Cape Elizabeth 26
Old Orchard Beach 13
Cape Elizabeth took advantage of two Old Orchard turnovers to roll to a 26-13 win over the Gulls in a preseason scrimmage Friday in Old Orchard Beach. The Gulls were able to take advantage of a crucial turnover to take a 7-6 first half lead as both teams prepared for their regular season.
The Capers stuck the ball in the end zone first in the game’s opening quarter. With the Gulls driving into the Cape end of the field, Cape’s Wyatt Morin jumped on a loose ball for the first turnover. The Capers took full advantage, and drove 64 yards for the score. On second and goal from the 2-yard line, quarterback Jim Bump found Andrew Cohn in the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked. The bulk of the drive came on two pass plays thanks to the Cape offensive line giving Bump time to throw down the field.
“Our big area of improvement from last year is our offensive line and defensive line,” said Cape coach Aaron Filieo. “We lost a lot of beef, but I like what I saw. We have a lot of potential on the offensive line.”
The Gulls got on the board late in the second quarter. Cape Elizabeth was driving deep into Old Orchard territory when Nick Maltev leaped and intercepted one of Bump’s passes. The Gulls drive stalled out on the Cape 46.
But a great play by Maltev on the punt kept the drive alive. The ball was deflected off a Cape player and Maltev fell on it to give Old Orchard new life with a first down at the 20. Three plays later, quarterback Dean Perrone lunged into the end zone to tie the game. The Gulls converted on the extra point and took a 7-6 lead.
In the third, Cape reclaimed the lead on their first possession. The Capers took over in their own end but a 41-yard pass from Bump to Ray got the Capers close to another score. Two runs from Andrew Moulton got them to the 5-yard line. On fourth down, the Gulls jumped offside twice to give Cape a first down. On first down, Moulton lowered his head and found the end zone. The Capers went for two points, but failed to connect and the lead was 12-7.
The Gulls answered right back with a 58-yard drive of their own. Nine plays later, Old Orchard retook the lead. It didn’t come without a struggle, as they had to convert one fourth down and a third down during the drive. On the ninth play, Perrone appeared to be headed for a sack when he struggled free and lofted a pass to the end zone where Josh Bouffard hauled it in for the score. The extra point was block but with just 3:05 to play in the third, Old Orchard had a 13-12 lead.
“Our first three quarters against one of the top two or three teams in Class B with 10 penalties and two turnovers to be up 7-6 at the half and 13-12 after in the third was a good confidence boost for our kids.” said Old Orchard coach Dean Plante. “The kids needed to see that they can compete. It’s good for the younger kids.”
That was the last time the Gulls would hold the lead.
After a short run back on the kickoff, Bump connected with Ray down the right sideline for a 69-yard touchdown strike that took the wind out of Old Orchard’s sails. Once again the Capers failed to score on the two-point attempt but took the lead nevertheless.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Capers scored again when Ezra Wolfinger intercepted a pass and ran it 27 yards into the end zone for a 26-13 Cape Elizabeth lead.
Friday night, the Capers open their season when they travel to York to take on the Wildcats. The Capers went all the way to the conference final last year and would like to finish what they started last fall.
“I feel really good (about the season),” said Filieo. “It will be an interesting league. Obviously Mountain Valley is the team to beat. The bookends are our big games. We open with York and end with Mountain Valley. Hopefully we learn from our game with York and go from there.”
The Gulls will also be in action Friday night when they host Madison in their season opener. Last year the Gulls got off to a roaring 4-0 start before faltering and missing the playoffs. This year, the Gulls are healthy and ready.
“I saw some good things and some things we need to work on,” said Plante. “People are asking ‘how are you going to be?’ and I have no idea. We have some kids that changed spots and some that worked in the offseason to improve themselves. I think we can compete with anyone on our schedule as long as we don’t turn the ball over and shoot ourselves in the foot. But we have some good teams on the schedule and we should know right away.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
