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Saturday, November 13, 2004
Skowhegan ousted
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||
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Skowhegan controlled the ball for more than twice as long as Bangor. The Indians gained 354 yards to the Rams' 231. But thanks to big plays, it's Bangor going to the Class A state championship game following a 28-22 win at Cameron Stadium on Friday night. Bangor is now 10-1, and will face the winner of today's game between Bonny Eagle and Portland high schools in the state championship game next Saturday at Portland's Fitzpatrick Stadium. The Rams' last state final appearance was three years ago, when they beat Portland for Eastern Maine's only Class A championship since 1981. Skowhegan ends the season at 5-6. On each of Bangor's four scoring drives, the Rams had a play of at least 38 yards that either put the Rams deep into Skowhegan territory, or directly into the end zone. "They made us do that," Bangor head coach Mark Hackett said. "They're a high-pressure defense. They'll give up a big play if you can connect. We had to work for them." After Bangor quarterback Brian Hackett connected with Anthony DeRosa on an 88-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams a 21-14 lead with 9:30 to play in the game, the Indians went on an eight-play, 81-yard drive, scoring when halfback Aaron Chambers broke tackles and ran up the middle for a 9-yard score. As they have all season, the Indians went for two and took a 22-21 lead when Chambers dove across the goal line with 5:24 to play. Bangor took over on its own 34 after recovering the fumbled kickoff. On the first play of the drive, Nick Payson ran 62 yards to the Skowhegan 18-yard line. Five plays later, on second and goal from the one, Payson scored the game-winner with 2:49 remaining. Held to just 9 yards rushing in the first half, Payson finished with 92 yards on 15 carries and ran better in the second half after tweaking his ankle. "When he twisted his ankle, (Payson) slowed down a little bit and hit the holes," coach Hackett said. Forced to throw for the first time all night, Skowhegan reached the Bangor 45 yard line before T.J. Vanidestine intercepted a Mike LaCasse pass at the Bangor 29 with 43 seconds to play. The play was Skowhegan's first turnover of the playoffs. "I thought we'd be able to pull it out one more time there," Skowhegan head coach Mike Marston said. "That was just a super high school football game." As they did all season, the Indians kept the ball on the ground and chewed up yardage and time. Skowhegan took the opening kickoff and went 73 yards in 12 plays and took a 6-0 lead on Josh Whiting's 10-yard touchdown run. After the teams traded four quick possessions, Bangor took a 7-6 lead when Brian Hackett hit wide open tight end Aaron Gallant for a 72-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. "I sort of faked like I was blocking and slipped underneath," Gallant said. Skowhegan utilized Chambers heavily throughout the game, and the junior gave his team a 14-7 halftime lead on a 1-yard dive into the end zone with a 1:01 to play in the first half. Chambers finished the game with 40 carries for 220 yards, but Bangor kept the shifty back from breaking too many big gains, as he did in Skowhegan's 44-8 win over Bangor in the regular season. "We really wanted to make sure we kept (Chambers) inside," Gallant said. "We didn't want him to get to the corner." "Slowing him down is about all you can do," coach Hackett said. Bangor tied the game with 3:21 left in the third quarter on another scoring drive that took less than a minute. Vanidestine ran 38 yards on first down to Skowhegan's 25. Two plays later, Gallant, filling in for Payson at tailback, ran 19 yards up the middle to knot the game at 14-14. "I think both teams made a lot of big plays," Marston said. "Both teams pretty much stuck with what got them here." For Skowhegan, the season ends well above preseason expectations. With no starters returning from 2003, many in Skowhegan expected a rebuilding year. "I never dreamed of (reaching the PTC final)," Marston said. "I thought if we set the playoffs as a goal, we'd be OK." Travis Lazarczyk -- 861-9242 tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com |
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