Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

September 29, 2012

Morse goes for 2-point conversion, wins

The Shipbuilders win 27-26 on a last-minute 75-yard scoring pass and a gutsy conversion.

By EARL SWINSON Special to the Press Herald

BATH - Kevin McKellar threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to D'Vaughn Myers in the final minute and ran in the 2-point conversion as Morse stunned Madison 27-26 in an Eastern Class B football game Friday night.

In a game in which the quarterbacks accounted for every touchdown, McKellar (two TDs running, two passing) had the last word on his counterpart, Cody Soucier, who ran 61 yards for a score and hit Dylan Price for three more.

Trailing 19-18 with just over three minutes remaining, Madison (2-3) took advantage of a low snap on a Morse punt attempt to take over on the Morse 25.

After an apparent touchdown was called back for holding, Soucier on third down hit Price just over the goal line at the right pylon for the score.

Soucier ran in a 2-point conversion and Madison led 26-19 with 1:09 to go.

McKellar returned the ensuing kickoff to the Morse 25, and on first down hit Myers down the left sideline. Myers eluded a tackler and went the distance.

"I saw daylight in front and all I was thinking was get to the end zone," said Myers.

That brought Morse within 26-25 and a kick would tie it, but Coach Jason Darling was thinking two points all the way, and so was his quarterback.

"No doubt, gotta go for the win," said McKellar. "That was the call we wanted. This was what we practice for."

McKellar took the snap, faked right, rolled left, cut up the field and dived into the end zone.

"It was a gutsy effort by our kids," said Darling. "Footing and ballhandling were issues in the rain. That's a good little team over there and they took advantage of our mistakes. We have a lot of work to do but a win is a win is a win."

"Two spread teams in the mud and it came down to a pass," said Madison Coach Scott Franzose. "It was a great game; a lot of heart and soul out there, and it came down to one play. But I'm real proud of my kids."

Atfer a scoreless first quarter, the teams combined for three touchdowns in the last 3:20 of the second.

McKellar got the first score for Morse (2-3), running in from 8 yards after Myers returned a punt 40 yards to the Madison 20.

The Bulldogs had the ball for 14 plays in the opening half, but one was big: Soucier broke five tackles on a 61-yard jaunt down the right side just two plays after McKellar's score.

Ater the teams exchanged fumbles on successive plays, McKellar hit Keegan Drouin cutting through traffic for a 21-yard touchdown to give Morse a 12-6 lead at halftime.

Soucier, who started the game at halfback before moving to quarterback, connected with Price on a 46-yard pass on third- and-24 to tie it in the third period, then found Price again for a 29-yard score in the last minute of the quarter.

A 30-yard run by Myers that went the distance was returned to the Madison 30 for a hold, setting up McKellar's second TD, a 6-yard run.

Aaron Barrett kicked the PAT to put Morse up 19-18.

 

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