LISBON

Three straight years of frustrating one-point losses. … Three years of watching Stacen Doucette’s Oak Hill Raiders celebrate after winning the Class D South title over Lisbon.

The Greyhounds put that all to rest on Saturday on newly named Mynahan Field with a 42-9 win over the Raiders in a Class D South high school football semifinal.

Lisbon ( 7- 1) will face top- seeded Winthrop/ Monmouth (8-0) Saturday in the Class D South title game.

Against Oak Hill, a new wrinkle provided a spark for Lisbon. Senior starting quarterback Tyler Halls suddenly became a running back/wide receiver, while sophomore Lucas Francis took over under center. The move paid immediate dividends, with Francis rushing for two third-quarter touchdowns and passing to Halls for a 39-yard TD strike to put the Raiders away.

“We practiced it the last two weeks and waited for the right time to bust it out,” said Francis, who was 3-for-4 in the air in the third quarter for 76 yards and led Lisbon on the ground with 18 carries for 58 yards and two scores, the touchdowns also occurring in the third frame as the Greyhounds turned a 16-3 halftime lead into a 36- 9 advantage heading to the fourth quarter.

“We had a long time to prepare, and it was the first time with that double wing and was part of our scheme,” said Lisbon coach Dick Mynahan. “Lucas threw some nice balls out there today. He is quite an athlete. And Tyler made some sensational catches, showing that his true position is that of a receiver. He is amazing out there.”

“They are a good football team and they executed in the second half,” said Doucette, whose three-time defending Class D state champion Raiders finished 6-3. “We practiced against that this week, but it was executed perfectly by Lisbon. We accomplished a lot of great things this year.”

Slow start

The Greyhounds gave little indication in the first quarter that they were going to put up 42 points. Lisbon had the ball once, gained five yards, picked up two penalties and punted.

Meanwhile, Oak Hill’s offense put together a 19-play, 67-yard drive that ate up more than eight minutes of the clock. The Raiders converted three fourth-down plays into first downs.

The drive stalled on the L-3, with Steve Gilbert hitting a 21- yard field goal for a 3-0 Oak Hill lead with 10:31 left in the first half.

“They controlled the whole first part of that game, especially the first quarter, and the defense making that stop was big,” said Mynahan.

“We have preached bend but don’t break, and they are not in the end zone until they are in the end zone,” said Lisbon linebacker Tanton Mattson.

Lisbon’s second drive went far better. The Greyhounds rode the shoulders of Noah Francis, who broke loose for a 23-yard gain, dragging Oak Hill defenders along the way.

Facing a fourth-down and goal from the OH-11, Halls quickly threw to Lucas Francis for a score. Halls ran in the 2- point conversion for an 8-3 Lisbon lead.

The Greyhound defense came up big on Oak Hill’s next drive. Mattson stepped in front of a Matt Strout pass for an interception, setting Lisbon up at the OH-34.

“I have dropped a few of those. It is my only high school interception,” joked Mattson.

Lisbon’s offense used the short field to put up more points. After a holding penalty pushed the Greyhounds back to the 24-yard line, Halls shuffled a pass to Tyrese Joseph, who bullied his way to the OH- 4. Three plays later, Halls snuck into the end zone and ran in a second conversion for a 16-3 halftime lead.

Noah Francis led Lisbon with 56 rushing yards at the half, while Halls was 2-for-3 in the air for 31 yards and a score.

Lisbon began the second half with the ball, with Halls and Lucas Francis taking turns finding small gaps in the Oak Hill defense. Lucas Francis punched the ball across the goal line on a 6-yard run for a 24-3 lead.

“Any coach talks about that first series of the second half, and if you can score on that drive, you know that it is working,” said Mynahan.

Oak Hill committed its second turnover on the ensuing kickoff, with Joseph recovering at the OH-35. But, it appeared the Raiders’ defense was going to hold as Lisbon faced a long third down. But, Halls ran an out-and-up pattern and Lucas Francis lofted a perfectly-placed pass, catching Halls in stride for a 39-yard touchdown and a 30-3 lead.

“I have thrown that pass a lot over the last two weeks,” said Lucas Francis. “We wanted to put it away early. We talked about that at halftime. We knew it was going to be a good game. It took us some time to bust it all over.”

Oak Hill turned the tide momentarily, as Gilbert found a rare opening in the Lisbon defense for a 61-yard TD run to draw the Raiders to 30-9.

The Raiders tried an onside kick, but Halls gobbled up the bouncing ball to give Lisbon another short field to work with. Lucas Francis’ pass slipped through an Oak Hill defender’s hands and into the waiting arms of Joseph, who turned the break into a 21-yard gain. Four plays later, Lucas Francis was in the end zone again to make for a 36-9 contest after three quarters.

Lisbon senior running back Jared Glover finished off the scoring in the fourth quarter as he ran into the end zone on a 28-yard gallop.

“We have the Oak Hill monkey off our backs,” said Mattson, who led the Greyhounds with 10 tackles. “I am really proud of all the guys. This was a team effort, something that began in the offseason.”

Now is the rematch with Winthrop/Monmouth, which bested the ’Hounds in the season opener Sept. 3, 31-12.

“Mentally, we are in a pretty good state of mind after beating Oak Hill, but Winthrop has talent all over the field,” said Mynahan.

Cole Bolduc, Bradley Harriman and Mason Jefferies had five tackles each for Lisbon.

No. 2 Lisbon 42,
No. 3 Oak Hill 9

Class D South Football Semifinal
Saturday, at Lisbon
OakHill— 0 3 60– 9
Lisbon — 0 16 20 6 – 42
Second quarter
OH — Steve Gilbert 21 field goal,
10:31.
L — Lucas Francis 11 pass from
Tyler Halls (Tyler Halls run), 6:17.
L — Tyler Halls 1 run (Tyler Halls
run), :03.
Third quarter
L — Lucas Francis 6 run (Tyler Halls
run), 6:25.
L — Tyler Halls 39 pass from Lucas
Francis (run failed), 5:01.
OH — Steve Gilbert 61 run (pass
failed), 4:12.
L — Lucas Francis 2 run (pass
failed), :55.
Fourth quarter
L — Jared Glover 28 run (run failed),
5:38.
Records — Lisbon 7-1; Oak Hill 6-3.
Up next for the Greyhounds — At
Winthrop/Monmouth for Class D
South Regional final, date and time
TBA.