Laconia, Gilford square off for state DIII football title

It doesn’t get much better than Laconia facing off against Gilford in the state Division III football championship this weekend, where the No. 4 Golden Eagles look for their first division title, against a surging No. 2 Sachems squad coming off eight straight wins.

Laconia Sachems

The Sachems (9-2) came into the season with a little extra fire after a one point loss to Monadnock to end the 2024 campaign.

“They were hungry, hit the weight room, and were ready,” Coach Nick Ford said.

The Sachems rely on "smashmouth football," meaning their offense has a heavy ground attack used to wear down the opposing defense. The team has been run-oriented all year, and this was especially the case against the Inter-Lakes and Moultonborough Lakers, when all but one of their 43 plays were on the ground.

The team is led by 12th grade running back Jacob Tryon, who has 1,255 yards, and 13 touchdowns on a team that runs the ball 90% of the time. However, he also has a pair of touchdown passes for good measure.

Fellow 12th grade quarterback Carter Jones doesn’t throw a lot, but when he does, he is accurate and effective, with six touchdown passes this year.

“Carter is a phenomenal leader who is very poised,” Ford said. “He delivers when we call upon him.”

Every good running game is led by an offensive line for protection and opening holes. Ford said Logan Hall, in 12th grade, is the leader at center, with 11th grader Riley Wilson anchoring a guard spot, and Braydon McMath, a 12th grader, at tackle. Tight end Sean O’Sullivan, in 11th grade, helps with the run blocking, but also has four touchdown catches this season.

The Sachem defense is led by 12th grade middle linebacker AJ Dominguez, who Ford said is one of the top players in the state, and has tallied 112 tackles.

“He has a knack for finding the football,” Ford said. “It is the way he reads his keys, reading guards, the fullback or the weakside back. He is an absolute motor out there.”

Twelfth grader Brayden Day has started the past two years at safety, and has been having a great postseason, including a 12-tackle performance against Newport.

Defensive end Chris Amato, a 12th grader, is “physical and quick,” and is coming off a game with a defensive touchdown against Inter-Lakes. He had an ankle injury just before the last bout with Gilford, and had to sit out and eventually change his position. Ford said Amato hasn’t stopped since, and he is looking forward to being able to face the rival Golden Eagles.

Ford called the previous game against Gilford “phenomenal,” saying it was what anyone would want out of a rivalry game, as it was tied at halftime, and came down to the final minutes.

Laconia went up 8-0 after a touchdown run by Tryon, followed by a two-point conversion where Tryon received a pitch and threw to Ryan Walsh for a score. Gilford’s Emmett Hughes hauled in a catch from quarterback Mark Uicker, and lunged into the endzone for a score in the second quarter. Gilford’s running back Lukas Diaz ran it up the gut for the two-point conversion to make it an 8-8 game at the half.

In the third quarter, Diaz put the Golden Eagles up 14-8 with a 30-yard touchdown run, but Laconia’s defense had a nice stop at the line against another two-point conversion attempt. After both teams played solid defense, Laconia’s O’Sullivan caught a fantastic touchdown, with two defenders on him with three minutes left. Kicker Sam Hogg nailed the extra point to put the Sachems up by one, and then Tryon sealed the deal with an interception in the final minutes of the game.

This is the first time since 2009 the Sachems have been in a title game, but they are certainly no strangers to hardware. Laconia last won in 2007, when they beat Hanover for the Division IV crown in an undefeated season, and in total they have won 11 championships.

“It is a great honor to even be in a game like this,” Ford said. “I am excited for the kids, because 20 years down the road, they will be talking about this, and how they were a part of something special.”

Gilford Golden Eagles

The Golden Eagles (8-2) are looking for their first state title. The last time the team was in a championship game was 2010, when they lost to Newport. Gilford is on a five-game winning streak, including a big win over No. 1 Monadnock in the semifinals. Coach Brandt O’Hara recognizes the significance of this game, and said the vibe in the team’s locker room couldn’t be higher.

“Laconia has a rich history of football, but we are trying to swing things on our side and show we are a football town, too, and ready to get it done,” O’Hara said.

O’Hara said the loss to Laconia in Week 2 was tough, knowing there were playoff implications as far as seeding goes. But now in the title game, he said both teams have gotten better on both sides of the line, and there is every indication the match will go right down to the wire.

“Both teams have found their groove and consistency on offense and defense,” O’Hara said. “We have put together some pieces, and got some pieces back, so this should be a great matchup.”

Hughes was hurt in the first quarter of a game against the Sachems after scoring the first touchdown, and the 12th grader will be a force at both tight end and defensive end this Saturday. O’Hara expects the battle between Hughes and Sullivan to be a huge part of the game, saying like any good football game, it will be won in the trenches.

Both teams are heavy with student-athletes in their final year, with Gilford’s 11 and Laconia’s 12 providing leadership on and off the field. But O’Hara said the Gilford squad has also younger players who have stepped up, especially on the offensive line.

The team is led by Uicker, who is having a standout season at quarterback with 1,176 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. He is averaging about nine yards per attempt.

“Mark has done a great job commanding the offense,” O’Hara said. “He and the offensive coordinator bounce ideas off each other. There is a good trust between them.”

Diaz is the team’s workhorse at running back, with 10 rushing touchdowns and only seven yards away from the 1,000-yard mark. The 11th grader is also averaging almost a first down per carry.

Eleventh grader Lucas Raleigh is at wideout, and has 27 catches for 482 yards, and six touchdowns. He has averaged 18 yards per catch, showing his big play potential.

Henry Sleeper, in 12th grade, is a wide receiver with a big body, and has 15 catches for 208 yards, and six scores.

The team’s defense is led by middle linebacker Timmy Macione, a 12th grader who has tallied 72 tackles, and is a wizard with play recognition on the run. Fellow 12th grader Declan Voivod is at defensive tackle, leading the team with 19 tackles for a loss. He also has 50 tackles and five sacks. Defensive end Liam Sullivan, in 11th grade, leads the team with six sacks.

“The biggest thing here is matching physicality,” O’Hara said. “Whoever wins the battle at the line of scrimmage will probably be coming out on top.”

Since O’Hara has been with the team, the Golden Eagles have been in the semifinals three times. Getting to the final game was huge for the program, but the mission isn’t over.

“We aren’t in the championship game for no reason,” O’Hara said. “We are trying to win it all.”

The Sachems will host the Golden Eagles at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter.