Bangor’s defensive players do not rest> Rams defeat Oxford Hills for PTC title

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BANGOR – “We are the Rams, the mighty, mighty Rams. Everywhere we go, people wanna know, who we are, so we tell them, we are the Rams….”

With their teammates lining the sideline and clapping, Bangor High School’s muddied senior football players jogged purposefully around Cameron Stadium Saturday afternoon, chanting the refrain that has become a tradition of Coach Gabby Price’s teams.

Senior captains Richie Day and Mike Pelkey held hands while leading the victory lap that put the finishing touches on a memorable day for Bangor, which hammered out a 19-6 victory over Oxford Hills of South Paris to win the Pine Tree Conference and Eastern Maine Class A championship.

The 9-2 Rams, who earned the school’s first title since joining the PTC in 1987, take on 11-0 South Portland in Saturday’s 1 p.m. state championship game at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. Bangor will make its first state championship appearance since 1986.

South Portland rallied to a 28-24 victory over Portland in Saturday’s Western Maine final.

Oxford Hills, the 1994 PTC champ, wound up 6-5.

The physically exhausted Rams had laughed, cheered and cried while celebrating a long-awaited championship for Bangor.

“It’s our last home game here and we just want to pay our respects to this field. We love it,” Pelkey said. “It means the world to me right now.”

Bangor’s offensive finesse had been the trademark of many victories this season. Saturday’s win came largely through a gut-wrenching defensive performance.

“The tough part is knowing what it takes to get there,” Price said with pride. “There’s no magic. There’s no pill you take to win. You just continue to put your head down and work, work, work.”

Turnovers and penalties cost Ted Moccia’s Vikings, who ran 56 offensive plays and limited Bangor to 35. Bangor, which was penalized nine times for 100 yards, made the miscues hurt.

Despite being pushed back deep into their own end of the field four times, the Rams dug in and held on three pivotal occasions. None was more critical than Bangor’s stand to end the first half.

Oxford Hills drove to the Rams’ 1-yard line, where Sid Edwards had come up a fraction of an inch short of a first down. On fourth down, OH was penalized five yards for encroachment.

When play resumed, Morse broke through to slow the play, then Keith Dorr tackled Dana Hodgdon for a loss, ending the threat and the half.

“I know this defense is just unbelieveable. These kids come together,” said Bangor senior Josh Morse. “That goal-line stand, it really exemplified what we’ve done all year.”

Bangor scored the only points it needed on its first series after Morse pounced on a Miguel Gonzalez fumble at the OH-36. Two plays later, quarterback Tommy Waterman ran the option 21 yards for a score.

Andy Robichaud’s PAT made it 7-0 with 7:48 left in the quarter.

Bangor made it stand up. With the aid of a stiff wind, the Rams kept the Vikings pinned in their own end until midway through the second quarter.

A 28-yard halfback option pass from backup QB Jim McClendon to Shayne Bryant set up the Vikes’ only touchdown. Edwards crashed into the end zone from five yards out with 4:34 left in the half.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against OH in the end zone forced a 35-yard PAT try by Mike Loveless, whose kick fell short.

“It means a lot to these guys, and it means a lot to me,” said Rams defensive tackle Tim Wright. “You can tell through their eyes and their hearts that it means a lot to them. Some of these guys have got a lot invested in this, and I’m glad I can help them out and establish something of my own.”

Bangor chewed up the clock with an 11-play drive to open the second half, but OH held. The Vikes threatened again, but Casey Catell stripped Edwards and recovered at the Bangor 9-yard line.

A short punt gave the Vikes the ball at the B-26 to open the fourth quarter. But on 4th-and-8 Catell intercepted a Loveless pass intended for Bryant at the goal line.

“We knew it was going to be a defensive game,” Catell said.

The Rams extended their lead three plays later when Waterman lofted a perfect fade pass to Jason St. Pierre, who motored down the left sideline for a 66-yard touchdown with 8:37 left.

Bangor finally put it away with 28 seconds to play as Pelkey intercepted McClendon and ran it back 51 yards for a score.

Morse led the Bangor defense with 10 tackles while Catell and Jeff Guerette made nine each, Pelkey eight and Keith Dorr seven. Hodgdon and Loveless paced OH with eight tackles each.

Rams 19, Vikings 6

Oxford Hills 6 0 0 0 – 6

Bangor 7 0 0 12 – 19

B – Waterman 21 run (Robichaud kick)

OH – S. Edwards 5 run (kick failed)

B – St. Pierre 66 pass from Waterman (kick failed)

B – Pelkey 51 interception return (kick failed)

Oxford Hills Bangor

First downs 10 8 Rushing att. – yds 47-153 33-133 Passing cmp. – att. 3-9 1-2 Yards passing 40 66 Total yards 193 199 Intercepted by 0 2 Punts – avg. 3-29.7 5-20.8 Fumbles – lost 3-2 3-1 Penalties – yds 7-55 9-100

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – OH: S. Edwards 15-52, Hodgdon 17-38, Loveless 7-34, Gonzalez 7-16, Bryant 1-13; Bangor: Morse 17-87, Waterman 6-18, Pelkey 5-17, Cooper 5-11

PASSING – OH: Loveless 2-7-1-12, McClendon 1-2-1-28; Bangor: Waterman 1-2-0-66

RECEIVING – OH: Bryant 1-28, S. Edwards 2-12; Bangor: St. Pierre 1-66

INTERCEPTIONS BY – Bangor: Catell, Pelkey

FUMBLES RECOVERED BY – OH: Gonzalez; Bangor: Morse, Catell