There was one fine football game played Friday night when Gorham hosted Bonny Eagle, but there’s no need to fret if you missed it. The same two teams meet again this Saturday at 1 p.m.

This time the Scots will be at home. And this time the stakes are higher, as the match-up is a western Class A quarterfinal.

Bonny Eagle is hoping that there are some other differences – namely that they can hold onto the ball a little tighter. Three Scots (6-2) fumbles turned into three Rams (6-2) touchdowns in the first meeting, helping Gorham to a 32-22 victory.

“If we protect the ball, we win the game,” said Bonny Eagle lineman Mason Tripp. “We can run anything on them, and the passing game stepped up when we needed it.”

Scots quarterback Mike O’Donnell did run for 145 yards (on 16 carries) and throw for another 85 (on 8-for-12 passing), but the Rams running game generated even more offense (310 yards). The hosts also protected the ball better.

“Everyone in the league that’s played them knows their running game is tough,” Bonny Eagle coach Kevin Cooper said. “They’ve got very good guys blocking and they’ve got very good running backs. We knew that they were good and they proved it.”

The first turnover came midway through the opening quarter, when Scots running back John Wiechman (58 yards on 15 carries) lost the ball at his own 43 on his team’s first possession. Gorham linebacker Dan Sanford recovered the miscue, and then the Rams took over and did what they do best: run.

Five minutes and 11 plays later, Justin Villacci (108 yards on 22 carries) went the last five yards to put the Rams on the board. Fullback Colin Hurd (67 yards on 12 carries) ran in the conversion.

After each team punted, Bonny Eagle put together a drive of their own, moving 80 yards over the next six minutes, mostly on the arm and feet of O’Donnell. The senior QB ran the ball for the last five yards to the end zone with less than a minute to go in the second quarter.

The Scots pass attempt on the conversion was knocked down, so Gorham took an 8-6 lead into the locker room.

Wiechman’s kick return to open the second half gave the visitors good field position, and the senior back’s number was called several times on the following drive, which took Bonny Eagle down to the two-yard line.

However, on third-and-two Rams linebacker Charlie Justice met Wiechman in the backfield, forcing the Scots to settle for an Erik Hanson field goal.

Gorham came right back with their powerful running game. Though there were a few big gainers – each of the three backs broke for 20 or more yards at least once – most of the night was spent moving forward five yards at a time.

Late in the third quarter, however, Rams QB Mark Clements went to the air on third-and-long and was intercepted by O’Donnell at the Bonny Eagle 23. The momentum shift was immediately reversed when the Scots QB fumbled the ball on the next play. Villacci recovered.

Hurd then carried the ball on three of the next four plays, including the final yard for the touchdown. Andy Oldenburg’s conversion gave his team a 16-9 lead.

Both offenses seemed to be heated up at that point, and each scored a pair of TDs in the fourth quarter, O’Donnell breaking loose for a 51-yard sprint to the end zone and later throwing a 10-yard pass to Ben Delcourt.

In between, Oldenburg (135 yards on 20 carries) scored on runs of 20 and two yards. The second of those touchdowns came just two minutes after the first, as another Bonny Eagle fumble ended their hopes of tying the game in the middle of the last quarter.

“Fumbles hurt us,” said Cooper, “but to make too much of that takes away from a great game played by Gorham. They were emotional; they were enthusiastic; they were fired up. They played hard and they deserved to win tonight.”

For the Rams, in their first season in Class A, a win over the defending state champions is a statement that they can play with the big boys.

“That’s probably the best team we’ve played, physical-wise,” Villacci said.

“To be honest, we were nervous about this game,” Gorham’s Matt Trask said, “but after the first play we were all psyched and we were ready to win. It really gives us good momentum.”

Conventional wisdom would work against the Rams this week. The action shifts to the Scots home field, and they’ll have had another seven days to figure out how to stop their opponent’s double-wing offense.

“We’ll do our best to try to regroup,” Cooper said, “to find out what we can do better from tonight and look forward to getting these guys at our place nest week.”

Gorham coach Dave Kilborn’s squad will look to continue their success on the ground, an approach that doesn’t surprise the opposition, but is usually difficult for them to stop.

“We’ll have a week to prepare to try to block some of their guys on defense because they’re phenomenal athletes,” said Kilborn. “It’s going to be another nice battle next week and we’re looking forward to that.”