SOUTH PORTLAND – Logan Gaddar caught two touchdown passes and intercepted three passes to lead South Portland to a 33-13 win over Sanford in a Western Class A football quarterfinal Saturday afternoon at Martin Field.
The third-seeded Red Riots (7-2) will face second-seeded Thornton Academy in the regional semifinals. The Golden Trojans topped Windham, 21-9.
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“Personally, this was my best game of the year,” said Gaddar, who now has 11 interceptions this season. “I came into the game really ready, just like everyone else on the team. We prepared well and everybody wanted it.”
Defense reigned supreme early, as the two teams played through a scoreless first quarter.
Gaddar set the tone when he intercepted Cody Mooney to halt a promising Redskins drive to open the game. The first five possessions ended either in a turnover or a punt.
South Portland struck first when Michael Salvatore capped a six-play, 58-yard drive with his first touchdown connection with Gaddar, an 18-yard strike. The point after was no good, and the Red Riots led 6-0.
Sanford answered on the next series when Alex Shain, who collected 129 yards on 16 carries in the first half, broke free for an 82-yard touchdown run. The point after by Jimmie Chaisson gave the Redskins a 7-6 lead.
The Red Riots moved back ahead for good with under two minutes remaining in the half on a drive that covered 65 yards, all on the ground. Joey DiBiase had the big play, running 17 yards on fourth-and-4. The senior running back, who finished with 187 yards on 25 carries, scored from the 2 to put South Portland up 12-7 after a failed 2-point conversion.
Gaddar brought down a 24-yard touchdown reception to open the second half, giving the Red Riots a 19-7 lead.
Moments later, Gaddar came through again, this time on the defensive side of the ball when he picked off Mooney for a second time. The interception came one play after South Portland fumbled a punt return, setting up Sanford with good field position on the South Portland 45. It took only four running plays by DiBiase to put the Red Riots up 26-7.
“I think that was deflating for Sanford,” said South Portland Coach Steve Stinson. “We got the score before the half to go in with the lead after they were holding on to a 7-6 lead.
“We wanted to come out after halftime and pound one in. We did. And that’s the way we want to respond to adversity (the fumbled punt return). We drop the punt. Move on to the next play.
“I think (that sequence) certainly took a lot of air out of them.”
South Portland put the game out of reach four minutes into the fourth quarter when Gaddar intercepted a pass thrown by running back Jon Schroder. The senior returned the ball 62 yards to the Sanford 3, setting up DiBiase’s third touchdown of the game.
Sanford completed the scoring with six minutes left. Mooney connected with Jake Mills, who quickly pitched to Shain for what turned out to be a 42-yard scoring play.
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