WINTHROP — The Wells football team made good on Coach Tim Roche’s plan of focusing on its running game in a season opener Friday night against Winthrop/Monmouth.
Wells, which won the Class C state championship last fall, made an impressive debut in Class D by amassing 340 rushing yards in a 46-0 victory.
“I thought what we showed was how physical and strong we are,” Roche said. “We have a fairly large group of kids that lift all the time, so they’re strong kids.”
The Warriors were equally strong on defense, holding the Ramblers to 100 yards.
“We saw that on film,” Winthrop Coach Dave St. Hilaire said. “They run the wing-T very well, they throw a lot at you, and their fullback’s a horse.”
Senior fullback Nolan Potter scored four touchdowns while finishing with 93 yards on 12 carries.
“I think we can go far,” Potter said. “We’ve got to prove ourselves, obviously.”
The Warriors led 20-0 at the half pushed the advantage to 34-0 after three quarters. The clock went to running time after Wells scored again early in the fourth quarter.
Potter wasn’t the team’s only weapon. Chad Fitzpatrick rushed for 114 yards on 12 carries, and Tyler Bridge broke a couple big plays, including a 35-yard punt return. Michael Wrigley completed all four of his passes for 58 yards.
“We don’t like to throw, but I’m telling you, that kid can throw the ball,” Roche said. “He’s a good quarterback.”
Winthrop’s highlight came on the game’s first play, when sophomore quarterback Keegan Choate tossed a screen pass to Dylan Boynton for a 31-yard gain. The Ramblers fumbled on the next play, and Wells quickly assumed control.
“It’s just youth in some positions, and we’ve got to get better,” St. Hilaire said.
The Ramblers were banged up coming into the game and lost two key defensive players in Zac Wallace and Morgan Bellemare. Wallace was carried off the field with an apparent knee injury.
“It’s not looking good right now,” St. Hilaire said. “He’s one of our most physical players. He’s a kid that would be an all-conference type of player as a D-end.”
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