Bangor tops ‘Dogs in opener> Libbey powers Rams

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BANGOR – Opening night reviews are in and, after Bangor’s season-opening win over Lawrence of Fairfield Friday night, the kids are all right.

A lot of questions were answered very affirmatively at a downright tropical Cameron Stadium as Bangor exploded for 20 points in the third quarter and posted a 26-12 victory over the visiting Bulldogs.

And for the most part, the play of a fresh batch of underclassmen filling in for 14 graduated seniors made the difference.

Junior tailback Justin Libbey took a huge step – several of them, in fact – toward filling in nicely for Hampton Clarkson, who rushed for 1,692 yards last year, with an eye-opening 182 yards and two touchdowns on 34 rushes.

“He just kicks [butt],” said Bangor’s Stuart Cooper. “They follow us and we get everybody out of their way.”

Cooper, along with fellow guard Rob Bastey, are the lone seniors and returning starters on a line including sophomore Ben Guerette and juniors Pat Knaide and Jared Hockman. The line paved the way for Libbey and junior fullback Joe Cammack – another rookie offensive starter – to gain 245 of Bangor’s 294 rushing yards. The Rams, one of the best rushing teams in the Pine Tree Conference the last five years, didn’t confine their attack to the ground, however.

Junior quarterback Joe Vanidestine – one of the few returning starters – shook off a shaky first half (3-for-8, one interception) to throw for 122 yards and a touchdown, which accounted for all 98 passing yards in the second half.

“I just didn’t let it bother me and kept playing. We all kept playing,” said Vanidestine.

John Fergerson also typified that “keep playing” attitude. The senior strong safety was victimized by a 47-yard completion to Lawrence’s Jeremy Lane in the third, but saved a touchdown with a shoestring tackle at the B13 which led up to the play of the game.

Bangor dominated the game throughout, but despite rushing for 131 yards to Lawrence’s nine in the first half, still trailed the ‘Dogs 12-6 at halftime.

After tying the game on their opening drive of the second half with a six-play, 31-yard drive set up by a Lawrence fumble on the opening kickoff, it looked like the ‘Dogs would bite back as they drove 48 yards on five plays after Troy Savage recovered a Cammack fumble. On 2nd-and-nine at the Rams’ 12, Don Thibodeau took the handoff and plowed right up the middle to the 1 and was a step away from scoring before Vanidestine ripped the ball away and teammate Travis Brooker recovered the ball at the Rams’ 2.

Seconds later, Vanidestine dropped back and hit split end Willie Baird near the visitors’ sideline at the Rams’ 40. Baird juked left and then right as one defender fell down and the other was left grasping air, and then sprinted on a right slant down the field to give the Rams a 19-12 lead on the 98-yard strike. The play was a back-breaker as the Rams’ `50′ defense held Lawrence to 45 total yards the rest of the game.

“The whole point of our defense is everybody nail somebody. If there’s 11 people hitting 11 people, you’re not going anywhere,” Cooper explained.

Lawrence took a 12-6 lead in the second quarter with back-to-back defensive strikes. The ‘Dogs tied it 46 seconds into the second quarter on Don Thibodeau’s 44-yard return of a lateral he picked off from Vanidestine. The Bulldogs made it 12-6 just over two minutes later when Savage intercepted Vanidestine at the Lawrence 23 on third-and-8 and ran it back all the way back.

“The way preseason went and the way we played today, it’s one of the happiest days I’ve had in 20 years of coaching,” said Rams coach Gabby Price. “Outside of one play, I thought they were phenomenal.”

Lawrence coach Brad Bishop declined comment.

Lawrence starting tight end Tom Hanes, who suffered a leg injury in the second quarter and left the field on a stretcher, was treated and released from Eastern Maine Medical Center late Friday night.

Rams 26, Bulldogs 12

Lawrence (0-1) 6 6 0 0 – 12 Bangor (1-0) 6 0 20 0 – 26

B-Cammack 3 run (rush failed)

L-Savage 77 interception return (rush failed)

B-Libbey 24 run (kick failed)

B-Baird 98 pass from Vanidestine (Bouchard kick)

B-Libbey 2 run (Bouchard kick)

Lawrence Bangor First downs 4 16 Rushing att. – yds 21-52 64-294 Passing cmp. – att. 3-6 5-11 Yards passing 73 138 Total yards 125 432 Intercepted by 2 0 Punts – avg. 4-34.0 3-33.7 Fumbles – lost 5-5 3-2 Penalties – yds 2-10 4-38

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Lawrence: Savage 11-33, Thibodeau 7-31, Quirion 3-(-12); Bangor: Libbey 34-182, Cammack 15-63, Vanidestine 8-20, Baird 2-19, Bouchard 3-6, Jackson 1-2, J.Johnson 1-2

PASSING – Lawrence: Quirion 3-6-0-73; Bangor: Vanidestine 4-10-1-122, Bombardier 1-1-0-16

RECEIVING – Lawrence: Lane 1-47, Thibodeau 1-18, Savage 1-8; Bangor: Baird 3-112, M. Quirk 1-10