Lumley, Salem rumble past Memorial, 45-7

SALEM, NH — Just about everything that could go wrong, went wrong for the Memorial High football team Friday night. Injuries, turnovers, penalties and a lengthy weather delay all contributed to a 45-7 drubbing at the hands of Salem High.

Senior quarterback Nolan Lumley tossed three touchdown passes (all in the first half) and added another on the ground to lead the Blue Devils (2-0). Junior Kevin Todisco hauled in two of Lumley’s scoring strikes, adding 83 yards and another score on nine carries.

Memorial senior quarterback Connor McFarland led the Crusaders with 48 yards on 10 carries, but left the game late in the first half, after injuring his hand on the helmet of a Salem player.

“He’ll have to have it x=rayed. He was in some pain but we’re hoping he’ll be ok,” said Memorial Head Coach Rob Strurgis.

Senior running back Erik Seymour added 41 yards on 12 carries, including the Crusaders’ lone score, a 4-yard TD run in the third quarter.

The game featured a 90-minute delay due to lightning. Play was stopped with 9:18 to play in the second quarter and Salem holding a slim 6-0 lead. To that point, Memorial (0-2) had been playing Salem evenly, with two first-quarter possessions inside the “Red Zone.” But each time, the Crusaders came up empty. A 13-play drive ended when McFarland fumbled at the Salem 11. Later, a 35-yard punt return by Mohammed Olanrewaju set up Memorial at the Salem 15. The Crusaders had to settle for a 32-yard field goal attempt by Rudi Fricker, which sailed wide right.

Following the weather delay, the game took a decidedly different turn. Salem appeared rested and invigorated, while Memorial came out flat. The Blue Devils struck quickly, marching 55 yards in just eight plays. Lumley (5-for-7, 98 yards) capped the drive with a 22-yard TD pass to Todisco, who made a juggling catch at the goal line to make it 12-0.

After forcing a three-and-out by the Memorial offense, Lumley went right back to work, moving his team downfield with ease. He and Todisco finished off the 66-yard drive with a 23-yard scoring connection. This time, Felix Gonzalez ran in the 2-point conversion to push Salem’s lead to 20- at halftime.

“I think we lost our focus,” said Sturgis. “This is a young team. It’s a talented team, but it’s a young team. And I think that with the delay, we just lost our focus. And against a team like Salem, with the type of offense they have, if your lose your focus, they’re going to gash you.”

A 2-yard QB sneak by Lumley early in the third quarter made it 26-0 before Memorial was finally able to strike back. Backup quarterback Brady Harrison, taking his first varsity snaps, led the Crusaders on a 7-pay, 63-yard scoring drive, capped off by a 4-yard touchdown run by Seymour. Fricker tacked on the extra point to cut the Salem lead to 26-7.

Any hopes for a comeback were quickly dashed, as Salem answered with touchdowns on its next three possessions. Tadisco scored on a 10-yard sweep, Gonzalez found the end zone from three yards out and Jordan Zannini put the exclamation point on the win with a 90-yard TD scamper in the final minutes.

Memorial will try for its first win of the season, Friday night, when they travel to the seacoast to take on Winnacunnet (0-1).