Minutemen, Rams cruise to playoff victories> Stearns strong in second half

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MILLINOCKET – Even though his team held a 19-point halftime lead, Stearns coach Art Greenlaw and his staff knew the Minutemen needed to make some offensive adjustments.

And, as it has all season long, Stearns came out of the locker room a much more productive football team after intermission. The Minutemen scored four straight second-half touchdowns while pulling away for a 44-0 LTC Class C semifinal victory over John Bapst of Bangor at Alumni Field Friday night.

Stearns, now 10-0, awaits the winner of today’s Foxcroft Academy-Dexter game for next week’s title contest. Coach Bill Cowan’s Crusaders wound up 3-7.

Despite being plagued by poor field position and turnovers, John Bapst’s defense held the Minutemen’s potent passing game to seven yards in the first half.

However, Stearns’ ability to adjust enabled the hosts to open things up.

John Bapst fumbled on its opening series of the second half after having executed an onside kick. The Minutemen went to fullback Eric Jackson, who shot through the middle and down the right sideline for a 57-yard gain on Stearns’ first play of the half.

Jackson picked up 14 yards on the next play, then Stearns scored two plays later on Adam Greenlaw’s keeper to make it 25-0.

“Coach’s philosophy is the first drive of every quarter, that’s when you play the hardest. That’s what sets the tone,” Jackson said. “They were vacating the middle for the linebackers, so there was nobody there.”

The Minutemen – with Scott McArthur, Wes Hartley, Bryant Portwine, Mike Gibson, and Jared Ripton moving people up front – called on Jackson to start its next offensive series at midfield. Jackson broke two tackles, then raced 33 yards to the JB-17.

Shaun Illingworth’s block led to B.J. Jandreau’s scoring run around right end on the next play.

“They were really playing deep pass and we needed to come back and take what was there,” Coach Greenlaw said of Stearns’ desire to throw the ball in the first half. “The fullback dive was open, so we just kept running it until they made an adjustment.”

Stearns then scored twice in a span of 2:05 to put the game away. Joe Bernier recovered Frank Bowley’s blocked punt in the end zone late in the third quarter, then Greenlaw fired a 13-yard TD strike to John Montgomery five seconds into the fourth.

“We didn’t execute as well as we would have liked,” said Stearns senior Brian Johnson. “We hoped to come out in the second half and play the way we have all season.”

Jackson carried only five times, but netted 112 yards. Johnson picked up 77 yards on 12 attempts. Bernier sparked the Stearns defense with 13 tackles from his defensive end spot. Jandreau, a cornerback, was in on eight.

“At halftime, coach said we weren’t playing poorly, but we weren’t playing well,” Bernier said. “Our defense was real tough.”

John Bapst 0 0 0 0 – 0

Stearns 13 6 19 6 – 44

S – Illingworth 3 run (Frost kick)

S – Howes 4 pass from Greenlaw (kick failed)

S – Johnson 3 run (pass failed)

S – Greenlaw 1 run (kick failed)

S – Jandreau 17 run (Frost kick)

S – Bernier recovered blocked punt in end zone (kick failed)

S – Montgomery 13 pass from Greenlaw (kick failed)

John Bapst Stearns

First downs 7 11 Rushing att. – yds 40-60 36-266 Passing cmp. – att. 3-12 5-13 Yards passing 20 20 Total yards 80 286 Intercepted by 1 3 Punts – avg. 3-16.3 1-40.0 Fumbles – lost 6-3 1-0 Penalties – yds 4-40 4-40

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -John Bapst: Brockett 9-32, Blaylock 13-14, Aldrich 4-14, Dunton 3-5, Tremble 9-(minus 2), Pratt 2-(minus 3); Stearns: Jackson 5-112, Johnson 12-77, Illingworth 5-38, Jeandreau 2-18, Marquis 3-9, Bowley 1-8, Greenlaw 7-3, McLaughlin 1-1

PASSING – John Bapst: Tremble 3-12-3-20, Rushmore 0-1-0-0; Stearns: Greenlaw 5-13-1-20

RECEIVING – John Bapst: Picard 1-11, Aldrich 1-6, Dunton 1-3; Stearns: Montgomery 1-13, Bowley 1-11, Illingworth 1-6, Howes 1-4, Johnson 1-(minus 7)

INTERCEPTIONS BY – John Bapst: McKenney; Stearns: Jeandreau, Greenlaw, Lyons

FUMBLES RECOVERED BY – Stearns: Ripton, Thibideau, McLaughlin