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PORTLAND—The Deering Rams are back.

Unquestionably.

A football program that rose from the depths of a winless campaign in 2021 and a one-win season in 2022 to four victories and the playoffs a year ago now finds itself one triumph away from the state final following an emphatic performance against visiting Massabesic in Friday evening’s Class B South semifinals at Memorial Field.

The second-ranked Rams set the tone early, driving 74 yards in a dozen plays, chewing up nearly seven minutes and taking the lead for good, 7-0, on a 7-yard touchdown run from senior Dash Newhall.

Deering scored twice more in the second period, but they had to settle for a pair of field goals, from 23- and 35-yards, from senior quarterback Tavian Lauture, to go ahead, 13-0.

Throughout the game, the Rams never gave the third-seeded Mustangs’ offense any life and after an interception from junior Corbin Burke, Deering slammed the door with 7:49 remaining, as junior bulldozer running back Joey Foley scored on a 1-yard rush and Lauture added the two-point conversion, helping the Rams go on to a 21-0 victory.

Deering improved to 8-1, ended Massabesic’s season at 7-3 and advanced to the regional final round for the first time since 2010 where it will battle top-ranked Kennebunk (9-0) next Friday at a time to be announced.

“I haven’t heard a story like this,” said Lauture. “Freshman year, we didn’t win a game and from then to now, making it to regionals, it feels great. People didn’t think we’d be here, but here we are.”

Nine years later

Deering hadn’t hosted a playoff game since Nov. 6, 2015, a 20-19 loss to Bonny Eagle in a Class A South semifinal.

The Rams made the postseason a year ago, but lost at Westbrook in the quarterfinals, 30-22, to wind up 4-5.

This year’s team, however, was nearly perfect, winning its first four games, losing at Kennebunk, then closing on a three-game surge, capped by a 35-0 victory at Cheverus.

Massabesic, meanwhile, lost only to Deering and Kennebunk in the regular season and last week, in the quarterfinals, advanced with a 43-20 home win over Gorham.

In the teams’ first meeting Sept. 27, Lauture’s touchdown run late in the third quarter capped a comeback and produced the decisive points in a 21-14 Rams’ win, which essentially gave Deering homefield advantage for this contest.

The teams had met twice previously in the playoffs, with the Mustangs taking both: 34-14 in the 1994 Western A quarterfinals and 21-14, in overtime, in the 2005 Western A semifinals.

Friday, on a chilly, windy and even for a few minutes, rainy, evening, the Rams asserted control and returned to prominence.

Deering won the opening coin toss, but deferred possession to the second half.

Massabesic started at its 29, but the Rams’ defense immediately set a tone by forcing a three-and-out, as senior quarterback Cam Bradbury threw incomplete, Lauture held sophomore Dustin Maley to no gain, then Bradbury rushed for eight yards, forcing a punt.

Deering got the ball for the first time at its 26 with 10:58 remaining in the opening stanza and over the course of nearly seven minutes, imposed its will and drove the field for the game’s first score.

The Rams avoided disaster on their first play, as Lauture fumbled, but Deering retained possession, as a personal foul, 15-yard facemask penalty was called on the Mustangs. After Lauture kept the ball for six yards, Foley’s first rush resulted in an eight-yard gain and a first down at Massabesic’s 44. After Foley gained five yards, the Mustangs jumped offsides for another first down at the 34. Foley then ran for six yards, Foley picked up three more and on third-and-1, Lauture gained seven for a first down at the 18. Foley then ran for five yards, followed by a two-yard pickup and on third-and-3, Lauture avoided a loss, somehow squirming through defenders before falling forward for a two-yard gain. On fourth-and-inches, Lauture picked up two more yards to set up first-and-goal and Newhall did the rest, bulling up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown with 4:18 left in the first quarter.

Lauture’s extra point made it 7-0.

“That first touchdown felt good,” Lauture said. “As soon as that drive started, we knew we were going right down the field and we’d continue to do it the rest of the game.”

“We knew if we came in and played like us, we’d be OK and we did,” said Deering coach Brendan Scully. “We were pretty physical. That’s the message we wanted to send.”

The Mustangs believed they’d respond.

“It wasn’t anything we hadn’t seen or expected,” said Massabesic coach Lucas Labbe. “We thought (Deering) got after it with a little more intensity than we did initially. We’re a resilient group and thought we could bounce back.”

The Mustangs’ second possession began at their 35 and they got a first down thanks to runs of eight- and three-yards by sophomore Nolan Pomerleau. After a Pomerleau three-yard pickup, Pomerleau moved the ball to midfield with a one-yard rush, but on third-and-six, a bad exchange led to a seven-yard loss and again, Massabesic had to punt.

Late in the first quarter, Deering took over at its 25 and gained one first down.

