PORTLAND—Back in week one, Portland senior Kennedy Charles caught a touchdown pass in a victory at Kennebunk.

Flash forward to Friday evening’s Class B South semifinal between the teams at Fitzpatrick Stadium, where it’s safe to say the Rams wished that Charles could only hurt them as a receiver.

Charles, who became the team’s quarterback at midseason, continued his and his teams’ surge with yet another dazzling display that has landed him smack dab in the middle of the Fitzpatrick Trophy discussion.

And even better, has the Bulldogs two victories away from their first Gold Ball in two decades.

Charles, who ran for over 200 yards in the first quarter in last week’s quarterfinal round win over Noble, needed a half to reach that plateau this time around, but his 36-yard touchdown run, followed by a 42-yard scamper, put top-ranked Portland on top, 14-0, after one period.

Charles then scored again, this time from 45-yards out, early in the second quarter and he then reminded everyone he’s pretty deadly with his arm too, as he connected with junior Reegan Buck for a 39-yard TD to seemingly put the Bulldogs on the brink of runaway victory.

But proud Kennebunk, the No. 4 seed, got some momentum just before the half, when senior quarterback Jack Cornell connected with senior Jacob Morris for a 17-yard score to cut the deficit to 26-7

Then, after holding Portland scoreless in the third quarter, the Rams got closer in the fourth, when Cornell scored on a 2-yard scamper.

When Kennebunk appeared to recover the ensuing onside kick, the game was on the brink of getting really interesting, but the recovery was waved off due to a penalty, the Bulldogs got the ball back, then Charles restored order with a 36-yard touchdown scamper through traffic.

Sophomore Brody Viola then put it away with a 35-yard interception return for a score and while the Rams answered with a 3-yard run from junior Jonah Barstow, it was too little, too late, and Portland went on to a 40-20 victory.

Charles finished with 292 rushing yards as the Bulldogs won their sixth straight game, improved to 7-3, ended Kennebunk’s season at 6-4 and in the process, advanced to host the Class B South Final against No. 3 South Portland (7-3) Friday at 6 p.m., at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

“I’ve always said that I was the best running quarterback in Portland High history,” said longtime Portland assistant coach and 1982 Fitzpatrick Trophy winner Mike Rutherford. “Not anymore.”

Stop him if you can

Even when Portland dropped to 1-3 at the midway point, it knew its best football was still to come and that’s exactly how it played out, as the Bulldogs won their final four regular season games, then had no trouble with No. 8 Noble in last week’s quarterfinal round, 42-13 (see sidebar for links to previous stories).

Portland’s turnaround began when Charles, who started the season as a wide receiver, moved into the ‘Wildcat” quarterback role. Senior Sam Esposito began the year behind center, but he was hurt in the season opener and replaced by sophomore Louis Thurston. Once Charles was handed the reins, the Bulldogs have become a powerhouse.

“I didn’t expect the season to be this way with our starting quarterback going down, but we turned it around,” said Charles.

Kennebunk went 5-3 in the regular season, but all three losses were one score games, to Portland, Thornton Academy and Wells (in overtime). The Rams opened the playoffs last weekend by downing No. 5 Biddeford, 33-6.

In the teams’ first meeting, Sept. 3, in the season opener played at Biddeford, Charles ran for 110 yards and a touchdown and caught a TD pass as well. Senior Remijo Wani also caught a touchdown pass and senior Andrew Brewer made the biggest play of the contest, causing a clinching turnover.

Kennebunk and Portland had never before met in the playoffs.

Friday, on a most comfortable early November evening (the temperature was 60 degrees at kickoff), the Bulldogs got the ball to start the game and drove for a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Starting at the 35, Portland’s first play saw Brewer get the handoff for two yards. After Buck swept left for seven yards, setting up third-and-1, Charles kept the ball for the first time, gaining seven yards to move the chains to the Rams’ 49. After Charles ran for seven yards, then three more for a first down, Buck gained three yards and Charles did the rest, bursting through the right side and leaving the defense in his wake en route to a 36-yard touchdown run with 7:41 to play in the opening stanza. The Bulldogs went for the two-point conversion and while Charles hit Brewer with a pass, he was stopped short and the score remained 6-0.

