Massabesic quarterback Nick Roberge looks for an open receiver during a high school football game. Roberge and the Mustangs picked up their first win of the season Friday with a 19-13 victory at Noble. (JASON GENDRON PHOTOGRAPHY)

NORTH BERWICK – Heading into his second season as the varsity football head coach at Massabesic High, Eric Ouellette dedicated additional time this preseason working on special teams with his Mustangs. 

Friday, when linebacker Blake Proctor recovered a blocked punt in the endzone for a touchdown during the third quarter of Massabesic’s 19-13 win at Noble in North Berwick, Ouellette pointed to the score as an example of why they’ve spent the hours on that facet of the game.

“We spent a lot of time … working on special teams,” Ouellette said. “For them to get a block at a time like that, it was special to show them why we do certain things.” 

Massabesic (1-1) never trailed Noble (0-2) as the two Class B South foes battled in Week 2 of the high school football season. 

Proctor gave the Mustangs their first lead on an 18-yard run with just over a minute left in the first quarter. Massabesic relied all night on its option-running attack that featured the power of Proctor, the decision-making of quarterback Nick Roberge and the outside speed of wideout Ryan St. Laurent. 

The Mustangs took their shots downfield in the first half, including several consecutive deep passes before the intermission, but the Knights’ defense kept the game within reach early while their offense stalled. Noble got on the scoreboard halfway through the second on a 17-yard scamper by Matt Beerworth who took quarterback Brandon Drake’s handoff left before cutting back up the middle of the field to march untouched into the endzone. 

Beerworth’s fumble 23 seconds before the half gave Massabesic a chance at a last-second field goal, but Jacob Raymond’s kick went wide left. Despite being locked at 7-all at the break, Ouellette felt the Mustangs could have done better at matching Noble’s physical playstyle. 

“We have to be able to match that intensity,” he said. “I don’t think we matched their intensity as well in the first half as we did in the second half. When we did that, things started swinging in our favor.” 

After Proctor’s fumble recovery for a touchdown, Roberge gave Massabesic a 19-7 edge on a quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line. Noble answered on a 36-yard strike from Drake to Garrett Brown with six minutes left in the third, but Drake fumbled in Massabesic territory during the Knights’ final drive of the game. 

“That’s sometimes how it goes,” said Noble head coach Keenon Blindow. “Sometimes in life, things don’t go your way and you have to move forward. This one hurts, but we’re on to next week and we’ve got to take the next step forward and not live in the past.” 

Drake finished 11-of-17 for 122 yards and a touchdown pass.

Noble will look to pick up its first win of the season at South Portland (0-1) on Friday. Blindow, a first-year head coach, implemented a new spread offense this preseason and feel like the Knights are on the right track to success.

“We looked good — we’ve just got to finish,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing right now is finishing drives and finishing games. We’ll get there …It’s going to be a bright future for us.”   

Massabesic welcomes Deering (1-1) to Ronco Field for its Week 3 opponent. Last year, the Mustangs went 1-6. Next Friday they’ll look to double that mark. 

“We haven’t had a lot of wins here and we’re trying to get that back and give our kids confidence to win football games,” Ouellette said. “I think we have a good group of kids who want to win. It’s a learning process that’s for sure.”