GORHAM — Riley Reed ran for 252 yards and three touchdowns Friday night as Falmouth topped Gorham 31-7 in a Class B South football game.
The Yachtsmen (2-1), who lost in the Class B South final last year, have won two straight following a two-point season-opening loss to Brunswick.
“Gorham has definitely impressed us this year and everyone (on our team) knew coming into this game they are not the team we saw last year,” said Reed. “We were ready for that. We were preparing as if they were our top competition (this year).”
After Gorham (1-2) scored in the fourth quarter, the Yachtsmen answered on a 55-yard TD run by Reed to put the game out of reach, 25-7 with 11:56 remaining.
“We just had a mental lapse and didn’t have enough guys on the field,” Gorham Coach Andy Hager said of the scoring run. “The play went right over where we were supposed to be. It was probably the punch on the ropes that knocked us out.”
Reed had set up the TD with a 25-yard kickoff return to Falmouth’s 45.
Brady Douglas added 85 yards on 12 carries and Zach Derhak had a 4-yard TD run.
“They came out and punched us in the mouth and ran the ball down our throat,” Hager said. “When we were in a position to get things going we just shot ourselves in the foot. But, 100 percent, they outplayed us.”
Falmouth scored on its first possession to open when Reed scored on a 43-yard run that capped a seven-play, 81-yard drive. Reed broke a tackle by a linebacker and then went in untouched for the final 25 yards down the left sideline.
The defenses then stopped the opposition on fourth.
First, Falmouth’s Jake Ricker and Coleman Allen stuffed Tyler Rollins on a fourth-and-inches run up the middle from the Yachtsmen 34.
The Rams’ Henri Kuntz then stopped Zach Derhak on a 4th-and-2 play from Gorham’s 37 with 14 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Rollins finished with 24 yards after racking up more than 160 last week.
“We’re very tough on the run,” Falmouth Coach John Fitzsimmons said. “Our linebackers are strong, but it starts with the line closing the holes.
“We came into the game with a lot respect for (Rollins) and we leave with it. But we knew he was their weapon and we did a good job shutting him down.”
Falmouth made it 12-0 at the end of the first half, again highlighted by a big Reed play. This time his off-tackle run was good for 37 yards to Gorham’s 9. On the next play, Nick Mancini found Jackman Graiver-Webber in the left front corner of the end zone as the Rams’ defender overran the receiver, who had stopped.
Derhak’s score made it 19-0 with 3:54 left in the third quarter.
Reed sparked the drive with an 18-yard run to the Rams’ 30.
The Rams finally scored when quarterback Isaac Rollins (14 carries, 57 yards, and 66 yards passing) ran in from the 3. He rushed for 29 yards and threw for 25 on the drive.
Reed added a 1-yard plunge for a TD midway through the fourth.
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