By Michael HofferMaxPreps.comWhile it wasn't quite as compelling as the regular season showdown four weeks ago, the Bonny Eagle at Deering Western Class A semifinal round game Saturday afternoon in Portland produced its share of drama.
The two most highly touted squads in the state met for the fourth time in five seasons in the playoffs and for the third time, the Scots carried the day.
Bonny Eagle scored a defensive touchdown on the first play of the game, built a 20-0 lead early in the second half, then fought off a Deering rally to win 26-14 and advance to the Western Class A Final Saturday at undefeated Thornton Academy, which enjoyed an epic victory of its own.
Deering senior standout Jack Heary was held largely in check Saturday, gaining just 67 yards on 19 carries. On the first offensive play of the contest, he was stripped and his rival for the coveted Fitzpatrick Trophy, senior Nate Doehler, recovered and returned it 24-yards to paydirt to give the Scots a 7-0 lead, just 14 seconds in.
Bonny Eagle scored again in the second period when Doehler scored on a 1-yard run. The Rams managed just 96 yards of offense in the first 24 minutes and were done in by five penalties for 49 yards.
When the Scots took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 76 yards on six plays to take a 20-0 lead on a 3-yard run from senior Josh Ruby, Deering appeared to be on the ropes.
Instead, the Rams had the Scots right where they wanted them.
On the first play of the next series, Deering sophomore quarterback Jamie Ross faked a handoff, dropped back and launched a bomb that sophomore receiver Sam Balzano turned into a 77-yard score. After Bonny Eagle went three-and-out on its subsequent possession, Doehler's punt was blocked and the Rams took over at the Scots' 16. Two plays later, Ross found Heary for a 19-yard TD and after a two-point pass, the hosts suddenly trailed just 20-14.
Deering had two chances to complete another memorable rally, but both drives ended with interceptions. Then, with 9:23 to play, Ruby gave him team some breathing room with a 17-yard TD scamper. Bonny Eagle's defense, which was solid all day, slammed the door from there and the Scots earned their measure of revenge with the 26-14 triumph.
“We've been waiting for this for awhile,” said Doehler, who rushed for 137 yards and a TD and threw for 100. “We wanted to see them again and show them what we have. We didn't show everything we have back then. We knew they had a chance to come back. We remembered back to week 6 when the same thing happened. We just couldn't take that feeling again. No one gave up. Everyone stayed focused and played hard.”
“Our goal is to win a state championship and we obviously knew when we lost (to Deering in Week 6) that we'd probably be here for the semifinals,” Bonny Eagle coach Kevin Cooper added. “We really didn't hammer it into the kids' heads this week, going to get revenge at Deering. Deering just happened to be a team to beat to get there.”
On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Thornton Academy showed its heart against visiting No. 3 Windham. The Golden Trojans lost standout quarterback Steve Trask to injury and trailed 14-6, 21-12 and 28-27 before rallying to win 35-28 on Peter Remmes' 5-yard run and a two-point conversion with just under three minutes to go. Thornton Academy improved to 10-0 on the year, while the Eagles capped their finest season yet at 7-3.
While jubilant over the Deering win, Bonny Eagle (8-2) doesn't plan to overlook the Golden Trojans in the Western A Final.
“(Thornton Academy's) very skilled on offense,” Cooper said. “It's very sophisticated, a lot like us, trying to get a lot of guys involved. They're very well coached. I think it's going to be a great battle down there next week.”
In Eastern A, two-time defending regional champion Lawrence was shocked by No. 4 Skowhegan 30-22 in the semifinals Friday night. In the other Eastern A semi, Saturday, No. 2 Edward Little downed No. 3 Lewiston 28-7 in a border war. The Red Eddies (9-1) will host Skowhegan (9-1) in the Eastern A Final Saturday.
The Western B playoff story is playing out as expected. Top-ranked, undefeated Mountain Valley overcame a slow start and pulled away from No. 4 Falmouth 41-6 Friday night. The undermanned Yachtsmen performed quite well in their first-ever playoff contest. Saturday afternoon, No. 2 Cape Elizabeth rallied from a 13-0 halftime deficit to beat No. 3 York 21-13 and improve to 9-1, setting up a third straight regional final showdown with the Falcons (10-0). This year's game will be in Rumford, Saturday afternoon.
In Eastern B, Morse, the fifth seed, continued its surge Friday night by holding off No. 1 Leavitt 7-0 to improve to 7-2. No. 2 Mt. Desert Island also advanced to the regional final with a 28-21 victory over No. 3 Gardiner. MDI (8-1) handed Morse its most recent loss, 22-15, way back in Week 2.
No. 1 Winthrop will host No. 3 Lisbon in the Western C Final. The Eastern C Final features No. 2 John Bapst (9-1) playing at top-ranked Bucksport (10-0).
The state finals for all classes are Saturday, Nov. 22 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.
Michael Hoffer is the sports editor of The Forecaster, a family of weekly newspapers based in Falmouth, Maine. Michael can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.
