LIVERMORE FALLS – You can put new players into the system, but it’s still going to look the same.

Despite a slew of fresh faces, the Boothbay Seahawks employed a power running game that chewed up 240 yards in pounding out a 24-8 win over the Livermore Falls Andies in a Class C football game Friday night.

The duo of Tim Stover and Dylan Brandt combined for 185 yards and two touchdowns as the Seahawks (1-0) appeared in mid-season form.

“That’s our game,” said Stover. “That’s what Boothbay football is all about. Just pound it up in there.”

In typical Boothbay fashion, the offense scored on drives of 13 and 19 plays sandwiched around a quick 8-play, 64-yard march. One play after new quarterback Sam Cook found Joe Farrin with a short pass to convert a fourth down in the second quarter, Stover took the ball over the right side before cutting all the way back across the field for a 29-yard touchdown run.

“When you run that play so many times, you get (the defense) flowing,” said Stover. “As soon as we manned up on that second drive, we started working off that and having a good time.”

The Seahawks scored on their next two drives as well. They closed out the first half up 16-0 after Cook lofted a high pass which floated down into the arms of Kris Noonan in the left hand corner of the end zone for a 23-yard score.

Boothbay wore down the home team in the third quarter. Taking the ball to start the half, the Boothbay offense slugged its way downfield. Attacking the left side of the Andies’ defense, Stover (95 yards) and Brandt (90 yards) alternated carries and methodically moved their way toward paydirt.

Of the 19 plays, only two managed to go more than six yards, the longest being an 8-yard run by Stover. Brandt capped the 74-yard drive by barreling in from two yards out.

“We just want our kids to get positive yard and that’s it,” said Boothbay coach Tim Rice. “Our running backs ran extremely hard and made some nice cuts.”

The Andies (0-1) scored on the subsequent drive. Senior quarterback Kevin Gats orchestrated a 12-play, 51-yard scoring march. On fourth down at the Boothbay 40 he found sophomore wideout Nate Michaud for 23 yards down the middle of the field. Gats converted another fourth down by scrambling for nine yards to the Boothbay 5. Two plays later, he hooked up with Michaud again. This time the pass went for six points as he rolled right and zipped the ball to Michaud in the corner of the end zone.

“They’re vastly improved from last year,” said Livermore Falls coach Brad Bishop. “They’re a good-sized team and their backs are quick. They were tough tonight.”

dst.hilaire@sunjournal.com

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Boothbay, 24-8

Boothbay 0 16 8 0–24

Livermore Falls 0 0 0 8–8

2nd quarter

B- Stover 29 run (Cook pass to Noonan)

B- Noonan 23 pass from Cook (Brandt rush)

3rd quarter

B- Brandt 2 run (Brandt rush)

4th quarter

LF- Michaud 9 pass from Gats (Gats rush)

Boothbay Livermore Falls

First downs 22 8

Rushes – net yards 57-240 28-91

Passing yards 50 54

Passes comp – att – int 3-4-0 4-5-0

Total yards 290 135

Punts – average 1-37 2-34

Fumbles – lost 1-0 1-0

Penalties – yards 5-30 1-5