Deering takes advantage of Biddeford after the Tigers lose their starting QB to an injury.
By Kevin Mills
Staff Writer

BIDDEFORD – As Phil Bourassa walked to the sidelines with his left shoulder drooping considerably, the hopes of the Biddeford football team sagged as well.

When the Tigers senior quarterback went down with an injury on the opening kickoff of the second half Saturday, Biddeford faced an even greater challenge against the unbeaten Deering Rams. Bourassa suffered a possible broken collarbone, and the Tigers never recovered. The Rams quickly turned a scoreless tie into a commanding 19-0 lead in the third quarter, eventually earning a trip to Saturday’s Class A state regional final with a 32-7 win over the Tigers at Waterhouse Field.

“When No. 12 goes down, the chances of us winning are diminished considerably,” said Biddeford coach Brian Curit.

With Bourassa out of the game, the steam quickly went out of Biddeford’s offense. The Tigers (10-1) had just 70 yards in the first half with their talented quarterback. They had to rush in junior backup James Morin, who had an injured ankle lingering from the win over Noble the week before. They later brought in sophomore Tom Tardif. The Tigers turned the ball over on five of its next six possessions and Deering capitalized on four of them. Biddeford finished with just 156 total yards and eight first downs, many of which came in the final minute.

“Our second string QB was really gimping,” said Curit. “We knew that was the worst- case scenario to put a sophomore in that situation. That’s a very good defense and to put Tommy into a situation like that is very difficult. With a healthy James, we’re going to move the football. He’s going to be an outstanding quarterback next year, but he was hurting from last week.”

Deering threatened for much of the first half and turnovers in the second half were just the edge the Rams needed. Deering’s ground attack rushed for 350 yards against a reeling Biddeford team.

“Football’s a momentum game, and you have to take advantage of momentum,” said Deering coach Greg Stilphen, whose team plays Brunswick at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

After a hard-nosed scoreless first half, Bourassa took the kickoff to start the second half. He darted back through traffic and took a solid hit to the left of his body. He came to the sideline with his left shoulder obviously hurting. Morin came in and fumbled the snap and the Tigers’ hopes continued to evaporate. Deering’s Chris Arich recovered the ball on the 27.

The Rams (11-0) needed just four plays to take a 7-0 lead with 10:21 left in the third quarter. Joe Marsh slipped a tackle or two on the left side and took it in from 12 yards out. It was the first of four touchdowns for Marsh, who rushed for 228 yards on 36 carries.

“He’s a great tailback,” said Stilphen.

“He’s yet to play a full game. That’s the scary thing about Joe. He’s got almost 1,600 yards coming into the game, and he hasn’t played a full game. He’s as good as there is.”

When Biddeford had a short punt after being stopped on its next possession, Deering took over on the 37. Regular punter Mike Thibault had been shaken up on the preceeding kickoff and couldn’t punt. Marsh and the Rams used just six plays. Marsh took it in from the 5 with 5:55 left in the quarter.

An interception by Ryan Piacentini at the 23 set up a 32-yard run for Marsh and a 19-0 lead with 4:56 left in the third.

“I really believe that we set the table with the first half,” said Stilphen. “We were getting good opportunites to run the football. You’ve just got to be patient and we were. In the second half, we wanted to just stop them and get the ball and control the field position.”

A fumble off a Biddeford pass completion early in the fourth led to a Marsh score from the 3. Later in the fourth, after a Biddeford fumble, Ryan Fogg scored from the 14. Biddeford didn’t score until 16 seconds remained. Jacob Brown carried it in from the 9.

“My hat’s off to them,” said Curit. “That’s a very, very good football team. We thought we could play with them, which we did for a half. You can’t make mistakes against a team like that.”