Darres helps Belfast edge Old Town

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OLD TOWN – As far as Matt Darres catches go, the leaping fourth-and-10, grab-and-carry with 2:30 to go in Saturday’s LTC Class B championship game was a bit routine.

After all, the Belfast junior didn’t have to sprawl headlong across the Victory Field snow to clutch the football – as he’d done on his other two catches – to gather in Sazi Guthrie’s last pass of the day.

But make no mistake about it. In the Lions’ 28-22 victory, there was nothing routine about this reception.

It began as a last-ditch effort from the Old Town 40-yard line and ended as a first down at the OT 24. In a game of big plays, bigger plays, and absolutely huge plays, this was the tide-turner.

Four plays later, tailback Tim Parenteau barged through the line of scrimmage, met a pair of Old Town Indians at the 8, and won the battle that won the game for the Lions.

The diminutive Parenteau finished off a 30-carry, 194-yard day by fighting off the Old Town gang-tackle and willing his way to an 11-yard TD run with just 47 seconds to go in the game.

The win was just the latest in a run of victories for the surging Lions, who improved to 6-5 in winning their third straight LTC `B’ crown.

Belfast, which started the season 0-3 and dropped as far as 3-5, will face Wells next Saturday in Lewiston, aiming for its second straight Class B state championship. Old Town finished at 7-4.

Old Town coach Ian Braun said Darres’ catch came at the end of a play that had started well for the Indians. Braun’s description of the play could as easily serve as a description of the Belfast season.

“We jammed the kid [at the line of scrimmage], the kid got knocked down on the ground, got back up and was still able to get open and catch the ball,” Braun said.

Belfast coach Butch Arthers used the play twice – once on a fourth-and-8 in the first quarter, and then again in the game-winning drive. Each catch set up a touchdown. The first time, Darres dove flat and caught the ball at the OT 1.

“Basically it’s a clearout for Matt and we hope to get one-on-one coverage,” Arthers said.

“We just don’t like to use it because it’s usually desperation time when we do.”

Darres greeted the call with a matter-of-fact attitude.

“Double-deep, square-under,” he described the call. “It’s where I flag out and hope to catch it.”

He did. Twice. And even when he wasn’t the target, he was catching passes. Darres also picked off two Old Town offerings.

The late Belfast heroics overshadowed a stellar effort by Old Town senior halfback Alger Yanush, who bulled his way to 181 yards on 20 carries and staked the Indians to a 6-0 lead on their first play from scrimmage – an 89-yard sprint.

Belfast quarterback Sazi Guthrie (81 yards passing, 24 yards rushing) said the Lions may have entered the game concerned about the field’s condition.

“Kids were starting to play tentative because they were thinking, `I’ve got to keep my footing,’ ” he said. “[Yanush] just caught some blocks and was gone. Then we realized this wasn’t going to be an easy game.”

Fitzpatrick Trophy semifinalist Peter Baker rushed 13 times for 61 yards for the Indians. Braun opted to feature the more straight-ahead style of Yanush on the slippery field instead of the cutting, elusive Baker.

After Yanush’s TD scamper, the Lions set the tone for the back-and-forth game by answering at the end of the first quarter.

Parenteau capped the 45-yard, seven-play drive with a dive from inside the 1. The PAT made it 8-6, Belfast.

The teams traded quarterback sneak TDs in the second quarter – Jeremy Belyea for Old Town and Guthrie for Belfast – and went into intermission knotted at 14-14.

Old Town scored on its opening drive of the third quarter on a Yanush two-yard dive and PAT that made it 22-14 and seemed poised to put an insurance score on the board after Guthrie fumbled the snap on Belfast’s next play from scrimmage.

But after the Indians promptly drove from their own 47 to the Belfast six, Yanush was stopped for a loss on third down and Ryan Maheux intercepted Belyea’s fourth-down pass from the 10.

On the fifth play of the ensuing drive, Parenteau sprinted 69 yards for a TD that made it 22-20 with 1:23 to go in the third.

Lions 28, Indians 22

Belfast (6-5) 8 6 6 8 – 28

Old Town (7-4) 6 8 8 0 – 22

OT – Yanush 89 run (rush failed)

B – Parenteau 18 run (Parenteau rush)

OT – Belyea 1 run (Yanush rush)

B – Guthrie 2 run (rush failed)

OT – Baker 2 run (Yanush rush)

B – Parenteau 69 run (pass failed)

B – Parenteau 11 run (Guthrie pass to Darres)

Belfast Old Town

First downs 12 10 Rushing att. – yds 48-224 40-259 Passing cmp. – att. 4-10 2-8 Yards passing 81 18 Total yards 305 277 Intercepted by 3 0 Punts – avg. 2-35.5 2-22.0 Fumbles – lost 4-2 1-0 Penalties – yds 2-15 3-15

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Belfast: Parenteau 30-194, Guthrie 13-25, Hurd 3-7, Maheux 1-(-2); Old Town: Yanush 20-181, Baker 13-61, Brown 5-11, Belyea 2-6

PASSING – Belfast: Guthrie 4-10-81-0; Old Town: Belyea 2-8-18-3, Baker 0-1-0-0

RECEIVING – Belfast: Darres 3-63, Gale 1-18; Old Town: Baker 2-18