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SOUTH PORTLAND—The saying goes that every rose has it’s thorn.

Not Jamier Rose.

Not Friday night, when Rose was simply flawless.

Noble’s senior quarterback, a Fitzpatrick Trophy hopeful, put on a show on both sides of the ball in a late-season showdown against South Portland at Martin Memorial Field and as a result, the Knights continue to surge, while the Red Riots’ hopes of getting back in the win column were dashed.

After a scoreless first quarter, Rose hit junior Logan Duquette with a 17-yard touchdown pass early in the second period to open the scoring.

South Portland roared right back, as its talented senior quarterback Easton Healy delivered a beautiful ball down the right sideline which speedy junior Alex Horton turned into a 58-yard TD to tie the game, 7-7.

After the Red Riots got to the Noble 4 but couldn’t score late in the half, the contest went to the break still deadlocked.

Rose then threw another touchdown pass early in the third quarter, this one 24-yards to junior Aidan Keefe, and again, South Portland answered, as Healy connected with junior Connor Gerard from 10-yards out, but the extra point was no good and the Knights clung to a 14-13 advantage heading to the final stanza.

There, a 26-yard touchdown scamper from senior Tommy Gagnon extended Noble’s lead and Rose put on a show at the defensive end, ruining a pair of Red Riots’ drives with interceptions.

South Portland got one final chance and drove to the Knights’ 14, but a Healy pass to the end zone after the horn sounded was knocked down and Noble prevailed, 21-13.

Rose passed for 114 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 51 yards and had the two picks on defense, helping the Knights improve to 6-1 on the season and in the process, hand the Red Riots their third consecutive setback and drop them to 4-3.

“(Jamier) is a great player,” said Noble coach Keenon Blindow. “The best player I’ve ever coached. He’s like having a coach on the field on both sides of the ball. He loves to compete and he’s very humble. He comes up clutch. He did it last year and this year and that’s why he’s one of the Fitzpatrick favorites because he can do it all on both sides of the ball.”

Down to the wire

South Portland roared out of the gate, beating host Sanford in the opener (35-15), then defeating visiting Bangor (42-26), host Oxford Hills (42-7) and visiting Windham (41-20). After a hard-fought 24-19 loss at Bonny Eagle, the Red Riots fell at reigning Class A state champion Thornton Academy last weekend, 35-7.

Noble, meanwhile, has lived up to preseason billing as a top contender in Class A South. The Knights also won their first four contests: 28-14 over Windham, 43-8 over Edward Little, 38-0 over Scarborough and 35-7 over Marshwood. Noble then had visiting Thornton Academy on the ropes two weeks ago, but a late kickoff return gave the Golden Trojans a 33-26 victory.

“That was a crazy game,” Blindow said. “I think losing that helping us learn who we are and we needed to do better. It’s propelled us to win.”

Last week, Noble got back on track, downing Lewiston, 31-7.

A year ago, in North Berwick, the Knights held off the Red Riots, 28-20.

Friday, on a chilly evening (54 degrees at kickoff, dropping into the 40s by the second half), in front of a sizeable crowd, South Portland hoped to turn the tables and had plenty of chances to do so, but ultimately, Noble made the big plays at optimal times.

Noble won the opening coin toss, but deferred possession to the second half and the Red Riots began the game with the ball at their 21.

South Portland began to march, as Healy hit junior receiver Darius Johnson for 11 yards on the first play. After a three-yard run by Gerard, Horton was held to no gain and a false start penalty set up third-and-12, but Healy rolled left and connected with Horton for 14 yards and a first down at the 44. Gerard then gained three yards, but a holding penalty pushed the Red Riots back 10 yards and after Gerard ran for nine yards, Healy threw incomplete on third-and-8, forcing a punt.

After Healy’s punt went 44 yards, the Knights took over at their 10 with 6:47 to go in the opening stanza and they used up almost the entire remaining time on a long drive which ultimately came up empty.

Rose ran for five yards on first down, then hit Duquette for 19 and a first down at the 34. After Rose was held to one yard, Gagnon picked up four and on third-and-five, Rose found senior Kaden Dustin for 18 yards and a first down in South Portland territory at the 43. Gagnon then ran for six yards and Rose picked up three. On third-and-1, Gagnon was held to no gain by Red Riots senior Brady Haynes, but South Portland gave Noble a gift, as it jumped offsides, awarding the visitors a first down at the 28. After Gagnon ran for one yard, then for three, Rose hit senior Kevin Chandler for four, but on fourth-and-2 from the 20, Rose only gained one yard and the Red Riots got the ball back on downs at their 19.

