Cheverus’ Matthew Fogg, left, and his teammate Peyton Mitchell celebrate after Fogg’s touchdown. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
It wasn’t a banner weekend for Midcoast football teams.
Lisbon, Mt. Ararat/Hyde and Morse all had their seasons come to a close, leaving just Freeport as the last team standing in the area.
Lisbon dropped a 20-19 decision in the Class D playoffs. Mt. Ararat/Hyde and Morse both fell in their respective eight-man regional final games.
“Obviously it was a disappointing ending, we wanted to do better of course,” said Mt. Ararat coach Frank True, whose Eagles (7-2) fell to Cheverus 48-0 in the large South final. “There’s always going to be a winner and a loser, and it wasn’t because of lack of effort on our part.”
The Shipbuilders lost to Waterville 22-20 in the large North final. No. 3 Freeport knocked out Poland, 27-7, in a Class D quarterfinal and will play at No. 2 Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale in a state semifinal game Friday at 7 p.m.
Morse senior Gabe Aucoin (23) dives for a touchdown as Waterville defender Dawson Harrison hangs on to his ankles during the eight-man large North final Saturday at Drummond Field in Waterville. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
“We made too many mental mistakes and dug a hole early,” said Morse head coach Jason Darling. “It seemed like we were fighting an uphill battle the whole game. … This season was fantastic for our team, school, and community as a whole. I’m proud of what we accomplished, and while it might still sting for the players right now in the moment, I think they’re proud, too.”
Morse committed four false starts in its first two drives, something Darling called “out of character.”
“It’s hard to say (if we were nervous),” he said. “I do know that the moment wasn’t too big for us, we made mistakes at inopportune times.”
The Shipbuilders trailed 14-0 in the first quarter before three Gabe Aucoin touchdowns by gave them a 20-14 lead with nine minutes remaining. However, Dustan Hunter returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown that helped seal the victory for Waterville.
Things weren’t as dramatic in the South final.
“We had some injuries and made some adjustments leading up to the game,” said True. “No excuses though, Cheverus was no doubt the better team on Saturday, we had a difficult time matching up with them.”
Eagles standout running back Kaiden Getchell went down with a shoulder injury in the second quarter and didn’t return. Without Getchell, the Eagles were forced to rely on a committee of Shea Farrell, Peter Hahsey and freshman Dash Farrell in the backfield.
“We had a great season and we wish we had a better game on Saturday, but it’s awesome to see our young guys get better every day,” True said. “I also think about our seniors who are a big reason we got to this point. The trajectory of Mt. Ararat football is pointing in the right direction.”
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In Class D, Freeport jumped out to an early lead on the back of two Jordan Knighton rushing touchdowns in the first quarter. Nick White and Tony Casale would each rush for a score as well.
Next up is a tough Ramblers squad, which handled the Falcons on Oct. 18 in Winthrop.
Lisbon’s James Fitzsimmons travels up the field while being swarmed by Oak Hill during Saturday’s Class D quarterfinal at Oak Hill. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Elsewhere in Class D, the Greyhounds had their three-game winning streak halted in a quarterfinal game at Oak Hill.
Lisbon pulled within one when Colby Levasseur scored from 10 yards out with just over seven minutes remaining. Head coach Chris Kates decided to go for a two-point conversion, but the Raiders defense held.
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