Football: Oxford Hills conquers Windham

PARIS — The only thing that stopped Oxford Hills quarterback Eli Soehren in the first half of Friday night’s game against Windham was an injury that kept him out for most of the second quarter.

Soehren returned to the game for the final drive of the half for the Vikings, who were 95 yards away from the end zone with 67 seconds left in the first half. The senior signal-caller led the Oxford Hills offense on a quick scoring drive, completing all three of his passes, and covering all of those 95 yards, capped by a touchdown pass to Teigan Pelletier.

That put Oxford Hills up by four scores in a game they went on to win 42-7.

“We’re not trying to put a ton of points on them, but at the end of the half, we use that as a tool to let the kids do the two-minute drill. And I was a little skeptical (about driving for a score), to be honest with you,” Oxford Hills coach Mark Soehren said. “I debated about doing it. And so we did. I mean, the receivers made some nice plays on that thing. They’re weapons, and they’re tough to cover 1-on-1. And Teigan’s a fantastic player.”

Soehren was 4 for 4 in the first quarter, including an 18-yard completion to Lincoln Merrill on the Vikings’ (7-0) first offensive play of the game. He also connected with Pelletier for 24 yards on a second-and-26 play, as Pelletier snagged the ball over the head of a shorter Eagles defender.

Trey Morrison capped off the drive two runs later with a 1-yard surge into the end zone.

Jake Carson blocked a Windham punt to end the Eagles’ ensuing drive, giving Oxford Hills the ball at the Windham 47-yard line. Three plays later, Soehren connected with Tanner Bickford for a 26-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0 after Brady Delamater’s second made extra point.

Windham (4-3) responded with a quick three-play drive highlighted by running back Alex Yeaton’s 60-yard run on a direct snap. Jordan Bridge made the extra point despite slipping on a muddy spot on the wet field, drawing the Eagles to within a touchdown, 14-7.

Windham coach Matt Perkins credited execution by the entire offense on Yeaton’s score.

“Guys finished the blocks and did a good job getting downfield. So it was good,” he said.

“(Yeaton), he’s a great player,” Mark Soehren said. “So you got to see and know where he is all the time.”

Yeaton finished the game with seven carries for 68 yards. He also caught five passes thrown by quarterback Landon Buzulchuck for 53 yards.

Two big plays — one by Morrison and one by Eli Soehren — put the Vikings back in the end zone. Morrison ran for 35 yards, then Soehren spiraled a 33-yard touchdown pass to Pelletier in the final minute of the first quarter.

“It’s crazy because when they have to come down for the run, they can’t guard over the top. And if they’re guarding over the top, then Trey has 100 yards rushing, like he did a couple weeks ago,” Pelletier said.

Soehren, playing safety, intercepted a Windham pass to end the Eagles’ next drive, but soon after he got banged up on a quarterback run.

Brady Truman, who started two games at QB earlier this season, took over for Soehren and led the Vikings on another scoring drive. Morrison finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run.

“We all trust Brady. We all trust Eli,” Pelletier, who finished with five receptions for 104 yards, said. “Obviously, Eli was Gatorade Player of the Year (last year), but Brady is a good quarterback and we all trust him to do what’s right.”

The Eagles sandwiched two unsuccessful drives around a one-play Oxford Hills possession that ended with a fumble.

The latter of the two Windham possessions ended with Buzulchuck’s punt down to the 5-yard line.

Soehren returned and helped the Vikings gain more momentum and take a 35-7 lead going into the second half.

Meanwhile, it was a deflating end to the half for the Eagles, according to Perkins.

Soehren completed all seven of his pass attempts in the first half, for 196 yards, then added two more completions for 19 yards early in the third quarter.

Windham’s Ezra Foster ended Soehren’s perfect start by intercepting his 10th pass attempt of the game on the opening drive of the second half. Soehren finished 9 for 11 with 215 yards.

Windham had to punt the ball away after its initial drive of the second half stalled a little past midfield in Oxford Hills territory. The Vikings then went three-and-out as the game transitioned into the fourth quarter.

Windham’s next drive went nowhere before punting the ball back to the Vikings.

Oxford Hills found the end zone for the first time in the half when Truman tossed a screen pass to Grayson Foster, who ran the rest of the way for a 27-yard touchdown with 3:13 left.

The Vikings outgained the Eagles 493-197. Morrison ran for 119 yards on 14 carries.

Buzulchuck was 11 for 17 passing for 98 yards.

Perkins heaped praise on the Vikings after the game

“They’re a special group, for sure. There’s no doubt about it. They don’t have a weakness at any spot,” he said. “It’s pretty rare. You don’t see that very often. That’s a special group he’s got.”

The Vikings, who maintain their grip on the top spot in this week’s Varsity Maine football poll, next play in New Hampshire against Portsmouth.