After Windham drove down the field on its first possession Saturday, only to be thwarted on downs at the Cheverus 11, the Eagles sputtered for the rest of the first half.

Needing a spark, the Eagles got it in the form of two special teams plays that propelled Windham to a 13-12 victory at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

The win gave the Eagles (5-3) a first-round bye in the Class A North playoffs as the No. 2.

The Stags dropped to 4-4 and will host Lewiston in next weekend’s quarterfinal round.

After letting a 12-0 lead slip away, Cheverus had a chance to pull out a win in the final minute, but Chandler Hartigan’s 38-yard field-goal attempt with 30 seconds remaining came up short. The drive was slowed by a holding penalty that negated a run to the Windham 2.

Cheverus controlled the first half, but Nazari Henderson returned the second-half kickoff 62 yards to give Windham the ball at the Cheverus 9. A horse-collar tackle moved the ball closer to the end zone, and Kyle Houser punched it in untouched on a 5-yard TD run up the middle.

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“We came out in the second half and really finished (our plays),” said Windham Coach Matt Perkins. “It was a great battle. It could have gone either way.”

Two drives later, Houser ran up to field a short punt and went straight ahead for a 37-yard return, setting up the Eagles at Cheverus 30. Houser scored four plays later to give his team’s its first lead of the game, with 1:47 left.

Houser said halftime adjustments helped turn the tables.

“We wanted to play more like a team (in the second half) and that’s what we did,” said the senior, who finished with 52 hard-fought yards on 15 carries. “We were struggling in the first half and people were getting down on themselves. We came back out and had a nice team win.”

Cheverus Coach Mike Vance felt it was an even game, except for the special teams plays by Windham.

“We had a couple special teams mistakes – we didn’t cover on a kickoff and we didn’t cover on a punt – and that was the difference in the game,” said Vance.

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“We’re not the stoutest group, so sometimes we have trouble getting down the field and taking contact.”

The winning scoring drive was aided by a pass interference call on third-and-6. The penalty gave the Eagles the ball at the Cheverus 13, and Houser broke a tackle and scored on the next play.

“I give all the credit to my line. They’re working their tails off Monday through Friday, and then they come out here on Saturday and they make it easy for me,” said Houser.

The Windham defense clamped down in the second half. A sack by lineman Justin Labrecque ended the Stags’ first drive. Fellow lineman Braxton Cassidy got a second-down sack on the next drive.

In the fourth quarter, the defensive backfield chipped in with a goal-line interception with 7:58 left, as Desmond Leslie tipped the ball and Garrett Peeples hauled it in.

On the final Cheverus drive, Grant Jacobson and Labrecque disrupted plays with penetration in the backfield.

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“I thought our guys did a good job of being aware of the situations and what (Cheverus) was going to do,” said Perkins.

The Stags grabbed a 6-0 lead in the first quarter when Jack Casale (8 for 15, 105 yards) found Dominic Casale in the corner of the end zone for a 13-yard scoring play. The PAT was blocked.

Jack Casale (12 rushes, 62 yards) scored from 7 yards out with 31.9

seconds left in the first half to make it 12-0.


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