BIDDEFORD — Kennedy Charles had previously played a little at quarterback for Portland High, here and there when the Bulldogs ran wildcat formations.
Friday night at Biddeford’s Waterhouse Field, the offense was entirely in Charles’ hands, and the senior excelled.
Charles ran for 238 yards on 28 carries, scored two touchdowns and passed for another score, helping the Bulldogs snap a three-game losing streak with a 30-12 win over Biddeford in a Class B South game.
“It was new to me, but I take on new challenges every week,” Charles said.
Portland (2-3) had dropped three in a row against tough competition – Class C juggernaut Leavitt and Class A Bonny Eagle and Oxford Hills. With Charles lined up in shotgun throughout the game, the Bulldogs kept the ball on the ground and controlled the clock, with three scoring drives of at least five minutes.
Portland’s starting quarterback, Sam Esposito, was lost to injury in Week 1 against Kennebunk, and sophomore Louis Thurston started the next three games. Coach Jason McLeod said the Bulldogs needed a spark.
“It needed to come from a senior, maybe somebody a little more battle-tested. Kennedy is one of our captains. He’s a hard-nosed kid. At the end of the day, he’s our best athlete. If we get the ball in his hands, good things will happen,” McLeod said.
Biddeford Coach Steve Allosso said he wasn’t surprised when he saw Charles at quarterback early in the game, but he was surprised Charles stayed there the entire game.
“It was smart. They’re bigger and very physical, so it was a smart thing to do, to keep our offense off the field and force us to do things we might not want to do,” Allosso said.
Charles’ athleticism was on display on his first touchdown. After Biddeford (3-2) stripped the ball from Andrew Brewer, Charles scooped it up and ran untouched 48 yards with 4:09 left in the first quarter. Reegan Buck added the 2-point conversion run for an 8-0 lead.
“It was just instinct. When the ball came on the floor, I just reacted,” Charles said.
Charles scored on a 5-yard run early in the second quarter to make it 14-0. Just before halftime, he capped a 14-play, 79-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Remijo Wani.
“Put the ball up and give him a chance, and (Wani) will make a play,” Charles said.
Brewer capped Portland’s scoring with a 4-yard run late in the third quarter.
Biddeford’s two touchdowns each came on a big play. With 26 seconds left in the first half, quarterback Patrick O’Driscoll threw a deep pass to Jaydon Agosto (four catches, 109 yards), who outjumped a Portland defender and went 80 yards for the score, cutting Portland’s lead to 22-6 at halftime.
With 4:14 left in the game, O’Driscoll ran 48 yards on a fourth-and-2 keeper.
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