Less than a year ago, the Bobcats and the Bow High Falcons met on the gridiron at the University of New Hampshire with the Division II title on the line. At Wildcat Stadium, Bow watched a fourth-quarter lead slip away as Plymouth drove 75 yards in nine plays in a lengthy game-winning drive.

So as the Falcons prepared for the rematch all week, Bow Coach Paul Cohen stressed the importance of playing with poise, smarts and avoiding the noise. Instead, Bow stumbled out of the gates, gave up two explosive plays in the first quarter and were on the wrong end of a marquee matchup in a 42-26 loss.

Bow put itself in an early hole after Plymouth’s Nolan Farina torched the Falcons for an 82-yard touchdown run to open the scoring. The Falcons fired back with a touchdown pass from Matt Harkins to Mark Borak, but the Bobcats needed just one play – an 80-yard kick return to the house – to pull back ahead, 15-6, in the first quarter.

The rest of the half was one the Falcons probably wish they could forget.

Plymouth (4-0) piled on with a touchdown grab from Jordan Docen and used bruising back Garrett Macomber for two more scores to make it 35-6 at the half.

“We did not execute,” Cohen said. “We were flat in the first part of the game and we knew we could not do that against this team knowing exactly what they are capable of having just played them eight months ago in the championship.”

Facing a steep deficit, the Falcons found a way to make things interesting in the second half. Matt Nichols found the end zone on a 4-yard run, Tanner Cammett did the same and Corey Gott found Thomas Rolla for a 40-yard TD connection.

None of it, though, was enough to threaten the defending champions.

“We got outplayed,” Cohen said. “I would say we certainly battled back in the second half and were much more competitive, but against a powerful team like that, you can’t let yourself get down and really have to fight with your back against the proverbial wall the whole game.”

Bow has a bye before hosting Kennett on Oct. 7.