FALMOUTH — When the Gorham High football team let a scoring chance slip away as the first half came to a close Friday night against Falmouth/Greely, it might have felt like the same old problems for a program that has struggled in recent years.

This time though, the Rams learned from their mistake. Rather than dwell on what went wrong, they learned from what went right.

Gorham got more opportunities in the second half, and this time capitalized. A touchdown late in the third quarter gave the Rams the lead, and another midway through the fourth provided insurance in a 16-6 win over Falmouth/Greely in the Class B season opener for both teams.

“You know, there was a six-year stretch where we won seven games (total),” said Gorham’s first-year coach Sam Morrison. “It’s nice to be one of the teams that’s 1-0.”

Cody Sellick’s 14-yard touchdown run with 17.3 second left in the third quarter tied the game, and Jackson Smith caught the 2-point conversion pass from Landon Bickford to give the Rams an 8-6 lead. Gorham used a little trickery on the drive, completing halfback passes on consecutive plays. The first went from Caden Smith to quarterback Bickford for 11 yards on third-and-11. On the next play, Smith hit Jackson Smith for 23 yards, setting up Sellick’s touchdown on the next play.

Early in the fourth quarter, Gorham took over on its own 30 and went 70 yards in six plays, all on the ground. Elijah Wyatt’s 10-yard touchdown run and Sellick’s conversion gave the Rams a 10-point lead.

Gorham ran for 182 yards, 150 coming in the second half.

“All the boys up front really stepped up,” said Shawn McKeage, a Gorham offensive lineman and co-captain.

With Falmouth ahead 6-0, Gorham had a prime opportunity to tie or take the lead just before halftime. The Rams had first-and-goal at the 4 with 11 seconds left. Out of timeouts, Morrison called a run, but it was stuffed and time ran out.

“Honestly, I thought we could get it in. At the half, I owned it and they rallied around me,” Morrison said.

Falmouth scored with 3:06 left in the first quarter when Finn Caxton-Smith caught a short Cooper Bush pass, broke a tackle and went 78 yards. The Navigators had chances to increase their lead, but three drives stalled inside the Gorham 30. Jackson Smith broke up three passes, two in the end zone.

“Jackson Smith, he’s just different,” McKeage said.

“They made nice adjustments and were playing well,” Falmouth/Greely Coach John Fitzsimmons said of Gorham. “We were dropping some passes that were right on the money.”

Bush threw for 266 yards and ran for 35.

Gorham senior running back Kyle Skolfield left the game late in the first quarter because of a knee injury and did not return. He watched the second half on crutches on the Gorham sideline.

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