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Football: Let the playoffs begin!
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| Morse High School assistant coach Charlie Bingham and his players were all smiles during last week’s 38-0 win at Mount Desert Island. The two schools are scheduled to meet tonight in Bath in the Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinals. (Photo courtesy of Karen Wolfe) |
Brunswick, Morse and Lisbon all in postseason action this weekend
By Bob Conn, Times Record Staff
BRUNSWICK — The Maine high school football playoffs are here, slated to begin with quarterfinal action tonight and Saturday with three Mid-coast region teams in the mix.
For Morse and Lisbon, a rematch of its season finales are on tap, as the second-seeded Shipbuilders entertain No. 7 Mt. Desert Island tonight at 7 p.m., while the fourth-seeded Greyhounds host defending Western Maine Class C champ and No. 5 Winthrop on Saturday (1 p.m.).
Brunswick is also in action, hosting No. 6 Cony (4-4) tonight (7 p.m.) in an Eastern A quarterfinal.
Dragons-Rams
Brunswick, the No. 3 seed in Eastern A after a 7-1 regular season, faced a stern test at Augusta back on Oct. 2. The Dragons won the game 41-27, but Cony quarterback Luke Duncklee tossed two touchdown passes and ran for a score as the Rams posted the most points against the Brunswick defense this season.
“Duncklee is a dangerous passer, but he is even more dangerous when he has a chance to run,” said Brunswick coach Dan Cooper. “Cony is a very good throwing team, and they are dynamic. We will have to play solid defense and contain their quarterback.”
Brunswick is led by the running of John Williams and the throwing of quarterback Stefan Jensen. Williams gained 825 yards on 140 carries, while Jensen completed 48-of-85 passes for 704 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Jensen’s favorite target is receiver Rashon Edgerton, who gained 372 yards on 22 receptions, including five touchdowns. Williams came out of the backfield to haul in 13 passes for another 225 yards, while Edgerton rushed the ball 62 times for 367 yards while adding five more scores.
“This was a tremendous season for us,” said Cooper, whose team outscored its opponents 226-115, and held its last three opponents to just 20 points, including a 20-0 shutout of rival Mt. Ararat on Saturday. “We figured coming in that we would be pretty good, but seven wins was even beyond my hopes.”
Cooper feels that his team is battle tested, having come-from-behind in wins over Skowhegan (22-20) and Lewiston (19-18), and, despite losing to Messalonskee 18-15, battled back from a 12-0 deficit by scoring 15 fourth-quarter points to take a short-lived lead.
“We had some close games, and the kids showed a lot of poise,” said Cooper. “We have to play mistake-free football in the playoffs, and we know that Cony will give us everything they have.”
Defensively, James Cejka and Williams lead the way in tackles with 75 and 73, respectively, with Edgerton intercepting six passes.
Elsewhere in Eastern A quarterfinal play, No. 1 Bangor (8-0) hosts No. 8 Mt. Blue (3-5), seventh-seeded Skowhegan (3-5) visits No. 2 Lawrence (7-1), and fifth-seeded Lewiston (6-2) visits No. 4 Messalonskee (6-2).
Morse won easily
Shipbuilders coach Jason Libby was pleased with his team after a dominating, near mistake-free 38-0 victory at Mt. Desert Island last Friday night.
Now, Morse (6-2), the No. 2 seed in Eastern B, must refocus against the No. 7 Trojans (3-5), a team the Shipbuilders beat 10-7 in last season’s Eastern B final.
“You can’t look past them, and I’m hoping that my seniors know that and have the team focused this Friday,” said Libby. “Last week, we didn’t turn the ball over and limited the penalties. This week is a brand-new ball game, so we have to refocus and realize that MDI will try to expose our weaknesses.”
Morse is led by running back Pat Wolfe, who scored 16 rushing touchdowns this season. Wolfe, who was injured during the Shipbuilders’ run to the Class B state championship game last year, picked up 1,112 yards on 128 carries, an average of 8.7 yards per rush.
