Portland gets some revenge against Marshwood

BOX SCORE

Portland 40 Marshwood 8

M- 8 0 0 0- 8
P- 8 14 18 0- 40

First quarter
P- Charles 1 run (Charles pass to Wani)
M- Poe 65 run (T. Cougler rush)

Second quarter
P- Brewer 2 run (rush failed)
P- Charles 24 run (Charles pass to Wani)

Third quarter
P- Safety, punt snap went out of end zone
P- Charles 42 run (Charles rush)
P- Brewer 5 run (Buck rush)

Fourth quarter
No scoring

PORTLAND—There are wins.

And then there are WINS.

Friday evening at Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland’s football team produced the latter.

One that was a long, long time in coming.

Hosting four-time reigning Class B state champion Marshwood in a late-season showdown, the Bulldogs came out as if they’d been waiting nearly a year to settle matters with the Hawks and they played with desire and intensity for 48 minutes to earn a key victory.

After an initial drive was halted at the Marshwood 1, Portland got the ball back and drove for the game’s first score, a 1-yard touchdown run from senior quarterback Kennedy Charles.

The Hawks immediately answered on a 65-yard TD dash from junior Emmanuel Poe and the game would be deadlocked, 8-8, after one quarter.

But the Bulldogs began to take over in the second period, as first senior Andrew Brewer scored on a 2-yard run, then Charles, behind a pancake block from Brewer, scored on a 24-yard dash and Portland took a 22-8 advantage to the half.

The Bulldogs then ended all doubt in the third quarter, as after scoring two points on a safety when Marshwood snapped the ball out of its end zone on a punt, Charles broke away for a 42-yard TD run, which was punctuated by him running over a potential tackler. Brewer then added a 5-yard touchdown run.

Portland’s defense did the rest and the end result was an inspirational and satisfying 40-8 victory.

The Bulldogs, who lost to Marshwood in last year’s Class B South Final, evened their record at 3-3 and in the process, dropped the Hawks to 2-4.

“How last season ended was in the front of our minds all week long,” said Portland coach Jason McLeod. “It was an easy motivational tool for our kids, especially the ones who were there last year. We have to keep things in context. It’s a regular season game. It’s good to get our first home win against a good program. I think we got better from it.”

Payback

After its quest for a title was dashed by Marshwood, Portland entered 2022 full of optimism, but due in part to a brutal schedule, the first half of the campaign was anything but triumphant. The Bulldogs opened with a 21-14 win at Kennebunk (in a game played in Biddeford), then lost at home to powerhouse Leavitt (42-8), at Bonny Eagle (12-8) and at home to Class A favorite Oxford Hills (28-16).

“We got better from those (losses),” said McLeod. “We wanted to get challenged early in the season and we were. We had to reflect and get better and that’s what we did.”

Last week, Portland returned to form with a 30-12 victory at Biddeford.

Marshwood started with a 35-26 setback at South Portland and after downing visiting Noble (40-20), lost at Scarborough in a wild one (29-28) and was beaten at home by Massabesic (34-6). Last week, the Hawks got back on track with a dramatic 21-20 overtime win over Bonny Eagle.

The teams split their meetings in 2021, with Portland beating host Marshwood in the regular season (28-14) before the Hawks won decisively, 35-0, in the Class B South Final en route to its fourth consecutive state title.

Friday, on a comfortable evening (64 degrees at kickoff), the Bulldogs came out firing and gradually pulled away for an impressive victory.

Portland got the ball first and after Brewer returned the opening kickoff 19 yards to the 39, drove to the shadow of Marshwood’s goal line before being stopped.

Charles set the tone with a 22-yard burst and after junior Reegan Buck gained 12 yards to the Hawks’ 27, Charles gained 22 more to the 5. Brewer ran for two yards on first-and-goal, but Charles was stopped for no gain, then picked up just one on third-and-goal to the 2. McLeod opted to go for it on fourth down, but Charles was stymied at the 1 and Marshwood got the ball on downs.

