BIDDEFORD — The stage was set for an all-out celebration at Biddeford’s Waterhouse Field on Friday night as the Tigers christened the newly renovated stadium in front of a packed house.
Unfortunately for the Tigers and their fans, it would be the visitors from Cony celebrating when the night was over as the Rams rallied for a 14-13 win over Biddeford.
“We knew it was going to be a big crowd down here,” said Cony coach B.L. Lippert. “The (Biddeford) program has as much tradition as any in the state. It’s a class program all the way and we knew celebrating the reopening of this field would be something special and we told our kids all week, ‘you’re going to remember this game either way, might as well remember it in a win.’”
The first half would come and go without a point denting the new high-tech scoreboard at Waterhouse, but the Tigers changed that in a hurry in the third quarter.
Sophomore fullback Aidan Donovan ran the ball three straight times for gains of 6, 15 and 16 to move the Tigers down to the Cony 34. Senior QB Carter Edgerton and sophomore running back Scott Kelly would handle the rest as they hooked up a 34-yard scoring strike with just over two minutes off the clock in the third. Cody Saucier made the extra point to make it 7-0.
Carter Edgerton would give the Biddeford offense another chance right away as the senior picked off a Cony pass on the fourth play of the ensuing drive.
The Tigers methodically drove the ball from their own 22 to the Cony 41 before Carter Edgerton hit his brother Kurtis Edgerton for a 41-yard TD with 5:38 left in the third. The extra point was no good and Biddeford had a 13-0 lead.
Cony responded quickly as the Rams drove 58 yards in just over two minutes for their first score. Quarterback Dakota Andow, who replaced injured starter Riley Geyer in the second quarter, would connect with Reed Hopkins for a 16-yard score to cut the lead to 13-7.
The Rams took their first lead of the game with 7:13 left in regulation thanks to a 10-yard TD run from Jamal Cariglia, who capped off an 11-play, 80-yard drive to make it 14-13.
Biddeford had one last chance with the ball, but the Tigers were unable to get a first down and turned the ball over on downs at the Cony 38 with four minutes left.
The Rams were able to keep the chains moving on the ensuing drive and left Waterhouse with a big road win.
“It’s huge,” said Lippert of getting a win at Biddeford. “They’re going to win a lot of games and in the Heal Point system that means we get some points whenever they win. They’re a really good team. They’ve got great seniors, great coaching staff so it means a lot to win this game.”
Biddeford coach Brian Curit was disappointed with the loss — especially when it came to his team’s focus.
“I was very, very disappointed in their mental approach to the game … we blew how many timeouts today because we had too many players in the huddle at one time, not enough (another time)? That’s not us and that’s a complete lack of discipline,” said Curit. “This one’s a hard one to swallow, but I give credit to Cony.”
Curit also knows how much a loss like this could hurt his team when it comes to the playoff standings.
“A loss is huge in this league. It’s just too darn hard a league to take losses,” said Curit.
Carter Edgerton was held to just nine yards on the ground, but the QB would do some damage through the air as he went 7 of 16 for 173 yards with two scores and one interception.
“Carter Edgerton is a very good quarterback as you can see,” said Curit, who felt his quarterback’s numbers could have been even better. “I thought we dropped at least one touchdown and dropped some other huge (passes).”
The new bleachers at Waterhouse Field were packed more than an hour before kickoff as residents celebrated the grand reopening of the historic stadium. Speeches were made prior to the game and at halftime, which also featured a five-minute fireworks show.
With all of the hype surrounding the first game at “new” Waterhouse, Lippert was impressed with Andow’s performance on such a big stage.
“(For him) to come down here in front of this crowd and this environment and do that is pretty heavy stuff,” said Lippert, who watched his backup QB go 15 of 26 for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Biddeford will look to bounce back next Friday night when the Tigers host undefeated Noble. Cony (2-0) will host Skowhegan on Friday.
NOTES: The Tigers missed a 27-yard field goal in the first half … Donovan ran the ball 18 times for 108 yards for the Tigers … Kelly finished with three catches for 89 yards and the one score and Saucier hauled in three passes for 43 yards … Kelly also had an interception on the defensive side of the ball. The Biddeford defense would also get a strip sack by Carter Edgerton which resulted in a fumble recovery by Donovan.
— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.