Tyler Russell added 459 yards on 68 carries, while quarterback Michael Walton completed nearly 50 percent of his passes (35-of-71) for 385 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Walton also gained 212 yards on 33 carries. Luke Moreau chipped in 185 yards on 23 rushes.
Everett Moye led the Morse receivers with 200 yards on 15 catches, including three for touchdowns, while J Cavanagh chipped in with three receiving touchdowns on eight grabs.
Take away a 14-point fourth quarter and overtime winning touchdown against Waterville in a 21-20 loss, and a 35-0 defeat at the hands of powerhouse and top-seeded Leavitt (8-0), the Shipbuilder defense allowed little this season. Morse outscored its opponents 208-99, and had a pair of shutouts (7-0 over No. 3 Gardiner and the win at MDI).
“Our defense did a good job all season long, and gave us a chance to win in just about every one of our games,” said Libby.
Cavanagh led the team in tackles with 65 and picked up two sacks. Nick Moore was credited with 9.5 sacks among his 28 tackles, while Russell had 35 solo stops.
Leavitt is slated to host 2-6 and No. 8 Belfast, No. 3 Gardiner (6-2) plays host to No. 6 Winslow (3-5), and fifth-seeded Waterville (5-3) travels to No. 4 Hampden Academy (6-2).
Lisbon injury woes
When Lisbon starting quarterback Luke Caron went down with an injury in a 48-26 loss at Yarmouth back on Oct. 2, the Greyhounds had a pretty big void to fill.
A few weeks later, in a 40-12 victory over Traip Academy, 6-2 Lisbon suffered another big blow when leading rusher Tobey Harrington sustained a season-ending injury.
At the time of their injuries, both Caron and Harrington either led or were near the top of statistical categories in the 14-team Campbell Conference.
Others have been forced to step up and fill those spots.
“We don’t have many big stat guys, but we are trying to get through and have the athletes that can do it,” said Lisbon coach Dick Mynahan.
Offensively, Eck has become the workhorse since Harrington’s injury. He ran for 419 yards on 76 carries, 140 of those coming in Lisbon’s last two contests. Josh Pomerleau has also seen an increase to his touches, rushing for 290 yards. Chris Whitney has been steady at quarterback, tossing four touchdown passes in his three games taking snaps.
In the team’s season finale last Friday, the Greyhounds dropped a hard-fought 7-0 decision to No. 5 Winthrop, the team Lisbon will host on Saturday afternoon. Mynahan feels playing at home gives his team a boost as the Western C playoffs begin.
“Playing at night, in the cold, is always a disadvantage to us and was last Friday at Winthrop, so we look forward to having a Saturday afternoon game on our field, giving more of the team’s fans an opportunity to come out, something that is important for our seniors,” said Mynahan.
The Lisbon defense, always seemingly undersized, stood tall throughout most of the campaign, allowing just 99 points, nearly half coming in the loss to Yarmouth. Matt Nicholson is the team’s leading tackler with 48 solo tackles, while fellow linebacker Mike McNamara had 42 stops. Also providing support were Eck, Andy Tupper, Art Stambach, Joe Doughty and John Crafts.
“The first team really didn’t allow much in the way of scoring this year, with many of those scores coming against our second team late in games,” said Mynahan, whose first team squad permitted just 11 touchdowns.
For Lisbon, Mynahan feels his team needs to find the endzone early.
“We had three instances in the loss to Winthrop where a change in momentum led to nothing for us,” said Mynahan. “When we get a big stop on defense, we have to use that momentum change to get the ball in.”
