Nickerson, Achorn, Flynn lift Rams to win in 3OT

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SOUTH PARIS – Looking for heroes from Saturday afternoon’s game between Bangor and Oxford Hills at Gouin Complex? There were almost too many to count.

In fact, Bangor’s coaching staff, which routinely awards a game ball to the most outstanding or valuable player of the game, was unable to agree on a single player to give the ball to after Bangor’s pulse-pounding 14-13 triple-overtime victory.

“I wasn’t sure who did what,” said head coach Mark Hackett, whose Rams are now 6-0. “It was a great team effort and I think that was the slight difference.”

The Rams’ honor roll, in no particular order, includes:

. Tailback Buddy Nickerson, whose steady running produced 131 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries. It was his voice and that of the offensive line’s that convinced coaches to go for the touchdown on 4th-and-goal from the OH 3-yard line in the deciding OT.

“Coach asked us if we wanted to go for it or kick a field goal and we wanted it,” he explained. “He saw it in our eyes and we were all ready and all jacked. He knew we’d do it.”

After making his first score – a 10-yard run on the first play of overtime – look easy, this one would be decidedly tougher. After stopping Nickerson for a one-yard loss and no gain on his first two runs of the third overtime, all eyes on the Vikings’ defense were squarely on him after Bangor gained eight yards on a pass from Chris Bombardier to Mike Prentiss. Nickerson took the handoff, concentrated on keeping his legs pumping, and churned his way over right tackle.

“It was a perfect hole right in front of me,” he said, his sweat-drenched face shining in the bright sun. “There were guys coming at me and I think I went in, lowered my shoulder, and ran a couple guys over to get the touchdown.”

. Place-kicker Nick Achorn, whose foot provided the winning margin in the game after he booted the extra-point kick through the uprights. Until overtime, Achorn was having a tough day as he was well short on two field goal attempts – one a whopping 43-yarder with 41/2 minutes left in regulation and another from 37 yards away with only seven seconds left – and unsuccessful on a 25-yarder early in the second half as a bobbled hold led to an aborted kick, a run, and a five-yard loss.

. Reserve linebacker-tight end Robert Flynn, whose hand deflected OH’s game-tying PAT kick attempt a yard left of the uprights after he practically ran up teammate Trevor LaGrange’s back on the enduring game’s final play.

“There’s two gaps: The A gap, which is where Trevor went, and B gap,” Flynn explained. “I usually go B, but I wasn’t getting it because that’s where [Justin] Hinton went in and blocked it. So Derrick [Shain] said to go A and go over Trevor. I ran over him, pushed off his back and got a hand on it.”

. Reserve split-defensive end Hinton, whose palm blocked a 24-yard OH field goal attempt during his lunging imitation of a flying Superman in double overtime.

“I just faked left and did what I felt I needed to,” said Hinton as he wiped a still-bleeding cut on his forehead with his already bloodied right hand and sleeve. “I’ve used that move before and gotten pretty close, so I thought it might work this time. I hit it on just one hand, right on the palm, but I felt it.”

. Bangor’s offensive line of Ben Guerette, Danny Logan (who LaGrange replaced before the blocked PAT kick because he’s slightly bigger), J.J. Jackson, Conor Stephens, Corey Mayhew and LaGrange, who paved the way for Nickerson, who gained 103 of his 131 yards in the second half. The Rams gained 163 of their 211 rushing yards in the second half.

“We weren’t really firing off the ball and getting enough push in the first half on the offensive line. The second half we came out really fired up and got it done.”

Bangor’s win overshadowed fine efforts by the 4-2 Vikings as well: Tailback Travis Van Durme carried 25 times for 110 yards; quarterback Tyler Wilson, who completed 10 of 18 passes for two TDs and 141 yards while running for 46 more; and flanker Jeff Austin, who had seven catches for 119 yards and a TD.

“This was excellent football all the way through. I just told the guys I was proud of them,” said rookie head coach Paul Bickford. “They left everything out on the field. Bangor’s No. 1 in the state for a reason. They showed why today.”

Rams 14, Vikings (3OT)

Bangor (6-0) 0 0 0 0 7 0 7 ? 14

Oxford Hills (4-2) 0 0 0 0 7 0 6 ? 13

B ? Nickerson 10 run (Achorn kick)

OH ? Austin 6 pass from Wilson (McVety kick)

B ? Nickerson 3 run (Achorn kick)

OH ? Treadwell 2 pass from (kick blocked)

Bangor Oxford Hills

First downs 13 11

Rushing att.-yards 57-211 42-156

Passing comp.-att. 4-8 10-18

Passing yards 39 141

Total yards 250 297

Punts-avg. 4-37.3 5-35.2

Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-1

Intercepted by 0 1

Penalties-yards 2-20 6-55

Rushing

Bangor: Nickerson 33-131, Bombardier 11-43, Blier 5-21, Fergerson 5-13, Schmersal 3-3; Oxford Hills: Van Durme 25-110, Wilson 9-46, Treadwell 3-6, Slack 3-0, Austin 2-(-6)

Passing

Bangor: Bombardier 4-8-1-39; Oxford Hills: Wilson 10-18-0-141

Receiving

Bangor: Prentiss 2-18, Hinton 1-16, Flynn 1-5; Oxford Hills: Austin 7-119, Batchelder 1-16, Treadwell 2-6

A?1,200 (est.)