RUMFORD — Mountain Valley knew it was in for a dogfight Friday against top-ranked Wells, and the Warriors proved every bit as solid as the Falcons expected.
Running back Nolan Potter and quarterback Michael Wrigley each ran in two touchdowns, the Warriors broke things open early and held strong on defense to remain unbeaten with a 54-0 win over mistake-prone Mountain Valley at Chet Bulger Field on Friday night.
Wells (8-0) scored 21 points in a four-minute span late in the second quarter to open up a 35-0 lead at halftime, and will be the top-ranked team in the Class D playoffs, which begin next week. The Warriors have outscored Mountain Valley 146-6 in the past three games.
”Mountain Valley is a tough, physical team, but I am sure that they do not feel that they played well,” said Wells coach Tim Roche, who relishes bringing the Warriors to Rumford. ”Our game plan coming in was to run the ball. That is what we do and teams haven’t been able to stop us.”
Mountain Valley finished 4-4 for the second-straight season, and will travel to Spruce Mountain for a playoff game. The Falcons shot themselves in the foot by turning the ball over four times, including back-to-back fumbles that set Wells up in the red zone.
”We got punched in the mouth. There is no explanation for what happened tonight,” Mountain Valley coach Pat Mooney said. ”Wells is a good team and so are we. But, we certainly didn’t show it tonight.”
Mountain Valley fumbled on its initial possession and Wells took over at the Falcons 38. The Warriors established the line of scrimmage early on and executed its Wing-T offense fluidly. Potter (149 yards, 21 carries) picked up two first downs and then burst over from three yards out to lead 6-0.
Wells grabbed the momentum and didn’t let up. Tyler Bridge (86 yards, 6 carries) broke through a four-man line and ran 50 yards untouched for a score. On the ensuing possession, McDonald picked up a first down, but the drive stalled. The Warriors drew three-straight penalties, but Wrigley completed a 50-yard pass and three plays later Bridges scored a 3-yard touchdown.
”We had success running bellies, tackle-trap and waggle,” Wrigley said. “The offensive line (355 rushing yards) did a great job blocking. They really showed up.”
Mountain Valley couldn’t regroup during halftime and had lost its fire.
On the opening possession of the second half, Potter ran for a 55-yard TD. Devin Clavet and Brian Roberts scored on runs of 1 and 100 yards, respectively, in the second half.
”A repeat of this can’t happen next week, or the season is over,” Mooney said.
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