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BIDDEFORD – Chris DeVinney can remember every field goal he ever made in high school. Every … single … one.
Good memory? Not exactly.
“In a game, I’ve only actually kicked one field goal,” DeVinney said late Friday night, between posing for pictures that go along with being a hero in the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic.
“That was in the state game my junior year. A 21-yarder. Tonight was the only other time I’ve ever gotten to attempt one.”
On Friday, DeVinney got two more chances. The first, he missed. And the second?
All that 41-yarder with 4:45 to play did was cap a final scoring drive, erase a one-point deficit, and give the West a 16-14 victory over the East at packed Waterhouse Field in the 12th battle between Maine’s recently graduated high school football stars.
DeVinney, who played his high school ball at powerful South Portland High, said the kick gave him the chance to make up for the 35-yarder he shanked at the end of the first quarter.
“Coach gave me my shot. The snap was good. The hold was down. I did my job. I did what they put me out there to do,” said DeVinney, who will kick at the University of Maine this fall. “I had to get it done. I missed the first one and felt pretty bad about that, so I needed some redemption.”
The kick provided the West squad its 11th win in 12 attempts in the all-star game, and answered a third-quarter scoring drive that gave the East a 14-13 lead.
The West dominated play in the first half, piling up 329 yards of offense created by its nifty pair of quarterbacks, Fitzpatrick Trophy winner Jason O’Tash of Massabesic and Boston College-bound Quinton Porter of Portland.
O’Tash accounted for 197 yards passing and running in the half, while the East managed just 135 as a team.
The sneaky O’Tash finished the game with a 7-for-14 passing effort (116 yards) and added 116 yards rushing on 22 carries. He also spearheaded the final scoring drive and was named the West’s MVP. Porter completed six of 11 passes for 110 more yards.
Justin Cummings of Stearns High in Millinocket was the East’s leading ground-gainer (58 yards on 19 carries) and was named his team’s MVP.
The West struck first, on its second possession of the game. O’Tash capped the 93-yard scoring drive with a 40-yard strike to Colby Frankland with 6:08 to go in the first. DeVinney’s PAT kick made it 7-0.
But the East hung close, thwarting one long West drive in the second quarter, then answering a one-yard O’Tash TD dive with a 74-yard Marcus Corey-to-Rob Dion strike with 1:39 to go before intermission.
In the second half, the East was much more effective moving the ball, thanks to a couple of adjustments.
“Finally in the second half we were running iso[lation] and running the ball up the middle like I’m used to, so I adjusted to it and it was really good,” Cummings said.
“We just started running the ball up the gut and running a few screen plays. It worked so we just stuck with it.”
The East took its first lead of the game after an 88-yard drive that chewed up 6:56 of the third quarter.
Oxford Hills quarterback Mike Mowatt completed five of seven passes on the march, including the 14-yard TD toss to Josh Clark of Skowhegan with 2:30 to go in the third.
Mowatt rolled right, tucked the ball under his arm for an instant, then pulled it back and zipped a strike to Clark just before the receiver reached the sideline.
“It reminded me of high school, because that’s what we run,” said Mowatt, whose high school coach Ted Moccia was the East’s head coach. “Waggle. I knew he would be there and he’s got great hands.
“I can throw it or run it. I had an idea I was gonna run, and then I looked at him and he was open.”
The East drove to the West 32 after DeVinney’s field goal, but Pat Shairs of Sanford intercepted a Mowatt pass in the end zone to end the threat with 1:06 to play.
Bangor High defensive standout Jared Hockman, who recorded back-to-back sacks that helped the East gain momentum in the third quarter, said the East team was a close-knit group.
“I think our team differed from theirs. Our guys got along so great. I felt like I was friends with these guys for 10 years this week,” Hockman said. “It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I made so many new friends. We just clicked.
“We clicked as a team really quick, and I think that helped us keep this game close and almost pull it out.”
West 16, East 14
West 7 6 0 3 ? 16
East 0 6 8 0 ? 14
W?Frankland 42 pass from O’Tash (DeVinney kick)
W?O’Tash 1 run (kick failed)
E?Dion 74 pass from Corey (kick failed)
E?Clark 14 pass from Mowatt (Corey pass to Thibodeau)
W?DeVinney 41 field goal
West East
First downs 26 13
Rushing att.-yards 43-221 32-113
Passing comp.-att. 13-25 9-18
Passing yards 226 151
Total yards 447 264
Punts, avg. 2-16.5 4-40.0
Fumbles lost 2-1 0-0
Intercepted by 1 1
Penalties-yards 8-47 2-15
Rushing
West: O’Tash 22-116, Olszewski 10-55, Edwards 2-13, Hatfield 3-9, Porter 13-13, Foley 3-10, McCrossin 2-5; East: Cummings 19-58, Thibodeau 8-38, Leighton 1-1, Savage 1-23, Mowatt 3-minus 7
Passing
West: O’Tash 7-14-116-1, Porter 6-11-110-0; East: Mowatt 8-13-77-1, Corey 1-5-74-0
Receiving
West: Hall 3-19, Frankland 1-42, Foley 1-33, Edwards 2-51, McCrossin 2-34, Lake 1-11, Whitehouse 1-14, DeVinney 2-22; East: Thibodeau 1-7, Dion 4-94, Clark 2-25, Cummings 2-25
A?5,000 (est.)
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