WELLS — It was a messy set of plays, but it worked out for Wells in a tight Class C football matchup Friday. 

Junior quarterback Noah McDonough found sophomore Colin Moody for a 4-yard touchdown pass to give the Warriors a 12-7 lead over Leavitt with 19 seconds remaining. The Hornets’ final chance was thwarted when Nathan DeMauro intercepted a pass to seal the victory.

“Our pass and run game were kind of equal, and nobody thinks that out of us, no one thinks Wells is going to throw the ball,” Wells coach Tim Roche said. “We threw the ball, and he’s a good quarterback, believe me.”

The Hornets were then flagged for pass interference, which was followed by an incomplete pass. McDonough’s next throw found DeMauro for a 33-yard gain to Leavitt’s 11. A few running plays set up Moody’s touchdown catch.

“We were talking before the play, and I’m like, ‘Noah, which way am I rolling out,’ and he corrected me,” Moody said. “I went out, saw that ball, caught it, and came down with it. It’s what you’ve got to do in those tight situations.”

McDonough said he knew the play would work if Moody rolled to the outside. 

“The biggest thing was, we throw the pick, but we come up and stuff the kid, he fumbled, we get the ball back, and I’m like, ‘Holy, gee,’ you know? It’s just one of those nights where you felt like maybe somebody was up there watching. It’s a good night,” Roche said. 

For Roche, that person watching from above was his best friend and former Wells coach, Commander Mike Guyer, who passed away from cancer in 2023. Guyer served in the U.S. Navy with Seal Team Six, and the foundation in his honor hosted Friday’s Salute to Armed Forces game at Wells. 

“As I got in the huddle, I said, Mike’s up there. He helped us through, and he’s just smiling down, laughing his ass off,” Roche said.

Crucial moments

• Wells (3-2) was first to score when McDonough threw a 13-yard pass to Kevin Bolduc. The Warriors tried a 2-point conversion, but the pass was incomplete. 

• Leavitt (3-2) fired back at the start of the second quarter, scoring on a 2-yard run by Randan Hutchinson. The extra point was good, giving the Hornets a 7-6 lead that lasted until the final minute. 

Statistical leaders

• Wells: Dominic Carbonneau (12 carries, 71 yards), Kevin Bolduc (TD run), Noah McDonough (6 for 11 passing, 38 yards, TD), Colin Moody (game-winning TD reception)

• Leavitt: Randan Hutchinson (17 carries, 89 yards, TD), Landon Marquis (7 for 11 passing, 55 yards; 10 carries, 34 yards), Mason Henderson (nine carries, 33 yards)

They said it

• “It’s a great win for our program, because everybody knows, that’s one of the top teams in the state of Maine every year. They’ve been a class act all the time. So when you can come out and beat them in a tight game like that and not give up many points, I’m very proud of them.” — Tim Roche

• “Leavitt’s always been a tough team, so we came in knowing that it’s going to be a hard game and we’re going to have to play all four quarters to the best of our ability.” — Noah McDonough

• “Just disappointed in the job we did coaching, we looked like a poorly coached team today, and that’s on me, so we’ll try to work on that. … We weren’t very well-prepared, it probably goes back to the week, not necessarily tonight, but we didn’t do a good job of prepping our guys for some things, and it showed.” — Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway