The eighth-ranked Blazes showed potential belying their record Friday night when they traveled to No. 4 Falmouth, where they assembled a strong first quarter that included a lead-stealing Maurice Johnson TD/two-point conversion combo. The patient, skillful Yachtsmen, though, soon enough turned the tides once more – and this time for good.

Through the ensuing three quarters, Falmouth compiled a 27-8 lead to eventually secure the victory. They bounce to 4-1 on the year, while Westbrook slips to 1-4, a record that’s surely frustrating, especially considering the strengths they displayed on their lone scoring drive.

“Falmouth’s really good,” Westbrook head coach Jeff Guerette said. “They’ve got a lot of good athletes. They can run and throw, so they’ve got good balance. Coming over here, we knew it was going to be a tough game. They played great tonight.”

The board read 0-0 deep into the first quarter, when Falmouth finally broke through the Blazes’ defense. A volley of solid runs – including a winding, George Gilbert inside-reverse to gain 22 up the right side of the field – swept the Yachtsmen to the Westbrook 11, where Connor Aube took over, carrying into the middle and across the goal line for 7-0.

The Blazes’ charged immediately back, however. Perpetual threat Maurice Johnson fielded the follow-up kickoff, returning it to the team’s own 34 before running for another 11. Falmouth countered Johnson on the next play, dropping him for a loss of three, but Westbrook then adjusted as well, switching to their pass game. A pair of pretty balls from QB Bailey Sawyer to split end Bailey Ryan gave the Blazes 15- and 23-yard gains.

Johnson returned to carry on the next snap, and did so with a vengeance. He broke a tackle, then dashed away left and reached the end zone – only to have a holding penalty against a teammate negate the TD. No matter, though, not for MoJo, who repeated the feat on the following play, this time dashing right. He took the ball on the PAT as well, successfully snagging two more and an 8-7 Westbrook advantage.

“We wanted to get Maurice more touches tonight in the run game, and we did a pretty good job of doing that,” Guerette said of the Blazes’ running/passing balance. “And Bailey Sawyer is a pretty effective thrower, and we were just trying to make some plays in the pass game. It’s obviously a situation where we’re trying not to let them sit on a run or sit on a pass. Our offensive balance was all right tonight.”

The series showed the Blazes at their most effective. After it, though, their edge seemed to blunt. Aube earned another TD for the Yachtsmen to retake the lead, 14-8, and on the ensuing Westbrook drive, Sawyer suffered a hard sack that may have ruffled him, as he then threw an interception to Falmouth’s Jack Zinn. Aube eventually converted the turnover into another TD and the Yachtsmen had begun to pull away. QB Noah Nelson scored on a one-yard keeper midway through the third to seal the deal. 27-8 the final.

“We had a couple plays that didn’t go our way in crucial spots,” Guerette said of his team’s falling behind. “They took advantage of that, which is what good teams do. We’re just going to work on minimizing the number of mistakes we make. Hopefully we can block and tackle a little bit better. But I think our kids will keep working at it.”

Falmouth travels to 2-3 Fryeburg on Friday for a mid-afternoon tussle. Westbrook plays host to 4-1 Lawrence that night, in a 7 a.m. bout.

Maurice Johnson returns the kickoff on Westbrook’s first-quarter scoring drive. Johnson also ran the ball into the end zone and carried it for a successful two-point conversion.Philip Stearns carries the ball for Westbrook.Split end Bailey Ryan pulled in a number of big passes from QB Bailey Sawyer Friday evening.Stephen Shackley breaks into motion after the snap.Westbrook QB Bailey Sawyer dodges a Falmouth defender in a scramble outside the pocket to spot an open receiver.