But you still need to activate your account.
Sign in or Subscribe to view this content.
BANGOR – The script for Friday night’s football game at Cameron Stadium, besides being totally soaked, read more like a checklist.
For Bangor head coach Mark Hackett, the goals were to make a statement, return to a more run-oriented power game, get everyone involved, and ramp up the team intensity. The aim for Lewiston coach Bill County was to control the clock, get the running game untracked, and minimize penalties.
Though both coaches got just what they wanted on the soggy Cameron Stadium turf drenched by steady rain, only one walked off the field happy.
Hackett was the one wearing the big smile after his Rams edged the previously unbeaten Blue Devils 3-0 in a tight battle of field position for their second straight win after an 0-2 start.
“It’s huge,” said center-defensive tackle and captain Conor Stephens, who helped lead the Rams with several key tackles and blocks. “I think our coach said it best. He said if we lose this game, we’re going to be in a fistfight the rest of the season just to make playoffs, but if we win it, it’s going to be hard keeping us out of them.”
The biggest smile was on the face of Rams placekicker Nick Achorn, whose 37-yard field goal with 3:11 left in the first quarter was the difference. And that was with junior Matt Cassidy, filling in with only two days’ preparation for regular holder Shaun Cassidy, who was held out after suffering a mild concussion Tuesday.
“He did a great job,” Achorn said. “I knew even in the rain, the snap would be good and he’d get it down.”
Achorn’s kick, which sailed through the middle of the uprights with about eight feet to spare, allowed Bangor to overcome a big Blue Devils advantage in time of possession, total yardage and red zone opportunities. Of course, three Blue Devil fumbles went a long way toward that also.
“It seems like in the 12 quarters we’ve played, they haven’t dropped the ball once and we dropped the ball in some critical moments,” County said. “Once they got the three points, they just did what they had to do to keep field position and keep us out of the red zone.”
Despite running 58 offensive plays to Bangor’s 44 and a nearly 11-minute advantage in time of possession in the second half (nine minutes overall), Lewiston only had three cracks inside the Rams’ 25-yard line.
The first came early in the second quarter as the Devils had 1st-and-10 at the B-23, but after a 2-yard run, the drive ended with a sack for a 7-yard loss and two straight incompletions.
The second came in the opening drive of the second half, when Lewiston drove from its 22 to the B-14 in 11 plays, but then had a run for no gain, a 1-yard loss, a 1-yard gain, and then a 31-yard field goal attempt that fell just short after Evan Martzial managed to brush his hand on the ball.
The third came on the Devils’ last drive as they went from their 18 to the B-25 in 13 plays, only to see an incompletion, a sack, and then a 10-yard gain on a reverse which ended with a fumble recovered by Bangor strong safety Joe Blier at the B-15 with 1:39 left in the game.
Bangor put the game on ice with a 17-yard completion – Bangor’s only one of the game – by Zak Ray on a rollout to the right side. He found Blier open on the right flat and Blier gathered it in after bobbling the ball. The Rams then ran out the rest of the clock.
“These guys are warriors and the statement they made tonight is they’re as good as anyone,” said Hackett. “And if we play well and don’t turn the ball over, we can beat anyone.”
Jeremy Madore rushed for a game-high 109 yards on 28 carries as Lewiston outgained Bangor 208-116 on the ground. Ryan Largay led Bangor with 75 yards on 29 carries.
RAMS 3, BLUE DEVILS 0
Lewiston (3-1) 0 0 0 0 ? 0
Bangor (2-2) 3 0 0 0 ? 3
B ? Achorn 37 field goal
Lewiston Bangor
First downs 13 7
Rushing att.-yards 58-208 38-116
Passing comp.-att. 3-7 1-5
Passing yards 29 17
Total yards 237 133
Punts-avg. 2-35.0 3-29.0
Fumbles-lost 4-3 1-1
Intercepted by 0 0
Penalties-yards 2-15 3-25
Rushing
Lewiston: Madore 28-109, Dube 21-69, Foisy 4-11, Bolduc 1-10, Cyr 3-5, Cobb 1-4; Bangor: Largay 29-75, Ray 6-38, Huhn 1-2, Blier 2-1
Passing
Lewiston: Dube 3-7-0-29; Bangor: Ray 1-5-0-17
Receiving
Lewiston: Bolduc 3-29; Bangor: Blier 1-17
A? 300 (est.)
Comments
comments for this post are closed