High school football: Capers lock up Falcons in regular-season finale

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Mountain Valley's Izaak Mills bears down on Cape Elizabeth quarterback Ezra Wolfinger as he starts to throw a pass during first half action Friday night in Cape Elizabeth. Wolfinger's arm was going forward when the ball was knocked to the ground by Mills for an incomplete pass.

Buy a print

- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Mountain Valley's Chris Day makes a last ditch dive in an effort to stop Cape Elizabeth's Tom Foden who powered through the attempted tackle and turned the corner for a big gain during the first half.

Buy a print

- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Cape Elizabeth's Ezra Wolfinger intercecpts a pass intended for Mountain Valley's Christian Durland in the waining seconds of first half action at Cape Elizabeth Friday night.

Buy a print

- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Mountain Valley quarterback Cameron Kaubris tries to escape the clutches of Cape Elizabeth's Caleb Tracey during first half action at Cape Friday night. Tracey twisted Kaubris around and delayed him just long enough for several other Cape linemen to swarm all over the Mountain Valley quarterback for a big loss on the play.

Buy a print

- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Mountain Valley's Cole Clark wraps up Cape Elizabeth's Tom Foden after he picked up a first down during Friday night's game in Cape Elizabeth.

Buy a print

- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

CAPE ELIZABETH — The remaining country cynics who groused that Mountain Valley-Cape Elizabeth doesn't fit the definition of a high school football rivalry were absolutely right, this year.

Mountain Valley, like everyone else in the Class B division of the Campbell Conference, looked out of place on the same FieldTurf with Cape.

Ezra Wolfinger gunned three touchdown passes to the super glue-fingered Finn Melanson, Tom Foden churned out two more scores on the ground, and the Cape defense surrendered an inconsequential 109 total yards Friday night in a 34-0 romp at Hannaford Field.

Cape (9-0) clinched an undefeated regular season and the No. 1 seed in the Western Class B playoffs for the second time in three years while defeating Mountain Valley for only the second time in its brief but impressive history.

Just as rare for the reigning state champion Falcons: Back-to-back losses, the latter punctuated by a zero on its side of the scoreboard.

"We're learning what it's like to play Mountain Valley, and the last two weeks we were in over our heads," said Falcons coach Jim Aylward. "I'll tell you what: I don't want to play Cape Elizabeth next week."

They won't have to, thanks to York's 28-22 comeback win over Wells. But the alternative is a No. 3 seed for the Falcons (7-2) and a road trip to No. 2 York (8-1). The Wildcats won the regular-season meeting, 33-14, at Chet Bulger Field in Rumford last Friday.

Mountain Valley hit harder and looked hungrier this week for the program with which it shared a recent documentary, but it hardly mattered. 

Wolfinger (11-for-14, 210 yards) supplemented his brilliant night throwing the football with two two interceptions of opposite number Cam Kaubris. Cyrus Wolfinger later picked off Chris Day to complete the family hat trick.

"We knew Mountain Valley had a good team, but we wanted to come out and prove that we are the best team in the state, at least in Class B West," Ezra Wolfinger said. "We came out firing in all facets of our game. When we do that, we're prettty much unstoppable. And Finn is the best receiver in the league."

Melanson's TD receptions covered 58 yards in the first quarter, 31 yards in the third and 16 yards in the fourth.

The first was a laser from Wolfinger that spiraled 40 yards in the air down the home sideline. Melanson caught the pass in single coverage, bounced off the would-be tackler and zipped across the grain to paydirt.

"We came in here determined not to let Tommy Foden beat us, and Ezra Wolfinger and Finn Melanson beat us," Aylward said. "I don't know how you game plan for both of them."

Foden's two trips to the end zone gave Cape a 20-0 lead before Wolfinger and Melanson struck again over the middle to punctuate the Capers' opening drive of the second half.

The senior classmates' third TD connection capped a 99-yard drive after James Martin and Andrew Lavallee denied the Falcons' Matt Duka at the 1.

Facing third-and-goal from the 16 after a pair of 3-yard losses, Wolfinger shot-put a jump ball off the wrong foot. Melanson took it away from Kaubris in the back right corner of the end zone.

"That was a gross play from the start," said Cape coach Aaron Filieo. "Ezra came over and I told him, 'You're not the quarterback we thought you were. It's Finn who makes you so good.' He just went up and decided that ball was his."

Wolfinger's TD tosses were his 20th, 21st and 22nd of the season.

Foden did his customary damage with 21 carries for an even 100 yards. Kyle Piscopo caught four first-half passes for 61 yards to fuel the Capers.

Cole Clark had a hand in more than 20 tackles in an inspired effort for the Falcons.

Kaubris and Ryan Laubauskas each recovered a fumble before the half, but Mountain Valley's offense couldn't keep pace. The Falcons were held to one yard per carry, two first downs and 34 net yards before the break.

Duka led Mountain Valley with 12 carries for 40 yards. Other than the goal-line stand, the Falcons never drove past the Cape 30.

"I'm proud of my kids' effort tonight. I know that sounds really stupid considering the score," Aylward said. "Last week we took a punch in the face and we never recovered. I never knew it was 20-0 at the half tonight because we played well. But they big-played us. They're a complete football team."

koakes@sunjournal.com