seconds left in the half, giving the hosts a 27-16 advantage at the break.
Hollis-Brookline’s offense still had life in the second half, with the Cavaliers first drive after the break ending with a eight-yard touchdown for junior Elliott Troddyn, but West’s offense was firing on all cylinders as well with the growing turnover gap proving to be the difference.
Following Troddyn’s score, the Cavaliers next three drives ended in a fumble followed by an interception and another interception. Miguel Sanchez forcing the fumble and the second interception, while Michael McNally had the other interception, the first of two he’d find on the night.
West would answer with three unanswered rushing touchdowns by Mara then two by Taylor to effectively put the game out of reach.
“They’re still carrying the ball like a loaf of bread in one hand,” said Hollis-Brookline Head Coach Chris Lones on the night’s fumbles. “(and McQuilkin) is still chucking the ball up there in the air. You’re throwing it up in the air over four guys? I don’t care if we have Usain Bolt on this team, you’re not going to beat four guys 20 yards down the field and you don’t have the arm to beat them. You’d have to throw 80 yards to beat them and you can’t throw it that far.”
McQuilkin found his brother, senior Kaden, for one last Hollis-Brookline score with just over two minutes left, but the second McNally interception paved the way for West’s final touchdown, scored by sophomore Carl Taylor Jr. with just 23 seconds left in regulation.
For West, Friday night’s team was a drastically different one that gave away 60 points to Lebanon just a month earlier. Granted, Lebanon is one of the best teams in the state, but Taylor may be one of the best running quarterbacks in the state at this point, putting together 210 yards on the ground on his own in Friday’s winning effort.
“We did have a tough pre-season, but we also played strong competition early on and I think that helped us,” said West Head Coach Tom Bozoian. “And we have Icean, he’s a dynamic athlete and he’s not selfish. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
After years of struggling, West now finds itself knocking on the door of the top tier in the NHIAA Division II West Division. Now at 3-2, the next two weeks see the Blue Knights face off against Spartans as they play the Spartans of Pembroke Academy on the road next Saturday at 2 p.m. followed by a 7 p.m. Oct. 15 tilt in Milford.
