PARIS — With a bye came a bit of rust for the Oxford Hills football team, but the Vikings shook it off and earned a convincing 35-6 win over Cheverus in a Class A North semifinal Saturday night at Gouin Athletic Complex.
It took more than a quarter for second-seeded Oxford Hills to find its stride, but then the Vikings (7-2) took control to advance to the regional final against top-seeded Portland.
“It felt like it started off pretty slow, but we knew that if we did our thing and played our game that eventually we would start scoring,” Oxford Hills quarterback Colton Carson said.
“Each week you prepare for things, and I think they did a good job of getting my tendencies as a play caller,” Vikings Coach Mark Soehren said. “We missed a couple dropped balls, just little things. Then we started to run outside and then show some things we didn’t show last time, and the kids executed really well.”
Oxford Hills’ opening drive ended when Carson was stopped on fourth down in Cheverus territory, but the Vikings scored on their second drive after a 41-yard run from Janek Luksza. Three plays later, Emerson Brown ran it up the middle for a 5-yard touchdown.
Third-seeded Cheverus (7-3) closed to within 7-6 on a 15-yard pass from Marc Reali to Vic Morrone, but then Carson ran 40 yards down the left sideline and followed with a 20-yard touchdown run to make it 14-6.
An interception by Cole Dunham gave the Vikings great field position, and Carson’s 7-yard run just before halftime pushed the lead to 21-6.
“The (interception) down here was the one that felt like it woke us up and it got us in that short field,” Soehren said. “Two weeks off, it took a little bit to wake up.”
“They got an interception and then made it (21-6) on a short field,” Cheverus Coach Mike Vance said. “(Carson) is a good player, and we didn’t have any answers for him tonight.”
The Vikings scored again on their opening drive of the third quarter – Parker LaFrance’s 5-yard run.
Cheverus moved the ball effectively on its next drive, with Greyden Lindstedt rushing for 49 yards, but Carson intercepted a pass in the back of the end zone.
“I saw the tight end on the left side and I knew I had to go with him, and the ball was thrown right to me,” Carson said.
A short pass from Carson to Alex Turner turned into an 86-yard touchdown to make it 35-6.
Soehren said he knew it was just a matter of time before his team found a rhythm.
“Their starters are very good and very young,” Soehren said. “We knew this from last time, too. We wore them down. I also think our guys got their feet under them a little bit and (we) found out what to call.”
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
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.