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PORTLAND – The Bangor Rams felt good about their lot in football life at halftime of Saturday’s Class A state final.
Sure, the Eastern Maine champs trailed 14-13, but the fact it was just a one-point deficit presented an opportunity that might not have been available had Bonny Eagle of West Buxton not lost three first half fumbles.
“Down one point, if we had known that before the game, we definitely would have taken that,” said Bangor senior Aaron Gallant.
That optimism grew exponentially early in the second half, when T.J. Vanidestine forced yet another Bonny Eagle fumble and Alex Gallant recovered to set up a 10-yard scoring run by Nick Payson that gave Bangor a 19-14 lead.
But Bonny Eagle – a young Class A program with no state-championship pedigree – used superior team quickness and the 1-2 offensive punch of senior quarterback Matt O’Donnell and junior running back John Wiechman to rally to win its first gold ball with a 29-19 victory at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
Big plays aided the undefeated Scots (12-0) on both of their late touchdowns. A 53-yard run by Wiechman set up the go-ahead score, a 5-yard-keeper by O’Donnell with 5:23 left in the third. O’Donnell then passed to tight end Mason Tripp for the two-point conversion that gave Bonny Eagle a 22-19 lead.
Bangor (10-2) drove the to Bonny Eagle 27 before a 44-yard field-goal try by junior Tyson Barron – who had connected earlier from 20 and 38 yards – came up just a yard short.
The Scots padded their lead on a 9-yard TD pass from O’Donnell to end Kyle McKague with 6:23 left in the game, a score set up by a 55-yard keeper by O’Donnell.
“I don’t think they were too strong,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett, “I think they were too quick. I think they hit us with big plays with their quickness. Their running back pounded us a little at the end, but it was a momentum game. I think if the field goal had gone through, it might be a different ending.”
Bonny Eagle’s comeback negated a rough start by Wiechman, who scored on an early 77-yard run but also lost two fumbles in the first half.
“I realize that everybody makes mistakes,” said Wiechman, who finished with 221 yards on 24 carries, “and I don’t put my head down. All I do is apologize to my teammates for the turnovers and see if on the next play I can come back and make up for it.”
The versatile O’Donnell, an almost certain Fitzpatrick Trophy finalist, added 151 rushing yards and 135 more on 8-of-16 passing. He rushed for two TDs and passed for a third.
“They’re a great team,” said Aaron Gallant. “I really just think it was their big plays. I think we had them on the ropes, but they made some big plays.”
Bonny Eagle’s aggressive defensive front, led by the 5-foot-9, 195-pound Wiechman at nose guard along with linemates Jeff Thompson, Josh Avery and Charlie Butler, held Bangor’s ground game in check. The Rams managed just 116 yards on 34 carries, with junior Nick Payson finishing with 109 yards and two touchdowns on 27 tries.
“We knew we played pretty tough run defense,” said Bonny Eagle coach Kevin Cooper. “Bangor runs the ball very well and they’re tough to stop, but we felt confident enough in our defense that we could make Bangor have to work to move the ball down the field.”
Bangor senior quarterback Brian Hackett completed 6 of 20 passes for 133 yards, with Aaron Gallant at tight end making four catches for 115 yards.
“Bangor played a great game,” said McKague. “They’re a great team, definitely the toughest team we’ve played. Everyone underrated their offense, but they came out and put some points on the board, they scored the most on us that any team has.”
Bangor took a 7-0 lead on its second possession, after lineman Eric Anderson recovered a Wiechman fumble at the Bonny Eagle 20.
What followed was the epitome of the ball control Bangor so desired, as the Rams advanced those 20 yards in the maximum eight plays. Payson converted on fourth-and-inches from the 11, then scored on a 1-yard run on fourth-and goal with 6:24 left in the first quarter.
Wiechman immediately made up for his fumble, taking a first-down handoff after the kickoff, breaking a couple of tackles and racing down the right sideline 77 yards for the tying touchdown.
Barron gave Bangor a 10-7 lead with his 20-yard field goal barely more than a minute later, a score set up by a 54-yard pass from Hackett to Gallant.
A 20-yard keeper by O’Donnell with still 1:21 left in the period capped a 74-yard drive and gave Bonny Eagle a 14-10 lead.
A 3-yard punt by McKague set up the final points of the half, a 38-yard field goal by Barron with 5:23 left in the second quarter.
SCOTS 29, RAMS 19
Bangor (10-2) 10 3 6 0 – 19
Bonny Eagle (12-0) 14 0 8 7 – 29
BA – Payson 1 run (Barron kick)
BE – Wiechman 77 run (Auger kick)
BA – Barron 20 field goal
BE – Matt O’Donnell 20 run (Auger kick)
BA – Barron 38 field goal
BA – Payson 10 run (pass failed)
BE – Matt O’Donnell 4 run (Tripp pass from Matt O’Donnell)
BE – McKague 9 pass from Matt O’Donnell (Auger kick)
Bangor Bonny Eagle
First downs 10 16
Rushing att.-yards 34-116 46-372
Passing comp.-att. 6-20 8-16
Passing yards 133 135
Total yards 249 507
Punts-avg. 5-40.0 2-25.5
Fumbles-lost 1-1 6-4
Intercepted by 0 1
Penalties-yards 2-10 3-15
Rushing
Bangor: Payson 27-109, Vanidestine 4-9, Dexter 1-2, B. Hackett 2-(-4); Bonny Eagle: Wiechman 24-221, Matt O’Donnell 20-151, Michael O’Donnell 2-0
Passing
Bangor: B. Hackett 6-20-1-133; Bonny Eagle: Matt O’Donnell 8-16-0-135
Receiving
Bangor: Aaron Gallant 4-115, Crews 1-9, DeRosa 1-9; Bonny Eagle: Tripp 3-49, McKague 34, Atkins 1-15, Delcourt 1-10
A-3,000 (est.)
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