One and done. That has been the theme for most of the other teams Londonderry has had in the playoffs, but the Lancer football team is looking to change that when they face Nashua South on Saturday, November 15 at Lancer Park.

The Lancers will come into this game fresh coming off the their bye week, while Nashua South carries some momentum into Lancer Park after beating Bishop Guertin. 

While the Lancers were not sure who their next opponent was, they used most of their bye week, and senior linebacker Alex Villa believes that the week off was “the best thing for us [Lancers.]” 

“We got a lot of guys rehabbing injuries,” Villa said. “I think the week off helps not just the injured guys but the whole team get their bodies right and prepare for our next opponent.”

Once the matchup was final, Villa knew “this should be a great game,” and it would take lots of preparation to be ready for South.

“Facing a very good South team we need to make sure we are honed in on the strengths of our team,” Villa said.

Villa’s keys to victory hone in on what the Lancers have to do proficiently to come out on top. 

“We will need to put together a great run game and defend the pass much better this week,” Villa said. 

Villa hopes to follow in the shoes of other great Londonderry football teams, and says its “Surreal” to have an opportunity to do so. 

“I’m excited for an opportunity like this in my senior year,” Villa said. “Hopefully we can put a good playoff run like the other great Londonderry teams have done.”

Senior nose guard and tackle Colin Couture also felt the bye week was a necessity to recover from the long season the Lancers had. 

“The bye week gave me and the team an extra week to prepare for our game against South,” Couture said. “As well as getting some of our injured players healthy to play this week.”

Couture feels confident in the boys ability to get it done on Saturday.

“We’re going to have to play a really hard game but if we can execute we can win this game,” Couture said. 

Couture focuses on all three phases of the game, and will need to “trust each other” to do their job. 

“We need to play very well as a team and trust each other,” Couture said. “We also need to have a lot of energy as well as leadership.”

Couture says that it’s “a little nerve racking” leading up to what could be his last game, but doesn’t want to have any regrets. 

“I want to make sure I don’t go out feeling sorry for myself,” Couture said. “I’m going to give this game all that I have whether we win or lose.”

For senior center Cody Gray, he took a more personal approach to the bye week, and tried to get himself prepared for the games ahead. 

“The bye week has allowed me time to heal,” Gray said. “My knee feels as good as new. It also helped me get my mind right and focus on the little details.”

Similar to Couture, Gray thinks that they should be able to get the job done on Saturday.

“Expect us to go into this game with a lot of energy and focus,” Gray said. “We should take care of business.”

The Lancers are “going to need to have great communication, speed, and technique” to come out on top according to Gray.

“They are a fast team so we need to get off the ball and run to the rock,” Gray said. “We also need to stop the pass and protect, protect the quarterback, and play clean football.”

For Gray, “it feels no different than any other game” and he just wants to go out there and ball out. 

“I’m not going to worry about whether it’s my last or not until the final whistle,” Gray said. “We are just gonna go out there play our game and give it all we have, and we’ll deal with the outcome after the game.”