Kennebunk started at its 32 and its drive began auspiciously, as Barstow ran for a dozen yards, then senior Jack Cataldi picked up five yards, but Barstow gained just two, then Brewer held Cataldi to no gain to force a punt.

Wani’s 15-yard punt return set Portland up at its 35 and in three plays, the Bulldogs drove to double their lead.

After Brewer gained five yards, breaking an initial tackle, Buck got some room to his left and picked up 18 yards for a first down at the Rams’ 42. Charles then did the rest, finding a little running room, hurdling a defender, then breaking free and again outrunning the pursuit to paydirt for a 42-yard score with 3:32 on the clock.

“Sometimes you have to be patient and wait for the play to develop,” Charles said. “I trusted my line to get the job done and to open holes.”

Buck added the two-point conversion rush to make it 14-0.

Kennebunk got the ball back at its 31, but went three-and-out, as Barstow ran for a yard, then Cornell twice threw incomplete.

With 2:22 to go in the first quarter, the Bulldogs got possession at their 38 and began to march again.

Buck picked up nine yards, then Charles ran for eight for a first down at the Rams’ 45. After Charles broke free for 18 yards, Brewer ran for four, then picked up eight more as the opening period came to a close (with Portland out-gaining Kennebunk, 177 yards to 20).

On the first play of the second quarter, from the Rams’ 15, Charles ran for two yards. Buck then gained six and Charles picked up one, setting up fourth-and-inches from the 6.

But the Bulldogs couldn’t capitalize, as they moved early on a play which saw Charles run for a touchdown which was negated, and after another penalty, for delay of game, Charles threw incomplete, giving Kennebunk the ball on downs at its 16.

The Rams again were bottled up, as Cataldi was held to no gain and Cornell threw two incompletions, with junior Isaak Alkafaji knocking down the second attempt at the line, forcing another punt.

After a short boot, Portland took over at midfield and in just three plays, found the end zone to extend the lead.

Charles ran for three yards on first down, Buck then gained two and Charles did the rest, running left, breaking a tackle, then cutting right and racing into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown with 6:58 to go. A bad snap on the two-point conversion kept the score 20-0.

The Bulldogs’ defense kept the momentum going, as after Kennebunk started at its 42, Cataldi was held no gain, senior Romano McIlwain knocked down a Cornell pass at the line, then Cornell threw incomplete, forcing another punt.

Portland started its next drive at its 25 and in just four plays, drove for another touchdown, this one through the air.

After Brewer ran for four yards, Buck was dropped by Cataldi for a one-yard loss, but Charles ran right, found just a sliver of room, turned the corner and gained 33 yards to the Rams’ 39. Charles then dropped back to pass and with the Kennebunk defense blanketing the always-dangerous Wani, Buck burst free down the right sideline and Charles launched a pass that dropped in Buck’s arms and he strolled in untouched to complete the 39-yard touchdown.

“The coaches came up with that one. 100 percent credit to them,” Charles said. “(Reegan) was wide open. It was designed for him.”

Brewer’s two-point conversion rush attempt failed, but the Bulldogs were on the brink of blowing it open, up, 26-0.

Just when it appeared the game was going to get out of hand, however, the Rams closed the first half with an impressive eight-play, 52-yard, 2-minute, 14-second drive to earn a little life.

After Barstow ran for three yards, Cornell, after six straight incompletions to start the game, connected with sophomore Max Andrews for a 11-yard pass. After throwing incomplete, Cornell found Andrews again for 16 yards for a first down at the Portland 22. Barstow ran five yards and Cornell threw incomplete, but on third-and-5, the Bulldogs jumped offsides to give Kennebunk a first down at the 12. Cornell appeared to score on a 12-yard keeper, but a holding penalty negated it and moved the ball to the 17. After McIlwain knocked down another pass at the line, Cornell was able to find room to throw, hit Morris at the 5 and Morris bulled over a Portland defender and crossed the plane for the 17-yard touchdown with 1:16 on the clock. Andrews added the extra point to cut the deficit to 26-7.

After the Bulldogs’ final possession of the half resulted in two runs from Charles for a mere six yards, the contest went to intermission.

Portland had a whopping 307 yards of first half offense to Kennebunk’s 72 and Charles was simply dazzling, rushing 14 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns.

But despite their dominance, the Bulldogs weren’t home free yet.

