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FREEPORT — After Freeport quarterback Andrew Thomas threw an interception late in the first half, he knew the second half had to look different for the Falcons.

“Coach came over to me with the iPad, showed me what I did wrong,” Thomas said after Freeport’s 35-13 win over Dirigo. “I made the wrong read, but he was there. Everyone was there to support me. This is a great team, everyone just tried to lift me up. It was amazing.”

Dirigo’s Trevor Crosby intercepted that pass from Thomas and returned it 88 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the second quarter to cut Freeport’s lead to 15-13 at halftime.

The Falcons took control in the second half, scoring 20 unanswered points.

“I personally struggled in the first half, threw two interceptions in one half,” Thomas said. “Our defense came up clutch, and after the half we just exploded and never stopped scoring.”

The Freeport offense was sparked in the second half by a one-handed catch by Sam Walker for a 35-yard gain to the Dirigo 10. Thomas took care of the rest of the distance on the next play, running into the end zone to extend the Falcons’ lead to 22-13.

“(Sam’s) a very emotional player, loves the game, and him and I have a very fun relationship,” Freeport coach Paul St. Pierre said. “Sometimes when he gets upset, he plays better, so (I) find ways to motivate him throughout the game. I think I did, and he responded extremely well. … I’m proud of him for making it. He’s going to remember that catch for probably the rest of his life.”

Sam Willard, who finished the night with 10 carries for 119 yards and two touchdowns (3 and 24 yards) called Walker’s catch “inspirational,” and “just what we needed,” to get going in the second half. 

Willard’s second touchdown gave Freeport a 29-13 lead with 3:32 left.

“I just want to give a big shout-out to our lineman for the blocking,” Willard said. “They made it possible for me to get into that end zone, and all props go to them.”

Senior lineman Dietrich Schultz capped the scoring with his first career touchdown, a 2-yard run after a 9-yard gain the play before with 1:47 remaining.

BACK AND FORTH FIRST HALF

Dirigo scored first on a 1-yard run by Tanner Bradeen that gave the Cougars a 7-0 lead midway through the opening quarter. Freeport answered four minutes later with Keigan Haveran’s 18-yard touchdown run that tied the score at 7-7.

Willard gave the Falcons the lead with a 3-yard run. Thomas found Drew Pound on the 2-point conversion to make it 15-7 early in the second quarter.

Crosby’s 88-yard interception return got Dirigo within two points, but the Cougars’ pass on the 2-point attempt was intercepted.

“I think (Trevor’s) up to eight interceptions this year, (he’s returned) two or three to the house,” Dirigo coach Joshua Newhall said. “He’s incredibly smart, he calls probably 80% of our defense, and just he reads and reacts. I can’t say enough nice things about the kid, I think he’s underrated … that’s just next level. He’s got wheels.”

POSTSEASON UP NEXT

Dirigo opened the season with 30 players, but the roster has dwindled throughout the season. That includes losing junior Hudson Lufkin, a two-way standout at quarterback and linebacker and one of the best players in Class D, to an ACL tear.

Senior Brady Philbrick moved from receiver to replace Lufkin at QB.

“Brady went into a tough situation,” Newhall said. “Anybody that’s going to step in after Hudson, it’s a tough spot. He hadn’t played quarterback for us, and I think tonight was tough. I think we had a hard time with some reads, but he ran the ball well. He threw a couple good balls, we dropped a couple balls that normally we wouldn’t drop. I think that playoff version of him will be a little different than what we saw tonight.”

Despite the loss, Dirigo (5-3) might get the second seed in the Class D South playoffs, which would mean a first-round bye and a home game in the semifinals. Freeport (5-3), meanwhile, could be stuck as the fifth seed and would have to play a road game in next week’s quarterfinals.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Freeport: Sam Willard (10 carries, 119 yards, 2 TDs), Andrew Thomas (13 carries, 88 yards, TD; 7 for 11 passing, 81 yards), Keigan Haveran (TD reception; 5 carries, 39 yards)

• Dirigo: Brady Philbrick (8 for 14 passing, 75 yards; 9 carries, 46 yards), Tanner Bradeen (4 carries, 13 yards, TD), Caiden Skidgell (2 catches, 33 yards)

THEY SAID IT 

• “(Dirigo is) a great town, great program, and they fought hard. It could have been a whole different game if we were up at their place. I’m just very lucky that we were able to lock them down in the second half and get the win against a very good program.”— Freeport coach Paul St. Pierre

•“Statistically, I think we’re one of the top defenses in turnovers, even statewide; it puts us at 18 interceptions this season. They bought into the culture early, they bought into what we wanted to do defensively, and we generate turnovers, we generate fumbles, we generate interceptions, we create pressure.” — Dirigo coach Joshua Newhall

•“This is a great team. I know we’ve had some losses. We’ve had other seasons where we’ve had better records, but these kids are just phenomenal. They’re a great group of kids. … This has been one of the most fun seasons I’ve ever had. They come to work every single week, working hard. They watch film, they’re dedicated, they’re loyal, they work hard every day. I’m so proud to get this resolved on Senior Night. They all chipped in, whether it’s on the field, off the field. In games and practice, they’re doing all the right things, and I hope it carries over into their life. Who knows, 10, 20 years down the road, maybe they’re coaching, maybe they’re fathers of players.” — St. Pierre