BOX SCORE

Falmouth 26 Cheverus 20

C- 6 6 0 8- 20
F- 7 6 7 6- 26

First quarter
C- Fogg 34 run (rush failed)
F- Gay 74 pass from Mitchell (Dilworth kick)

Second quarter
F- Caxton-Smith 2 run (kick blocked)
C- Osei 2 run (pass failed)

Third quarter
F- Caxton-Smith 42 run (Dilworth kick)

Fourth quarter
C- Fogg 11 pass from St. Onge (St. Onge pass to Manning)
F- Backman 14 run (kick blocked)

FALMOUTH—Cheverus left no doubt that it will fit in nicely back in 11-man football, but for one night at least, the Stags didn’t have quite enough to pull out a victory.

As the host Falmouth Navigators made big plays late on both sides of the ball Friday to prevail in a memorable season opener.

Cheverus, the reigning Eight-man large division champion, which moved up to Class C this fall, struck first, as after senior Matt Fogg blocked a Falmouth punt, he scored on a 34-yard touchdown run for a 6-0 lead.

The Navigators answered, as senior quarterback Peyton Mitchell, a former Stag, made the most of his first varsity completion, finding senior Miles Gay for a 74-yard bomb and a 7-6 advantage after one period.

Senior Finn Caxton-Smith stretched Falmouth’s lead to seven with a 2-yard run in the second period and while junior Joe Osei countered with a 2-yard scoring run of his own for Cheverus, the Stags failed on the two-point conversion and the Navigators clung to a 13-12 halftime advantage.

When Caxton-Smith broke free for a 42-yard score in the third quarter, the Navigators appeared on their way, but Cheverus dug into its reservoir of championship heart and with 3:45 remaining, pulled even, when junior quarterback Gio St. Onge hit Fogg for an 11-yard score, then found senior Nicholas Manning for the subsequent two-point conversion.

Falmouth, to its credit, didn’t buckle and showed it has plenty of mental toughness as well, answering with an impressive drive, which featured two long Caxton-Smith runs which set the stage for senior Indi Backman to score on a 14-yard scamper with 1:49 left. The extra point was blocked, giving the Stags a chance to win it, but despite driving into Navigators territory, Cheverus couldn’t finish, as Falmouth’s defense came up with one final stop and that was just enough to produce a 26-20 Navigators’ victory.

Falmouth started 1-0 and beat the Stags in the teams’ first-ever meeting.

“I expected a good game,” said longtime Navigators coach John Fitzsimmons. “(Cheverus) made some great decisions over there. In the end, it’s a ‘W’ and we’re thankful we pulled it off.”

Starting anew

Cheverus ran roughshod in the Eight-man large school division last year, rolling to an undefeated season and a state championship, 56-0, over Waterville. With the program’s numbers back at a healthy level, the Stags made the decision to return to the 11-man level this fall and for the first time, will be classified in Class C.

Falmouth, which went 3-4 a year ago, losing, 42-0, to Skowhegan in the Class B North quarterfinals, believes it will be a strong contender in 2022.

Prior to Friday, the teams had never met in a countable game.

On a comfortable evening (65 degrees with a negligible wind at kickoff), the teams went back and forth, but with the game hanging in the balance, the Navigators made the plays that mattered.

Cheverus won the opening coin toss and deferred possession for the second half and Falmouth began the game inauspiciously, as on the first play of the season, Mitchell was sacked by Stags senior captain Rilan Smith, fumbled the ball and the visitors recovered at the Navigators’ 47.

The Stags couldn’t take advantage, however, as after Osei was held to no gain, a bad exchange put the ball on the ground and junior Will Gale pounced on the fumble for Falmouth, giving the hosts possession at its 48.

After Mitchell ran for a yard, he was sacked for a yard loss by junior Maxwell Cassidy and after a false start penalty set up third-and-15, Mitchell ran for just two yards, necessitating a punt.

Cheverus began its second possession at its 29 and produced the game’s first first down, as after Smith ran for a yard, St. Onge found junior Preston Fallon for a 14-yard completion to the 44. Senior Rocco Mancini then threw Fogg for a five-yard loss and after St. Onge twice threw incomplete, the Stags punted again and the Navigators got the ball back at their 38.

After both Backman and Caxton-Smith were held to no gain, Mitchell threw incomplete and the Stags’ special teams then made the game’s first big play.

Fogg, who just missed blocking Caxton-Smith’s punt on the previous possession, this time got to the ball and Cheverus recovered at the Falmouth 34.

“We work on the punt block hard,” said Stags coach Mike Vance. “That’s just part of what we do.”

One play later, the scoring ice was broken, as Fogg got the carry, found a big hole to his left and left the defense in his wake en route to paydirt. Fogg’s two-point conversion rush attempt was stopped just short by Caxton-Smith, but with 3:22 to go in the opening stanza, the Stags had a 6-0 advantage.

Which didn’t last long.

The Navigators got the ball back at their 29 and after Mitchell threw incomplete and sophomore Matthew Baker dropped senior Lucas Dilworth for a three-yard loss, Mitchell dropped back again, waited for Gay to make his move, then launched a beautiful bomb down the left sideline which Gay ran down before strolling into the end zone to complete a dazzling 74-yard scoring play. Dilworth added the extra point and with 2:07 remaining in the first period, Falmouth was on top, 7-6.

