LISBON FALLS — Top-seeded Lisbon survived the loss of starting quarterback Kyle Bourget and an extremely stubborn opponent to pull out a 25-12 win against No. 4 Old Orchard Beach in a Western Class D football semifinal Saturday at Thompson Field.

Bourget left the game because of a knee injury late in the first quarter, but the Greyhounds rallied behind his sophomore backup, Tyler Halls.

“The biggest adjustment we had to make was just getting the kids to understand we could come out and play without Kyle and play for him,” Lisbon Coach Dick Mynahan said. “It’s quite a blow when a player like Kyle goes down. He’s a pressure player and a great athlete.”

Halls did a credible job filling in for Bourget. He rushed for 52 yards on 11 carries.

“I never really had much experience (at quarterback),” said Halls, a starting wide receiver. “Coach had me just keep running the ball, and I tried my best.”

Lisbon will host defending state champion Oak Hill in the regional final at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Advertisement

When the Greyhounds faced Old Orchard Beach during the regular season, they ran away with a 42-7 win, but the rematch was a defensive struggle for three quarters.

“Our kids fight,” Old Orchard Beach Coach Dean Plante said. “We are one of the smallest schools in the state with football, and for the last five years we’ve been right in the middle of it.”

Each team compiled less than 100 yards in the first half.

The Greyhounds (7-1) opened the scoring midway through the first quarter when fullback Noah Francis went in from the 1, nine plays after cornerback Blake Berube recovered a fumble at the OOB 38.

Lisbon also picked off two passes in the first half but couldn’t build on its 7-0 lead.

“We turned the ball over and set them up (with a) short field a couple times, but we still hung around, so we felt pretty good at halftime,” Plante said.

Advertisement

The Greyhounds regained the momentum when Shawn Grover scored on a 16-yard run with less than five minutes left in the third quarter. The touchdown came four plays after Francis, who also plays linebacker, intercepted a pass at the OOB 30.

On the second play after the ensuing kickoff, quarterback Bryan Roberts ran 80 yards to get the Seagulls right back into the game.

The Greyhounds responded with a 10-play, 68-yard drive. They took a 19-6 lead on Grover’s 6-yard run with eight minutes left.

Francis added a 9-yard touchdown run a few minutes later, set up by Grover’s 72-yard dash down the right sideline.

Roberts completed the scoring with a 2-yard run with four minutes remaining. Old Orchard (5-4) recovered an onside kick, but Lisbon’s defense stiffened and the Greyhounds took over downs on their 4 with less than a minute left.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.