Nashua North’s defense had their hands on Max Jacques and Jerickson Fedrick all game. The Titans just couldn’t hold on.

The electrifying pair of Salem running backs dashed for a combined 496 yards and seven touchdowns. Much of the yardage came after initial contact.

On Saturday, Oct. 17, the Blue Devils improved to 7- 0, 5-0 in Division-I play, and grabbed the top spot in the standings following a 54-33 road victory over previously unbeaten North.

“Everyone was underestimating us, and we had to show them who’s the best team in Division I,” said the sophomore Fedrick, who bruised his way to 220 yards and four touchdowns. “I just kept my legs moving after the first hits and kept moving.”

Salem entered halftime trailing, 26-19, but scored 28 unanswered points to open up a 47-26 lead.

Nashua trimmed the deficit to 14 late in the fourth quarter and recovered an onside kick with 5:43 remaining in the contest, looking to cut its deficit to a single score.

The Titans drove within striking distance of the end zone, but Fedrick made an interception at the 15-yard line and returned it all the way to North’s 19, setting up an Alex Sobrado score that capped the Blue Devil victory.

Salem ran sweep plays to Jacques throughout the contest, and though he regularly appeared bottled up near the sidelines, he popped free time and time again … for 276 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.

Big plays were the norm for the Blue Devils, who produced five touchdown runs of more than 40 yards on the game, including Fedrick’s run of 81 yards and Jacques’ scamper of 71.

“It was a great statement for us. We’re looking to go undefeated,” said Jacques, a junior, who takes particular pride in the runs he makes following contact. “I love those scores. It’s all the work you put in during the offseason in the weight room paying off.”

The Blue Devils have finished the difficult portion of their schedule – on paper, anyway. Winless Concord and West, along with two-win Central, remain.

Salem head coach Jack Gati down-played the win over undefeated North. “I’m not willing to say (we’re the top team in Division I) yet,” said Gati. “We’re 7-0, and that’s nice, but that isn’t going to mean anything in the postseason.”

Though blessed with two highly talented backs, Gati also knows those runners wouldn’t consistently spring free without the blocking of Darren Brown, Andrew Ivas, Greg Coleman, John Pascal, Craig Lawlor, Dillon Cohen, Kyle Henrick and Mike Lorenz.

In five division games Salem has piled up 197 points – nearly 40 per contest – thanks in large part to its ground game.

“They’ve done it to everyone that they’ve played,” said Nashua North head coach Jason Robie. “That doesn’t make me feel any better about it.”