FAIRFIELD – For the Bangor Rams, the winning phrase was a rhyming one: Ray, Day, and Largay.

The three players, who have more than similar-sounding names in common helped the Rams stage a late fourth-quarter comeback to improve to 3-2.

A clutch, 38-yard touchdown pass from Zak Ray to Wes Day with 65 seconds left in the game and a big, fumble-causing tackle on the ensuing kickoff by Ryan Largay – better known for taking bone-jarring hits than dishing them out – six seconds later turned a 7-3 deficit into another dramatic Rams win.

This time around, the score was 10-7 as Bangor notched its third straight win.

“We need to win these games,” said Rams head coach Mark Hackett. “We used up our losses in the first two games and we don’t have any more margin for error.”

The Rams – who hadn’t managed a score since the game’s opening drive, when they went 40 yards to set up Nick Achorn’s no-doubt-about-it, 33-yard field 86 seconds into the game – had one last chance for victory after their defense held and forced Lawrence to go three-and-out and punt from its own 27-yard line with 2:02 to play.

After an incompletion, Ray found Mike Prentiss on the left sideline for a 13-yard completion. After a nine-yard Largay run gave the Rams 2nd-and-1 at the L-38, Ray was given the chance to go for it.

He dropped back and saw Prentiss and Day streaking down the right side. As the receivers broke off, Prentiss on a slant left and Day going right, Ray saw plenty of

Day-light on the right side as Day had three steps on the cornerback. Ray let fly a deep pass just over Day’s head which Day sped up to and scooped up in mid sprint for the game-winning TD.

“We really wanted to go for it at the end of the game,” said Ray, who transferred to Bangor from Winslow as a sophomore. “He’s one of the fastest guys I know. I can’t outthrow him. I just have to make sure I get it out there for him to go get it.”

Day said all he thought about was not dropping the ball.

“It’s crazy when it’s coming at you and there’s no one around you,” said Day, who transferred from John Bapst to Bangor after moving from Veazie this summer. “It gives you a lot of time to think about it, and it’s kind of nerve wracking.”

Six seconds later, it another transfer student got a chance to put his mark on the game as Largay found himself hurtling full force in the direction of Lawrence’s Sean Leary, who was just gathering in a deep punt by Achorn at the L-7.

Largay, who moved from Brewer to Bangor after his sophomore year, delivered a thunderous hit that crumpled Leary and jarred the ball loose. Bangor’s Josh Jones fell on it for the game’s only turnover. Leary was finally able to walk off the field with assistance some minutes later,Ray ran for a first down, and then Bangor ran out the rest of the clock for the Houdini-esque escape from a loss.

The other difference-maker in this game was by the Rams coaching staff, which moved the defensive tackles further outside to cut down the space Lawrence backs were getting on their toss-sweep runs outside. The tactic worked perfectly as the free-wheeling Bulldog running game that gained 138 first-half rushing yards managed just 38 more in the second half.

The loss was a bitter one for an undermanned Lawrence team coming off a big win last week and without five players (three of them starters) for a second straight week due to disciplinary reasons.

“We’ve had a lot of adversity the past couple weeks and this team has answered the challenges,” said head coach Scott Walker. “We weren’t going to let the team we think is the best in Eastern Maine come to our field and dictate the pace of the game to us, and my heart’s broken for these kids because they worked their tails off.”

Junior tailback Nate Lambert led Lawrence with 144 yards on 36 carries. Lawrence went ahead 7-3 after fullback Ryan Ackley capped a 14-play, 56-yard drive with a one-yard TD run and 3:21 left in the first half.

Bangor (3-2) 3 – 0 – 0 – 7 – 10

Lawrence (1-4) 0 – 7 – 0 – 0 – 7

B – Achorn 33-yard field goal

L – R. Ackley 1 run (McLaughlin kick)

B – Day 38 pass from Ray (Achorn kick)