DEXTER – In a football game full of young players, it’s not surprising a veteran played the starring role as Mattanawcook Academy pulled away from Dexter 30-14 in an LTC Class C season opener Saturday.

Senior tailback Tyler Gardner rushed for 82 yards on 17 carries and caught two touchdown passes for 61 yards as the Lynx shook off the stubborn Tigers in the fourth quarter.

“Offensively we just ran the ball until they wore down, which eventually they did,” said Gardner. “We’re a very deep team, even though some people might not think we are, and we felt sooner or later that would get to them.”

With 45 players, MA’s roster was nearly double the size of Dexter’s, but more than half of each team’s squad came from the freshman and sophomore classes.

“Mostly we saw what we need to improve,” said MA coach Mike Carney. “We need to catch the ball better, we need better tackling fundamentals. We’re very young, and when you’re young you make fundamental mistakes, and we made them.”

Dexter mistakes helped the Lynx take a 9-0 first-quarter lead. Three plays after a bad Dexter punt snap gave MA the ball at the Tigers’ 17, Gardner scored on a 15-yard screen pass from quarterback Dustin Hanscom (three TD passes) to give the Lynx a 7-0 lead 2:07 into the contest.

MA scored a safety with 3:31 left in the first quarter when an option pitch from Dexter quarterback Eric Day to Tyler Richardson was mishandled and bounced out of the end zone.

But the Tigers regrouped, as Chris Rabideau tipped a Lynx punt to set up a 4-yard scoring run by Logan Schoenbacher (11 carries, 52 yards before leaving the game in the third quarter due to injury) on the second play of the second quarter.

A 6-yard Dexter punt led to MA’s final score of the half, a 15-yard pass from Hanscom to Nick Ireland that gave the Lynx a 16-7 lead with 1:30 left in the second quarter.

Dexter pulled within 16-14 on a 20-yard pass from Day to wingback Mark Pullen with 4:18 left in the third quarter. This 66-yard drive featured Dexter’s three primary playmakers, as Day (13 of 24, 167 yards) completed a 24-yard pass to Pullen (six catches, 104 yards) and a 22-yard strike to Rabideau to set up the score.

“We’ve got some sure-handed receivers in Rabideau and Pullen, and Eric really improved a lot in the offseason,” said Dexter coach Haggie Pratt. “He worked hard in the weight room and is a smart kid who is going to be a good quarterback.”

Dexter threatened again when middle linebacker Brad Chase intercepted a Hanscom pass at the Tigers’ 46, but MA’s Corey Drost countered with an interception of Day on the first play of the fourth quarter.

That was the first of four interceptions by the Lynx – by Drost, Jason Murchison, Ryan Hurd and D.J. Robinson – over the game’s final 12 minutes, as Dexter was forced to the air after MA scored on its next two possessions. First Hanscom went deep to Gardner for a 46-yard touchdown strike, then bruising fullback MacKenzie Haines scored from 1 yard out with 4:40 to play.

LYNX 30, TIGERS 14

Mattanawcook 9 7 0 14 ? 30

Dexter 0 7 7 0 ? 14

M ? T. Gardner 15 pass from Du. Hanscom (Ireland kick)

M ? Safety, ball fumbled out of end zone

D ? Schoenbacher 4 run (Day kick)

M ? Ireland 23 pass from Du. Hanscom (Ireland kick)

D ? Pullen 20 pass from Day (Day kick)

M ? T. Gardner 46 pass from Du. Hanscom (Ireland kick)

M ? Haines 1 run (Ireland kick)

Mattanawcook Dexter

First downs 13 13

Rushing att.-yards 40-125 18-28

Passing comp.-att. 3-11 13-24

Passing yards 84 167

Total yards 209 167

Punts-avg. 6-32.2 3-19.7

Fumbles-lost 2-0 1-1

Intercepted by 4 1

Penalties-yards 7-67 6-63

Rushing

Mattanawcook: T. Gardner 17-82, Haines 10-46, Du. Hanscom 8-(-10), Murchison 1-4, Dy. Hanscom 1(-4), Markie 2-10; Dexter: Schoenbacher 11-52, T. Richardson 5-14, Greene 3-2, Day 8-(-22), Willey 1-(-28)

Passing

Mattanawcook: Du. Hanscom 3-11-1-84; Dexter: Day 13-24-4-167

Receiving

Mattanawcook: T. Gardner 2-61, Ireland 1-23; Dexter: Pullen 6-104, Rabideau 5-57, Greene 2-16

A?300 (est.)