Inspired Riots edge Lynx by point Team trip to see ‘Friday Night Lights’ gives emotional lift to Orono

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ORONO – Hoping to inspire his team a little bit for Friday night’s game, Orono football coach Bob Sinclair took the Red Riots to see a new movie about high school football.

The boys were emotional after their viewing of “Friday Night Lights,” Sinclair said. And the team did exactly what he wanted them to do as a result – the Riots turned that emotion into an exciting 30-29 victory over Mattanawcook.

The Red Riots are now 6-1, while the Lynx of Lincoln fell to 5-2.

“We just worked hard, we had heart, and I loved every second of it,” Orono linebacker Chad Sanborn said. “We’re going to the playoffs.”

Orono made two key stands – one offensive, one defensive – in a fourth-quarter rally.

The teams went into the fourth tied at 22-22, but MA marched down in the field and gained a 29-22 lead after sophomore Steve Braley scored on a 2-yard run.

The Riots started the ensuing drive at their own 37-yard line. On second-and-10 Mardy Simon ran for 19 yards and later reeled off another 19-yarder to get Orono to the MA 29. The Riots again gave the ball to Simon, who wound up rushing the ball 15 times for 82 yards in the game, and he got them to the 10.

“We just found the gaps,” Orono quarterback Adam Chase said. “And Mardy’s quick. We found the holes and ran right through them. The counter was working well and we were running people over.”

Dustin Thomas, who didn’t start the game because an injured thumb kept him out of practice all week, ran it in for the touchdown to cut MA’s lead to 29-28 with 2:22 left in the game.

Fullback Joe Fullwood rushed the ball in for the 2-point conversion – a no-brainer for the Riots.

“There was no question we were going to go for two [points],” Sinclair said. “The defense they were playing, we thought we could get our fullback in there.”

After grabbing the lead, Orono had its best defensive stand of the game. Mattanawcook quarterback Dylan Hanscom, who had been a threat to throw all game, tossed an incomplete pass on first down.

On second down, Orono defensive end Micah Mishio had the key play of the game – he sacked Hanscom back 10 yards, making it third-and-20 from the MA 40.

“They made plays when they had to,” Lynx coach Mike Bisson said. “We had time and timeouts and we wanted to try to make a play. We put ourselves in a hole in those first couple of plays; taking the sack kind of limited what we could do and made it easier for them to defend the pass.”

On third down Hanscom threw another pass that was broken up by Chase. The Lynx quarterback, who was 7 for 10 for 97 yards in the game, got off a 15-yard pass to D.J. Robinson, but it wasn’t enough for a first down and Orono got the ball back with 1:37 remaining.

The Riots gained a quick first down and, with about one minute left, Chase took two knees to end the game.

The two teams battled back and forth all game. Orono took a 14-7 lead in the first quarter thanks to a 4-yard run by Fullwood and a 75-yard kickoff return by Simon.

“We put it right together,” Fullwood said. “Everyone got together.”

But the Lynx came roaring back in the second as Hanscom and MacKenzie Haines each scored on short runs.

Chase tied the game 44 seconds before halftime when he picked off a Hanscom pass and ran it back 85 yards for a TD.

Both teams were missing key backs because of injuries. Orono’s Mo Nazmy did not play, and MA was without Jason Murchison and Duncan Markie.

RED RIOTS 30, LYNX 29

Mattanawcook (5-2) 7 15 0 7 – 29

Orono (6-1) 14 8 0 8 – 30

O – Fullwood 4 run (Brothers kick)

M – Haines 5 run (Reed kick)

O – Simon 75 kickoff return (Brothers kick)

M – Hanscom 1 run (Young pass from Gardner)

M – Haines 3 run (Reed kick)

O – Chase 85 interception return (Simon rush)

M – Braley 2 run (Reed kick)

O – Thomas 10 run (Fullwood rush)

Mattanawcook Orono

First downs 16 8

Rushing att.-yards 44-227 35-151

Passing comp.-att. 7-10 1-8

Passing yards 97 19

Total yards 324 170

Punts-avg. 3-28.6 6-45.1

Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0

Intercepted by 0 1

Penalties-yards 4-20 3-30

Rushing

Mattanawcook: Haines 13-78, Braley 10-69, Gardner 13-41, Smith 5-22, Hanscom 2-10, Birmingham 1-7; Orono: Simon 15-82, Fullwood 11-49, Thomas 6-20, Chase 3-0

Passing

Mattanawcook: Hanscom 7-10-1-97; Orono: Chase1-8-0-19, Simon 0-1-0-0, Dunton 0-1-0-0

Receiving

Mattanawcook: Robinson 3-42, Young 2-32, Drost 2-23; Orono: Fullwood 1-19