On the final play of a first period which saw the Knights outgain South Portland, 71 yards to 33, Gerard ran for eight yards. Healy then threw incomplete on the first play of the second quarter and on third-and-2, a bad snap led to a nine-yard loss and a punt, which Rose returned 14 yards.

With 10:56 to go before halftime, Noble started at the Red Riots’ 40 and in four plays and just 42 seconds, drove for the game’s first score.

Chandler caught a pass for 17 yards on the first play, then Rose connected with junior Jackson Mulligan for 11 more and a first down at the 12. After senior Alex Bunnell-Parker chased Rose down for a five-yard sack, Rose hit Duquette over the middle on a slant pattern and Duquette raced into the end zone to complete the 10-yard scoring play with 10:14 remaining in the half. Senior Kaleb Dustin tacked on the extra point to make it 7-0.

“We watch a lot of film and we saw holes in their defense,” Rose said. “We threw it well and knew it was going to work.”

South Portland got the ball back at its 22 and in just four plays, answered in highlight reel fashion.

Healy got things started by finding junior Kai Turner for a 10-yard gain. After Gerard ran for four yards, Healy moved the chains with a six-yard burst and on the next snap, he dropped back and launched a bomb down the right sideline where Horton sped past a defensive back, hauled in the strike and outran the pursuit the rest of the way for a 58-yard TD.

Bunnell-Parker’s PAT tied the score at 7-7 with 8:02 still to play in the half.

The Red Riots would have their chances to take a lead before the break, but failed to do so.

Noble’s next series was short-circuited by penalties, as an illegal block negated a nice kickoff return and forced the Knights to start at their 15. After Rose ran for four yards, Gagnon was thrown for a four-yard loss by junior Jeremias Manuel. Rose appeared to move the chains by connecting with Kaden Dustin for 18 yards, but the gain was negated by an ineligible receiver penalty and on third-and-15, Rose threw incomplete, necessitating a punt, which only went 21 yards.

With 6:42 left in the first half, South Portland began at the Noble 31.

After beginning inauspiciously with a holding penalty, the Red Riots got an 11-yard pass play from Healy to Horton. After Gerard ran for six yards, South Portland was flagged for a delay of game penalty, then Healy threw incomplete, but on fourth-and-8, he hit Turner down the left sideline for 18 yards and a first down at the 11. Healy then bulled his way forward for seven yards to the 4, but that’s as close as the Red Riots would get to going in front. After a bad exchange, Healy lost a yard, then Gerard gained it back, setting up fourth-and-3. Healy dropped back to pass, but his throw was broken up in the end zone by senior Taivian Brown and the Knights got the ball back at their 4 with 2 minutes on the clock.

Noble went nowhere, as Gagnon’s two yard run was followed by an incomplete pass and Rose being held to no gain. After a punt, South Portland got the ball back at the Knights’ 44 with 46.7 seconds remaining.

An 11-yard strike to Johnson and an eight-yard connection with senior Matthew Berry put the ball at the 25 and with 19.7 seconds to go, Healy spiked it to stop the clock. Healy then found Johnson for seven yards and a first down at the 18. The Red Riots had time for three more passes, but Healy wasn’t able to complete any of them and the score remained tied, 7-7, at halftime.

South Portland had a 155-108 advantage in first half yardage and Healy threw for 148 yards, but five penalties for 35 yards prevented the Red Riots from going on top.

After a halftime ceremony to honor members of South Portland’s inaugural Football Hall of Fame class, Noble got the ball first in the third quarter and drove to take the lead for good.

The Knights took over at their 38 after a nice kickoff return from Kaden Dustin and would need seven plays and 2 minutes, 53 seconds to find paydirt.

Gagnon ran for four yards on first down, then Rose hit Keefe for four more. On third-and-2, Rose kept the ball and gained nine yards to the Red Riots’ 45. Gagnon ran for six yards on the next play and a 15-yard facemask penalty on South Portland was tacked on, putting the ball at the 24. Rose was held to no gain, then threw incomplete, but on third-and-10, he had plenty of time to survey the field, then he lofted the ball to the left, over a defender, where Keefe was waiting and he caught the ball and strolled into the end zone for the 24-yard score with 8:58 left in the period. Kaden Dustin’s extra point made it 14-7 Noble.

As they did in the first half, the Red Riots matched the Knights’ TD, but they didn’t draw even.

South Portland began at its 35 and needed nearly five minutes and 11 plays to score.

