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Portland, Falmouth, Marshwood, South Portland are winners as high school football season kicks off
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Portland stops Scarborough’s comeback bid
The Bulldogs open an early 20-0 lead, then pull away in the fourth quarter for a 47-26 win.SCARBOROUGH — Issiah Bachelder was playing his first game at quarterback for Portland in the season opener Friday night at Scarborough.
Bachelder, a junior, spent much of the night handing off to his talented running backs while mixing in an occasional bootleg or pass.
Bachelder directed a high-powered offense that jumped out to a 20-0 lead after an early goal-line stand, and the Bulldogs went on to a 47-26 win in a Class A football game.
Afterward, Bachelder thanked the game officials.
“Our coaches work hard, we work hard, and the officials come out and give it their best effort. They deserve a pat on the back,” said Bachelder, who scored a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass.
Once the Bulldogs withstood Scarborough’s opening drive, they turned to their ground game, featuring George Chaisson-Lapine, Joe Esposito and Jake Knop.
Knop got the scoring started with a 1-yard run. Later in the first quarter, Bachelder passed 18 yards to Esposito, who was stopped at the 2. Esposito scored on the next play.
Jake Hunnewell then recovered a Scarborough fumble at the 16, and Bachelder scored from the 1 to make it 20-0 after John Williams’ extra point.
The Red Storm got on the board on a 31-yard run by quarterback Jack Hughes early in the third quarter. But each time Scarborough threatened to get back into the game, the Bulldogs had an answer.
“The coaches gave us a good game plan,” said Bachelder. “All the backs ran well and the line gave them the holes.”
Scarborough received the opening kickoff and quickly drove deep into Portland territory. But the Red Storm were stopped on fourth-and-goal at the 4.
“That was huge,” said Bachelder. “It lifted all of our spirits for the rest of the game.”
Bachelder started in the secondary in last year’s Thanksgiving Day game against Deering, but this was his first game with the spotlight on him.
“I was excited. I used to go to a lot of the Portland practices as a kid. It’s always been a dream of mine to play quarterback for Portland,” he said.
At the end of the first half, defensive back Dylan Bolduc intercepted a pass near Scarborough’s goal line and returned it to midfield.
Bolduc made an even bigger play in the second half.
After the Red Storm closed to within 33-26 on a 5-yard pass from Hughes to Reese Lagerquist with 11:53 remaining, Bolduc took the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. Williams’ point after put Portland ahead 40-26.
Knop added a 21-yard scoring run in the final minutes.
“I was happy with the way played in the second half,” said Scarborough Coach Lance Johnson. “Anytime we got close, we shot ourselves in the foot. In the first half, we were inside the 25 three times and didn’t score.
“The Portland quarterback did a nice job on running the bootleg and made some nice throws.”
Johnson said nothing he saw from Portland surprised him.
“Portland has three active linebackers and three, maybe four, really good running backs, he said.
“Portland made a lot more plays than we did.”
Hughes had his moments throwing the ball, but the Bulldogs’ defense applied pressure for most of the game. He finished with three touchdown passes and also rushed for a touchdown.
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South Portland rallies past Bonny Eagle
The Red Riots overcome a two-touchdown deficit to earn an 18-14 win.STANDISH — Bonny Eagle controlled the flow early Friday night in its high school football opener against South Portland.
But the Red Riots made just enough plays to stay close. And then came their big plays.
In the final three minutes, South Portland used an 80-yard fumble return by Dylan Rottkov and a 60-yard punt return from Finn Zechman to set up the winning score and stun the Scots, 18-14.
Spencer Houlette scored from the 1 with 28 seconds remaining to win it.
Bonny Eagle drove to the South Portland 39 with one second left before Zechman knocked down the Scots’ final desperation pass.
“It’s nice to be on a team that stays fired up the entire game,” Zechman said.
Bonny Eagle totaled 313 yards, including Zack Brannon’s 192 yards in the air. But the Scots also turned the ball over five times, with three fumbles and two interceptions.
