PORTLAND – Quarterback Jamie Ross compiled 234 yards of offense Friday night to lead Deering to its third victory of the season.

Ross ran for two touchdowns and passed for another to propel the Rams to a 21-7 victory against Windham in a Western Class A football game at Memorial Field.

“This was a big game for us,” Deering Coach Greg Stilphen said. “It makes us 3-1 after four games and that’s important. We didn’t like going 2-6 last season; these kids want to make a statement. They want to be a part of the winning tradition here.”

For the Eagles, who are off to a 1-3 start after winning their first state championship last fall, it was a case of too much Ross.

“He presents some problems defensively,” Windham Coach Matt Perkins said.

“He passes and runs so effortlessly. He makes you do things defensively you don’t want to do.”

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Ross completed 8 of 18 passes for 131 yards and carried 23 times for 103 yards. He also handled all of the place-kicking and punting for the Rams.

“He’s our playmaker and we’re going to go to him a lot,” Stilphen said.

The Rams, who went with a no-huddle offense at the beginning of the game, scored on their first two possessions.

Less than three minutes into the game, Ross scored on a 4-yard run to cap a seven-play, 80-yard drive following the kickoff.

During the march, he connected on all three of his passes to quickly move the ball deep into Windham territory.

With 5:39 left in the first quarter, Ross threw a 24-yard scoring pass to John Hardy four plays after a Windham punt.

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Initially, Hardy returned the punt 65 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back because of a penalty, and the Rams started at the Windham 35.

The Windham touchdown came with 7:16 left in the first half when quarterback Cody Laberge plunged 1 yard four plays after T.D. O’Brien intercepted a pass at the Deering 35.

On first down, halfback Colby Waterhouse threw a 34-yard strike to Nick Burton to set up the score.

With five minutes left in the third quarter, Ross ran up the middle 6 yards for a touchdown to cap a six-play, 51-yard scoring drive following an interception by Mike Coombs.

While the Rams, who produced 366 yards of total offense, were able to move the ball against the Eagles, mistakes plagued them throughout the game.

The Windham secondary picked off three passes, and Deering was assessed nine penalties for 80 yards.

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“We pressed just a little bit too much,” Stilphen said.

“We play much better when we relax.”

Laberge led the Windham offense, rushing 16 times for 67 yards and completing 9 of 18 passes for 91 yards.

 

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at: pbetit@pressherald.com

 


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