BANGOR — Bangor lost an argument with the referee on the coin toss before Saturday’s game with Mt. Blue.

The Rams might want to consider having fruitless arguments with game officials in the future if Saturday’s outcome is any indication.

Bangor forced five turnovers, including two key first-quarter interceptions by  John Kelley, to remain undefeated with a 39-7 win at windy Cameron Stadium in a game postponed from Friday night due to inclement weather.

Bangor (5-0) wanted a fast start and got it when Wyatt Frost took the opening kickoff 68 yards to the Mt. Blue 28. 

Ironically, Frost made the big return after insisting during the coin toss that Bangor didn’t want the ball after Mt. Blue won the toss and deferred to the second half.

“It’s funny,” Bangor coach Mark Hackett said. “We asked the kids what they wanted to do because it was pretty windy and they said, ‘Let’s play defense. We’ll kick with the  wind. We’ll give them the ball an extra time and the referee wouldn’t let us do it.’ He said, ‘No, that’s not what you want because you’ll give them the ball twice.’ Wyatt brought it back and put us in great field position.”

Mt. Blue still had a chance to avoid a bad start, but on 4th-and-7, Josiah Hartley made a leaping catch of a Joe Seccareccia throw in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown that gave the Rams the lead for good just 2:49 into the contest.

Things only got worse from there for the Cougars (3-2), who gave the Rams’ offense excellent starting field position for much of the game. Kelley intercepted a Jordan Whitney pass on Mt. Blue’s second play from scrimmage to set the Rams up at the Cougar 37. Two plays later, Hartley (17 carries, 89 yards) ran behind the left side of his offensive  line 25 yards to make it 13-0.

“You can’t turn the ball over five times against a quality opponent and expect good things to happen,” Mt. Blue coach Gary Parlin said.

The Cougars went three-and-out on their next series, and a short punt gave Bangor good field position again, its own 47. But Adam Lewia recovered a Hartley fumble at the Cougar 10 to momentarily swing momentum in Mt. Blue’s favor.

Two plays later, Kelley, a defensive end dropping back into coverage, picked off Whitney again, this time at Mt. Blue’s 7.

“I think it was pretty much the same play (as the first interception),” Kelley said. “I just watched him go across my body then backed up into the flat and just took it away from him.”

“He just felt it and backed up and snatched the ball,” Hackett said. “It was a great play by him. You see guys in the pros do that all the time. He’s not a pro, but he’s pretty damned good in high school.”

After the interception, Seccareccia made it 19-0 on a 1-yard QB sneak with 1:50 left in the first quarter.

The Rams held the Cougars without a first down in the first quarter. Cam Sennick (nine carries, 92 yards) broke the string and then some early in the second quarter. He took a hand-off wide to the right, setting up his blockers at the 30, then breaking through and down the sideline before cutting back inside the 20 for a 74-yard touchdown.

Bangor lost Hartley to a concussion on its next possession, but the Rams were still able to answer with a 3-yard TD run from Frost that made it 25-7 at the half.

“We haven’t really come out with a full game yet,” Kelley said. “I think this game we really stepped up and came out with fire.”

Mt. Blue’s turnover woes continued on the first play of the second half, when Tyler Shanklin recovered a fumble at the Cougar 27. The defense held, even though  the ball stayed in their own end for almost the entire third quarter. The offense, playing without starting tailback Izaiha Tracy (injured hip) never could tilt the field back in Mt. Blue’s favor.

Frost added a 1-yard TD run and Cody Chapman a 59-yard scoring scamper for Bangor in the fourth quarter.