FALMOUTH — Last year, Falmouth’s football team got the job done through the air.
This fall, the surprising Yachtsmen are winning games on the ground.
Friday evening, Falmouth hosted Biddeford in a pivotal midseason Class B South showdown and the Yachtsmen, more to the point running back Riley Reed, ran wild, rushing for 145 first half yards and a pair of long touchdowns to help Falmouth build a 20-6 halftime lead en route to a 27-18 victory.
Reed finished with 180 yards and made some big plays on defense as well as the Yachtsmen held off a late Tigers’ rally to improve to 3-1 on the year.
“I’m proud of the guys,” said Falmouth Coach John Fitzsimmons. “I thought it would take three, four weeks to know what kind of team we have and I’m happy. They’re great young men. They might work harder than any group I’ve had. They’re that special.”
The Yachtsmen broke the ice on their third play, on third-and-inches from their 23, when Reed got the call, ran up the gut, broke free and out-ran the pursuit for a 77-yard score and a 7-0 lead.
After the Tigers answered on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Carter Edgerton to Scott Kelly (a subsequent two-point conversion rush failed), Reed got the ball again and this time broke free for a 67-yard scoring run on a sweep to the left for a 14-6 advantage after one quarter.
“That was just my line opening stuff up,” Reed said. “Our scheme worked as well. The coaches know what works and they did a great job tonight.”
Biddeford had a pair of promising second period drives falter deep in Falmouth territory and the Yachtsmen added to their lead when defensive back Evan Lovely intercepted a pass at his 38 and returned it down the left sideline all the way to the end zone for a 62-yard score.
“I saw the quarterback looking my way and I saw the receiver running a slant, “Lovely said. “Luckily, (Edgerton) overthrew the ball. I just had to wait for it and go up and get it.”
Sam Pausman’s extra point was wide left, but Falmouth held a 20-6 lead at halftime.
The Yachtsmen, playing without quarterback Nick Mancini, who hurt his ankle in the first period, managed to hold on in the second half.
The Tigers cut the deficit to 20-12 with 4:14 to play in the third quarter, when Edgerton (11 of 23 passing, good for 171 yards and 2 TDs) found Delano Voccia-Hale for a 40-yard score, but again, the two-point conversion pass failed and 33 seconds later, Lovely caught a pass from backup quarterback Cooper Bush, pinning the ball on his hip, then breaking free for a backbreaking 59-yard score.
Biddeford found the end zone again with 9:27 to play, as Edgerton (14 rushes, 98 yards, 1 TD) scored on an 8-yard run three plays after Bush was intercepted by Alex McAlevey, but the two-point conversion pass failed and that’s as close as the Tigers would get as they fell to 2-2.
“We had a boatload of chances that we couldn’t cash in on and that’s disappointing,” said Biddeford Coach Brian Curit. “Two losses is two too many in a tough league, but I still believe that we’ll be a team that people won’t want to see at the end of the year.”