BANGOR – Football is a game most physical, but sometimes the subtle manipulations of a game plan make the difference.

Bangor High used a slight halftime adjustment on defense to slow Skowhegan’s running game, and Kyle Vanidestine scored three touchdowns as the Rams knocked off the previously unbeaten Indians 26-14 in a Pine Tree Conference Class A game at Cameron Stadium on Friday night.

Both teams are now 4-1.

Vanidestine rushed for 86 yards and scored on a 95-yard kickoff return and runs of 13 and 16 yards, while Shane Walton added 80 yards and a 3-yard TD run.

Skowhegan’s Zack Whiting, who had rushed for more than 200 yards in each of his last three games, was limited to 95 yards on 25 tries.

Bangor countered Skowhegan’s tightly bunched offensive front with a 5-3 defense that forced a stalemate at the line of scrimmage and enabled Bangor’s linebackers and defensive backs to make most of the tackles.

Those tackles were being made 5 or 6 yards beyond the line of scrimmage during the first half, but after intermission those Skowhegan gains were much smaller thanks to an adjustment suggested by safety Ian Edwards that freed up Bangor’s defensive backs.

“I thought [Skowhegan’s] gumption and desire on offense really made it look like they were kicking our butts, and we called the players on it at halftime,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett.

“Ian suggested that if we lined up in our normal 5-3 alignment instead of the way we were playing it, they wouldn’t be able to get the same angles on us, so we moved them and it made the difference in the game.”

Skowhegan threatened to break a 14-14 tie on its first possession of the second half, controlling the ball for nearly eight minutes before Edwards and end Renaud Collard-Seguin stopped Indians’ quarterback Eric Thistle four yards short of a first down on fourth-and-6 from the Bangor 39.

The Rams held Skowhegan to 62 yards the rest of the way, 26 through the air on a final possession after Bangor scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

“We just figured out we had to get a little more physical and we just played our seams more,” said senior linebacker Tyler McDade. “We were overplaying a little and their backs were hitting seams in the first half, but in the second half we played our positions and assignments and shut them down.”

Bangor took the lead with a six-play, 51-yard drive after Kenny Beede stuffed Skowhegan’s Cody Vigue for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Rams 49.

Vanidestine capped off the march with a counter play for the final 16 yards to give Bangor a 20-14 lead with 8:47 left.

Walton added a 3-yard TD run with 2:16 left to cap a 39-yard drive that featured a 6-yard keeper by Edwards on fourth-and-5 from the Skowhegan 34.

“[Walton and Vanidestine] looked a bit winded in the first half,” said Hackett, “and then they kind of caught their second wind. They’re rugged and strong kids, and we have two guys that share the carries, and Skowhegan had just one after the fullback stopped getting his yardage. I think we wore them down.”

Vanidestine opened the scoring with a 13-yard run shortly after the Rams recovered a wind-blown punt that bounced off the back of Skowhegan’s Devin Withee near the Indians’ 30-yard line.

Skowhegan countered with a 2-yard run by Whiting to draw within 7-6 with 50.9 seconds left in the opening quarter, but Vanidestine returned the subsequent kickoff up the middle and then down the left sideline to give Bangor a 14-6 lead.

“As I was running, everyone in front of me just made huge holes,” said Vanidestine. “I ran as fast as I could and got in the end zone.”

Skowhegan tied the game with a 15-play, 69-yard drive in the second quarter capped off when Vigue scored from the 5 and Whiting rushed for the two-point conversion with 5:25 left in the half.

“We lost tonight, but we played very hard,” said Skowhegan coach Mike Marston. “I’m proud of our boys, and I know we’ll get better. I’m sure they will, too, but hopefully we’ll play them again.”

RAMS 26, INDIANS 14

Skowhegan (4-1) 6 8 0 0 – 14

Bangor (4-1) 14 0 0 12 – 26

B – Vanidestine 13 run (Vanidestine kick)

S – Whiting 2 run (rush failed)

B – Vanidestine 95 kickoff return (Vanidestine kick)

S – Vigue 5 run (Whiting rush)

B – Vanidestine 16 run (kick failed)

B – Walton 3 run (pass failed)

Skowhegan Bangor

First downs 13 15

Rushing att.-yards 52-193 37-173

Passing comp.-att. 5-11 2-9

Passing yards 26 30

Total yards 219 203

Punts-avg. 2-43.5 2-40.5

Fumbles-lost 1-0 0-0

Intercepted by 0 0

Penalties-yards 2-20 4-25

Rushing

Skowhegan: Whiting 25-95, Vigue 12-50, Clark 7-26, Thistle 3-12, Lightbody 2-5, Saydjari 3-5; Bangor: Vanidestine 15-86, Walton 13-80, Edwards 5-16, Billings 4-11

Passing

Skowhegan: Thistle 5-11-0-26; Bangor: Edwards 2-9-0-30

Receiving

Skowhegan: Withee 2-11, Saydjari 2-6, Vigue 1-9; Bangor: Walton 2-30

A-1,000 (est.)