Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale/Kents Hill quarterback Braden Branagan throws a pass as Leavitt’s Keegan Reny applies pressure during Friday night’s season opener in Winthrop. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Jason Versey, coach of the Class A Lewiston High football team, said he was shocked.

Craig Collins, coach of Class D Dirigo, agreed.

“It was a ‘Wow,’ to me,” he said.

Week 1 of the high school football season had its share of surprising and significant outcomes. The most eye-popping score? Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale/Kents Hill 30, Leavitt 0.

The Ramblers, a Class D program, shut down the two-time defending Class C champ Hornets, who ran roughshod over three Class A opponents last season. Leavitt, which has one of the most respected coaching staffs in the state, had its state-best 22-game winning streak halted.

Joel Stoneton, in his first year back as coach of the Ramblers, said he previously talked with Leavitt Coach Mike Hathaway about playing opening night.

“I said, ‘Jesus, it’s Leavitt, man,’ ” Stoneton said. “But then I said, ‘If you want to be the best, you have to play the best. So we stepped to the challenges and we came out in the end.”

Winthrop turned Leavitt turnovers into 27 points — 20 coming on short fields.

“Yeah, dude, this is like the biggest game of the season for us,” said Winthrop’s Brody Adams, who caught a touchdown and had an interception. “This is like winning the Super Bowl.”

There were other surprising results over the weekend.

In Class A, Noble and Lewiston recorded statement wins against established programs.

Noble, in its second season back in Class A, went to Windham and prevailed, 28-14. The Knights got a typically outstanding all-around performance from quarterback/safety Jamier Rose, a 2023 Varsity Maine all-state pick. Rose threw for 193 yards and two scores, and ran for 65 yards and a TD. He also helped lead a strong defensive effort with fellow safety Kaden Dustin.

Noble led 14-0 and then 28-7. It stopped Windham on fourth down several times, enjoyed many long drives and then scored with 20 seconds left before halftime when Rose connected with Logan Doucette on a deep fade pattern. The Knights’ ground game, led by Tommy Gagnon (24 carries, 168 yards), ran out the clock late.

“To go to Windham and win was a big one,” said Noble Coach Keenon Blindow. “Two years ago we went there and got beat, 40-0. Seven of our seniors were starters as sophomores in that game. … We went into Week 1 knowing Windham would be a big test, and to go in there and win a tough game against a tough opponent, that’s a big win for us.”

Elsewhere, Lewiston beat Bonny Eagle, 27-18.

Deering’s Justin Jamal celebrates after scoring on a long touchdown pass against Marshwood on Friday. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographe

The Blue Devils trailed 12-0 at the half before rallying behind an effective triple-option offense out of the spread formation. The team relies on big fullbacks Joe Dube (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) and Ryker Paradis (6-4, 230) to open big holes. Quarterback Lonnie Thomas keeps the offense moving.

“We have to establish the fullback,” Versey said. “We did that, wore them down and ate up the clock, and slowly took the lead, 13-12.”

When the Scots began to key on the fullback run, Thomas faked the handoff and ran it himself, twice for touchdowns.

“Lewiston hasn’t won a home opener in, I believe, seven years, and I don’t think Lewiston has beaten Bonny Eagle for the last 20 years,” Versey said.

Later, Versey noted that all 14 members of the Varsity Maine weekly predictions crew picked Bonny Eagle to win.

“I mean, nobody picks Lewiston because Lewiston has been the bottom of the rung for the last 10, 15 years. … I hope that we’re starting to change that,” Versey said, adding that his 20 seniors have played a lot since their sophomore seasons and are “tired of being picked on, and they have a chip on their shoulders.”

Another upset of sorts came when Deering beat Marshwood, 35-8. Deering, which forced five turnovers, has size across its line and explosive playmakers, particularly quarterback Tavian Lauture.

Lake Region opened eyes with a 46-8 eight-man win over Yarmouth. The Lakers were 2-17 in three seasons in the eight-man Large School division.

MOVING UP: Five teams returned to the 11-man ranks after playing eight-man football: Brunswick joined C South; Dirigo, Maranacook, and Mountain Valley are now in what looks to be a competitive D South; and Mattanawcook Academy is now in D North. The five programs went a combined 1-4 in Week 1, with Maranacook beating Mattanawcook, 23-14.

Dirigo nearly upset Freeport before falling, 27-26. Dirigo had a chance to take a lead late but couldn’t complete a 2-point conversion pass. Mountain Valley dropped a 28-0 decision to Oak Hill, and Brunswick lost to defending Class C North champion Oceanside, 30-14. The teams were tied at 14 at the half.

