Football
Gorham 15
Windham 7
Following Gorham’s 15-7 victory over Windham Friday, it wouldn’t have been surprising if both teams had walked of the field with a limp.
Both the Eagles and Rams repeatedly shot themselves in the foot.
“We played a good team in Windham,” said Gorham’s Jon Mitchell. “They might have deserved to win. We really didn’t play how we should have.”
Despite Mitchell’s game-high 178 yards rushing, the Rams looked little like the offensive juggernaut that ran up point totals of 57, 32 and 43 in the season’s first three weeks.
After scoring on its first drive – a 2-yard run by Mitchell – Gorham (4-0) had its next three drives end via the turnover – an interception and two fumbles.
“You have to hand it them,” Gorham coach Dave Kilborn said. “Windham played with a lot more intensity tonight than we could muster.”
But the Eagles weren’t smelling like roses either.
In order: fumble, punt, interception, botched field goal, punt. That’s how Windham’s (1-3) five first-half possessions ended. Many of those drives were also slowed by penalties.
Still, the Eagles only trailed, 8-0, at the half.
“We played our butts off,” said Windham coach Matt Perkins, “but the mental mistakes caught up to us. It’s hard to have moral victories when you know your penalties cost you.”
Nobody scored in the second half until early in the fourth quarter when Gorham quarterback Matt Clements rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 15-0.
Windham’s Sam Nappi took the ensuing kick off at the 15-yard line and returned it 50 yards before Gorham kicker Anders Nielsen made a touchdown-saving tackle.
However, Dan Marvonek put Windham on the board five plays later, rushing four yards for a touchdown. The big play on the drive was a 28-yard pass from Travis Guerrette to Josh Sundquist.
A Gorham fumble with less than eight minutes remaining gave Windham the ball on the Ram’s 33-yard line, setting up a scenario where a touchdown followed by a 2-point conversion would tie the game.
However, on first-and-goal Windham fumbled, and Gorham’s Ryan McMullen recovered at the 2 with less than five minutes remaining.
Gorham’s Justin Villacci then carved out runs of 38 and 21 yards to help the Rams move the ball into Windham territory, running out the clock and securing the victory.
The Eagles had held Villacci, Gorham’s star running back, to 43 yards on 14 carries – a 3-yards-per-carry average – prior to the Rams’ final possession.
“Their run defense is probably their strongest thing,” said Villacci.
He finished with 114 yards on 18 carries – a 6-plus-yard average.
“I think they were keying on me mostly,” Villacci said. “They had their strongest guys to my side.”
Mitchell, Villacci’s fellow back, agreed.
“They obviously were keying on Villacci,” he said. “They’ve had one of the best defensive ends I’ve ever seen in (Raibonne) Charles playing opposite of him,” Mitchell said. “We had to make an adjustment late in the game and move Villacci to the other wing-back. They are a very good defensive team.”
Perkins was pleased with the play of his entire defensive line, including Charles, Mike Secord, Nick Kimball, Pat Small, Dan Swett and Jim Tocher. He said those guys cleared the way for his backers, Sundquist, Jake Greenwood, David Kuczweski and Chris Darling to make plays.
Sundquist and Kuczweski finished with 14 tackles apiece. Darling recovered two fumbles.
Even with Eagles’ strong defensive play, it was their mistakes on offense that ultimately did them in.
“No one stopped this team all year and to be this close,” Perkins said. “Gorham played great, take nothing away from them, but we shot ourselves in the foot numerous times.”
While the Rams were careful to not offer an excuse for their play against Windham, players and coaches alike wondered if the team was looking ahead to a matchup with undefeated Deering (4-0) Friday at home.
“We talked about that all week,” Kilborn said. “I have to wonder if that was true or not. It’s tough. We almost learned a valuable lesson and probably should have. Take nothing away from Windham. I think they outplayed us for 99 percent of the night.”
Windham faces Portland (1-3) Friday. The Bulldogs have fallen to undefeated teams, Gorham, Bonny Eagle (4-0) and Deering, each of the last three weeks.
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