FARMINGTON – While some coaches may say they’d rather their team be lucky than good, most prefer to be good. Friday night, the Skowhegan Indians were both.
Like a desperate gambler putting his last 100 bucks and the keys to the family station wagon on the line, Skowhegan coach Mike Marston rolled the dice nine times on fourth down. His team successfully converted seven of them.
The fourth-down success and a flawless execution of the offensive game plan added up to a 24-21 upset over Mt. Blue in a Pine Tree Conference football game.
The win gives the Indians (6-2) a ticket into the Eastern playoffs.
“I’ve never seen so many fourth downs,” said Mt. Blue coach Gary Parlin. “If they didn’t get into the playoffs, it would be a shame.”
“I figured this,” said Marston. “We’re not going to get into the playoffs playing scared. We were going to go for it.”
Go for it they did.
After Mt. Blue quarterback Mason Barker called his own number for a 36-yard scoring scamper around left end on the Cougars’ second possession, the Indians went to work.
They answered with a pounding drive that took 17 plays and covered 70 yards. Twice on the drive they converted fourth downs. First, halfback Aaron Chambers (29 carries for 169 yards) swept around the right side on fourth and 3 from his own 49. A few plays later, quarterback Mike LaCasse connected with halfback Lucas Cole on a swing pass out of the backfield for 10 yards on fourth and 7 from the Mt. Blue 45.
Cole (27 carries for 96 yards) capped the drive with a 3-yard run up the middle.
The Cougars (7-1) made quick work down the field to go up 15-8 at the end of the first half. They needed just four plays to score as Barker hit wideout John Moloney for an 11-yard touchdown on a quick slant.
The second half featured the Indians running game.
The Cougars had the ball for just six plays in the third quarter and only three in the fourth. In all, the Indians racked up 334 yards rushing on an amazing 73 carries.
“We wanted to keep the ball away from them because they’re so explosive,” said Marston.
Skowhegan began the second half with a 10-play, 88-yard drive, highlighted by a Chambers 56-yard run and another fourth-down conversion. Chambers culminated the drive with a 5-yard scoring run.
After LaCasse intercepted Barker in Skowhegan territory, the Indians went on a 20-play touchdown drive with Chambers again going over from the 5. This time the Indians converted two more fourth downs.
“It’s the fight of the big men up front,” said Chambers, who returned after missing the last three weeks with an ankle injury. “They got the push.”
A 77-yard, fourth quarter kick off return by Mike Cayer pulled the Cougars to within three points. They got the ball back with 1:46 to play and no timeouts, but after completions of 15 and 24 yards to Arthur Trask, Barker fumbled a handoff and Matt Lishernes pounced on the ball for Skowhegan.
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