The Bulldogs’ defense then stepped up, forcing a three-and-out, as sophomore quarterback Cullen St. Cyr kept the ball for three yards, Poe ran for two and after a false start penalty, senior Ty Cougler’s five-yard run set up fourth-and-3. Following another false start, senior Kevin Cougler punted for 31 yards, but Portland took over at the Hawks’ 35 with 7:09 left in the first quarter.

Four plays and 58 seconds later, the Bulldogs were in the end zone.

Buck ran for five yards on first down, then Charles lofted a pass down the left sideline that was hauled in by senior Remijo Wani for 26 yards, setting up first-and-goal at the 4. After Charles ran to the 1, he fought his way in from the 1 on the next snap and after hitting Wani with a two-point conversion pass, Portland was on top, 8-0, with 6:11 left in the opening stanza.

Marshwood needed all of a dozen seconds to answer.

Starting at the 35, Poe got the ball, burst through a big hole on the left, then raced down the sideline, leaving the defense in his wake en route to a 65-yard TD. Ty Cougler added the two-point conversion rush and with 5:53 to play in the first, the game was suddenly tied, 8-8.

Portland got the ball back at its 35 and began to march again, but it would ultimately shoot itself in the foot.

After a holding penalty, Charles lost two yards, but a facemask penalty was called, setting up first-and-19 from the 26. Buck ran for 13 yards, then Brewer moved the chains with a nine-yard burst. Charles threw incomplete, but he kept the ball for 13 yards on the next snap, moving the pile on the play, to set up first down at the Hawks’ 39. After Buck was thrown for a five-yard loss by senior Will Anderson, Charles threw a pass that was intercepted by sophomore Deshawn Toussaint, who returned the ball a dozen yards to Marshwood’s 47.

The Hawks were in good position to drive for the lead, but Poe was thrown for a three-yard loss by juniors Isaak Alkafaji and Brayden Wales and after the Bulldogs jumped offsides, Poe was held to no gain and St. Cyr threw incomplete, forcing a punt.

With 1:28 to go in the first quarter, Portland got the ball at its 14 and after Brewer ran for two yards, Charles nearly broke one, racing all the way to the Marshwood 9, for an apparent 75-yard pickup, but a costly holding penalty negated the gain and the Bulldogs had to come all the way back to their 17. After Buck lost a yard on the final play of the period, Brewer gained four yards, but the hosts had to punt.

The Hawks would take over at their 21, but went backwards, as a fumbled exchange led to a seven-yard loss and after St. Cyr hit junior Benjamin Santisi for five yards, he threw incomplete, forcing a punt.

With 9:28 left, Portland got the ball at the Marshwood 39, but couldn’t take advantage, as Charles threw incomplete, then he ran for two yards and one, setting up fourth-and-7. Brewer’s punt pinned the Hawks at their 5 and the Bulldogs’ defense came up huge with a game-altering turnover.

After Ty Cougler lost two yards, St. Cyr threw a pass over the middle that was intercepted by sophomore Aidan McGowan. McGowan returned the ball to the Marshwood 15 and two plays later, Portland went ahead to stay.

Charles got the Bulldogs close with a 13-yard burst, then Brewer did the rest, bulling in from the 2 with 6:35 left before halftime. Buck’s two-point conversion rush was stopped short by junior Justin Farmham, but Portland had a 14-8 advantage.

The Hawks hurt themselves with a penalty on the ensuing kickoff and had to start at their 12 as a result. After Cougler ran for five yards, he lost one and St. Cyr threw incomplete (he was nearly intercepted), forcing another punt.

With 5:11 on the clock, the Bulldogs got the ball back at their 41 and in five plays and 3 minutes, 6 seconds, drove for another touchdown.