After Lauture threw incomplete, junior Zeke Dewever ran for eight yards and Foley gained six on third-and-2 to the 39. Senior Justin Jamal then lost two yards on the final play of an opening stanza which saw the Rams outgain the Mustangs, 86 yards to 16.

Foley started the second quarter with a two-yard run, but on third-and-10, Lauture only gained two, necessitating punt.

Deering then got a break, as Lauture’s punt was fumbled and Foley fell on the loose ball at Massabesic’s 24.

The Rams were backed up 15 yards due to a personal foul penalty, but would eventually add to their lead.

After Foley was held to no gain by Bradbury. Lauture eluded defenders and ran for 17 yards to the 22. Foley picked up four yards, then gained nine to set up first-and-goal at the 9, but after Foley gained two yards and Jamal picked up one on a reverse, Lauture’s pass to Burke in the end zone was broken up by Mustangs’ senior defensive back Cam Bouchard, setting up fourth down.

Lauture then showed how good he is with his right leg and foot, making a 23-yard field goal with 6:22 on the first half, capping an eight-play, 39-yard, 3:53 drive for a 10-0 advantage.

Massabesic started its next drive at its 32 and would embark on its most impressive march of the half, but the Mustangs would ultimately come up empty.

After Pomerleau caught swing passes of three- and six-yards, Bradbury kept the ball for two yards and a first down at the 43. Bradbury ran for two more yards, then threw incomplete, but on third-and-eight, senior Kyle Abbott swept right for eight yards and a first down in Rams’ territory, at the 47. After Pomerleau was held to no gain, he twice rushed for four yards, setting up fourth-and-2 at the 39, where Bradbury was dropped for a one-yard loss by senior Christian Kanana, giving Deering the ball back at its 40 with 1:22 to go before halftime.

And the Rams would add three points to their lead before the horn.

Foley got things going by turning a screen pass into a 12-yard gain. After Lauture kept the ball for a yard, Foley broke free for 10 more to the 37. On the next snap, Lauture connected with Dewever to the 18 and Scully used his final timeout of the half. After an incomplete pass, Lauture threw into the end zone where Abbott nearly intercepted the ball. On third-and-10, Lauture just missed Dewever in the end zone and the Rams opted for a field goal attempt.

With just 6.4 seconds remaining, Lauture’s kick from 37-yards was good with plenty to spare and Deering was up, 13-0, heading to the break.

“I love the field goals,” said Lauture. “If something isn’t going right and we can get it into field goal range, it still works out for us.”

“(Tavian’s) our best long-snapper too and plays very good golf,” Scully said. “He’s just that kid. He’s a great athlete. He does everything well. Probably the most special thing about him is we’re in each other’s heads, communicating but not talking. We have each other. The guys all follow him. He runs the show and knows what to do.”

The Rams had a 171-44 edge in first half yardage and had the lead, but they knew the job wasn’t finished.

Deering got the ball at its 21 to begin the second half and hoped to add further separation, but instead, it shot itself in the foot.

After Foley was dropped for a two-yard loss by senior Brady Batson, Foley ran for three yards, but Lauture threw incomplete, forcing a punt.

But instead of kicking away, Lauture saw room down the right side, faked the punt and ran for 11 yards and a first down at the 33.

The Rams then went backwards by sandwiching a pair of false start penalties around a two-yard Foley gain. After Lauture threw incomplete, he hit Foley for seven yards on third-and-22, but Deering had to punt and this time, Lauture did boot the ball away, this time for 55 yards after Massabesic let it bounce.

The Mustangs took over at their 17 and would drive into Rams’ territory, but couldn’t come away with any points.

After Maley was held to no gain, Pomerleau ran for four yards, picked up four more and on fourth-and-2 from his 25, Labbe rolled the dice and went for it and Pomerleau barely got the two yards necessary to move the chains. After Bradbury kept the ball for six yards, he threw incomplete while being pressured by junior linebacker Santino Cavallaro. Massabesic then broke its biggest play of the night, as Abbott ran left and didn’t stop until he gained 31 yards to the Deering 36. Fifteen more yards were tacked on due to a Rams’ personal foul penalty and the Mustangs appeared in business, but after Bradbury ran for a yard, Maley was dropped for an 11-yard loss by Burke on a botched reverse and after an incomplete pass set up fourth-and-20, Abbott ran for just 10 yards and Deering got the ball back on downs at its 21 with 3:22 remaining in the third quarter.

The Rams would drive and threaten to put the game away, but their lone turnover of the night abruptly halted that quest.

After runs of five- and seven-yards from Foley set up first down at the 33, Foley ran for three yards. After a holding penalty, Lauture picked up four yards on the final play of the period.

Facing third-and-13 from the Deering 30 to start the final stanza, Lauture fired a deep ball down the middle to junior Elijah Stewart, who caught it for a 40-yard pickup to the Massabesic 30. After Lauture kept the ball for two yards and Foley gained three, Lauture dropped back to pass, but was sacked by junior Jackson Normand and he lost the ball in the process with Normand falling on it at the Mustangs’ 39, giving the visitors hope with 9:44 still to play.

