Jarrod True took it easy on Friday night.

Nursing a bruised thigh and anxiously awaiting next week’s first-round playoff game against Gardiner, the Skowhegan High School senior tailback only played one half of Friday night’s Pine Tree Conference regular-season finale against the Bangor Rams. Come to find out, True didn’t have to play any more.

In the first 24 minutes of action, True gained 81 yards on 14 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead the Skowhegan Indians to a 21-0 victory over the host Rams at a mud-covered Cameron Stadium in Bangor.

It was the sixth consecutive victory for the 6-2 Indians. Bangor ends a dismal season 1-7.

Playing in a steady mist, True scored a first-quarter touchdown of three yards and added second-quarter scoring runs of four and three yards, respectively.

In the second half, True never saw the ball as Coach Kevin Withee opted to save his star back for next week.

“I was saving him,” Withee admitted. “He’s had a bruised thigh and hasn’t been running all that well over the last month. In fact, tonight was the best he’s looked in the last four weeks. I told him if we got a jump on the lead, I’d pull him out.”

Using a total team effort, the Indians didn’t need True the rest of the way, anyhow.

Ken Reed (six carries, 60 yards), Adam Gilman (11 carries, 57 yards), and John Keister (nine carries, 39 yards) took turns running the ball over the second half as Skowhegan looked to control the clock.

As Bangor buckled down defensively in the second half, Skowhegan’s early lead proved more crucial.

On the first offensive series of the game, True scored off-tackle from three yards out with just 1:54 gone. True aided his own cause with a 37-yard run which took the ball from the Skowhegan-48 to the Bangor-15.

Over the final 3:40 of the first quarter and the first 2:06 of the second, the Skowtowners put together a 10-play, 59-yard drive in which True dove in from four yards away, making it 14-0.

After a Bangor drive, Skowhegan got the ball back on its own 16-yard line and marched down the field on a 13-play drive which saw True score off the end from three yards away with 1:06 left. Quarterback Mike Savage was 2-for-2 for 20 yards late in the drive – one an 11-yard pass to David Aughey on a third-and-six.

“I was real pleased with our offense coming out and putting points on the board right off,” said Withee. “It was important for us to get a good jump. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with the weather.”

At the start of the second half, Bangor inserted John Tennett in the quarterback slot. Tennett had missed the entire season with a broken hand suffered late in the summer. Despite some dropped balls and passes which could have been blamed on Tennett’s lack of playing time, the Rams gained 94 of their 138 total yards in the second half.

Tennett finished with a 6-for-19 effort for 79 yards. He threw two interceptions, both were picked off by Skowhegan’s Gilman. Starting QB Josh McNeilly was 3-for-6 for 26 yards and tailback Robbie Estey gained 44 yards on 11 carries.

“We played better in the second half,” said Bangor Coach Bruce Morse. “We weren’t really pleased with the first half, but in the second half the kids came back and played some better football.”

Indians 21, Rams 0

Skowhegan 7 14 0 0 -21

Bangor 0 0 0 0 – 0

S – True 3 run (Thebarge kick)

S – True 4 run (Thebarge kick)

S – True 3 run (Thebarge kick)

Skowhegan Bangor First downs 16 7 Rushing: att. – yards 52-253 17-33 Passing: att. – comp. 7-5 25-9 Yards passing 66 105 Total yards 319 138 Intercepted by 2 0 Punts – average 2-40.5 3-34.7 Fumbles – lost 7-2 4-2 Penalties – yards 8-55 5-50

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Skowhegan: True 14-81, Reed 6-60, Gilman 11-57, Keister 9-39, Savage 5-24, Hendricks 2-1, Cochran 1-(minus 1), Popadak 4-(minus 8); Bangor: Estey 12-44, Isaacs 3-7, Tennett 4-(minus 7), McNeilly 2-(minus 11).

PASSING – Skowhegan: Savage 4-6-0-47, Thebarge 1-1-0-19; Bangor: Tennett 6-19-2-79, McNeilly 3-6-0-26.

RECEIVING – Skowhegan: Aughey 2-35, Reed 1-22, Gilman 1-6, Keister 1-6; Bangor: Mishou 2-31, Subjoc 2-29, Estey 3-23, Isaacs 1-13, Carrera 1-9