Buck got things started with a five-yard run. After Charles hit Wani on a quick hitter for 12 yards and a first down at the Marshwood 42, a false start penalty backed Portland up five yards, but Buck ran for four yards, then he broke free for 19, dragging a tackler 10 yards in the process, setting up first down at the 24. Charles did the rest, taking the snap, rolling right, then following Brewer, who completely pancaked a defender, into space before completing a 24-yard scoring burst.

“The way (Kennedy) runs, I have to block for him and that’s just how it’s going to be the rest of the season,” Brewer said. “That was exciting.”

“We were looking for our guys to be a lot more physical,” McLeod said. “I don’t think we were as physical as we could or should have been last week, but this game was a statement game for our guys up front and our skill guys. If we block for somebody, good things will happen.”

Charles then threw the two-point conversion pass to the back line of the end zone where Wani soared and came down inbounds to make it 22-8 with 2:28 left before halftime.

The Hawks looked to answer as they started at their 26 and while Poe made a fabulous one-handed catch, good for 18 yards, an illegal shift penalty, incomplete pass, two-yard rush by sophomore Andrew Ryan and four-yard run by Ty Cougler on third-and-13, necessitated another punt and time ran out on the first half in the process.

In the first 24 minutes, Portland out-gained Marshwood, 199 yards to 88, as Charles ran for 101 yards and two TDs.

The Bulldogs completely broke the game open in the third quarter.

The Hawks got the ball at their 22 to start the second half after Buck brought down Poe for no gain on the kickoff return. St. Cyr was then dropped for a seven-yard loss, as Wales nearly stole the ball from him in the process. After Ty Cougler ran for five yards, St. Cyr threw incomplete. Kevin Cougler punted the ball away and it appeared Portland would take over in good field position at the Marshwood 46, but instead, a holding penalty was called on the Hawks and the Bulldogs made them line up and punt again, this time from their 8. That proved to be a brilliant move as the ensuing snap was well over Cougler’s head and rolled out of the back of the end zone for a two-point safety.

Making matters even worse for the Hawks, they had to punt the ball to Portland, which got a 20-yard return from Charles to the Marshwood 42.

And then Charles put on a show, turning the corner, racing down the right sideline and with Santisi stepping up to make the tackle, Charles simply ran him over, kept his balance and completed a breathtaking 42-yard touchdown dash with 9:52 on the third quarter clock.

“I couldn’t have done that without my line,” Charles said. “They showed up and got the job done. With them in front of me, I have all the confidence in the world to make plays.”

“We wanted to get the ball in (Kennedy’s) hands more,” McLeod said. “When he wasn’t playing quarterback, he wasn’t getting the ball as much as he should have. Now, he’s guaranteed to touch the ball every play and when he touches the ball, good things will happen more often than not.”

Charles added the two-point rush to make it 32-8.

The Hawks couldn’t muster a comeback, as sophomore Colin Kelly dropped Ryan for a two-yard loss, junior Hunter Temple broke up a St. Cyr pass and after an offsides penalty, a fumbled exchange was recovered by Kelly at the Marshwood 21.

Four plays and 1:42 later, Portland scored its final points.

Brewer ran for nine yards and after Charles gained eight to the 4, Brewer was dropped for a one-yard loss, but on the next snap, he got the call again and this time scored from the 5. With 7:02 to go in the frame, Buck converted the two-point rush to make it 40-8.

The Hawks got the ball back at their 27, but St. Cyr threw three straight incompletions forcing a punt.

Midway through quarter number three, McLeod pulled Brewer and Charles, but Portland started to drive again from its 40. Buck ran for eight yards, then two, then seven for a first down at the Marshwood 43. After a false start penalty cost the Bulldogs five yards, McGowan lost four yards, but Buck gained 10. After an offsides penalty on the Hawks, Buck ran for five yards, but he was stripped of the ball and sophomore Colin Barker recovered for the visitors.

