Cheverus runs over York in season-opening victory

PORTLAND—Cheverus junior fullback Matt Baker knew that his team would run the ball with abandon when the Stags hosted York in a regular season opener Saturday afternoon at Boulos Stadium.

And that’s exactly how it played out.

Cheverus gained more than 300 yards on the ground, got 86 yards and two touchdowns from Baker, as well as a dominant 211-yard, four-TD performance from senior Joe Osei, as it never trailed and pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Wildcats, 41-14.

The Stags set the tone by driving 68 yards on their opening possession and going ahead to stay, 6-0, on a 4-yard Osei touchdown scamper.

Cheverus then marched 94 yards and went on top, 14-0, when Baker scored on a 2-yard run and senior quarterback Gio St. Onge connected with senior Preston Fallon for the two-point conversion.

York then pulled within seven at halftime, thanks to a 9-yard TD pass from junior quarterback Peter Martin to senior Ben Brown.

The Stags embarked on another long scoring drive to start the second half, culminated by an Osei 5-yard touchdown run, but on the ensuing kickoff, senior Brody Gullison returned the ball 84 yards for a score and the Wildcats were back within seven.

York then got a rare stop and had an opportunity to pull even, but a fumble set Cheverus up at the Wildcats’ 20 and the Stags put the game away in the fourth period, as Osei scored on runs of 5- and 51-yards before Baker added one final TD, a 1-yard rush, to close out a 41-14 victory.

“Cheverus has always been a run-heavy team,” said Baker, who didn’t play on offense a year ago before stepping into Rilan Smith’s role this season. “All preseason into this week, we practiced hard and knew this is what we were going to do. It defines our program. We just run right up the gut and play hard.”

Stop us if you can

Cheverus made its first appearance in Class C South a year ago and posted a solid 6-4 record, getting to the semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Leavitt, 64-28.

York, meanwhile, wound up 5-4 in 2022, losing to Cheverus, 30-12, in the quarterfinals.

The teams didn’t meet in the regular season last fall.

Saturday, on a beautiful afternoon (72 degrees and sunny at kickoff), the Stags served notice from the get-go that they were going to line up and run the ball right at the Wildcats.

Cheverus won the opening coin toss but deferred possession to the second half. York started at its 32 and after Gullison ran twice for nine yards, a bad snap on third-and-1 forced a punt.

The Stags took over at their 32 with 9:49 left in the first period and in 10 plays and 5 minutes, 43 seconds, marched for the go-ahead score.

Osei was held to one yard on first down, then Baker’s first carry resulted in just a three-yard gain, but on third-and-6, St. Onge connected with Baker for 18 yards and a first down at the Wildcats’ 46. Osei then gained 11 yards to move the chains. After Baker picked up a yard and Osei ran for three, senior Elijah Timlin swept right for seven yards and another first down at the 24. Osein ran up the gut for 14 more, setting up first-and-goal at the 10, and after Osei ran for six, he punctuated the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run up the middle, getting into the end zone with a second effort push. Junior Devin Kelly’s extra point was off target, but Cheverus was on top to stay, 6-0.

York tried to answer after senior Gavin Davis returned the ensuing kickoff to the 48, but Osei dropped senior Benjamin Orso for a one-yard loss and Martin threw incomplete. On third-and-11, Martin connected with senior Brady Higgins on a slant, good for 11 yards and a new set of downs. After a holding penalty backed the Wildcats up 10 yards, Higgins caught a pass for eight yards, but Orso lost two more yards. On third-and-14, Martin threw a deep ball that was underthrown, allowing Brown to come back and catch it for a first down at the Stags’ 26. The Wildcats would get no closer, however, as Osei dropped senior Nathaniel Foote for a three-yard loss, then Martin threw a couple of incompletions, with a holding penalty mixed in, and York had to punt. Martin managed to boot the ball 33 yards and pin Cheverus at its 6 with 32 seconds to go in the opening stanza.

An illegal formation penalty backed the Stags up to their 3 when the second quarter began and from there, Cheverus (which had a 65-8 edge in yardage over the first 12 minutes) dug deep and meticulously moved down the field for another score.

