LEWISTON – More than pre-game ceremonies or post-game photos, lack of panic was the obvious sign that the Bobcats were celebrating Senior Day at Garcelon Field.

Leading 20-9 with eight minutes left on the clock Saturday, Bates warmed up its second string so its seniors could come off the field to standing ovations in front of nearly 3,000 fans in attendance for Parents Weekend. But a quick Bowdoin touchdown and two-point conversion changed the ending, forcing the Bobcats’ offense to buckle its chinstraps for one more drive at home.

It was the senior linemen up front – Jared Cash, Jeff Bolduc, Mike Moynahan, Justin Levesque, Nick Markos, and Mike Lopez – who cleared the way for rookie running backs Jamie Walker and Eric Obeng, as Bates held the ball for 7:13, covering 61 yards on 15 plays and pinning Bowdoin inside its own 15 to preserve the 20-17 victory.

“We knew we had to be secure with the ball and keep running it to wear down the clock,” senior quarterback Chris Gwozdz said. “We knew they were tired (so we decided to) just keep running the same play over and over. We just beat them up.”

Walker, in his first start at tailback, finished the day with a 159 yards on a school-record 45 carries. In Bates’ final drive, he split time with Obeng, who carried the ball seven times for 33 yards and needed several tacklers to be brought to the ground.

The drive started on the Bates 24 and appeared to stall at the 3:40 mark when Bates faced fourth-and-1 on Bowdoin’s 39. The Bobcats lined up in their jumbo formation and tried to draw the defense offside with a hard cadence, but the Polar Bears called the bluff. Bates called timeout and lined up in punt formation, only to sneak a handoff to up-man Jon Beatty, who rumbled four yards off left tackle.

Bowdoin later stopped Bates on another 4th and 1 at its own 15 with 46 seconds remaining.

The Polar Bears took over on their own 8 following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and moved the ball close to midfield, but not nearly close enough for place kicker Dan Hayes, who finished 3-for-3 on field goals from 29, 40, and 29 yards.

“It’s a game of ball control and field position,” said Bowdoin coach Dave Caputi, frustrated with his team’s five fumbles. “We made mistakes that hurt us, and (Bates) capitalized on those mistakes.”

Bates (2-5) took a 7-6 lead at halftime on a touchdown pass from Gwozdz to Matt Orlando, who beat the safety with a slant route in man coverage.Nat Carr opened the scoring in the third, giving Bates a 10-6 lead with a 31-yard field goal. Hayes pulled Bowdoin within one on its next drive, splitting the uprights from 29 yards out.

Bates extended its lead to 20-9 on Walker’s two-yard TD run a minute into the fourth and a 35-yard field goal by Carr at the 8:38 mark.

It took Bowdoin (0-7) four plays to find the end zone. Following two incomplete passes, Ricky Leclerc lobbed a screen pass to Brian Durant, who scampered 40 yards down the sideline to Bates’ 27. Rob Patchett took the next handoff up the middle and collected six points virtually untouched. Leclerc, rolling right, connected Chris Stratton in the corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion.

“This is what it’s all about,” Bates coach Mark Harriman said. “It’s just great to come out and win at home in front of all the parents. It was a tight game and what an intense rivalry game should be.”