The Rams started the second half with possession at their 46, but after Barstow ran for two yards, Cornell threw incomplete, then he was sacked by McIlwain to force a punt.

Portland got the ball for the first time in the second half at its 39, but after picking up a first down on a six-yard pass from Charles-to-Wani and a five-yard Charles rush, Charles missed Wani on a deep pass, then a Charles’ six-yard run and a two-yard pick-up by Brewer set up fourth-and-2, where Charles threw incomplete, giving the ball back to Kennebunk at its 42.

The Rams started their next drive with some razzle-dazzle, as Cornell handed off to junior Gray Compton who threw the ball downfield to Andrews, who gained 37 yards to the Bulldogs’ 21. Kennebunk couldn’t take advantage, however, as after Barstow ran for a yard and Cornell threw incomplete, Morris caught a pass for just four yards and another incompletion gave Portland the ball back at its 16.

This time, the Bulldogs went three-and-out, as Charles kept the ball for four yards, Buck ran for two, then Charles only gained two on third-and-four, forcing a punt.

With 1:28 remaining in the third period, the Rams took over at midfield and in a drive that drained the rest of the quarter and chewed up nearly three minutes of the fourth, Kennebunk marched 11 plays to score and cut into the deficit.

A five-yard burst from Barstow got things started. After sophomore Brady Stone picked up nine yards, Barstow ran for six more on the final play of quarter number three.

The fourth period began with Barstow running for four yards and a first down at the Portland 26. After Barstow ran for seven yards, then five more, Cornell threw incomplete, as senior Gavin Bennett got his hand on the pass at the line. Barstow then moved the pile for six yards, ran for three more, then on fourth-and-1 from the 5, Barstow gained three yards to the 2. Cornell then caught the defense off-guard by keeping the ball himself and with 9:17 left, his 2-yard rush and Andrews’ subsequent extra point made it a 26-14 contest.

The Rams then appeared to get the ball right back as Cataldi recovered the ensuing onside kick, but Kennebunk was flagged for being offside and after Thurston recovered the ensuing pooch kickoff, Portland was able to start from its 37.

Four plays later, the Bulldogs re-established control.

Portland’s offense needed a spark and Charles provided it with a 20-yard rush to the Rams’ 43. After Charles ran for four yards, then picked up three, he ran to the left, waited for blocking to develop, then burst through a sliver of space and again took off for the end zone, completing a 36-yard TD scamper with just 7:28 to go.

“I just trusted my lineman and trusted the hole,” Charles said. “I waited for the play to develop and I hit the hole. Once I saw green in front of me, I just took off.”

An extra point attempt from junior Myles Hang was blocked, but the Bulldogs were back up by three scores, 32-14.

Portland’s defense then put an end to any lingering drama.

The Rams started their next drive at their 33 and after Compton threw incomplete on a halfback pass, Cornell threw to the left side, but he was under pressure from McIlwain and his pass was jumped by Viola, who collected the ball, then saw nothing but open space in front of him and he raced in for the 35-yard interception return.

“I knew I had messed up on a previous play and Coach Rudy was going to be mad, so next time they ran it, I read it and did my job and got a pick-six,” Viola said. “I knew it was coming. That was the best feeling in the world.”

“Brody, hats off to him,” said Portland coach Jason McLeod. “They ran a play earlier in the game that he mis-played. They came back to it, but he was in the right place at the right time.”

On the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, Charles threw a pass to the right back corner of the end zone, where Wani came down with the ball to make it 40-14.

Kennebunk had one final scoring drive to embark on, as Cataldi returned the kickoff 37 yards to the Portland 41.

After an illegal motion penalty backed the Rams up five yards, Cornell hit Cataldi for 19 yards to the 27. Freshman Theo Paquette sacked Cornell for a five-yard loss, but Barstow ran for seven yards, then Cornell connected with Andrew for 13 yards to set up first down at the 12. Morris caught a pass for nine more yards to the 3, then Barstow finished off the drive with a 3-yard TD run with 4:21 on the clock. A two-point conversion pass failed and the Bulldogs still led comfortably, 40-20.

Portland junior Hunter Temple recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt at the Bulldogs’ 47. Charles then came out of the game and was replaced by Esposito, who saw his first action under center since being injured in the season opener.

