This is the ninth installment in a series recapping the 50th anniversary of the Oxford Hills 10-1 1971 football season.

Oxford Hills scored the first five times it had the football, then turned the game over to the hard-working reserve units on the way to a 44-0 non-conference verdict over Berlin (NH) and its eighth straight win. Another large Viking Field crowd of 2,500 fans observed the shutout, although a dense fog made the viewing difficult, particularly in the second half.

Quarterback Brad Cummings capped a five-play, 61-yard drive early in the first quarter with a 22-yard scoring pass to end Hal Edwards on a post pattern. Dave Daniels made the first of four first-half conversion kicks to give the home team a 7-0 lead. Key plays in the drive were carries of 23 and ten yards by halfback Reggie Olmstead.

Halfback Larry Durgin returned a bad Mountaineer punt 27 yards to the B-11 to set up the next score. It took the Vikes five plays to tally, with Durgin going over from the one.

Linebacker Peter Brown stopped a Berlin drive at the OH-45 in the second period when he recovered a fumble after a completed pass. He then picked up five yards from his fullback position followed by an 11-yard burst from Durgin. An Olmstead gain of five yards coupled with a Mountaineer personal foul moved the ball to the B-19. A fumble in the OH backfield was recovered by Cummings at the B 28. On the next play, Cummings again hit Edwards for the touchdown.

The final score of the half came after the Vikings held Berlin at the B-31. On fourth down, the snap from center sailed over Mountaineer punter Steve Bukovich’s head. Bukovich recovered at the B-11 but was dropped immediately by middle guard Steve Raasumaa. After an incomplete pass, Durgin then garnered his second touchdown with an 11-yard jaunt.

It was Oxford Hills by 28-0 at the halftime break.

With the fog settling in, the Hillsmen wasted little time getting going in the second half. Edwards ran a punt back 38 yards to the OH-45. Durgin got 19 yards on his first carry, then caught a Cummings pass for 12 yards more. Brown netted nine yards in two carries before Olmstead darted the last 11 yards for the touchdown. Cummings and Edwards combined for a two-point conversion to make it 36-0 with more than half of the third period remaining. Head Coach Bob Fallon once again called out his reserve teams, and for the third time in eight contests, every Viking player on the roster saw playing time.

Berlin got just two plays off in the next series before OH defender Jim Tibbetts intercepted a Bukovich pass at the B-45. Reserve quarterback Dave Ryerson led a 12-play drive to the B-1 before a fumble gave the ball back to the Mountaineers. But one play later, linebackers Jim Boyce and Dave Brown dropped Bukovich in the end zone for a safety and a 38-0 lead.

After the Berlin free-kick was returned to the B-46, OH running backs Ted Williams, Andy Whitney, and Richard Turner combined to gain 19 yards to the B-27. At that point, Ryerson connected on a perfect post pass to Roby Baker for the final touchdown. A two-point conversion attempt failed, keeping the score 44-0.

Coach Fallon got some excellent defensive work out of sophomores David Dale, Jim Boyce, and Phil Prideaux. In the late going, Viking cornerback Paul Laird picked off a Bukovich pass, and tackle Joe McInnis recovered a Berlin fumble.

WIth three Pine Tree Conference opponents remaining in its bid for a perfect regular season and a berth in the Class B title game, the Vikings host Belfast next Friday night for Homecoming. The season finale at arch-rival Morse looms as an epic matchup, with this weekend’s 33-0 Shipbuilder dismantling of the previously-unbeaten Skowhegan Indians giving testament to the gridiron battle that lies ahead on Saturday, November 13, in Bath.

Bob Moorehead covered the 1971 Oxford Hills football team as a general assignment reporter for the Portland Press Herald and Sunday Telegram. He later served the Guy Gannett Newspapers as a sports editor, city editor, managing editor and general manager. Paul Ricci and Brian Partridge (both OHHS Class of 1972) conceived the idea for the series and provided extensive research. Readers who would like to share any favorite memories or stories from the 1971 season are encouraged to E-Mail either of them at paulricci@hotmail.com or brianpartridge@comcast.net.

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