If Poland was feeling good fresh off their 48-25 takedown of Madison/Carrabec/Valley last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Poland Knights took a hard 44-30 fall against the Dirigo Cougars on Friday. The game was a 8-8 toss-up at halftime, but the Knights couldn't quite close it out.
Despite the loss, Poland still got an impressive performance from Damon Martin, who rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 104 yards and two touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes. With that strong performance, Martin is now averaging an impressive 103 rushing yards per game. Landon Cooper was in the mix too, providing Poland with two touchdowns.
Poland didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Lucas Verrill and Cooper.
Dirigo got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Hudson Lufkin out in front who rushed for 178 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.9 yards per carry, and also threw for 137 yards and a touchdown. Those 178 rushing yards gave Lufkin a new career-high. Owen Smith was Lufkin's top target, rushing for 56 yards and a touchdown, while also picking up 40 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Poland dropped their record down to 1-6 with the loss, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Dirigo, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 5-1.
Poland will head out on the road to challenge Freeport at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Freeport will roll in looking for their fourth straight win, something Poland surely won't give up without a fight. As for Dirigo, they will host Mattanawcook/Lee Academy/Penobscot Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Dirigo is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 26.8 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