“It was great getting him back,” McLeod said, of Esposito’s return. “It’s an added element we have with leadership on and off the field.”

Esposito handed off to Brewer for a two-yard loss, then a three-yard gain, but on third-and-9, Buck only gained four yards, necessitating a punt.

The Rams got one final possession, starting from their 22 with 1:53 to go and after Barstow ran for two yards and Stone picked up 15, Cornell hit Compton for 22 yards to the Portland 39, but Cornell threw incomplete, then took a knee to bring the curtain down on the Bulldogs’ 40-20 victory.

“(Kennebunk) got some good plays and made things happen, but we got back into it and we did our jobs at the end,” Viola said.

“We were able to adjust,” McLeod said. “They ran four or five different looks that they hadn’t shown on film previously. They threw the kitchen sink at us. We had to identify the front they were in, the blitzes they were in and give Kennedy the lanes he could run. Hats off to the offensive line for making the adjustments. Kennebunk’s a good team. They have a lot of senior athletes who were a concern to us. Morris is arguably one of the best linemen in the states. Cataldi is unreal as well. They gave us fits.”

Portland finished with 397 yards of offense, didn’t commit a turnover and was penalized just four times for 20 yards.

Charles stole the show with 292 rushing yards on 22 tries, good for three touchdowns. He also went 2-of-5 passing for 45 yards and one TD.

“He’s incredible,” Viola said, of Charles. “I love watching him every snap. He amazes me every single time he gets the ball.”

“We want to get the ball in hands as many as times as we can and good things will happen,” said McLeod. “Kennedy’s done a great job stepping in. People try to tackle him, but he’s slippery. When he needs to drop his pad level and get downhill, he does.”

“He’s just electrifying,” said longtime Kennebunk coach Joe Rafferty. “Once he gets past that first level, it’s ‘Good Night, Irene.’ He’s such a good player.”

Buck gained 49 yards on 10 carries and caught one pass, good for a score, from 39 yards out.

Brewer was held in check, gaining 18 yards on seven rushing attempts.

Wani caught one pass for 6 yards.

For Kennebunk, Cornell finished 8-of-22 passing for 107 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He ran once for a 2-yard TD.

Cataldi was held at bay to the tune of 8 yards on five carries and one reception for 19 yards.

Barstow ran 16 times for 68 yards with a touchdown.

Stone had two carries for 20 yards.

Andrews caught four passes for 77 yards.

Morris had two receptions for 26 yards with a TD.

Compton completed 1-of-2 passes for 37 yards and had a catch for 22 yards.

The Rams finished with 231 yards of offense, turned the ball over once and were flagged three times for 15 yards.

“Clearly, (Portland) played outstanding tonight,” said Rafferty, who coached in his 401st career game Friday, one shy of John Wolfgram’s state record. “They were all we thought they would be. We played them week one and they were a lot better today. They’re a lot faster. They’re very good and very quick. I thought they played great defense as well. They’ve really improved.

“Our guys have been through a lot with injuries. I’m very pleased with being here and having an opportunity to play when a lot of teams don’t. Our kids have been a lot of fun to be around. It was pretty easy for me this season.”

Battle of the Bridge, part two

Portland held off host South Portland in the “Battle of the Bridge” regular season finale Oct. 21. The teams have met five previous times in the playoffs, with the Red Riots holding a 4-1 edge. The Bulldogs won the most recent encounter, however, 21-0, in the 2002 Western A quarterfinals. The teams have played just once before in a regional final, a 28-24 South Portland victory in 1995.

“We can’t overlook our opponent,” said Charles. “I feel like we did that last year (in a regional final loss to Marshwood). “We beat South Portland once this year, but we have to just focus on what’s ahead. We’re happy and it means a lot, but we’re just back where we were last year. We’re just trying to pick up where we left off. The job’s not finished yet. We’re ready to get back at it for South Portland.”

“We don’t take the game for granted,” Viola said. “We can’t expect to win next week. We’ll treat it as the toughest week of our life.”

“The mindset is to be better than we were last year in the regional final,” McLeod added. “The kids who were here last year, that game is vivid in their brains. We’ll come locked and loaded and laser focused. We talk about opportunities and savoring the moment and this is an opportunity we’re going to savor.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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