SOUTH BERWICK — Falmouth High’s defense had shut down Marshwood’s potent outside running game, slowed its inside offense and closed within a score on an impressive touchdown drive to start the second half Friday night.
That’s when quarterback Tommy Springer, already on his way to a strong game, really stepped up.
Springer led Marshwood to three fourth-quarter touchdowns, pulling away for a key 42-19 Class B South victory.
Springer roused his team on a third-and-9 run when he plowed through a tackler for the needed yardage, setting up a Justin Bryant 5-yard touchdown run. With the fourth of Max Horton’s six PATs, Marshwood led 28-13 with 9:52 to play.
“(Springer) ran hard. He ran people over,” said Kyle Glidden of Marshwood. “He’s a big strong kid and you don’t normally see quarterbacks with that type of physicality so it set the tone for our offense.”
Marshwood (6-0) set up a game between unbeatens next Saturday at Kennebunk. Falmouth (4-2) has lost to Kennebunk.
“We’re a playoff team. We know that. But we just saw what the competition just did to us,” said Falmouth Coach John Fitzsimmons. “We’ll have to use our opportunity to see what we can do better the next time we meet them, if we’re fortunate enough to meet them.”
Springer completed 14 of 20 passes for 186 yards and a pair of first-half touchdowns to Glidden, and rushed for 137 yards and two scores, including an 80-yard touchdown with 1:55 to play.
He also directed a late first-half drive, aided by a fourth-down pass interference call on Falmouth, that ended with his 18-yard strike to Glidden in the end zone on third-and-10 with 19 seconds left to put Marshwood ahead 21-7.
The Hawks needed Springer’s output because Falmouth held Glidden to 11 yards on 12 carries, and kept Bryant (16 carries, 75 yards) in check after the first quarter.
After Bryant’s touchdown, the Marshwood defense came up big. Drew Gregor and then Adam Doyon sacked Falmouth quarterback Jack Bryant.
“That’s what we’d been waiting for,” said Marshwood Coach Alex Rotsko. “We needed a couple of plays like that in the first half and the third quarter but they kept moving the ball.”
Six plays later, Glidden scored from the 3 with 5:50 to play after Springer gained 16 on a power sweep.
Falmouth, inconsistent with its passing game, did score on its next possession, taking 3:36 to go 66 yards on nine running plays, with Garret Aube (14 carries, 93 yards) scoring on a 3-yard run set up by a 22-yard run by Jack Bryant (79 rushing yards, 5-of-13 passing for 63 yards).
Springer responded with an 80-yard touchdown run on the Hawks’ next play.
“I think it boosts up our intensity a little bit knowing that it would be a closer game,” Springer said.
After winning consecutive state titles, Marshwood was an up-and-down team in 2016 and finished 6-4.
“Everyone wants to win this year and I think wanting to win is the biggest part because once you want to win, you want to get better,” Glidden said.
Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:
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