Marshwood then started at its 32, but went nowhere, as Ty Cougler ran for three yards, Ryan was dropped by junior Henry Spencer for a one-yard loss and St. Cyr’s pass to Santisi on third-and-8 was only good for seven yards.

Late in the third, Portland got the ball back at its 44, but McGowan, after being stopped cold, fumbled and sophomore Daniel Mercier came away with the loose ball for the Hawks.

As the quarter came to a close, Marshwood moved to the Bulldogs’ 36, then Ryan gained 15 yards to the 21 on the first play of the fourth period. Ty Cougler gained 15 more to set up first-and-goal, but Portland’s defense stiffened and after a false start penalty on the Hawks, Ryan was dropped for a two-yard loss, Spencer and Wales teamed up to sack St. Cyr for a four-yard loss, Cougler caught a pass for eight yards and on fourth-and-goal from the 9, St. Cyr threw incomplete.

Portland managed to avoid a turnover on its next drive, as junior Devin Hall ran for two yards, then five, before sophomore Louis Thurston picked up two more, setting up fourth-and-1.

Marshwood got the ball one final time at the Bulldogs’ 33, but three rushes set up fourth-and-10 and junior Mason Foote threw incomplete to give Portland the ball back at its 33 with 3:58 remaining.

After Temple ran for 11 yards, Hall picked up 11 more. After a two-yard run by Hall, Thurston twice took a knee and at 9:29 p.m., the 40-8 victory was official and it was time to celebrate.

“The whole team has been looking forward to this,” Brewer said. “This was a revenge game and we made that clear by our action on the field and the scoreboard. This was the best week of practice we’ve had. We made it clear that this was a huge game for us. We just did our thing. We have to give credit to the defense. Coach Rudy (Mike Rutherford) put in the plan. We installed it Monday. We had a key on every single play because Wing-T’s a pain (to defend).”

“Everyone saw what happened last year and we didn’t want it to happen again,” said Charles. “I still feel like we only got the job half done because we’ll see this team again. Marshwood hasn’t won championships for no reason and they’ll be back.”

The Bulldogs finished with 304 yards of offense.

Charles ran for 151 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. He also had a 75-yard rush called back. Charles completed 2-of-5 passes for 38 yards with an interception.

A wide receiver by trade, Charles took over as the Wildcat quarterback last week and has thrived.

“It’s a new challenge,” Charles said. “Whatever we have to do to win and get the offense rolling, I’ll do it.”

Brewer ran for 32 yards and two scores on eight attempts.

Buck picked up 84 yards on 13 carries.

Wani had two receptions for 38 yards and also caught two two-point conversion passes.

Portland did turn the ball over three times and was penalized five times for 32 yards.

Marshwood finished with 132 yards of offense, but committed two turnovers and was flagged a whopping 10 times for 79 yards.

“I think we ran one good offensive play the entire night,” lamented Hawks coach Alex Rotsko. “We got beat in every phase, offense, defense, special teams, it didn’t matter. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s disappointing. We’ve had too many turnovers and penalties and we haven’t gotten better in those areas.”

Poe gained 64 yards on four carries with his team’s lone touchdown. He also caught a pass for 18 yards.

St. Cyr competed 4-of-15 passes for 38 yards with an interception. Santisi caught two balls for 12 yards.

Cougler had one catch for 8 yards and ran eight times for 34 yards.

Nothing’s decided

The only thing for certain this fall in Class B South is that nothing is for certain and you can bet the final two weeks will continue the theme of drama and surprise.

Marshwood returns home Friday to face Sanford, then closes at Kennebunk.

“We’ll do the best we can to get better,” said Rotsko.

Portland remains home to face Gorham next Friday, then closes with the Battle of the Bridge at South Portland.

“I know it’s a cliche, but we’ll take things one week at a time and if we do, we can be there at the end,” McLeod said. “We’ll enjoy this win and now we’ll focus our attention on Gorham.”