On the second play, the Vikings gave the ball right back to the Mustangs.

The Vikings immediately declared, with words and actions, that would be enough of that.

Oxford Hills scored 35 unanswered points in the first half and used a big-play running game and inspired defense to crush Massabesic, 42-6, at Don Gouin Athletic Complex.

“We said in the huddle (after the fumbles) we have to make this work. This isn’t how this game is going to go,” senior running back Ryland VanDecker said. “Everyone reacted to that, offense and defense. After that, we tidied it up  and Oxford Hills really played a phenomenal game today. I couldn’t be more proud.”

Junior Dawson Stevens rushed for 140 yards and three first-half touchdowns on 10 carries while VanDecker ran for 104 yards and a TD on 11 attempts to lead a Vikings offense that chewed up 454 yards, 312 on the ground.

Senior Adaryan Ray led the defense with three sacks and a fumble recovery. 

“This week, instead of playing for ourselves, we decided to go to the white board in the locker room and write down who we were going to play for,” Ray said. “I just put all I had on this field today for my brothers (teammates) because it’s my senior year and my last homecoming.”

Oxford Hills’ offense redeemed itself for squandering great field position after Ray recovered Massabesic’s fumble on the game’s first play from scrimmage. On their second possession, VanDecker rushed up the middle 55 yards for a touchdown.

The Vikings (2-3) had to punt on their next offensive series, and a high snap left the Mustangs with their first crack in Viking territory. 

Massabesic (0-5) converted on 4th-and-7 with a seven-yard run by Tommaso Mobiglia. But it couldn’t move the chains again on 4th-and-9 from the Viking 29 due to an incomplete pass.

Stevens immediately made it a two-touchdown lead, scampering 71 yards to paydirt on first down after a nifty sidestep to avoid a tackler at his own 40.

“I was just following my fullbacks,” Stevens said. “They knocked some heads, I made some cuts and it was off to the races.”

“We always try to establish the inside running game and see where that’s at, and we did have (VanDecker’s) big run early,” Oxford Hills coach Mark Soehren said. “(Massabesic) really packed everything inside. So we ran toss to Dawson, who’s pretty fast, and there just wasn’t really much coverage outside.”

The Viking defense set up the offense at midfield for its next series. After Levi Brett’s 24-yard run, Stevens took a toss to the right and sprinted down the sideline to the pylon for a 21-0 lead with 9:33 left in the first half.

Oxford Hills stopped Mustangs’ QB Isaac Desvergnes short of the first down on 4th-and-1 at Massabesic’s 34 to once again give the offense a great starting point. Viking QB Connor Truman’s 26-yard pass to Ethan Bourgoin set up Stevens’ third TD run, this from six yards, for a 28-0 lead.

The Vikings limited the Mustangs to 36 net yards and two first downs in the first half, giving their offense an average starting field position of Massabesic’s 48.

The offense started a yard closer than that on its final scoring drive of the half, which Jonathan Blake capped with a five-yard TD run with 1:55 to go.

“The defense was phenomenal,” Soehren said. “Kids were in spots and making plays. The D-line really did a fantastic job. Adaryan played really hard today and played sideline to sideline.”

Massabesic spoiled the shutout late in the third quarter by converting on 4th-and-goal with an eighty-yard TD pass from Desvergnes to Noah McGrath.

Truman capped Oxford Hills’ scoring with a one-yard QB sneak early in the fourth quarter.

 “Our line did a phenomenal job today,” VanDecker said. “Even with our phenomenal line, Massabesic has a pretty strong (defensive) line, so you really have to want in. The whole team… the whole community wanted it today. We had the backing of so many fans, it’s awesome.”

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