FREEPORT

Coming into the 2017 season, Freeport High School football coach Paul St. Pierre saw potential in his group of athletes, all looking to improve on last year’s season that ended in the postseason.

However, the first three games, including Saturday’s 48-8 Class C South loss to York at Pownal Recreation Field, have not gone well for St. Pierre’s Falcons, who fell to 0-3 and have scored just 16 points in those three setbacks.

Against the Wildcats, Freeport faced an uphill battle right out of the gate, as York drove 65 yards on seven plays, with running back Jake Martin bulling into the endzone for a 7-0 lead.

After a Freeport three-and-out, York went right back to work. Martin rushed for 81 yards in the first quarter, and Wildcat quarterback Payton Small made it a 14-0 contest with a 3-yard TD run.

“They are a very talented team and went right at us. We just didn’t have an answer for them early,” said St. Pierre. “We have potential. They did their best. We just need to get a bit more consistent.”

After being out-gained 127-17 in the opening quarter, Freeport’s defense stood up and stopped the Wildcats as Jack Sawicki intercepted a Small pass to give the Falcons the ball at their own 49- yard line.

The Freeport offense picked up a first down as Adam Ulrickson ran for nine yards to the Y-41. However, three plays later York’s Dawson Gundlah intercepted Falcons quarterback Josh Burke.

With Martin (10 carries, 87 yards, TD) on the York sideline with a lower body injury, the Wildcats went back to work, driving 57 yards on eight plays for a 20-0 lead.

Falcons strike

Freeport didn’t quit, starting its next drive on its own 20, Jacob Tomm took a Burke hand-off and quickly sprinted untouched into the York secondary. Tomm pulled away and scored on an 80-yard run. Burke ran in the 2-point conversion to get the Falcons to 20-8.

St. Pierre’s hopes for a switch in momentum were dashed on York’s final drive of the opening half. The Wildcats broke off large chunks of yardage, picked up four of their 12 first-half first downs, and scored with five seconds on the clock — a Riley Linn 3-yard pass from Small — for a 28-8 halftime lead.

“If we had made that stop, get the ball back down 20-8 and maybe score right before the half, it is a different game,” said the Freeport coach. “We need all 11 guys to play well every single play, and some times we are not.”

“It was what we have been talking about, to learn how to finish,” said Small, who ran for 67 yards and threw for another 56 on the day. “Today we finally learned how to finish. We came out in the second half and took it to them. Taking control for us was everything. We drove it down their throats, then turned around and stopped them on defense.”

Any hopes of a Freeport second half comeback were dashed by the Wildcats (1-2). Will Shieve sacked Burke to force a punt on the Falcons’ opening drive of the third quarter, and an 89-yard, four-minute, 33-second drive was capped off by a Shane Pidgeon 16-yard TD run for a 34-8 York lead.

In the final quarter, the Wildcats put up 14 more points — a 6-yard TD run by Gundlah and a 5-yard burst from Ryan Wood — to complete the 40-point York victory.

For Freeport, St. Pierre says his team will “watch the film and maybe have to make some personnel changes” to get better before hosting winless Gray-New Gloucester this upcoming Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Tomm led the Falcons with 93 rushing yards on nine carries, while Aidan Michaud picked up 54 yards on five lugs. Burke was 2-for-5 in the air for 42 yards and two interceptions, and led the Freeport defense with 15 tackles. Mike Foss hauled in both Burke passes. Sawicki, James Knighton, Hunter Demers, Deven Hannan and Brett Holden each had five tackles for the Falcons.

Zach Mayo, Tim MacDonald and Shieve had five stops apiece for York, which outgained Freeport 391-225 and forced three turnovers.

York 48, Freeport 8

Saturday at Pownal Recreation Field
York — 14 14 6 14 — 48
Freeport— 0800—8
First quarter
Y — Jake Martin 14 run (Jake Martin
kick), 8:56.
Y — Payton Small 3 run (Jake Martin
kick), 3:29.
Second quarter
Y — Payton Small 1 run (kick
blocked), 3:46.
F — Jacob Tomm 80 run (Josh Burke
run), 3:26.
Y — Riley Linn 3 pass from Payton
Small (Dawson Gundlah pass from
Payton Small), :05.
Third quarter
Y — Shane Pigeon 16 run (pass
failed), 5:18.
Fourth quarter
Y — Dawson Gundlah 6 run (Riley
Linn run), 9:50.
Y — Ryan Wood 5 run (pass failed),
5:42.
Records — York 1-2, Freeport 0-3.
Up next for the Falcons — Saturday
at home vs. Gray-New Gloucester,
1:30 p.m.

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