PARIS — The game had all the makings of a classic playoff matchup.

Extended introductions, these due to senior night at Oxford Hills? Check.

Crisp, clean autumn air? Check.

Two teams playing with plenty of pride? Check.

No matter that, previous to Friday night, Edward Little and Oxford Hills had three combined wins, the Eastern Class A title might as well have been on the line.

And as Quin Leary climbed the ladder to haul in one of his two gravity-defying catches on the game’s final sustained drive, the Red Eddies added another item to the checklist: Late-game, two-minute-drill drive covering 77 yards on 10 plays in 2:10.

Darnnell Hairston capped Edward Little’s improbable, come-from behind victory with a two-yard plunge with 33.5 seconds to play in regulation, lifting the Eddies to a 21-14 win over Oxford Hills at the Gouin Athletic Complex.

“We started off that drive running the ball. That’s what we’ve been doing all season,” EL quarterback Josh DeLong said. “But then we knew we had to open it up. The drive right before the half and right after, we opened it up with passing, then we got it inside the 10-yard line and Darnnell walked it in. I can’t stress enough how much this came from the whole team. Everyone had the mentality that we needed to get down this field.”

“The kids have played hard all year, no matter what the score, what the opponent,” Oxford Hills coach Paul Withee said. “I think they deserve a little better than they’ve been getting.”

The Eddies and Vikings are no strangers to close games at the Gouin complex. Two years ago, at Oxford Hills’ homecoming, the teams played in a marathon lasting five overtimes, with the first OT beginning with the teams even at 20-20.

“We needed to end it on that drive,” DeLong said. “I didn’t want to deal with that again, and I think the rest of the team felt the same way.”

With the teams knotted at 14 to begin the fourth quarter, Luke Farrago disrupted an Oxford Hills drive with a fumble recovery at the EL 39. Seven plays later, the Vikings regained the momentum after forcing a punt, which they then blocked, setting themselves up at the EL 45.

With 2:43 to play, Oxford Hills quarterback Tyler Brown heaved a pass over the middle that DeLong tipped and Farrago hauled in. It was the Eddies’ third interception of Brown on the night. DeLong picked off the other two.

“It was good to get those turnovers when we did,” DeLong said. “It really gave us the momentum.”

DeLong went to work on offense. After three consecutive runs by Hairston gave EL a first down, DeLong found Alphonso Belnavis for a 9-yard reception on the right side. Two plays and a scramble later, he hit Leary on the sideline for 20 and another first down at the Oxford Hills 40. Belnavis hauled in a 17-yarder, then Leary reeled in another for 20 up the middle to set EL up inside the Vikings’ 10.

“Leary’s six-two, you put that ball anywhere near him and he’ll go up and get it,” DeLong said. “I definitely have a lot of faith there.”

“We put the ball in JD’s hands. We had a lot of faith in what he was doing, leading us down the field,” EL coach Dave Sterling said. “The offensive line really started clicking. We picked up our blocks and he made some great throws in spots. You can’t ask more from a senior on a night like this.”

The Vikings’ seniors made their mark early in the game, helping the home crowd to its feet quickly with a defensive stop on the fourth play of the game and a touchdown four plays after that, posting a 7-0 advantage 4:03 into the game.

Another EL three-and-out and a good punt return by Kyle Ayotte set the Vikings back up at the EL 32, and Brown found Josh MacDonald in the end zone for another score, putting Oxford Hills in front by two touchdowns and a pair of extra points.

“Tyler’s been dynamic for us since he stepped in to that position,” Withee said.

Back-to-back interceptions framed a Hairston fumble to open the second quarter, and Withee’s first of two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties set the Eddies up inside the Vikings’ 20. That drive also ended in an interception as Sean Ford tried to hit a receiver in the end zone, only to find Oxford Hills DB Dylan Cox instead.

DeLong did find Leary for a score just before the half to pull EL within a touchdown, and Hairston punched the ball in from five yards out in the third quarter to even things up at 14.

With time winding down, after EL’s third touchdown, Withee again disputed a non-call by the officials, and was given the gate.

“My thought was that one of our kids in particular was getting held on every one of those pass rushes,” Withee said. “For him to throw that second flag on me, to me, showed a real lack of understanding of officiating, in my opinion. We’ve won one game all year. There’s a lot of frustration there. That’s not good officiating in my opinion. I just turned and walked away. I didn’t swear at him, I didn’t say anything inappropriate, and for him to throw a flag in that situation is ridiculous.”

The Vikings’ front line then mishandled the Eddies’ squib kick and turned the ball back over to EL, effectively ending the contest.

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