By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

LINCOLN – If the Lisbon football team had played the first quarter like it did the final quarter Friday night, things might have been a little different.

Instead, Lisbon couldn’t escape a 13-0 first-quarter deficit despite a strong final quarter. Mattanawcook managed to hand the Greyhounds their first lost with a 21-14 victory

Lisbon scored 14 points in the fourth quarter and made a game of the battle of unbeatens, but it was too little, too late after a costly penalty and a fumble helped the Lynx build the early lead.

“Our kids found a way to come around at the end and played a little bit better,” said Lisbon coach Dick Mynahan. “They stuck together out there. The season’s not over. It’s our third game, and the kids didn’t quit.”

Down 21-0, Lisbon came to life in the fourth quarter when Dan Willis blocked a Lynx punt. That set Lisbon up at the 38. Eight players later, the Greyhounds were on the board with a Levi Ervin burst up the middle from the 5 with 11:35 left.

Ervin finished with 77 yards on 18 carries.

Lisbon made it interesting with a lengthy drive in the closing minutes. Between Ervin’s rushing and the passing attack of Chris Brunick, the Greyhound kept moving the chains and managed to score on an Ervin rush from the 7 with 1:48 left.

“They had a number of big plays,” said Mattanawcook coach Art Greenlaw. “If we stop them on fourth down, the game’s over, but we couldn’t stop them.”

Lisbon tried an onside kick, but Dominic Bellantoni recovered it. Lisbon did get the ball back with 15 seconds remaining but couldn’t produce a miracle finish.

“We’ll take more out of it,” said Mynahan. “We don’t like to lose a game, but we liked the way we ended the game.”

Lisbon needed the fourth quarter surge to make up for a dismal opening quarter. Mattanawcook received the opening kickoff and proceeded to march down the field. The Lynx converted on a fourth-and-one at the 50 when Duncan Markie picked up two yards. Mattanawcook completed the 70-yard drive when quarterback Dylan Hanscom kept it and dove in from the 1.

Lisbon had the Lynx facing third-and-four from the four, but a pass interference call gave the Lynx a first down at the 2.

“That was darn close to a nine-minute drive,” said Greenlaw. “We had a fourth-and-one in the middle. The kids made some plays.”

The hole only got deeper for the Greyhounds. On Lisbon’s first play from scrimmage, the ball was fumbled and Steve Braley recovered at the Lisbon 11.

Mattanawcook needed just four plays to make it 13-0. Fullback Randy Read rumbled in from the 1 with 1:03 left in the first quarter.

“The kids had a long bus ride,” said Mynahan. “Sometimes you never know how you’re going to be after a long bus ride. I think we might have been a little flat, but I think a lot of the reason we might have been flat was because of the other team. They hit us pretty hard and the fumbles that happened were good defensive plays on their part.”

Mattanawcook outgain Lisbon 136 yards to 47 in the first half. The Lynx had eight first downs before Lisbon managed its first with 6:58 left in the half. The Greyhounds only sustained drive picked up 35 yards, but stalled on the 31 with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-two.

The Lynx made it 21-0 on their second possession of the second half. Jason Murchison scored on a 47-yard run with 5:34 left. He led all rushers with 96 yards on 12 carries.