Elsewhere in Western Class C, No. 1 Dirigo (8-0) plays host to No. 8 Maranacook (4-4), seventh-seeded Yarmouth (6-2) visits No. 2 Livermore Falls (7-1) and No. 3 Old Orchard Beach (6-2) plays host to fifth-seeded Oak Hill (5-3).
sports@timesrecord.com
For Morse and Lisbon, a rematch of its season finales are on tap, as the second-seeded Shipbuilders entertain No. 7 Mt. Desert Island tonight at 7 p.m., while the fourth-seeded Greyhounds host defending Western Maine Class C champ and No. 5 Winthrop on Saturday (1 p.m.).
Brunswick is also in action, hosting No. 6 Cony (4-4) tonight (7 p.m.) in an Eastern A quarterfinal.
Dragons-Rams
Brunswick, the No. 3 seed in Eastern A after a 7-1 regular season, faced a stern test at Augusta back on Oct. 2. The Dragons won the game 41-27, but Cony quarterback Luke Duncklee tossed two touchdown passes and ran for a score as the Rams posted the most points against the Brunswick defense this season.
“Duncklee is a dangerous passer, but he is even more dangerous when he has a chance to run,” said Brunswick coach Dan Cooper. “Cony is a very good throwing team, and they are dynamic. We will have to play solid defense and contain their quarterback.”
Brunswick is led by the running of John Williams and the throwing of quarterback Stefan Jensen. Williams gained 825 yards on 140 carries, while Jensen completed 48-of-85 passes for 704 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Jensen’s favorite target is receiver Rashon Edgerton, who gained 372 yards on 22 receptions, including five touchdowns. Williams came out of the backfield to haul in 13 passes for another 225 yards, while Edgerton rushed the ball 62 times for 367 yards while adding five more scores.
| Tonight Eastern Maine Class A Football Quaterfinals No. 6 Cony (4-4) at No. 3 Brunswck (7-1), 7 p.m. Eastern Maine Class B Football Quarterfinals No. 7 MDI (2-7) at No. 2 Morse (6-2), 7 p.m. Saturday Western Maine Class C Football Quarterfinals No. 5 Winthrop (5-3) at No. Lisbon (6-2), 1 p.m. |
“This was a tremendous season for us,” said Cooper, whose team outscored its opponents 226-115, and held its last three opponents to just 20 points, including a 20-0 shutout of rival Mt. Ararat on Saturday. “We figured coming in that we would be pretty good, but seven wins was even beyond my hopes.”
Cooper feels that his team is battle tested, having come-from-behind in wins over Skowhegan (22-20) and Lewiston (19-18), and, despite losing to Messalonskee 18-15, battled back from a 12-0 deficit by scoring 15 fourth-quarter points to take a short-lived lead.
“We had some close games, and the kids showed a lot of poise,” said Cooper. “We have to play mistake-free football in the playoffs, and we know that Cony will give us everything they have.”
Defensively, James Cejka and Williams lead the way in tackles with 75 and 73, respectively, with Edgerton intercepting six passes.
Elsewhere in Eastern A quarterfinal play, No. 1 Bangor (8-0) hosts No. 8 Mt. Blue (3-5), seventh-seeded Skowhegan (3-5) visits No. 2 Lawrence (7-1), and fifth-seeded Lewiston (6-2) visits No. 4 Messalonskee (6-2).
Morse won easily
Shipbuilders coach Jason Libby was pleased with his team after a dominating, near mistake-free 38-0 victory at Mt. Desert Island last Friday night.
Now, Morse (6-2), the No. 2 seed in Eastern B, must refocus against the No. 7 Trojans (3-5), a team the Shipbuilders beat 10-7 in last season’s Eastern B final.
“You can’t look past them, and I’m hoping that my seniors know that and have the team focused this Friday,” said Libby. “Last week, we didn’t turn the ball over and limited the penalties. This week is a brand-new ball game, so we have to refocus and realize that MDI will try to expose our weaknesses.”
Morse is led by running back Pat Wolfe, who scored 16 rushing touchdowns this season. Wolfe, who was injured during the Shipbuilders’ run to the Class B state championship game last year, picked up 1,112 yards on 128 carries, an average of 8.7 yards per rush.