Timlin provided some breathing room with a five-yard run, then Osei gained 11 for a first down at the 19. After Osei ran for four yards, then for five, St. Onge and Fallon connected on the biggest pass play of the contest, a 53-yard play, as Fallon got wide open behind the defense, to set up a first down at the Wildcats’ 19. After Osei gained three yards, then picked up two, Baker broke an initial tackle attempt, then barely picked up the five yards he needed to set up first-and-goal at the 9. Osei then broke multiple tackles before being brought down at the 2, then Baker capped the 10-play, 6:08 march with a 2-yard scoring run, again breaking a tackle en route to paydirt.

“It’s fun breaking tackles,” said Baker. “Coach always stresses playing until the whistle. If I feel contact, I’ll keep going. It’s an honor to play. I love the guys. It’s great the coaches think I have the possibility to be at Rilan Smith’s level. I love being on the field.”

The Stags went for the two-point conversion and St. Onge connected with Preston again to make it 14-0.

York then took over at its 25 and in a drive that needed eight plays and 4:03, countered to get on the board.

Osei dropped Gullison for a one-yard loss on a short pass on the first play, then Timlin held Davis to no gain on a reception, but on third-and-11, Martin hit Higgins, who made a nice diving catch, for a 25-yard gain to the 49. After Gullison ran for three yards and an illegal procedure penalty backed the Wildcats up five yards, Martin threw a bomb down the right side that Higgins ran down for a 48 yard reception to the Cheverus 5. Gullison picked up a yard on first-and-goal. On second down, Martin threw incomplete, but pass interference was called, moving the ball to the 3. After Fallon sacked Martin for a six yard loss, it appeared the Stags might hold, but on third-and-goal, Martin hit Brown on a slant for a 9-yard touchdown. Martin added the extra point to cut the deficit to seven.

Cheverus got the ball back at its 28 with 1:21 to go, but was content running Baker for two yards and Osei for no gain to drain the clock and take a 14-7 advantage to the half.

The Stags outgained the Wildcats, 164-83, in first half yards, as Osei gained 71 yards on 13 carries.

Cheverus got the ball first in the second half and a nice 23 yard return by Baker set the Stags up at their 38. 11 plays and 7:11 later, the Stags extended their lead after another time-consuming drive.

Osei ran for three yards, then Baker picked up a dozen to the York 47 .After Osei ran for five yards, he gained six more. Baker then picked up three yards, Osei ran for three and Baker gained two, setting up fourth-and-2, but Baker fell forward to pick up the necessary two yards and a first down at the 26. After Timlin gained five, Baker broke multiple tackles and fought his way to the 5. Osei then capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run and Kelly added the PAT to make it 21-7 with 4:42 to go in the third.

The Wildcats roared right back, as Gullison took the ensuing kickoff at his 16, momentarily lost control of the ball, picked it back up, possibly disrupting Cheverus’ rhythm on the play, then took off to his right, making two tacklers miss before racing down the sideline all the way to the end zone for an 84-yard score. Martin added the extra point and just like that, York was within seven again.

The Stags took over at their 20 after a touchback and this time, wouldn’t score, due in part to self-inflicted wounds.

Osei took off for 26 yards on first down, then a 10-yard Baker surge put the ball at the Wildcats’ 44. A holding penalty then backed Cheverus up 10 yards and after St. Onge threw incomplete and Timlin ran for nine yards, an apparent St. Onge first down run was negated by another holding penalty and after an incomplete pass, the Stags had to punt for the first time.

With 1:36 to go in the quarter, York got the ball back at its 29 but any hopes of driving for a tying score were immediately dashed when a low snap got past Martin and Cheverus senior Xavier Nadeau came out of the scrum with the recovery at the Wildcats’ 20.

“We had one offensive play in the third quarter and it was a fumble,” lamented York coach Matt Nelson. “We had an opportunity to tie the game up.”

The Stags would take advantage, but not before the third period gave way to the fourth.

Osei ran for four yards on first down, then gained four more on the final play of the quarter. Baker then gained five yards on the first play of the final stanza, to set up first-and-goal at the 7. After Osei gained two, he finished off the drive with a 5-yard TD run to the left. Kelly added the extra point and with 10:28 to play, Cheverus had a 28-14 advantage.

