CUMBERLAND – The Falmouth football team was forced to be daring.
Trailing by a point with less than three minutes left, the Yachtsmen could have done the sure thing and gone for a point-after kick.
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But because of an injury to their kicker, David Goodrich, their potential playoff hopes came down to a 2-point conversion.
Quarterback Zach Alexander found receiver Jack Cooleen in the end zone, and the Yachtsmen’s playoff hopes were kept alive Friday night with a 15-14 victory against Greely.
“Our coach (John Fitzsimmons) thought we could pull it out,” Cooleen said.
“We had all the momentum and our offense was really rolling at the time.”
taking a risk and converting it at the end of their final possession, the Yachtsmen made the Western Class B playoff picture come down to the flip of a coin.
“For the seniors, if we had lost, it would be their last game ever,” Cooleen said. “We didn’t want that. The seniors deserve to play in one more game.”
With the victory at Greely and Cape Elizabeth’s loss at Mountain Valley, Falmouth, Cape and Greely are tied for third place in Western Class B with a 6-3 record.
Mountain Valley and Wells already have earned the first and second seeds in the region.
Because Falmouth, Greely and Cape have 1-1 records against each other, the final two berths will be determined by a coin flip.
Greely Athletic Director Mike Griffin said the time and location of the coin flip had yet to be determined, but it would take place today or Sunday once the coaches and athletic directors at the three schools had a chance to coordinate.
For the Yachtsmen, it means a chance at the postseason, but the final game of the regular season also gave them a chance to regain their poise.
“It was all mental,” Alexander said. “Our confidence, everything. Definitely the playoffs, but that wasn’t everything. It was about getting our confidence back up.”
Playing on a slippery grass surface at Greely, the Yachtsmen grabbed a 7-0 lead with 4:42 remaining in the first quarter on Cooleen’s 17-yard touchdown catch, followed by Goodrich’s point-after kick.
But 46 seconds into the fourth quarter, Svenn Jacobson’s touchdown for Greely capped a 16-play drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters.
Three minutes later, Greely recovered a blocked punt at the Falmouth 6 and on the ensuing play, Mike Leeman’s touchdown and Wyman’s second point-after kick gave the Rangers a 14-7 lead.
With 4:37 left, the Yachtsmen kicked off a seven-play drive that put them at the Rangers’ 6 after Alexander (11 of 24 passing, 190 yards) connected with Ryan MacDonald on a third-and-25 play for a 31-yard completion.
Alexander’s touchdown with 2:12 left cut Greely’s lead to 14-13, and then he found Cooleen for the 2-point conversion.
“We ran a curl route because we saw the cornerback playing right off me,” said Cooleen, whose team was able to hold off a final drive by the Rangers. “So Coach made a very good call and Zach made a great throw.”
Staff Writer Rachel Lenzi can be contacted at 791-6415 or at:
rlenzi@pressherald.com
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