WELLS — After a Week 2 loss in which it gained over 400 yards but scored just six points, Wells High had a simple theme this week in practice.
“Just finish,” said senior running back Chris Carney. “Finish plays. Finish drives.”
Carney did his job Friday night, scoring five touchdowns to lead Wells to a 49-7 victory over Cape Elizabeth in a Western Class C football game at Warrior Memorial Field. Carney rushed for 196 yards and scored on runs of 43, 35, 40 and 9 yards. He also returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown.
Both teams are 2-1.
“I’m so proud of us finishing up,” said Wells Coach Tim Roche. “I don’t think people know if we’re good or not. A kid like Chris Carney, it’s like nobody is talking about him. Maybe we need to recognize Chris Carney once in a while. He’s unreal.”
He was certainly on display against Cape Elizabeth. In averaging 11.5 yards per carry, Carney did a great job of slipping tackles. Several times he was hit either in the backfield or at the line but still managed to break free.
“It’s easy to run with the ball,” said Carney, who has 10 touchdowns on the season. “The line does all the work. All I’ve got to do is run.”
This was Cape Elizabeth’s first full game without starting quarterback Noah Wolfinger, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week’s win over Poland. But his absence wasn’t the Capers’ biggest problem, according to Coach Aaron Filieo.
“I just didn’t think we came to play tonight, to be honest with you, for whatever reason,” he said. “I told the guys after the game they’ve got to look at themselves in the mirror and figure out what they need to do and step up in a situation like that. I thought it was going to be a dogfight. It was anything but.”
Carney gave Wells the lead with a 43-yard run down the left sideline just 2:28 into the game.
But Cape Elizabeth struck back with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Jeb Boeschenstein to Ben Ekedahl, who reached over a defender to make the catch and ran the final 45 yards. Ekedahl’s PAT made it 7-7 with 4:42 left in the first quarter.
The Capers then forced a punt, but it was fumbled and recovered by Wells’ Matthew Healey at the Capers 47. Four plays later, Carney ran to the right, juked past two defenders and scampered in from the 35.
“That was a huge turning point,” said Filieo.
The Warriors put it away with three touchdowns in the final 4:45 of the second quarter. Carney scored on a 45-yard run, again slipping or bumping off several defenders. Then Wells forced a punt, and a 10-yard run by fullback Mike Curtis (119 yards, one touchdown) set up Carney’s 9-yard touchdown. Quarterback Nate Booth rushed for the conversion, and it was 28-7 with 1:54 left in the half.
The Capers fumbled the kickoff, with Wells’ Scot Surprenant recovering at the 32. On fourth down from the 30, Booth threw a touchdown pass to Ryan Marsh in the right corner of the end zone. The Warriors muffed the snap on the PAT kick but wound up with two points on a pass from Nick Hansen to Cluff.
Roche said Wells set the tone for the game on the first drive. On fourth-and-1 at the Wells 45, Curtis gained 12 yards. Carney broke loose for his first touchdown on the next play.
“Everyone was yelling at me,” said Roche. “I said we needed to send a message to finish it.”
They Warriors got the message, loud and clear.
Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:
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