“If you thought about all the things you can’t do – if you want to win a football game – I think we did just about all of them,” Bonny Eagle Coach Kevin Cooper said. “We can’t turn the ball over. We have to be able to cover punts. We have to be able to tackle better.
“Give credit to South Portland for sticking with it and battling.”
Ahead 14-6 late in the fourth quarter, Bonny Eagle reached the Red Riots’ 20 for a first down, driving for a clinching score.
But a shotgun hike resulted in a fumble. Lineman Dan Guiliani knocked the ball loose and Rottkov picked it up. Rottkov, who had left the game twice with leg cramps, bolted down the field. Nearly caught, he cut to his left and reached the end zone.
“Dan Guiliani made a great play and I saw the ball,” said Rottkov, who never considered pouncing on it. “I wanted to score.”
South Portland went for 2 points to tie it, but a pass was incomplete, leaving Bonny Eagle up 14-12 with 3:03 remaining in the game.
The Riots then held Bonny Eagle to three plays and out.
The Scots’ punt came to Zechman at his 28. He moved right, broke two tackles and cut up the field. He was finally brought down at the Scots’ 12 with 1:43 left.
“It came down to blocking,” Zechman said.
A second-down, 8-yard pass from Matt Crockett to tight end Sam Brown gave South Portland a first down at the 1. Houlette scored his second touchdown of the night and South Portland led for the first time, 18-14.
South Portland also made its mistakes, losing two fumbles and being whistled for six illegal procedure penalties in the first quarter.
“Some communication problems, and a lot of Week 1 excitement,” Red Riots Coach Steve Stinson said. “Skill-wise, we’re trying to bring these guys along. They are a very talented group.”
Houlette, a sophomore, gained 90 yards on 23 carries. He’s needed with senior running back Nick Mezzanotte out with a knee injury.
Brannon gave Bonny Eagle a 14-0 lead with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Ben Autry in the first quarter and a 15-yard scoring run in the second.
South Portland closed to 14-6 before halftime on Houlette’s 9-yard run.
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Marshwood spoils Biddeford’s Class B debut
The defending state champions open the season with a 21-7 victory.SOUTH BERWICK — Coming on the heels of an undefeated season in which most opponents were toast by halftime, Nick Tice of Marshwood found himself in a battle Friday night against a Biddeford football team making its Class B debut.
With the score tied and Biddeford driving for a go-ahead touchdown early in the third quarter, Tice picked off a pass and swung momentum Marshwood’s way. The Hawks proceeded to score on their next two drives to complete a 21-7 Class B South victory and run their winning streak to 13 games.
“We lost so many seniors, so many key players from our (championship) team,” Tice said. “It was just good to show that we can be good, too.”
Tice, a linebacker, also snuffed out Biddeford’s second drive of the second half, turning a screen pass into a 13-yard loss to set up the most unusual play of the game, a failed fake punt on fourth-and-25 with the Tigers trailing 15-7.
Yellow hankies flew and whistles blew with Biddeford in punt formation because of what seemed to a Marshwood penalty for verbally or physically intimdating the long snapper, but after first walking off penalty yardage, officials returned the ball to its original spot near midfield.
Biddeford Coach Brian Curit, already having called for a fake in anticipation of better field position, never received an explanation for the reversal.
“It was probably a very stupid thing to do, no question about that,” Curit said of the incomplete pass attempt. “To be honest, I’m still not sure what transpired in regards to that (non-penalty), but we probably should have kicked it. But at that point we needed some sort of spark.”
Zach Doyon of Marshwood ran for 83 yards and one touchdown, and caught five passes for 52 yards and another TD to lead the Hawks, who overcame a shaky start and dug themselves out of a 7-0 deficit that could have been deeper.
“The offensive line was opening up holes tonight,” Doyon said. “They were giving me that little bit of room that I need to make a play. It’s my job to just make the plays.”
Biddeford, after fumbling into the end zone on its first possession and losing the handle again on its second, put together a lengthy drive that carried through the end of the first quarter and culminated in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Joey Curit to Patrick Pearl.