Tyler Russell added 459 yards on 68 carries, while quarterback Michael Walton completed nearly 50 percent of his passes (35-of-71) for 385 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Walton also gained 212 yards on 33 carries. Luke Moreau chipped in 185 yards on 23 rushes.
Everett Moye led the Morse receivers with 200 yards on 15 catches, including three for touchdowns, while J Cavanagh chipped in with three receiving touchdowns on eight grabs.
Take away a 14-point fourth quarter and overtime winning touchdown against Waterville in a 21-20 loss, and a 35-0 defeat at the hands of powerhouse and top-seeded Leavitt (8-0), the Shipbuilder defense allowed little this season. Morse outscored its opponents 208-99, and had a pair of shutouts (7-0 over No. 3 Gardiner and the win at MDI).
“Our defense did a good job all season long, and gave us a chance to win in just about every one of our games,” said Libby.
Cavanagh led the team in tackles with 65 and picked up two sacks. Nick Moore was credited with 9.5 sacks among his 28 tackles, while Russell had 35 solo stops.
Leavitt is slated to host 2-6 and No. 8 Belfast, No. 3 Gardiner (6-2) plays host to No. 6 Winslow (3-5), and fifth-seeded Waterville (5-3) travels to No. 4 Hampden Academy (6-2).
Lisbon injury woes
When Lisbon starting quarterback Luke Caron went down with an injury in a 48-26 loss at Yarmouth back on Oct. 2, the Greyhounds had a pretty big void to fill.
A few weeks later, in a 40-12 victory over Traip Academy, 6-2 Lisbon suffered another big blow when leading rusher Tobey Harrington sustained a season-ending injury.
At the time of their injuries, both Caron and Harrington either led or were near the top of statistical categories in the 14-team Campbell Conference.
Others have been forced to step up and fill those spots.
“We don’t have many big stat guys, but we are trying to get through and have the athletes that can do it,” said Lisbon coach Dick Mynahan.
Offensively, Eck has become the workhorse since Harrington’s injury. He ran for 419 yards on 76 carries, 140 of those coming in Lisbon’s last two contests. Josh Pomerleau has also seen an increase to his touches, rushing for 290 yards. Chris Whitney has been steady at quarterback, tossing four touchdown passes in his three games taking snaps.
In the team’s season finale last Friday, the Greyhounds dropped a hard-fought 7-0 decision to No. 5 Winthrop, the team Lisbon will host on Saturday afternoon. Mynahan feels playing at home gives his team a boost as the Western C playoffs begin.
“Playing at night, in the cold, is always a disadvantage to us and was last Friday at Winthrop, so we look forward to having a Saturday afternoon game on our field, giving more of the team’s fans an opportunity to come out, something that is important for our seniors,” said Mynahan.
The Lisbon defense, always seemingly undersized, stood tall throughout most of the campaign, allowing just 99 points, nearly half coming in the loss to Yarmouth. Matt Nicholson is the team’s leading tackler with 48 solo tackles, while fellow linebacker Mike McNamara had 42 stops. Also providing support were Eck, Andy Tupper, Art Stambach, Joe Doughty and John Crafts.
“The first team really didn’t allow much in the way of scoring this year, with many of those scores coming against our second team late in games,” said Mynahan, whose first team squad permitted just 11 touchdowns.
For Lisbon, Mynahan feels his team needs to find the endzone early.
“We had three instances in the loss to Winthrop where a change in momentum led to nothing for us,” said Mynahan. “When we get a big stop on defense, we have to use that momentum change to get the ball in.”
Elsewhere in Western Class C, No. 1 Dirigo (8-0) plays host to No. 8 Maranacook (4-4), seventh-seeded Yarmouth (6-2) visits No. 2 Livermore Falls (7-1) and No. 3 Old Orchard Beach (6-2) plays host to fifth-seeded Oak Hill (5-3).
sports@timesrecord.com
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