MANCHESTER, N.H. – From start to finish, it was not a good first Friday night of football for the Little Green of Manchester Central, falling 41-0 to Salem.
Riley Mulvey transformed the game’s opening kickoff into a 77-yard touchdown return and then added another score off pick-six on Central’s first drive just over a minute later.
Although the Blue Devils fumbled three plays into their next drive, they would score on each of their other drives in the first half.
Brandon Wall scored two of those touchdowns, beginning with a 15-yard run just past the start of the second quarter followed by a dive across the goal line beginning on a play six yards out.
Mulvey made it 35-0 with another rushing touchdown just 27 seconds before the half.
Central’s best chance for a score came during the first drive of the second half, where quarterback Tyler Gilroy moved the ball 58 yards on 13 plays before his second interception of the night at the hands of Salem Senior Jared Law.
Salem added its final score thanks to another six-yard run, this one from Jakadis Washington.
The Blue Devils did not attempt a single pass over the contest and combined for 210 yards on the ground from seven rushers, with Joshua Maroun with 71 yards on nine carries.
Central managed just 69 yards on the ground, led by 32 from Joel Ayala-Casco.
Gilroy collected 69 yards in the air for the Little Green, going 7-for-14 in addition to the two interceptions.
Across town, Memorial defeated Timberlane 14-7 for their first win in over four years. Elsewhere in the NHIAA Division I North Division, Bedford easily defeated Windham, 41-7 and Concord fell 48-6 on the road to Londonderry.
