TURNER – In keeping with the “Board Games” theme of their 2003 homecoming weekend, the Leavitt Hornets played Monopoly with the football and thumped Mount Desert Island 44-0 Saturday night.

Chad Schrepper rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns and Dustin Gilbert threw for a pair of scores as the Leavitt offense finally got untracked for the Hornets’ first win of the year.

“We needed that like you can’t believe,” said senior Dan Tremblay, who moved from guard to center for the game but made his biggest play on defense, a 45-yard fumble return for a touchdown. “We finally got the offense going.”

Leavitt (1-3) churned out more yardage in the first quarter, 104 yards, than MDI (1-3) did for the entire game, 74. The Hornets ran 24 plays on their first two possessions and took a 14-0 lead before MDI, which ran three offensive plays in the entire first quarter, had got into positive yardage.

“Our running game kind of came together. Moving Danny to center has made a big difference,” said Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway after his team racked up 318 yards of their 373 total yards on the ground. “He was the glue in there. That was the best game our offensive line has had all year.”

The offensive line wasted little time opening running lanes for Schrepper, as Leavitt drove 55 yards on its first possession and scored on Schrepper’s two-yard run.

The line also protected QB Dustin Gilbert well, allowing him to find Brandon Hinkley in the flat on Leavitt’s second possession for a 23-yard TD pass that, with Gilbert’s two-point conversion pass to Corey Witham, made it 14-0.

A low snap on MDI’s second punt attempt of the game eventually led to a fumble. Tremblay scooped up the loose ball and rumbled 45 yards for his touchdown and the route was officially on.

“I didn’t know whether to jump on it or go for (the touchdown),” said Tremblay. “I’ve got to give props to my man Stapes (Ryan Staples), who caused that fumble.”

Special teams continued to haunt MDI on the ensuing kickoff.

The kick slipped through the arms of the returner and bounced about 10 yards forward to the MDI -34, where Mike Austin pounced on it for Leavitt. Four plays later, Gilbert hooked up again with Hinkley (three catches, 55 yards, two TDs), this time from 19 yards out, to make it 26-0 at halftime.

“We needed to build our confidence in every way offensively,” said Hathaway. “It was nice to see Dustin make a couple of good throws. He got good protection and we didn’t drop any. We caught the balls that we should have caught and that just helps to build the confidence.”

The Hornets added nifty touchdown runs by Schrepper (58 yards), Broc Hardacker (73 yards) and Ben Boulay (13 yards) in the second half to put the game away.