WINDHAM — For the second time in three weeks, Windham and Cheverus showed Friday night how evenly matched they are this football season.

And just like the previous meeting in the final week of the regular season, Windham was breathing a sigh of relief when the game ended.

Nazari Henderson blocked a 22-yard field-goal attempt with 32 seconds remaining, and second-seeded Windham advanced to its third straight regional final with a 9-7 victory in a Class A North semifinal.

Cheverus (5-5), the No. 3 seed, marched downfield to the 5-yard line on a drive that lasted more than six minutes. On fourth down, the Stags called on Chandler Hartigan to try a field goal, but Henderson’s block enabled Windham (6-3) to secure a rematch with No. 1 Portland in the regional final next weekend.

“Words can’t describe it,” Henderson said of feeling the kick hit his hand. “It’s the best feeling in the world.”

Much like the regular-season meeting – a 13-12 Windham victory – the Eagles spent much of the game trying to dig themselves out of a hole.

Windham was threatening to take the lead at the end of the first quarter as it drove to the Cheverus 3, but on the last play of the quarter, Dominic Casale intercepted a pass in the end zone and returned it for a touchdown to put the Stags ahead 7-0.

The Eagles got on the board in the second quarter as Blake Houser broke loose for a 43-yard run to move the ball deep into Cheverus territory. Casale made the tackle before Houser could get into the end zone, but Liam McCusker kicked a field goal to cut Cheverus’ lead to 7-3 with 8:47 left in the half.

Windham Coach Matt Perkins said his defense’s strategy was, “Bend and try not to break.”

“We kept the faith,” Perkins said. “We had some nice runs and (Griffin) Hebert had some really big catches.”

Windham quarterback Desmond Leslie connected with Hebert for two completions that set up Kyle Houser’s 5-yard touchdown run with 4:28 left in the third quarter. The conversion failed, though, leaving the Eagles with just a two-point lead.

“We knew they were going to be a good team,” said Houser. “I’m feeling excited and ready for the next round.”

The Eagles won a regional title in 2014 before falling to Thornton Academy 35-14 in the state championship game. Next weekend they’ll face top-seeded Portland in a rematch of last year’s regional final, which Portland won, 24-7.

Windham also lost to Portland 42-21 on Sept. 16, but Henderson said he’s optimistic.

“We’ve just got to keep working,” he said. “Stay hungry.”

Related Stories