WELLS

The Wells High School football team fired on all cylinders Friday night, beating visiting Freeport, 53-0, in a Class C South matchup.

On a night where the Wells community honored it’s armed forces during the pre-game ceremony, Wells coach Tim Roche was happy with his team’s overall performance.

“This is exactly what I wanted to see, this is good for us. It was big for our kids to be able to keep focused while also being able to honor those who serve us, it was a great night,” said Roche.

Wells wasted no time taking control, when Riley Dempsey returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for the score.

The Warriors added to their lead a little over five minutes later when quarterback Owen Berry connected with Evan Whitten for a 12-yard touchdown strike to extend the Wells lead to 14-0.

Dempsey struck again late in the opening quarter, returning an intercepted pass in the Warriors’ zone 91 yards and down to the Freeport 4- yard line. Nick Hansen finished the job on the next play with a 4-yard run up the gut to make the score 21-0.

The Warriors’ special teams delivered again, recovering a Freeport fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Berry scored on a 5-yard scamper to give Wells the 27-0 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Dempsey continued to wear down the Falcons in the second quarter, beginning with a 12-yard touchdown run on a reverse. Whitten later added another touchdown run to make the score 41-0 at the halftime break.

The Falcons had no answer for Wells in the second half. Even with many of Wells’ starters being rested, the Warriors continued to light up the scoreboard, beginning with a 3-yard touchdown run by Andrew Skeats.

Tyler Bridge later added one final score on a 41-yard run in the fourth quarter, securing the shutout win.

“It’s good, we came out pumped and everyone did their part … it was a good win,” said Dempsey. “Everyone did their part, on the kick return they made good blocks and I hit the seam, everyone did their job and that’s what we do. Coach (Roche) has put us in position to do our jobs and to be successful.”

Although Wells was excited with the win, Roche expects his team to remain focused as the season progresses.

“I think everyone already thinks we’re great, I just don’t want them to think we’re great. It’s a long road, two wins is two wins, all it means is that we’re 2-0,” said Roche. “We just need to get better every time, we can’t afford setbacks. “My message was to enjoy this tonight and then we’ll see. It’s all about focus and keeping ourselves in the moment.”

Dempsey was also pleased to see the Warriors squad send a message to the southern conference.

“It shows that we can put points up on the board and our defense is really good. It shows that we’re ready for this year,” said Dempsey.

Freeport fell to 1-1 and hosts Gray-New Gloucester (0-2) this upcoming Saturday at 2:30 p.m.