TOPSHAM

The first week of the high school football season is typically unpredictable. Experts make their picks on how well or poorly a team will finish, a tough task when considering no one has played a down of countable games.

On Friday, Mt. Ararat, predicted by many to finish at the bottom of the Class B South standings, showed how guessing a team’s place can be difficult, rolling to a 48-13 victory over Noble in the season-opener for both teams.

The Eagles (1-0) scored on six of their seven first-half possessions, racking up 327 yards on the ground and holding a 42-7 halftime edge, making first-year Mt. Ararat coach O’Neil LaPlante a winner in his Eagles’ coaching debut.

“We had a good surge,” said LaPlante of his offensive line of Liam Huston, Jake Head, Dylan Schenk, Stephen Johnson and Dancho Beckman.

The holes they created led to big openings for running backs Robert Hetherman (22 carries, 122 yards), Ryan Mello (13 rushes, 101 yards) and Ethan Minchin (five carries, 89 yards)

“We could have run a truck through there,” said Mello of the holes created by his linemen. “I had so much time to look around and find the openings. It was unbelievable. We came out and played with all that we had.”

Solid start

Noble (0-1) won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. It turned out to be a bad move. Mello returned the opening kick to the N-47, and seven plays later, Hetherman blasted into the end zone from the 2- yard line for a quick 6-0 lead.

The Knights moved the ball on their first drive as well, advancing to the Eagles’ 21-yard line. But, Hetherman and Schenk each sacked Noble quarterback Will Keisker to turn the ball over on downs, and Mt. Ararat marched 67 yards on eight plays, with Hetherman again doing the honors with a 1-yard plunge. Quarterback Jacob O’Neill ran in the 2-point conversion for a 14-0 Eagles lead.

“(Noble) was doing the same thing every single time, and we just surged ahead and made holes,” said Beckman after the Mt. Ararat offense out-gained the Knights 131-29 in the opening quarter.

The offensive onslaught continued for the Eagles in the second quarter. Mello dashed to paydirt on a 6-yard run, and Hetherman scored his third TD on a quick 1- yard dive for a 28-0 lead.

Noble found the end zone on its next drive as Keisker hooked up with Brandon Davis for a 51-yard strike. But, the Eagles answered immediately when Mello scored from 23-yards out.

The Mt. Ararat defense, led by Garrett Moody (two interceptions, one fumble recovery), stepped up to send the Eagles to the half with more momentum. A Moody pick was capped off by an O’Neill 10-yard scamper with 16 ticks left.

With a 35-point game throughout a majority of the second half, the clock ran, with both teams finding the end zone once in the final frame — Noble running back Kasey Rogers (10 rushes, 75 yards, TD) on a 5-yard run and Mt. Ararat’s Holden Brannan on a 71-yard sprint.

LaPlante was quick to tell his squad after the game to begin to focus on York, which visits Topsham this upcoming Friday at 7 p.m.

“Preparations for that next game began one second after that clock went to zero, zero, zero, and we wanted to make sure they were aware of that,” said LaPlante. “That is what we are teaching them. We made some mistakes, especially in the second half. You get up sometimes and you let up a little bit. Noble had five players out to be a fair. We will learn from the mistakes. We will get better.”

Keisker was 6-of-16 in the air for 119 yards and a score. He also threw three interceptions. Davis hauled in three receptions for 89 yards, while Rogers added a pair of catches for 26 yards. Rogers had a game-high 12 tackles.

Hetherman paced the Eagles’ defense with five solo stops, while Minchin had an interception and broke up two passes.

Note — Cindy Conkling became the first female to play a down in a varsity football game at Mt. Ararat.

Mt. Ararat 48,
Noble 13

Friday, at Topsham
Noble— 0706—13
Mt.Ararat—142806—48
First quarter
MtA — Robert Hetherman 2 run (kick
failed), 8:57.
MtA — Robert Hetherman 1 run
(Jacob O’Neill run), 2:09.
Second quarter
MtA — Ryan Mello 6 run (Justin
Karcher kick), 9:33.
MtA — Robert Hetherman 1 run
(Justin Karcher kick), 7:30.
Nob — Brandon Davis 51 pass from
Hil Keisker (William Shapleigh kick),
6:57.
MtA — Ryan Mello 23 run (kick
blocked), 5:01.
MtA — Jacob O’Neill 10 run (Ethan
Minchin run), :16.
Fourth quarter
Nob — Kasey Rogers 5 run (kick
failed), 6:22.
MtA — Holden Brannan 71 run (run
failed), 6:10.
Records — Mt. Ararat 1-0, Noble 0-
1.
Up next for the Eagles — This
upcoming Friday at home against
York, 7 p.m.

Freeport 22,
Poland 8

Saturday, in Freeport
Poland— 8000—8
Freeport— 08014—22
First quarter
P — Austin Bouchard 65 run (Aaron
Paradis pass from Brady Downing),
11:54.
Second quarter
F — TJ Morrill 3 run (TJ Morrill pass
from Josh Burke).
Fourth quarter
F — Josh Burke 2 run (TJ Morrill
kick), 4:28.
F — Connor Dostie 53 interception
return (TJ Morrill kick), 2:53.
Records — Freeport 1-0, Poland 0-1
Up next for the Falcons — Friday at
Wells, 7 p.m.