Horton caught a pass for 15 yards to midfield to get things started. After Healy kept the ball for five yards, Gerard was thrown for a one-yard loss by senior Cam Savage, but on third-and-6, Healy kept the ball, squeezed through a hole, then broke a tackle to run for 14 yards and a first down at the 32. After just missing Horton on a throw to the end zone, Healy ran for four yards and a holding penalty set up third-and-14, but Healy rolled right and hit Johnson right at the marker for a 14 yard gain and a first down at the 22. After Gerard was held to no gain by junior Sean Lynch, Healy hit Johnson for nine yards and on third-and-1, Healy picked up three to set up first-and-goal at the 10.

This time, the Red Riots finished, as Healy rolled right, then threw back across his body to Gerard, who made the catch at the goal line for the 10-yard score with 3:57 remaining in the frame. Bunnell-Parker’s extra point attempt then hit the crossbar and fell back on to the field, keeping Noble in front, 14-13.

The Knights hoped to counter as they started their next drive at their 32 and Gagnon broke tackles and gained 17 yards on first down, but after Kaden Dustin was held to three yards, Rose threw incomplete, then he ran for five. On fourth-and-2, Noble had a false start penalty and had to punt and with 1:36 left in the third quarter, South Portland got the ball back at its 29.

But the Red Riots couldn’t take advantage of their lone second half chance to take the lead.

After Gerard was held to one yard on first down, Horton picked up two, but on the final play of the period, junior Parker Reny threw incomplete.

The fourth quarter began with Healy in punt formation on fourth-and-7 and he kept the ball and appeared to pick up the first down with a nine-yard gain, but a holding penalty was called. Healy then did punt and with 11:42 to play, the Knights got the ball back at their 32.

And in five plays and 2:23, they drove for an insurance score.

Gagnon picked up two yards on first down, then Kaden Dustin took an option pitch from Rose and gained six more. South Portland then gave Noble another gift by jumping offsides on third-and-2, giving the Knights a first down at the 45. Rose then gained eight yards and again, the Red Riots hurt themselves with a facemask penalty, as 15 more yards were tacked on, giving Noble a first down at South Portland’s 32. After Kaden Dustin ran for six yards, Gagnon did the rest, racing up the gut, breaking one tackle, then roaring into the end zone to complete a 26-yard play with 9:19 on the clock.

“Tommy’s a dog,” said Rose. “He works hard. Even if the first half when things weren’t going well, he kept his head up. He’s a great leader. He keeps everyone’s heads up, even me when I’m struggling. He always seems to make a play at the right time.”

Kaden Dustin added the PAT to make it 21-13.

From there, it would be up to the Knights’ defense to preserve the lead and Rose made sure that would be the case.

After a 24-yard kickoff return from Berry, the Red Riots started at their 46 and after Healy threw incomplete, he hit Johnson for five yards, then found Johnson again down the right side and Johnson eluded a tackler with a nice move and was only stopped at Noble’s 20 after slipping on the wet field. Healy then threw incomplete and ran for three yards, setting up third-and-7 from the 17. Healy dropped back and threw to the end zone, but Rose jumped the route, intercepted the ball at the goal line and after a couple of nice cuts to his left, returned the ball all the way to the 49.

“I take a lot of pride in my defense,” Rose said. “I told Coach when he wanted to move me to quarterback that I wasn’t playing quarterback if I couldn’t play defense. I feel like I can help my team in a lot of different ways and defense is one of them. They ran that play before and I was watching the quarterback. I saw him look. I’m very instinctual. I just shot (the route) and the ball landed right in my stomach.”

The Knights couldn’t capitalize on their good fortune, however, as Gagnon was held to no gain, then was dropped for a one-yard loss by senior Will Stanley before Healy and junior Tristen Sanders combined to sack Rose, forcing a punt.

With 5:16 remaining, the Red Riots got the ball back at their 20 and began to march, as Horton ran for two yards, then he caught a Healy pass for 27 more and a first down at the 49. After Gerard ran for eight yards, Horton caught another pass for five and a first down at the Noble 38. A false start penalty cost South Portland five yards, then Healy tried to hit Johnson deep down the right sideline, but Brown tipped the ball and Rose, lying on the ground, caught it for a second interception.

“We knew they were probably going to (Johnson) with the ball,” Rose said. “I was just help over the top. Taivian tipped it, then I tipped it and I got it, but it was his play.”

The Knights started at their 9 with 2:56 to play and they hoped to run out the clock, but it wasn’t to be.

