POWNAL

On Spruce Mountain’s opening drive of Saturday’s Western Maine Class C contest against Freeport, quarterback Peter Theriault launched what is referred to in football as a wounded duck pass. The heave was not pretty, but the result sure was as receiver Deante Ring outjumped a pair of Falcons for 34-yard gain and a first down in Freeport territory.

For the Falcons, this was a precursor of what was to come, as the visiting Phoenix scored 40 first-half points and rolled to a 53-20 high school victory in season-opening action.

“We fell apart defensively after that and seemed to forget what our jobs were,” said Freeport (0-1) coach Rob Grover, whose charges will visit 0-1 Gray-New Gloucester this upcoming Friday at 7 p.m. “That was a big break in the game early and they went from there.”

Something Theriault did well was run the Phoenix option. His ability to fake a hand-off to fullback Andrew Darling (three rushes, 89 yards) and pitch to speedy tailback Matt Vigue, or just keep the ball himself, kept the Falcons off-balance throughout. Vigue was difficult for Freeport to corral, as he gained 169 yards on just 10 rushes, scored four touchdowns and finished the hosts off with a 78-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter.

“They would put a block on the pitch man, something we didn’t see, and we had to try to adjust at halftime, but by that time, it was too late,” said Grover after watching Spruce Mountain take a 40-7 halftime lead. “What can I say? They outplayed us!”

“I was able to read the blocks, and things came out great,” said Vigue. “I had a lot of open holes. All we do during practice is run option, so we are confident in it. We were hoping that they wouldn’t stop us, and we did a pretty good at it.”

Phoenix lead

That first Spruce Mountain (1-0) drive ended in a Theriault 2-yard TD run for a 6-0 lead. Freeport’s second possession ended like its first, with a three and out followed by a punt. Vigue capped a 73-yard, fiveplay drive with a 35-yard scamper, and his 2-point conversion run made for a 14-0 lead after the opening quarter.

Freeport found some life in the second quarter. Facing a fourth down from the SM-38, Falcons quarterback Eli Fox hit tight end Cam Buthlay in stride between the numbers, and Buthlay lumbered all the way to paydirt for a score. Eric Wentworth’s extra-point kick cut the Phoenix lead to 14-7 with 10:14 remaining in the first half.

Spruce Mountain put the peddle down after that, scoring 26 unanswered points over an eight-minute span. Vigue scored twice — a 20- yard run for a 20-7 Phoenix lead, and a 45-yard sprint along the Spruce Mountain sideline for a 33-7 advantage. Theriault hooked up with Ring for a 39-yard strike, and Theriault scored for the second time on a three-yard dive with 1:03 left on the clock for a 40-7 advantage.

Spruce Mountain rushed for 283 yards in the opening half and out-gained the Falcons, 373-97.

The jayvees for both squads saw the majority of the playing time in the second half. Freeport managed to cut into its deficit when Brady LaFrance picked up a fumble and sprinted 81 yards for a touchdown, and Bryan Lee ran up the middle for a 6-yard TD in the fourth quarter to draw the Falcons to 40-20.

Phoenix coach Walter Polky inserted Vigue to return the ensuing kick-off. Vigue caught the ball in stride at the 22-yard line, cut through a gap and traveled 78 yards for a score and a 46-20 Spruce Mountain lead.

“We were getting a little bit nervous,” said Vigue.

The visitors completed the scoring with 4:36 left, as Dillion Webster plunged in from the F-1.

Despite the tough opening day loss, Grover said he was proud of his team’s efforts.

“We had to cancel our jayvee game, so this was their opportunity to play. They went out their and played hard. I am proud of them,” said the coach.

Lee led the Falcons on the ground with 39 yards on six carries, while Max Doughty picked up 30 yards on eight rushes. Fox completed 3-of-8 passes for 60 yards, while backup LaFrance was 3-for-4 for 49 yards. Ben MacMillian hauled in a LaFrance pass for 37 yards to set up a score. Defensively, MacMillian and LaFrance each recovered a fumble and recorded five solo tackles, and Jake Todd had an interception.

Theriault chipped in 94 yards on the ground for the Phoenix, who ran for 440 yards on 44 carries and gained 552 yards overall. Theriault was 5-of-9 in the air for 90 yards and a score, while Caulin Parker finished 2-for-4 for 22 yards and an interception.

The Spruce Mountain defense held the Falcons to 237 total yards and forced six turnovers. Austin Darling recovered three fumbles, with Webster, Sebastian Lombardi and Chad Richards each falling on a Freeport miscue. Austin Couture had a gamehigh seven tackles for the Phoenix.

Spruce Mtn. 53,
Freeport 20

Saturday at Pownal Recreation Field
Spruce Mtn. — 14 26 0 13 — 53
Freeport —0776—20
First quarter
SM — Peter Theriault 2 run (run failed),
5:21.
SM — Matt Vigue 35 run (Vigue run),
2:50.
Second quarter
F — Eli Fox 38 pass to Cam Buthlay
(Eric Wentworth kick), 10:14.
SM — Vigue 20 run (kick failed), 9:05.
SM — Theriault 39 pass to Deante Ring
(Ben Rackcliff kick), 7:06.
SM — Vigue 45 run (kick failed), 5:16.
SM — Theriault 3 run (Rackcliff kick),
1:03.
Third quarter
F — Brady LaFrance 81 fumble return
(Wentworth kick), 4:19.
Fourth quarter
F — Bryan Lee 6 run (run failed), 7:26.
SM — Vigue 78 kickoff return (kick
failed), 7:05.
SM — Dillion Webster 1 run (Brandon
Stearns kick), 4:36.
Records — Spruce Mountain 1-0,
Freeport 0-1.
Up next for Freeport — Friday at Gray-
New Gloucester, 7 p.m.