Cheverus took over at its 20 and hoped to answer and it picked up a first down, as after Osei ran for five yards and Fogg lost four yards, St. Onge scrambled for 11 to the 32. Fogg picked up four more on the final play of the first period and on the first play of the second stanza, Gale dropped Fogg for the loss of a yard and St. Onge threw incomplete, forcing a punt.

The Navigators got the ball back at their 38 with 10:58 to go before halftime and in a drive that took 2 minutes and 50 seconds and required eight plays, Falmouth marched 62 yards to add to its lead.

A 12-yard scramble to midfield by Mitchell got things started. After Mitchell gained three more into Stags’ territory, Backman ran for two and a 15-yard facemask penalty was tacked on. From the 30, Caxton-Smith got the ball on a reverse and picked up 16 more. Mitchell appeared to score on a 14-yard run, but a holding penalty negated the score and moved the ball back to the 19. After an incomplete pass, Mitchell ran for 10 yards, then hit Caxton-Smith for seven more, setting up first-and-goal at the 2. Out of a timeout, Caxton-Smith did the rest, taking the snap out of Wildcat formation and bulling his way into the end zone with 8:08 left in the second period. Dilworth’s PAT attempt was blocked by Osei, but the Navigators had a 13-6 advantage.

Cheverus then embarked on an impressive drive of its own, marching 74 yards in nine plays and 5:51.

From the 26, Osei gained seven yards and Fogg moved the chains with a six-yard pickup. After Fogg ran for five more, Osei gained nearly five, setting up third-and-inches, where St. Onge kept the ball and gained a first down at midfield. After Fogg ran for four yards, a holding penalty backed the Stags up, but Fogg broke free for 34 yards and that, combined with a horse-collar, personal foul penalty on the hosts, set up first-and-goal from the 7. Osei moved the ball to the 2 and then, with 2:14 remaining in the half, Osei scored from two-yards out. Caxton-Smith intercepted St. Onge’s two-point conversion pass, but the Stags were back within one.

Cheverus then forced a three-and-out, as Mitchell had a sure TD pass slip through the hands of Gay, Mitchell was pressured by Fogg and threw incomplete, then, after a false start penalty, Mitchell missed his target again.

With 1:38 left before halftime, the Stags got the ball back at their 33, but after a fumbled snap and a delay of game penalty, Fogg ran for six yards and Smith picked up nine more, but he fumbled in the process and Backman recovered.

Falmouth had one more chance at the Cheverus 43, but immediately gave the ball back, as a fumbled snap was recovered by Osei.

The Stags had 16.9 seconds to march 46 yards for the lead and Smith spun out of a tackle and created hope with a 24-yard rush, but after a false start and an incomplete pass, Fogg only gained three yards and the first half concluded with the Navigators on top, 13-12.

Cheverus got the ball to start the second half and began a promising drive, but it wouldn’t produce any points.

Starting at their 35, the Stags got five yards from Osei and after Osei was dropped for a three-yard loss by Dilworth, Smith picked up 14 yards to Falmouth’s 49. An offsides penalty on the Navigators gave Cheverus five more yards and Fogg ran for 14 yards to move the chains to the 30. The drive would stall, however, as after junior Torin Svedlow held Smith to no gain, Osei also failed to pick up a yard and St. Onge threw incomplete. On fourth-and-10, Fogg only gained three and Falmouth got the ball at its 27.

The Navigators went three-and-out, as Caxton-Smith ran for two yards, Backman picked up one and a bad snap led to a loss of six.

The Stags had another chance to take the lead, starting from their 47, but after Fogg ran for three yards, a fumbled exchange was recovered by Mancini at Cheverus’ 43.

The Navigators took advantage and needed just two plays to strike, as after Mitchell scrambled for a yard, Caxton-Smith, operating out of the Wildcat, took off to his left, found running room and didn’t stop until crossing the goal line for a 42-yard score with 3:41 to play in the third quarter.

“I love the Wildcat play,” said Caxton-Smith. “I feel safe with the ball in my hands.”

“Finn is something to watch,” Fitzsimmons said. “He passes really well too.”

Dilworth added the extra point to make the score 20-12.

The Stags couldn’t answer, as after picking up a first down on an illegal Falmouth chop block, they got a two-yard rush from junior Dominic Cortez before St. Onge missed incomplete and Mancini sacked St. Onge to force a punt.

Late in the stanza, the Navigators got two rushes from Caxton-Smith that tallied three yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter, a holding penalty negated a nice completion and after Backman only gained five yards on fourth-and-13, the home team had to punt.

With 10:36 left, Cheverus started at its 45 and in a drive that would eat up nearly seven minutes, the Stags would march for the tying score.