It was the third completion in as many attempts on the drive for Curit, who also connected with Tyler Janelle and Pearl for 14 and 15 yards.
Nick Phillips added the PAT kick for a 7-0 lead.
Marshwood responded immediately. Cole McDaniel returned a kickoff 44 yards and the Hawks needed only seven more plays, all on the ground, to score. Doyon ran for the final 4 yards and Jacob Bossi booted the extra point to make it 7-7.
Each team flubbed a punt attempt in the first half, Marshwood on its first possession and Biddeford shortly before halftime, but neither non-kick resulted in a score. Biddeford fumbled away its chance and Marshwood failed to move the chains after starting from the Tigers’ 26.
The Hawks took control by scoring on their first two second-half possessions.
Justin Stacy’s 2-yard run midway through the third quarter broke a 7-7 tie.
The Hawks made it 21-7 early in the fourth on a 27-yard pass from Jack Spear to Doyon on fourth-and-15.
Marshwood held Biddeford to two second-half completions after being burned on 5 of 6 first-half attempts by Curit.
“We had a lot of missed assignments in the first half on defense, especially in pass coverage,” said Marshwood Coach Alex Rotsko.
“I thought Tim Briggs, our defensive coach, did a nice job getting our guys to settle down and take care of their responsibilities. We didn’t do anything different. We just did it better.”
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Falmouth impresses in 33-0 victory against York
Sophomore quarterback Jack Bryant, in his first varsity start, leads the Yachtsmen to a lopsided win.FALMOUTH — Falmouth looked impressive on both sides of the ball while rolling to a 33-0 against York in a Campbell Conference football opener Friday night.
“It was a great early-season test,” Falmouth Coach John Fitzsimmons said. “It tells us we have a good team, and it tells us we have a long way to go to be among the best (teams) in the league.”
The Yachtsmen, who return most of the starters from a team that made it to the Western Class B semifinals last season, churned out 368 yards against the Wildcats, who graduated 17 starters after playing for the Western Class B title last season.
“We were just out of sync,” said York Coach Randy Small, in his 19th season. “Everything was out of sync. We just had a bunch of kids playing for the first time under the lights and they looked it. It wasn’t a lack of not wanting it. It was just that we’ve never been there before.”
Falmouth sophomore quarterback Jack Bryant, in his first start, completed 6 of 10 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.
“The line gave him the protection he needed but he showed poise, and you usually don’t see that to the junior year,” Fitzsimmons said.
“He managed the game very well. He made a few mistakes, which you’d expect in his first varsity experience. That means he’s going to get better every single week.”
The Yachtsmen led 20-0 at halftime.
Falmouth scored touchdowns on its first two possessions.
On the first play following a York punt, George Gilbert swept right and ran untouched down the sideline 64 yards for a touchdown less than four minutes into the game.
With four minutes left in the first quarter, Connor Aube, who rushed for a team-high 88 yards on 17 carries, went up the middle 4 yards for a touchdown to cap an eight-play 64-yard drive following the Wildcats’ second punt.
With 1.7 seconds left in the second quarter, Bryant hooked up with Gilbert on a crossing pattern for a touchdown. The play covered 23 yards and came after the Wildcats turned the ball over on their own 35 following a Falmouth punt.
The Yachtsmen moved into a 27-0 lead when Aube ran 23 yards for a touchdown off a double inside reverse with less than a minute left in the third quarter.
Nico Ciraulo completed the scoring when he swept 12 yards for a touchdown with less than five minutes left, six plays after Aube intercepted a pass at the York 46.
Ciraulo, one of the six players who ran the football for the Yachtsmen, started the drive by ripping off runs of 16 and 19 yards.
“We’re fortunate (that) we have a lot of different athletes,” Fitzsimmons said. “It allows us to spread it out. It also allows us to rest some people.”
“We put a lot of athletes on the field at once, so it creates some matchup problems for some teams. That’s part of our game plan – to have different formations and different players on the field.”
