Football: Mason, defense, lead Blue Devils to 34-3 rout of Eagles

Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Lewiston's Andy Pulk pushes his way through the defenses of Mt. Ararat's Elliot Swan, right, Frank True, second from right, Ryan Greene, forward left, and Kiel Yenco in the first quarter of their game Friday.

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Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Peter Blais shows the referee that he has the ball after the second touch down of the night during the second quarter of the Blue Devils' game against Mt. Ararat Friday in Lewiston.

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Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Lewiston's Cody Dussault tackles Frank True in the second quarter of their game Friday.

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Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Brett Milliken wraps himself around Lewiston's Abdi Osman in the first quarter of their game Friday.

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Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Peter Blais, right, tries to help teammate Andy Pulk gain yardage as Mt. Ararat's James Oliver tackles Pulk in the second quarter of their game Friday.

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Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Mt. Ararat's Drew Marshall, second from right, tries to get his hands on Peter Blais as he is chased down field by Marshall, Frank True, right, Derek True, left, and Ryan Greene in the second quarter of their game Friday night in Lewiston.

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Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Lewiston's Eddie Chan attempts to power through the defenses of Ryan Greene, right, and Brett Milliken in the first quarter of their game Friday night.

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Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Mt. Ararat's Frank True goes down in a pile of blue in the first quarter of their game against Lewiston Friday night.

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LEWISTON — Seth Mason got the word on Tuesday that he'd be starting at quarterback for Lewiston when it hosted Mt. Ararat Friday night.

"I started getting nervous as soon as I found out," Mason, a junior, said. "Everybody had confidence in me, so I knew I could do it."

With regular starter Ronnie Turner sidelined for the season due to an ankle injury, Mt. Ararat was willing to see just how well Mason could do it. The Eagles stacked their defense to stop Lewiston's running game and left the Blue Devils' talented receivers in one-on-one coverage. 

Mason made them pay, throwing for 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Lewiston's defense, meanwhile, stifled Mt. Ararat's running game, and the Devils walked off Don Roux Field with a 34-3 win.

"I thought he was really impressive," Lewiston coach Bill County said of Mason, who completed 8 of 15 and threw one interception. "The first couple of throws of the game that he completed were a little sprint-out pass where he had to set up under pressure. He kept his feet and he just threw strikes."

Mt. Ararat (1-4) kept Andy Pulk, one of the Pine Tree Conference's leading rushers, in check for the most part (15 rushes, 71 yards, 1 TD). But another new addition to the offense, fullback Eddie Chan, chipped in with a pair of second-half rushing touchdowns. 

Lewiston (4-1) took the opening drive 58 yards in eight plays to take a 6-0 lead on Pulk's 1-yard TD plunge. The offense sputtered on its next couple of drives before marching 72 yards on 10 plays early in the second quarter. Mason found Peter Blais (three catches, 86 yards) in one-on-one coverage with Drew Marshall in the middle of the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown toss that made it 12-0.

"It was on the 'Sluggo,' the slant-and-go," Mason said. "(Blais) went a little wide but it worked out. He made a great catch."

Injuries forced the Eagles to move Marshall, their usual quarterback, to tailback, and he had little success finding running room. The Devils limited the Eagles to one first down and 38 net yards in the first half. Mt. Ararat finished with 94 total yards for the game (just 50 with the starters in) and Marshall collected just 19 yards on 14 carries.

"He's quick, and we just wanted to contain him to the inside and make sure he didn't get loose on the outside," junior linebacker Ben Wigant said. "I think we did a pretty good job with our outside linebackers keeping him inside." 

"That's the first time we've played a spread team," County said. "We spent the week putting in a new scheme and I thought our  four linebackers were quick and had a great nose for the ball. I thought (defensive coordinator) Matt Madden did a great job of preparing our kids."

Mt. Ararat's best scoring opportunity came after a Pulk fumble and a Lewiston penalty set the Eagles up at the Devils' 11. A false start and a low pitch that Marshall bobbled moved the Eagles back and they had to settle for a 31-yard Michael Bastin field goal.

The Eagles didn't drive into Lewiston territory again except their final possession. They recovered a fumble at Lewiston's 30 early in the fourth quarter, but promptly gave the ball back on a fumble recovered by Kris Gagne. 

"We were trying to mess with their heads," said Wigant, who had a sack. "We had the blitz coming down, just trying to play some games and did a lot of stunts with our tackles and just tried to get into their backfield before they could come up on us."

Gagne's recovery set up Mason's second touchdown pass. He hooked up with Nick Weekes (two catches, 103 yards) on what appeared to be a 26-yard score, but the play was called back due to a holding penalty. Two plays later, the Devils ran the  same play again and Weekes beat Ryan Greene down the right sideline for a 41-yard TD.

"That was a wheel (route), twice in a row. We just needed a deeper touchdown," Mason joked.