Mountain Valley 14

Cape Elizabeth 16

Jim Bump threw for 146 yards and a touchdown, and Ian Wallace kicked three field goals to lead Cape Elizabeth over defending state champions Mountain Valley by a score of 16-14 in a game that was as intense as it was hyped.

For Mountain Valley, junior running back Justin Staires ran for 170 yards and scored both touchdowns, while junior fullback Matt Laubauskas rushed for 84 yards and had a big fumble recovery early in the game that converted into an early lead over Cape Elizabeth.

This showdown was a much anticipated rematch from last year’s Western Maine Class B regional finals that saw Mountain Valley take the victory, en route to winning their state title. Both teams came into the game with perfect 8-0 records, so along with bragging rights, at stake between the two rivals was the No. 1 seed for the upcoming playoffs, and the home field advantage that comes with being the top ranked team.

“I think it was everything that we expected,” said Cape Elizabeth head coach Aaron Filieo. “It was one of those games where you needed a lot of gut checks, you needed to dig down deep, and things went well for us when we needed it to.”

Mountain Valley opened the game with the football, but Cape forced a fumble on the fourth play of the game. The following drive culminated in Cape Elizabeth taking a 3-0 lead on a 25-yard field goal from Ian Wallace, converting on Mountain Valley’s first turnover.

Mountain Valley returned the favor later in the first quarter, when Matt Laubauskas forced a Cape fumble after they had advanced over 37 yards during the drive. Five plays later, Justin Staires scored his first touchdown of the game on a 16-yard rush, giving Mountain Valley the lead and control of the game.

“That first turnover for us, our fumble, really was key, because I really felt like we had a lot of momentum,” said Filieo. “We drove every time we had the ball, and I felt like we had them on the ropes a little bit at that time, and that fumble just gave them new life.”

Cape had a big opportunity to take the lead on their next possession on a pass from Bump to senior wide receiver Tommy Ray, but officials ruled that Ray didn’t have full control of the ball when he was pushed out of the end zone, thus only counting as an incomplete pass.

The second attempt to Ray produced better results for Cape Elizabeth. With only 46 seconds remaining in the first half, Bump finally connected with Ray for a touchdown pass, this one for 15 yards. The score was the result of a late 85-yard drive that saw Bump throw four straight complete passes, two for over 25 yards, after forcing a punt from Mountain Valley. With the extra point, Cape Elizabeth went into halftime with both the score, 10-7, and the momentum in their favor.

“Before halftime was really the big difference in the game,” said Mountain Valley head coach Jim Aylward. “We had a nice drive going, but we had a few self-inflicted wounds with penalties (two holding calls, and one offsides penalty). We ended up having to turn the ball over, and give them credit, Cape drove it right down our throats the last three minutes of the half.”

Cape received the kickoff to open the second half, and after a clock-killing 17-play drive, increased their lead to 13-7 on Wallace’s second field goal.

“I felt like I was an NFL coach for a while, with the field goals,” said Filieo. “In games, you do what you’ve got to do. When (Wallace) is on, he’s on. And when he’s not, he’s not. Thank God he was on tonight.”

On Mountain Valley’s following possession, Cape forced their second fumble, five plays into the drive. The final result was the same as it was earlier in the game, with Cape driving to the red zone and scoring on a field goal. The third from Wallace was for 17 yards, and made the score 16-7.

“They picked great opportunities to play their best defense,” said Aylward.

Mountain Valley scored on their next drive, finalizing the score at 16-14 on the second touchdown from Staires, this one on a 15-yard run.

“We just wanted to get a win, and get that monkey off our back, as far as beating Mountain Valley goes,” said Filieo. “To beat Mountain Valley is a monumental feat, and our kids have a huge amount of respect for the Mountain Valley program. It really sends an emotional charge through the kids, and it was something we focused on since we lost to them in the Western Maine final.”

Both teams will be gearing up for the playoffs during the next couple of weeks, with Cape Elizabeth having home field advantage, and Mountain Valley gearing up to defend their state championship.

“We’re very beat up physically, but how ready are we? We’d like to play tomorrow,” said Aylward.

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