YARMOUTH — Jack Snyder scored five touchdowns, four in the first half, as top-seeded Yarmouth defeated fourth-ranked Fryeburg Academy 54-12 in a Class C South semifinal Friday night.

The Clippers (10-0) will be home next Saturday in the regional final against third-seeded Wells (8-2).

Yarmouth started in Raiders territory on its first four possessions and scored a touchdown each time. The Clippers ran for 207 yards in the opening half.

“I’ve never had one quite like this, so this was special,” Snyder said. “All credit goes to my offensive line.”

Fryeburg (6-4) appeared overmatched from its first possession. After quarterback Ryan Gullikson threw incomplete, the next snap was bobbled, followed by an illegal procedure penalty. Another incompletion and punt ended the drive.

Raiders Coach David Turner said the score wasn’t indicative of how his team, with only five seniors, played all season.

Advertisement

“This happens when you play an excellent team with few weaknesses and don’t play well,” Turner said. “This is the team that handled us and shut us down. It’s hard to overcome miscues but they made us make mistakes.”

Yarmouth quarterback John Thoma completed nine passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Lucas Uhl (102 yards and three TDs) and Snyder (83 yards) led the ground game.

Yarmouth Coach Jason Veilleux said the the team accomplished many of its pregame goals, including cutting down on mental mistakes and penalties.

“We’ve always had a great defensive plan against them and our staff did an outstanding job,” Veilleux. “They didn’t change a whole lot from when we saw them (in Week 4), and we figured our team speed would overcome any misdirection plays by their quarterback.”

Gullikson completed eight passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders. Gullickson, who also acts as the Raiders’ kick returner, punt returner, punter and defensive back, connected with his brother Cody for both touchdowns.

The Raiders’ only score of the second half came after recovering a Thoma fumble at Yarmouth’s 28. Ryan Gullikson completed an 11-yard pass to Cody Gullikson for the second time. But that was Fryeburg’s only offensive success.

Advertisement

Yarmouth’s offense didn’t spend much time on the field in the first half. The Clippers had one scoring drive of three plays, two of two plays and one one-play drive, making it hard for the team to establish an offensive flow.

“You want to get into a rhythm but at the same time you want to win the game,” Veilleux said. “When we built the lead, we started trying things we didn’t try in practice just to see it in a game situation.”

Fryeburg got on the board midway through the second quarter after forcing Yarmouth’s first punt of the night. A 36-yard completion and facemask set the Raiders up at the 5. Ryan Gullikson connected with Cody Gullickson on a fade for the score. The 2-point conversion attempt failed.

Yarmouth converted a fourth-and-2 for the first score of the game. Snyder took the handoff and swept right from 12 yards. He has 21 touchdowns this season.

“Jack’s been our shining star all season,” Veilleux said. “We have so many weapons but Snyder offers us a nice pass-run threat and plays outstanding defense.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.