CONTOOCOOK – For the Generals, it all starts with battles in the trenches. John Stark won the battle on the first play from scrimmage, allowing senior Donnie White to rip off a 65 yard touchdown run. It’s a sequence that would become familiar to anyone watching John Stark (4-2) play at Hillsboro-Deering/Hopkinton on Saturday.

The Generals took command on both sides of the line, senior fullback Deltyn Williams (125 yards on nine carries) and junior running back Tim Lacharite (94 rush yards on 10 carries) both ran in a pair of touchdowns, and the Stark defense forced and recovered three fumbles in a decisive 47-0 victory over the Redhawks (1-5) at Houston Field.

White finished with 93 rushing yards on four carries and junior running back Joey Dykstra (43 yards on four carries) also had a touchdown.

Junior lineman Alex Descoteau recovered an HDH fumble to get possession for the Generals. He ran it 29 yards for a touchdown on the next play to give John Stark a 41-0 lead with 5:22 left in the first half.

Williams, who also recovered a fumble in the second quarter, had the longest scoring run of the game (a 69-yard rush) with 2:17 left in the third to wrap up the Generals’ scoring.

The final outcome was never in doubt. John Stark outgained the Redhawks 521-93, scored touchdowns on seven of 10 drives and had 12 first downs compared to HDH’s five.

Generals’ senior quarterback Blake Sutkus threw a perfect 3-for-3 for 56 yards, with White catching two of those passes for 46.

On the other side, HDH senior quarterback Noah Carter completed one of three passes (for zero yards), while senior Mason Nichols (34 rush yards on 12 carries) and junior Roman Finlayson (30 yards on nine carries) led the Redhawk offense. 

John Stark head coach Ray Kershaw is quick to credit his line – seniors Rory Magoon, Stephen Johnston and Mike Jezierski, and juniors Descoteau and Cole Biagiotti – for their play both ways.

“They’ve been working hard all year long,” Kershaw said. “We’ve had a couple switches at tight end, but other than that it’s been the same all the way through (the season so far). They’ve been getting better every game.”

Kershaw added, “The kids played really well today. Our mistakes were minimal, penalties were minimal. We did a great job shutting (HDH) down inside and outside.”

Next up for the Generals is Sanborn (4-2), a squad on a three-game win streak, including a victory over Kennett two weeks ago, spoiling the Eagles’ undefeated season.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday in Kingston.

“We’re going to have our hands full with Sanborn. Like we are, they’ve been getting better every game. It will be a challenge next week.”