Smith ran for three yards and Osei lost one, setting up third-and-3, where St. Onge appeared to throw incomplete, but pass interference was called, extending the drive. From the Falmouth 38, Fogg ran for two yards, Smith picked up two more and after Fogg gained three, setting up fourth down, St. Onge faked a handoff and found a wide open Manning behind the defense for 24 yards, setting up first-and-goal from the 7. After Osei picked up two yards, senior Ben Kelly dropped Osei for a two-yard loss. Senior Ryan Lancaster then threw Fogg for a four-yard loss, but on fourth-and-goal, Fogg snuck out of the backfield and caught a St. Onge pass on the run and didn’t slow until crossing the goal line for an 11-yard score with 3:45 remaining.

Cheverus went for two and again Manning came up huge, catching St. Onge’s pass to tie the score, 20-20.

But while the Stags seemed to have the momentum, the Navigators had them right where they wanted them.

Dilworth returned the ensuing kickoff to the 37 and in five plays and 1:49, Falmouth retook the lead.

This time for good.

A six-yard Caxton-Smith run got things started and after Smith dropped Dilworth for a one-yard loss, Caxton-Smith took the Wildcat snap on third-and-5 and gained 11 yards to the Cheverus 47. Caxton-Smith then took off down the right side and gained 19 yards. Making matters worse for the Stags, they were ruled to have hit Caxton-Smith out of bounds and 14 more yards were tacked on, putting the ball at the 14.

That set the stage for Backman, who got the handoff and found a giant hole to run through for a 14-yard TD with 1:49 on the clock.

“That was all blocking,” Backman said. “Lucas Dilworth and Will Gale had the best blocks ever.”

“We had a couple big plays where we executed well to get down there and Indi scored up the middle,” Fitzsimmons said. “To be honest, in my head, I thought, ‘Let’s get a few yards and have the option for a field goal,’ then Will Gale cleaned out the defense and Indi just walked in.”

For the second time, Dilworth had the extra point blocked, leaving the door open for Cheverus.

The Stags would threaten to rally and pull out the victory, but with the game hanging in the balance, Falmouth’s defense wouldn’t be denied.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Navigators on the ensuing kickoff allowed Cheverus to start from its 39 and after St. Onge threw incomplete, he hit Fogg for 11 yards to midfield. Smith then gained three yards, but St. Onge threw incomplete, then he was nearly intercepted by sophomore Gio Guerrette, who knocked the ball down. That set the stage for the fateful fourth-and-7 call from the Falmouth 47.

To no one’s surprise, St. Onge threw a short pass to Fogg, but he was mobbed by Caxton-Smith and Lancaster and gained only three yards, giving the ball back to the home team.

“I knew they’d do the same screen pass and I’d have to go up and tackle him,” Caxton-Smith said.

“The defense stepped up when they had to,” Fitzsimmons said.

For all intents and purposes that did it and after Mitchell took a knee, the clock ran out and the Navigators were able to exhale and celebrate their 26-20 victory.

“It’s great to get the win,” Backman said. “It got close, but I stayed calm the whole way.”

Falmouth finished with 220 yards of offense and overcame nine accepted penalties for 80 yards, a blocked punt and a couple of turnovers.

“We have a good team, but tonight, we had a lot of first-game jitters and it showed with some uncharacteristic penalties that made it a long night,” said Fitzsimmons. “I said to the guys, ‘The good news is there were only two rules in the rulebook we didn’t violate.'”

Caxton-Smith wound up rushing 10 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a seven-yard reception and played a key role on defense as well.

“(Cheverus) had a really good running game,” Caxton-Smith said. “It was hard stopping them to the outside in the first half, but after we made adjustments at halftime, we figured out how to stop what they were running.”

Mitchell wound up completing 2-of-7 passes, good for 81 yards and a score.

Backman ran five times for 22 yards and a TD.

Building block

Cheverus had 282 yards of offense and was penalized five times for 40 yards.

St. Onge completed 5-of-14 passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. He ran three times for a dozen yards.

Fogg impressed with 103 yards and a TD on 16 rushes. He also caught three passes for 25 yards and a score.

Osei ran 10 times for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Smith gained 56 yards on eight rushes.

Manning had one catch for 24 yards and Fallon one reception for 14.

Three turnovers helped doom the Stags.

“We played with a lot of grit,” Vance said. “We just have to learn how to finish. We have a lot of inexperienced kids who are coming along quickly, but it wasn’t quite enough tonight. We played a lot of defense. They got outside a couple times on us and that hurt.”

Home sweet home

Cheverus plays its home opener next Saturday, when Westbrook pays a visit.

“No doubt we’ll build on this,” Vance said. “We saw a lot of good things tonight. Not enough to win, but a lot to build on. We’ll go back to the drawing board and work on things we didn’t do well. We’ve got high character kids. We’ll get better from here.”

Falmouth remains home to take on Mt. Blue Friday night. The following week, the Navigators go to reigning Class C champion Cape Elizabeth.

“I think our team is amazing and we can go pretty deep,” Caxton-Smith said. “Our offensive line is one of the best in the state.”

“We just have to fix our mistakes and clean up our penalties,” said Backman.

“This is something to build on,” Fitzsimmons added. “There’s a lot of good character on this team. We’ll learn our lessons. We play two state champions in our first three games, so we’ll see what we’re made of.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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