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Football roundup: Westbrook rally comes up short against Leavitt
The Hornets hold on for a 22-21 triumph.WESTBROOK — Westbrook scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns but couldn’t complete the comeback as it dropped its Class B South season opener Friday night, 22-21 against Leavitt.
Westbrook took a 7-0 lead in the first half on a 63-yard pass from Bailey Sawyer to Bailey Ryan. Leavitt then built a 22-7 lead before Sawyer scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter, but the 2-point conversion attempt failed.
Westbrook put together another drive and scored on an 18-yard pass to Ryan, and Sawyer’s conversion pass to Hamza Hanifi cut the deficit to 22-21.
Ryan finished with 122 yards on five catches. Sawyer completed 9 of 18 passes for 155 yards.
Levi Craig passed for 162 yards and two touchdowns and ran in for another score for Leavitt, which moved up from Class C this year. Max Green had five catches for 86 yards and a score, and Hunter Sirois gained 68 yards on 12 carries.
KENNEBUNK 26, GREELY 14: Justin Wiggins passed for one touchdown and ran for another as the Rams beat the Rangers in Kennebunk.
Jesse Lacasse pulled in a pass from Wiggins at the 13 and raced into the end zone for a 28-yard scoring play early in the second quarter, and Evan Warren rushed for the conversion. Thomas Wildes’ 4-yard TD run made it 14-0 at halftime.
Warren plunged in from the 1 in the third quarter, and Wiggins scored on a 2-yard run for a 26-0 lead.
Sam Peck’s 2-yard run in the fourth quarter put Greely on the board. Alex Kroot followed with a 9-yard touchdown run and passed for the 2-point conversion.
YARMOUTH 31, LAKE REGION 13: Jack Snyder and Remi LeBlanc each scored a pair of touchdowns as the Clippers cruised past the Lakers at Yarmouth.
Snyder opened the scoring with a 3-yard run in the first quarter and caught a 5-yard TD pass from John Thoma in the third quarter. LeBlanc scored on a 5-yard run in the first quarter and a 4-yard run in the third.
OAK HILL 42, OLD ORCHARD BEACH 14: Dalton Therrien threw three touchdown passes and rushed for two more as two-time defending Class D state champion Oak Hill rolled to a win at Old Orchard Beach.
Therrien finished with 399 yards of offense, including 150 on the ground on seven carries. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 249 yards, including a 39-yard scoring strike to Connor Nilsson. He also threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Colby Spencer.
Nilsson finished with three catches for 95 yards. Spencer had two catches for 80 yards.
“Our receivers did a good job,” Oak Hill Coach Stacen Doucette said. “It was a good win, but we have a lot to work on. We have some things to build on, some things to work on.
OOB scored first on a 6-yard run by Mason Beaudoin early in the first quarter.
But Therrien tied it with a 59-yard touchdown run, then threw a 39-yard TD pass to Nilsson as time expired in the first quarter.
Levi Buteau rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on six carries for Oak Hill.
WINSLOW 43, BELFAST 0: Nate St. Amand rushed for two touchdowns, including a 55-yard run, to lead the Black Raiders over the Lions in Belfast.
Jacob Trask rushed and passed for a touchdown for Winslow. Patrick Hopkins had an 8-yard run for a touchdown, and Kenny Rickard added a 2-yard touchdown run.
MADISON 35, OCEANSIDE 18: Mitch Jarvais caught a pair of touchdown passes from Chase Malloy as the Bulldogs won at Madison.
LISBON 14, WINTHROP/MONMOUTH 7: The Greyhounds capitalized on four turnovers to rally past the Ramblers in Winthrop.
Trailing 7-6, Lisbon got the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter following a turnover deep in Winthrop/Monmouth territory. Tyler Halls hit Tyrese Joseph for a 15-yard touchdown, then rushed for the 2-point conversion.
Alec Brown got the Ramblers on the scoreboard first with a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Halls connected with Henry Adams for a 58-yard touchdown pass later in the second quarter, but Halls’ point-after attempt hit the upright.
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