That hope was promptly dashed.

After Abbott gained a yard and Bradbury threw incomplete, he tried to dump a pass near the right sideline, where Burke was waiting, pounced, intercepted the ball and returned it 26 yards to the Massabesic 19.

“That felt great,” Cavallaro said. “I was right there and I knew Corbin was getting it for sure. He got it down the sideline. That brought us life and we knew we were winning this game at that point.”

“That fumble (recovery) was super-exciting, a great play, a moment to capitalize on, but to give it right back to them was tough to witness,” Labbe lamented.

After a bad snap cost Deering nine yards, Foley broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and took off down the left sideline all the way to the 1. Then, with 7:49 to play, Foley again was hit at the line of scrimmage, but spun away and scored the touchdown.

“That was a great sudden change reaction,” said Scully. “We executed and got it in the end zone.”

The Rams lined up to kick the extra point, but junior holder Jordan DiBiase instead flipped the ball to Lauture, who rushed it in for a 21-0 lead.

Massabesic got the ball back at its 22, but after Maley attempted a halfback option pass that fell incomplete, Bradbury tripped and lost four yards, Bradbury threw incomplete and on fourth-and-14, Bradbury ran for 10 yards, giving Deering the ball back at the Mustangs’ 28.

The Rams couldn’t capitalize, as Lauture was held to no gain, Foley ran for five yards, then was held to no gain, setting up fourth down. Lauture tried to nail a 40-yard field goal attempt and while he made solid contact and had plenty of distance, the ball clanked off the left upright.

With 4:25 to play, Massabesic got one final chance from its 20, but a series of penalties backed it up and set up third-and-23 where Pomerleau ran for just four yards.

After a punt, Deering took over at the Mustangs’ 42 with just 1:44 to play and after Lauture threw the ball away, he twice took a knee and that brought the clock to zero.

At 8:04 p.m., the horn sounded and the Rams were able to celebrate their 21-0 victory.

“It’s just hard work, dedication,” said Cavallaro. “We never quit even in games when we were down 56-0. We knew we had a bright future.”

“It feels great,” Lauture said. “We worked hard for this and focused all week. We came in and shut them out.”

“It’s great and everything for me, but there are some really talented kids here and I just got them pointed in the right direction,” Scully added. “The guys deserve it. They’re very talented. I saw many of these guys who are playing now when they were sophomores and I saw there was something there then. It just took a little bit for them to grow up and it’s very special.”

Deering finished with 240 yards of offense, turned the ball over once and overcame six penalties for 55 yards.

Lauture ran 15 times for 53 yards and completed 4 of 12 passes for 78 yards.

Foley finished with 112 yards and a touchdown on 27 attempts. He also caught two balls for 19 yards.

Stewart had one catch for 40 yards and Jamal had one reception for 19 yards.

Defensively, the Rams allowed Massabesic’s potent offense just 103 yards and no points.

“Our defense has a bend-don’t-break mentality,” Cavallaro said. “We knew they had athletes over there. We watched a lot of film and knew what was coming and I think we executed our jobs perfectly.”

“They scored (43) points last week, so to shut them out was special,’ Scully said. “We’ve emphasized the ‘your’ in ‘Do Your Job.’ Do your job, not five other people’s job. We have 11 guys on both sides doing that.”

Bradbury wound up 2 of 9 passing for just 9 yards with an interception. Bradbury rushed nine times for 32 yards.

Abbott picked up 56 yards on six attempts.

Pomerleau gained 37 yards on 11 rushes and had two catches for 9 yards.

Massabesic was flagged five times for 55 yards.

“(Deering) played really well,” Labbe said. “They jumped on our mistakes. They’re a well-coached team. I have a lot of respect for Brendan. They have some good athletes. If you make mistakes, you put yourself in a hole. We didn’t help ourselves out. The goal was to keep it tight and try to find momentum, but we struggled to find that rhythm.

“The reality is one team gets to the end of rainbow. Losing is unfortunately part of the game. The kids put so much into it all with the goal of getting to the Gold Ball game. In the heat of competition, all you see is the Gold Ball and we fell short.

“We do have some good things going. The future’s bright.”

Beat the best to be the best

Deering suffered its lone loss at Kennebunk, 41-0, Oct. 5.

Kennebunk won the lone prior playoff encounter, 49-0, in the 2019 Class B South quarterfinals.

The Rams will have to play their best game of the season to reach a state final for the first time since winning it all way back in 2003.

“We’ll just go in and execute and play better than we did last time,” said Cavallaro.

“We need to stay focused,” Scully said. “That’s our biggest challenge. We need to come out with an excellent physical effort like we did tonight for four quarters and if we do, that gives us a good chance.

“Deering’s playing in a regional championship game. That’s pretty cool.”

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