BANGOR — Things were going so well for Leavitt in the first half of the Class C state championship game Saturday that even lineman Beau Mayo got in on the scoring.
Mayo, a senior, was the recipient of a lateral from wide receiver Sawyer Hathaway, who caught Noah Carpenter’s pass before Mayo took it the rest of the way into the end zone.
That was the Hornets’ fourth touchdown, and Leavitt capped an 11-0 season with a 46-6 win over Medomak Valley at Cameron Stadium.
“Beau Mayo has been probably the best lineman in this league all year, and maybe one of the best in the state. So you get a chance to reward a kid,” Leavitt Coach Mike Hathaway said. “We had worked on that play a few times this week, and hit it. Inspired by ‘Varsity Blues’ and then some other things that we saw on Twitter. But it was a good play and we executed it well, so hats off to the kids. But, yeah, I love to give a lineman some love like that, for sure.”
It’s the second state title in three seasons for Leavitt. Medomak Valley (9-3) was playing in its first state championship game.
After a Medomak punt, Carpenter, Leavitt’s junior quarterback, capped an eight-play drive with a 5-yard run for a touchdown. The Panthers stopped the 2-point conversion try – something they did after each of Leavitt’s four first-half touchdowns, but Leavitt was on its way to a convincing win.
Leavitt needed just two plays for its next touchdown. Carpenter connected with Hathaway for 38 yards, then Dayton Calder ran 21 yards for the touchdown and a 12-0 lead.
“There’s just weapons everywhere, and Coach Hathaway just does a great job at mixing stuff up, and finding angles to attack,” Medomak Coach Ryan Snell said. “But, yeah, there’s just weapons across the field, not really any weak spots on either side of the ball. Just an impressive team.”
Medomak went three-and-out again, and the Hornets got the ball back near midfield late in the first quarter. They ended that drive on the first play of the second quarter, with Calder running in a jet sweep from the 4.
Mayo’s touchdown with 1:08 left before halftime made it 24-0.
“That was amazing. I mean, I don’t think I’ve scored a touchdown since, I don’t know, my middle school years, maybe seventh grade. And to just go out my last game of the season, last game of the career, and just do that is awesome,” Mayo said.
“Coach promised me that I’d get that touchdown before my career is over,” the senior added.
The Hornets then scored on their first two possessions of the second half – a 60-yard run by Carpenter and a 34-yard reception by Brett Coburn. Successful 2-point conversions stretched the lead to 40-0.
“When the O-line is blocking like that, it makes it super easy,” Mike Hathaway said. “They’re giving Noah a lot of time, and they’re opening holes for the running backs – and we got a lot of weapons we can spread the ball around to. And obviously Noah is back there dealing. So the O-line makes it happen. When those guys block, we (have) a lot of other stuff that people (have) to worry about.”
Hathaway scored the Hornets’ final touchdown from 8 yards out in the fourth quarter.
Hayden Staples ended Leavitt’s shutout bid with a 6-yard touchdown run.
The Hornets defense held Medomak to 116 yards, all on the ground.
“Kids battled. I mean, we got a little dinged up, but we were able to move the ball, just not able to piece some things together,” Snell said. “Then you get down, you get a couple situations where you (have) to take shots that didn’t work out.
“I think Leavitt is giving up 11 points a game, roughly, this year. The kids gave great effort, and just weren’t able to string things together, but that’s a credit to Leavitt and their defense.”
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