Yarmouth Coach Jim Hartman calls his offense “a four-pronged attack.”

“We try to keep defenses guessing,” he said of the Clippers’ wing-T offense, which is based on misdirection. “We run dives, counters, sweeps and throw the ball. Our receivers have great hands.”

Yarmouth (9-0), the defending Class C state champion, plays Lisbon (7-2) tonight in a Campbell Conference semifinal. The Clippers beat Lisbon 34-6 on Sept. 30. The teams also played in last year’s regional final, won 14-12 by the Clippers.

“We’ve built up a good rivalry with Lisbon,” said Hartman.

Despite the score, Hartman called the regular-season game with the Greyhounds “a tough football game.”

Yarmouth’s four-pronged attack consists of running backs Anders Overhaug and Caleb Uhl, and sophomores Brady Neujahr at quarterback and Matt Woodbury at fullback.

When either Overhaug or Uhl need a breather at tailback, senior starting wide receiver Dennis Erving moves to the backfield. Overhaug has rushed for 1,217 yards and 20 touchdowns. Uhl has 777 yards and 10 touchdowns. Woodbury has rushed for 313 yards on 63 carries, and Erving has 320 yards. Neujahr has gained 178 yards and has improved as a passer.

“We’re playing our game and getting better at it,” said Hartman. “We’re much healthier than we’ve been.”

Uhl, a junior, has come into his own after an assortment of injuries a year ago limited his playing time. Even in that brief time, Hartman and his coaches knew Uhl had talent.

“We saw glimpses,” said Hartman. “Caleb is a hard runner who knows what he’s doing. He’s a strong receiver. He has become a security blanket for us.”

In the line, Ben Weinrich has been a two-way standout at guard and nose tackle.

CHEVERUS COACH John Wolfgram said star running back Spencer Cooke has a fractured bone in his lower leg. Cooke suffered the injury two weeks ago against Deering and missed last week’s Western Class A quarterfinal win over Scarborough. Wolfgram said Cooke won’t play against Deering in Saturday’s regional semifinal, but hinted that he could be available next week or the week after if the Stags’ season is still alive.

“We obviously have some injuries to deal with. At this point of the year, we’re like everyone dealing with injuries,” he said.

Cheverus and Deering are meeting in the playoffs for the second straight year, but a round earlier than last year’s classic Western Maine final, won by the Stags, 35-34.

IT WOULDN’T seem like a normal high school football season without Cape Elizabeth and Mountain Valley meeting in the playoffs. Two weeks after their regular-season finale — a 20-14 Mountain Valley win at Cape — the schools meet tonight in Rumford in the Western Class B semifinals.

“We might as well play them twice a year,” said Cape Coach Aaron Filieo. “We seem to do it most seasons. Most of our guys have played up there.”

Cape Elizabeth end Bill Brooks, injured two weeks ago, will play.

WHILE CAPE Elizabeth and Mountain Valley played each other recently, that’s not the case with South Portland and Thornton Academy, who meet at 1 p.m. Saturday in a Western Class A semifinal. They played on Sept. 9, with the Red Riots edging the Trojans 20-16 at South Portland. Thornton hasn’t lost since, and gets a rematch with South Portland at home. The game will be streamed live at www.pressherald.com/sports.

Thornton Coach Kevin Kezal said the first game seems like a long time ago.

“If you look at the game films now, both teams are executing better and playing with more confidence,” he said. “At this time of the year, you have good football teams playing.”

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at: tchard@pressherald.com

Twitter: TomChardPPH

 

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