The biggest adjustments for teams like Maranacook and Dirigo — which have no players who’ve played 11-man high school football — will be along the lines.

“The offensive line has the biggest learning curve,” said Maranacook Coach Skip Bessey. “We did win, but I could tell there was some confusion of who to pick up, how to block a certain way. These are things we can fix.

Maranacook football coach Skip Bessey, center, instructs the team during an Aug. 19 practice in Readfield.The Black Bears made a triumphant return to the 11-man game with a victory over Mattanawcook last Friday. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

“Especially for those offensive linemen who are down in a three-point stance, last year there was four guys to look at. Now it’s six, seven, eight guys to look at. We worked on it a lot during the summer and preseason but when the spotlight’s on, the level of confusion is raised a little bit.”

Collins, the Dirigo coach, said his skill players felt “more comfortable,” but his young offensive line (one returner) is still getting acclimated.

“In the eight-man game the defensive line, most of the time they don’t move around as much,” Collins said. “In 11-man, there’s a lot more slanting and a lot more stunting. Until you get used to it, it’s more difficult for the younger players.”

COACHING CONNECTION: Bessey and Mattanawcook Coach Brad Bishop are no strangers to each other.

Bishop previously coached at Messalonskee where Bessey was an assistant. Bessey’s sons, Gabe and Simon, played for the Eagles under Bishop.

“It was cool to go up there and get to go up against Brad,” Bessey said. “Him and I had some really good conversations before and after the game. He’s a guy who goes a long way back when it comes to football — he’s up there with the Hersoms and the Capones and some of the old-school coaches. I respect him a lot.”

Maranacook scored first before Mattanawcook answered late in the first quarter to tie it at 6. The Black Bears, though, took a 20-14 lead into halftime, and with Bessey’s defense taking control in the second half, a 35-yard field goal by Parker Rand proved too much for the Lynx to overcome.

Maranacook gained 213 yards on the ground to Mattanawcook’s 214, and the two combined for just 41 yards through the air. Jack Crosby had a remarkable game for the Black Bears, rushing for 167 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He also had 12 tackles (four for loss) on defense.

LAWRENCE IMPRESSED WITH A NEW DEFENSE in a 26-0 win against visiting Gardiner.

Lawrence switched from a 4-3 defense (two defensive ends, two tackles, three linebackers) to a 3-4 (two defensive ends, a nose tackle and four linebackers) this fall.

“If we hold up well with the inside (run game) with our three guys on the line, and our two inside backers, if we can do that, I think we’re going to be pretty successful,” Lawrence Coach John Hersom said. “We’re kind of young in the secondary but we keep working at that.”

Lawrence’s Dawson Moore (25) is tackled by Gardiner’s Chase Burgess (8) during a football game Friday in Fairfield. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Gardiner’s leading rusher, Eben Whalen, had 17 yards on seven carries. Lawrence intercepted three passes and put plenty of pressure on  quarterback Asher Nagy, who was 12 of 24 passing for 104 yards.

“I’m really impressed with our defense,” said Colton Carter, a starting linebacker who also rushed for 153 yards and three scores. “Coach (Ryan) Robinson put in a new defense for us and it’s really working.”

Lawrence travels to Augusta on Friday night to face rival Cony in a rematch of last year’s regional title game Lawrence won, 27-7.

OLD ORCHARD BEACH SCORED 46 points in the first quarter of an 80-16 win over Boothbay. The scoring barrage came without the benefit of a Boothbay turnover.

“We’ve got a couple of explosive kids, we scheme well,” said OOB Coach Dean Plante. “We’re balanced and difficult to defend, and on top of that we created short fields with our special teams and had some one-play drives.”

Wes Gallant (six carries, 121 yards) scored the first three touchdowns on runs of 20, 21 and 49 yards. Then Brady Plante threw touchdowns to Kooper Gervais (41 yards) and Trot Moody (40 yards), and scored on a 55-yard run.

Eleven seconds into the second quarter, OOB led 62-0 on a 70-yard touchdown pass from Plante to Riley Provencher and Moody’s 25-yard interception return. The starting offense sat for the rest of the game.

“One good thing was, this was the one week we didn’t have a JV game. Our JVs played. A lot,” Dean Plante said.

Morning Sentinel staff writer Mike Mandell, Sun Journal staff writer Nathan Fournier, and Kennebec Journal staff writer Dave Dyer contributed to this story.