This time, York couldn’t respond. The Wildcats started at their 34, but after Martin connected with Brown for 11 yards, he threw incomplete, threw incomplete again under pressure from junior Jack Fowler, then was sacked by sophomore Evan Metevier for an eight-yard loss, forcing a punt. On the ensuing punt, St. Onge fair caught the ball, then was hit after the play and the personal foul penalty allowed the Stags to take over at their 49 with 8:37 to go.

One play and 11 seconds later, Osei delivered the dagger, as he broke free to the left and outran the pursuit for a 51-yard score. Kelly’s extra point made the score 35-14.

York went quietly, as Martin twice threw incomplete, the Wildcats were backed up five yards for a false start, then Martin, under pressure from senior Max Cassidy, threw incomplete before he was off target again, giving Cheverus the ball on downs at the York 25 with 8:07 remaining.

The Stags’ final scoring drive needed five plays and 3:10.

Osei got it started with a two yard run and Baker did the rest of the damage, rumbling to the 6, a 17-yard pickup. After Baker ran for three yards, then picked up two, he dove in from the 1 with 4:57 to play. The PAT was short-circuited by a low snap, but Cheverus was in command, up, 41-14.

The Wildcats brought in their second string offense and started their final possession at their 38. Nadeau droped junior Michael Hanlon for a six-yard loss on first down, then Hanlon was held to no gain before junior Alexander Taylor threw incomplete to force another punt.

With 3:10 left, the Stags took over at their 39. After Osei ran for eight yards, he was held to no gain, but on third-and-2, Osei burst free for 16 yards for a first down which allowed St. Onge to take a knee twice and run out the clock on Cheverus’ 41-14 victory.

“We just play hard for 48 minutes,” Baker said. “Today was a great example.”

“Overall, it was a good showing for the first week,” said Vance. “We want to possess the ball and we did a good job of that today. We took care of the football. York’s pretty good, but we played pretty well on defense. We did enough to get some momentum. Everybody but one is back on the line. We don’t have a 200 pounder on the whole roster, but we’re experienced.”

The Stags finished with 370 yards of offense, with the vast majority coming on the ground.

Osei stole the show with 211 yards and four touchdowns on 28 attempts.

“I don’t think I’m the main guy, I’m part of a greater force,” said Osei. “We didn’t pass a lot, we ran. We didn’t need to pass. We drove as a team. It was fun. The line is a bunch of hogs. They gave me amazing blocks. That made it way easier to get downfield. I love football. It’s my sport.”

Baker demonstrated tough running throughout, picking up 86 yards and scoring twice on 16 carries. He also had a reception for 18 yards.

“Those guys (Osei and Baker) run hard,” Vance said. “They’re both strong ball carriers. They got a lot of yards after contact and took care of the football. They’re experienced. They’ve been around. It’s not their first rodeo. They have things in perspective.”

Timlin was productive in limited action as well, gaining 26 yards on four rushes.

St. Onge went 2-of-4 passing, good for 71 yards.

Fallon had the one huge reception for 53 yards.

Cheverus didn’t turn the ball over and overcame four penalties for 23 yards.

“We made some mistakes, but they’re correctable,” Vance said. “We have an experienced group of kids. We expect them to make the adjustments.”

York was held to 66 yards of offense, turned the ball over once and committed six penalties for 50 yards.

Martin went 9-of-17 for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Higgins had four catches for 92 yards and Brown had three receptions for 40 yards.

“You can’t have self-inflicted wounds when you play a team like (Cheverus) because they hold the ball forever,” Nelson said. “We had to take advantage when we could and we didn’t do that today. We did have some positive plays. Young guys did well when they got in. We have to get better on defensive play, holding the edge and getting up there on the sweeps.”

Next test

York stays on the road and goes to perennial power Wells (1-0) Friday.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Nelson said. “We’ll look at film Monday. We have to coach better and we have play better. Everyone has to do better, from me down.”

Cheverus, meanwhile, hopes to improve to 2-0 when it welcomes 0-1 Gorham Saturday.

“I think we have a very good chance this year,” Osei said. “We’ll go week by week. Every position is filled. We have mature players.”

“We’re a contender,” said Baker. “We have the coaching and the guys to do it and the mindset. We’ll come out every week and give everything we have.”

“We try to take everything one day at a time,” Vance added. “We’re excited about our potential for growth. I don’t think we’re anywhere near as good as we’ll be later in the season. It’s going to take stacking one good day at a time and getting better and I think this group has an idea of how to be successful.”