WALES – There was no chest thumping in the Belfast post-game huddle Monday afternoon. Nobody broke into the school song, dished out any friendly ribbing to a teammate or (thankfully) mimicked Michigan State’s weekend shenanigans and planted a blue-and-gold flag at the 50-yard line.
It was difficult to discern the winner and loser if you hadn’t just watched Belfast out-slug Oak Hill, 8-0, in a rain-delayed Eastern Class B football contest. The Raiders, though shutout victims for the second straight week, seemed to have an easier time accepting the outcome in the hot, shimmering twilight than the perennially powerful Lions.
“We knew that Oak Hill lost to (Mount Desert Island), so we came in here and thought it was going to be a cakewalk,” said Belfast junior halfback and linebacker Travis Lee. “We’re going to have a long week of practice.”
Short week, actually, thanks to the two-day break due to hurricane remnants that missed.
Lee has a point, though. The number and duration of wind sprints might have doubled if the Lions (2-1) hadn’t found a way to score on their opening series of the second half, put the Raiders on their heels and keep the scoreboard clean until the horn.
Sean Leeman, a 5-foot-7, 150-pound senior, scorched Oak Hill’s secondary for gains of 18 and 16 yards to set up his 18-yard scoring rush on third-and-8 with 8:12 to play in the third quarter. Leeman added the two-point rush at the end of a nine-play, 69-yard march.
Both defenses otherwise reigned supreme, but Belfast’s, significantly fresher in the fourth quarter, delivered two late knockout punches in its own territory. Lee sacked junior quarterback Josh Jillson from the blind side, forcing a fumble that the Lions smothered at the Belfast 4 with 5:33 remaining.
Jon Walsh intercepted Jillson to seal the issue with 33 seconds left, one play after Jillson connected with Casey Behne for a 37-yard catch-and-run to the Lions 36.
“Our defense was just on the field too much, and (Belfast) always seemed to have field position,” said Oak Hill coach Bruce Nicholas. “But I’m much happier than last week.”
Oak Hill played a similar slugfest last time out against a far less decorated MDI program. It ended with the Trojans returning an interception in the final minute of regulation for a 6-0 upset victory.
Belfast brandished more weapons with its full house backfield and hodgepodge of misdirection plays, and Oak Hill (1-2) handled it admirably. Eric Daniels (11 tackles) and Robie Leavitt (10) stuffed the Lions at the point of attack throughout. Josh Therrien and Joey Gilbert each picked off a pass deep in Raiders’ territory in the first half.
“This was the last of our three inter-divisional games,” Nicholas said. “We talked about trying to find ourselves in those games, and I think we found something today. That’s a team that beat Gardiner.”
Which means that Oak Hill should be able to play with just about anybody in the Pine Tree Conference. To do that, however, the Raiders will need to sustain more offense than they did in the second half, when they ran only 18 offensive plays.
Lee, Nick Thomann and Keegan Barrett led a swarming Belfast resistance that held Oak Hill to 59 rushing yards on 30 carries. Jillson completed 6-for-11 for 110 yards, including four for 66 to the sticky-fingered Behne.
[email protected]
Comments are no longer available on this story