AUBURN – The Bangor Rams opened the 2004 season with a solid display of complementary football Friday night, using balanced offense, aggressive defense and a strong kicking game to defeat Edward Little 29-6 at Walton Field.

Coach Mark Hackett’s club amassed 337 total yards, 251 on the ground as Aaron Gallant and Nick Payson muscled their way behind an offensive front anchored by center Eric Anderson and aided by bruising fullback Ricky Dexter.

“We’re running behind a great big offensive line, and Ricky at fullback is like a glorified lineman,” said Gallant.

Gallant finished with 127 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Payson added 55 yards and two TDs on 14 attempts.

“They both run well and we like to use them both because they play defense, too,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett. “There might be a situation when we go with one of them more, but we think what we’re doing makes us a better team.”

Brian Hackett provided balance to the offense, completing 9 of 11 passes for 86 yards with one interception. Anthony DeRosa made five catches for 61 yards.

Defensively, Bangor held Edward Little without a pass completion, though the Rams did yield 153 rushing yards, including 59 yards and a TD from fullback Garner LaValley.

“We’ve got some young players on defense, and we’re trying to learn our way around, myself included,” Gallant said. “Tonight we just wanted to contain them, and not let them get outside.”

Rarely did Edward Little have good field position, thanks to long kickoffs by junior Tyson Barron and deep, well-angled punts by senior T.J. Vanidestine.

Instead, Bangor used field position to build a 16-0 halftime lead, scoring on drives of 31 and 30 yards and adding a 24-yard field goal from Barron just before intermission.

A 36-yard punt to the EL 6 by Vanidestine set up Bangor’s first score. When the Red Eddies couldn’t move the ball, the Rams took possession at the EL 31. An 11-yard pass from Hackett to DeRosa gave Bangor a first down at the 7, and one play later Gallant scored from 3 yards out to give the Rams a 7-0 lead with 6:38 left in the opening quarter.

A 48-yard Vanidestine punt early in the second quarter again pinned EL deep, and a 10-yard sack of Red Eddies quarterback Steve Simpson by defensive end Nick Buchanan forced a quick punt.

Tom Crews’ 13-yard return to the EL 30 set up an eight-play drive, highlighted by a downfield fumble recovery by Anderson when Payson fumbled after a 19-yard gain to the 1. Payson scored on the next play, and Bangor led 13-0 with 8:15 left until intermission.

Hackett led the Rams from the Bangor 48 to the EL 2 late in the half before a penalty forced them to settle for Barron’s first career field goal. EL’s Josh Barajas recovered a Payson fumble early in the third quarter, and the Red Eddies marched 54 yards in 16 plays to close within 16-6 on LaValley’s 1-yard run.

Bangor responded with a 14-play, 73-yard counterattack capped off by Gallant’s second TD, a 17-yard run with 9:13 left in the game.

The Rams’ Kyle Oliver recovered a fumble at the EL 6 on the Red Eddies’ next play from scrimmage after a deep kickoff by Barron. Payson scored from 1 yard out with 7:01 left.

“Bangor’s a good football team, no question about it,” said EL coach Jim Hersom. “They have a lot of rugged kids, and they do what they do very well. But our kids hung in there with them physically, we hit with them and didn’t shy away from it.”

RAMS 29, RED EDDIES 6

Rams 7 9 0 13 ? 29

Edward Little 0 0 6 0 ? 6

B ? Aa. Gallant 3 run (Barron kick)

B ? Payson 1 run (rush failed)

B ? Barron 24 field goal

EL ? LaValley 1 run (rush failed)

B ? Aa. Gallant 17 run (Barron kick)

B ? Payson 1 run (kick failed)

Bangor Edward Little

First downs 18 8

Rushing att.-yards 50-251 42-137

Passing comp.-att. 7-9 0-6

Passing yards 86 0

Total yards 337 137

Punts-avg. 2-42 5-22.2

Fumbles-lost 5-1 4-2

Intercepted by 0 1

Penalties-yards 4-27 3-16

Rushing

Bangor: Aaron Gallant 20-127, Payson 14-55, Dexter 9-32, Alex Gallant 4-23, Ingraham 2-8, Hackett 1-6; EL: LaValley 15-59, Demers 12-54, Leighton 6-22, Nadeau 4-10, LeBlanc 1-8, Simpson 4-(-16)

Passing

Bangor: Hackett 9-11-1-86; EL: Simpson 0-6-0-0

Receiving

Bangor: Derosa 5-61, Vanidestine 3-30, Russell 1-(-5); EL: none

A?750 (est.)