BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford football team began Saturday’s game against Massabesic with what head coach Brian Curit called “a mistake.”

If so, it was about as good a miscue as Curit could have hoped for.

After kicker Corey Brown shanked his opening kickoff, the ball bounced and died on the 30-yard line, allowing the Tigers’ Chhay Ouch to race down and beat the Mustang returners to the ball.

Biddeford took advantage of the happy accident, scoring less than three minutes later on a Capen Macomber 2-yard plunge, the first of three first quarter touchdowns as the Tigers opened up a quick 21-0 lead on the way to a 34-13 victory in an SMAA football game at Waterhouse Field.

“Thank God we were aggressive,” Curit said of the opening kick. “That was a good start, absolutely.”

A week after being beaten down at the line of scrimmage by Bonny Eagle, Biddeford (1-1) turned the tables, with fullback Macomber leading the Tigers with 24 carries ”“ most of them straight up the middle ”“ for 115 yards and two scores behind a Tigers line that dominated on both sides of the ball.

“We came and pounded it,” said running back Corey Creeger, who passed for a touchdown and caught another as well as making two interceptions from his safety position on defense. “We had a fullback that was really ready to come and run the ball and a line that was really willing to push themselves.”

“Our whole offense is founded on establishing the fullback,” Curit added, “So we needed to do that.”

After Macomber opened the scoring, Massabesic (0-2) fumbled on its first play from scrimmage, again giving Biddeford a short field.

The Mustang defense looked ready to hold, but on fourth and five from the 31 Creeger took a pitch, sold the run and then fired a strike to a wide-open Brown for a touchdown.

Massabesic went three and out on its next drive, and Biddeford again marched the ball down the field, capping a 61-yard drive with a 25-yard Casey Twomey pass to Creeger to make it 21-0 with 1:07 left in the first.

“That gave them momentum and we can’t handle that,” Massabesic coach Jon Gallant said. “They kept it going and played with a lot of emotion and we couldn’t match that at the beginning.”

In total Biddeford outgained Massabesic 122 yards to four in the opening quarter, a stark contrast to a week before, when the Tigers found themselves down 28-0 to Bonny Eagle after the first 12 minutes.

“That (first quarter) was huge,” Creeger said. “Last week I don’t think we were all mentally there. Today we were.”

The Mustangs were able to take back some of the impetus in the second, using a 12-play, 51-yard yard drive highlighted by Noah Gerry’s 35-yard catch and a key roughing the passer penalty to eventually score on quarterback Jesse Hall’s keeper from three yards out.

But Biddeford closed out the half with another touchdown when a Creeger punt return set them up at the Mustangs 17. Two plays later Macomber drove over the goal line after a 4-yard run, and it was 28-7 at half.

Massabesic was again able to get a small foothold early in the third, when Hall’s pass went through Creeger’s hands and was caught by Tyler Everett for a 37-yard TD.

But Hall was foiled by the Tigers secondary the rest of the way, with Creeger getting his hands on two picks and Lucas Rhoy another that set up a Twomey 1-yard run late in the fourth to seal things up.

“Our defense is predicated on getting pressure because we play man and people know that. We can’t let the quarterback sit back there and heave the ball all over the place and we did a nice job,” Curit said.

“Even the plays they had, it was partly because we were being aggressive. Corey had one in his hands and their kid made a great play. Otherwise they had to work incredibly hard to get what they had, so I was pretty pleased.”

The win moves Curit’s team to .500 on the young season, with a trip to 1-1 Noble up next.

“This was a big win because you can’t go down 0-2,” Curit said. “Not in this league, it’s too tough. There’s just too many really good teams.”

Gallant’s team does make that dreaded drop to 0-2, and now faces another challenging road test at 1-1 South Portland this week.

“We’ve just to keep working and identifying on where we need to improve and get better,” Gallant said. “We’re not giving up. We’ve dug ourselves a hole and it’s just a matter of keeping on working to get better.”

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323.