BATH — The Fryeburg Academy fans chanted “the fourth quarter is ours” as the teams switched ends after the third.

Who can blame them, especially after the Raiders came back from 12 down in the final frame to stun Kennebunk in the opening week for a 14-12 win. And, last week Fryeburg got up off the mat, erasing an 11-0 fourth-quarter deficit against Mt. Ararat in the final five minutes for a 14-11 victory.

However, Tyler York and the Morse defense had different plans on Saturday, with the Shipbuilders intercepting four Fryeburg passes in the fourth for a 21-7 Western B victory at McMann Field.

York picked off two of Raiders quarterback Ryan Gullikson’s passes in the final 12 minutes, returning the second to the 1-yard line. One play later, Morse quarterback Connor Upham plowed into the end zone for a 21-7 Shipbuilders lead with 4:08 remaining.

“We were nervous as a coaching staff, knowing they came down and picked up two scores in the fourth to walk off with victories, but we were in better shape and the fourth quarter was our time,” said Morse coach Jason Darling, whose 2-2 Shipbuilders will host Gorham for Military Appreciation Night at 7 p.m. on Friday

Meanwhile, Fryeburg fell to 2-2 and hits the road to Rockland to take on Oceanside on Friday. Raiders coach David Turner feels his young team needs to stop turning the ball over after giving up the ball five times against Morse.

“We tried to mix things up, but we had our own miscues that hurt us,” said Turner. “You just can’t turn it over. We won last week with four turnovers. We are playing hard, but we are very inexperienced. The line is new, having played for six weeks. We tried to do things. It was hot, hot for them too, but we tried to keep them off balance, but their front was just good. We will hopefully string a full game together.”

Good drives

Morse opened the game with a solid drive, moving from its own 35 to the FA-14. On fourth down, Shipbuilders kicker James Lovitt drilled a 31-yard field goal to give the hosts a 3-0 lead.

Fryeburg also put together a good drive, moving quickly from its 45-yard line to the M-14. Gullikson found room in the middle of the Shipbuilders defense and dove into the end zone. Brandon Ludwig’s extra-point kick gave the Raiders a 7-3 lead.

The Shipbuilders pushed right back. On the first play of the second quarter, Dillion Havener (16 rushes, 89 yards) scored on a 7-yard run for a 9-7 lead. After the Morse defense forced the game’s first punt, the Shipbuilders offense again marched down the field, this time getting a 2-yard TD run from Justin Trottier for a 15-7 lead with 4:13 left until halftime.

“We got back to basics. We came into this week knowing we were going to ground and pound behind (guard) Juwan Moore up front, and we did that today,” said Darling after his offense racked up 258 yards on 58 carries.

Fryeburg’s first drive netted 55 yards, but the Raiders managed just 21 more the rest of the half, with Morse possessing the ball for over 15 minutes.

“We had a hard time getting a rhythm, and had mistakes that set us up behind the chains,” said Turner as his Raiders were penalized eight times for 52 yards in the first half. “They are a solid up front. We knew we would have issues there.”

The second half showed signs of what was to come for the Fryeburg offense. Gullikson showed nice touch on a fade pass to Ludwig (four receptions, 59 yards), but Lovitt stripped the receiver and teammate Tyreik Foster pounced on the loose ball.

Morse failed to move the ball on offense, accumulating just 80 yards of total offense in the second half. But, the Shipbuilder defense stood tall. With the Raiders deep in Morse territory early in the fourth, Gullikson’s pass was intercepted by Damon Osmond.

“We believed, marched down the field, but we turned it over on a play that was open,” said Turner.

Fryeburg held to force a punt, with Lovitt launching a 48-yard punt to get the Shipbuilders out from the shadows of their goal posts.

Two plays later, York stepped in front of a Fryeburg receiver for his first interception, and on the Raiders’ next offensive play later in the quarter, York did it again, this time rumbling to the F-1. Upham scored on the next play for a 14-point Shipbuilders lead.

“In the beginning they were catching passes on my side, and I learned how to cover them later in the game,” said York. “Everybody played hard today.”

“The crowd definitely had something to do with it and we played like a family,” said running back Raz Baltazar, who picked up 62 touch inside yards on 15 carries. “We kept our heads high and our confidence high.”

“It goes to show that young guys grow up, and Tyler is part of a talented class of players,” said Darling. “We have to take it one game at a time. You don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself with a young team. If you do, you will be in trouble.”

Even down 14 with four minutes left, Turner and his team still believed.

“I was hoping we had some magic at the end, but we just didn’t have it today,” said Turner after Gullikson’s final throw was picked off by Foster with 2:55 remaining.

Angel Escalante and Gage Fowler each had 10 tackles for Fryeburg, with Isaac Wakefield adding eight. Gullikson finished with 91 yards rushing on 18 carries and was 5-of-14 in the air for 91 yards for 182 yards of total offense.

James Laser chipped in 50 yards on the ground for Morse. Defensively, Moore clogged up the middle and made six solo tackles. Thaddeaus Bushnell had five stops.

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