By Roger Brown
MaxPreps.com
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Passing the ball is usually the second option for the Exeter High School football team's offense, but in Saturday's 28-0 triumph against Keene it was the best option.
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Keene crowded the line of scrimmage, and Exeter quarterback Mike Kukesh responded by completing his first three passes for touchdowns as the Blue Hawks opened up a 21-0 lead at halftime.
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"We knew the pass was going to be there," Kukesh said. "If you're going to bring that many guys up you have to beat them through the air. It's not too often you get to throw like that here."
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Exeter has reached the Division II title game eight times in the last 10 years (the Blue Hawks have won four championships in that span) and are known best for their sticky defense and punishing running game.
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Exeter looks like it might make another strong run at the Division II championship this season. Saturday's victory improved the team's record to 5-0. Bishop Guertin, which is also 5-0, is the only other undefeated team in Division II.
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BG, which is currently riding a 29-game winning streak, will play Exeter in Nashua Oct. 13.
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Halfback Brett McAllister caught two of Kukesh's three touchdown passes. The first one covered 45 yards and opened the scoring in the first quarter. The second one covered three yards and came with 2:46 left in the first half.
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Kukesh also threw a 77-yard strike to tight end Craig Collier for Exeter's second touchdown. Fullback Gabe Bourgeois scored Exeter's fourth touchdown on a 10-yard run midway through the third quarter.
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The loss dropped Keene's record to 3-2 overall, and 3-1 in Division II.
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"We knew Exeter was gonna have to throw the ball with us putting nine guys in the box," Keene coach John Luopa said. "If they can throw the ball out of that offense they'll be tough to beat."
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Exeter and BG are two of the nine undefeated teams left in the state. The others are Pinkerton Academy (5-0 in Division I), Souhegan (5-0 in Division III), Plymouth (5-0 in Division III), Portsmouth (5-0 in Division III), Somersworth (5-0 in Division IV), Bishop Brady (4-0 in Division V) and Franklin (5-0 in Division V).
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Two of those unbeaten teams, Portsmouth and Souhegan, will meet Friday in Portsmouth.
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Field Hockey: Winnacunnet May Be in Top Form
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Winnacunnet lost two Division I scholarship players - forward Mallory Anderson (Maine) and goalie Allison Karpiak (Connecticut) - from a team that reached the Class L semifinals last season, so perhaps no one expected the Warriors to be the dominant team ÿin Class L this season.
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Winnacunnet enters the week with a 10-0 record, however, and is the only unbeaten team in Class L. The Warriors are seeking the program's second Class L championship. The first came in 1992.
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One reason for the team's success has been the play of senior goalie Jai Demeule, who played sparingly as Karpiak's backup last season. The Warriors have allowed four goals in their 10 games.
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"From the beginning I thought we'd do OK," Winnacunnet coach Linda Osborne said in a recent interview with the Portsmouth Herald. "Did I think we'd be undefeated at this point? No."
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Boys Soccer: Sanborn Breaks Record
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Sanborn opened the season with nine-consecutive victories and set a school record by not allowing a goal in those nine contests. The previous record - five shutouts at the start of a season - was held by the 1990 Sanborn team, which lost to Hanover in the Class I championship game.
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Despite its unblemished record, Sanborn is second, behind 12-0 Gilford, in the Class I standings. Sanborn, which has outscored its opponents 35-0, and Gilford will not play each other during the regular season.