After Gagnon gained two yards, Rose kept the ball, broke tackles and gained 15 yards for a first down at the 26. Gagnon then was held to no gain before picking up one. The ball came loose on the play, but Gagnon was ruled down. Then, on third-and-9, Rose scrambled and hit Duquette right at the first down marker, but the gain was negated by an ineligible man downfield penalty. Gagnon ran for five yards on third-and-14, but Noble had to punt and sophomore Mark LaPointe booted the ball out of bounds giving South Portland one final chance, at the Knights’ 38, with just 18 seconds on the clock.

Healy quickly hit Johnson for 10 yards, then threw incomplete. On the next play, Healy tried to hit Horton downfield and while the ball fell incomplete, defensive pass interference was called and with just 1.5 seconds to go, the Red Riots got one last play, from the 14.

After a Noble defensive timeout, Healy rolled to his right and after the horn sounded, he fired the ball toward Berry, who was double covered near the goal line and the pass was knocked down, making Noble’s 21-13 victory official.

“We were just going to make them throw it short,” said Rose. “We knew if they did, we could rally and make a tackle. We knew if they got in the end zone, they had a chance to push it to overtime. Over the years we’ve struggled a lot with our resiliency, but this year, we’ve proved no matter the score, what we’re going through, the mistakes, even if things aren’t going good, we’ll learn from it.”

“I think our defensive coordinator, Jeremiah Mulligan, does an awesome job,” said Blindow. “He puts a lot of prep work in and he has the defense doing a lot of things to help us. We’ve had a lot of red zone stands based off his coaching. Our defense is very resilient. They love to hit and tackle and they buy in. It’s a huge win. I feel like every time we play South Portland it’s a must-win game.”

Noble finished with 274 yards of offense, didn’t turn the ball over and overcame five penalties for 44 yards.

Rose completed 8-of-12 passes for 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also ran 11 times for 51 yards.

“Once you figure out how to stop him on offense, he found a way to get us on defense,” Red Riots coach Aaron Filieo said. “He’s a really good player.”

Gagnon gained 77 yards on 17 carries and scored a TD.

Duquette had two receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown, while Keefe caught two balls for 28 yards and a score.

Chandler had two catches for 21 yards, Kaden Dustin one for 18 and Mulligan one for 11.

South Portland ended up with 316 yards of offense, but was its own worst enemy, turning the ball over twice and being flagged a whopping 11 times for 88 yards..

“That was an issue earlier on this year and I thought we’d cleaned it up, but we’ve played cleaner games penalty-wise,” Filieo said. “That was a major part of the game. At this stage of the season, you hope you’re not doing that. It did not help us.”

Healy wound up throwing the ball 33 times, completing 18 passes for 272 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He was also intercepted twice. Healy ran eight times, gaining 41 yards.

Gerard rushed 10 times for 34 yards and had one 10-yard reception for a TD.

Horton had a huge game catching the ball, posting six receptions for 130 yards with a score.

Johnson was Healy’s favorite target, finishing with eight catches for 96 yards.

Turner caught two balls for 28 yards and Berry had one reception for eight.

“The kids played hard,” Filieo said. “Defensively, I thought we played great. Offensively, we moved the ball. The game plan worked, but finishing is a big part of it. Obviously, hindsight is 20-20. We can look at the film, coulda, woulda, shoulda, but I thought our kids put themselves in a position, despite the penalties, to win the game.

“I don’t know if we really needed (a win) as much as it would have been really nice. We’ve preached all season that whether we win or lose, the evaluation and the process is the same.”

Dash to the finish

Noble returns home next Friday for another stiff test, against 5-2 Bonny Eagle. The Knights then host Sanford in the regular season finale.

“I’m taking a lot of pride in (our resurgence),” Rose said. “My brothers went through the program when we were really bad. As a kid, I loved going to games, but I also hated going to games because we’d always lose. I’d tell my brothers all the time, ‘When I get up there, I’m going to make something happen.’ That’s what I’ve been building for pretty much my whole life and now we’re here.

“We just have to be more disciplined and learn from our mistakes and play hard. This is great. I love this.”

“For our program, it’s monumental,” said Blindow. “To be 6-1 two years after being in Class B is huge. The kids have bought into our culture and are doing some great things. We know we haven’t played our best football and we’re peaking at the right time. We need to continue to learn from mistakes. Tonight, we didn’t play mistake-free football. In order to win next week and go deep in the playoffs, we have to clean up penalties and keep doing big things on both sides of the ball.”

South Portland goes to 2-5 Scarborough next Friday night, then closes at home versus Portland in the Battle of the Bridge.

“We were a little jacked up today and that might have resulted in penalties, but we’ll bounce back,” Filieo said. “We’re resilient. I told the guys that there’s definitely some stuff we can take from this game and bring forward.

“We know we can be competitive. We just have to clean it up. That’s the name of the game.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.