MADISON – Reigning Western Class C football champion Jay High School clinched the right to defend that title in the upcoming playoffs on Friday night.
If the Tigers’ 28-12 manhandling of Madison is any indication, anyone who dethrones Jay will earn it.
Jay (6-2) turned in its most complete effort of the season on this frosty road trip. Led by Eric Clark, Trevor McCourt and Mike Nemi, the defense forced six turnovers.
Nemi completed two touchdown passes to senior classmate Brad Loon and rushed for another score. Nemi, McCourt, Ryan Bourassa and sophomore Shane LeFebvre moved the ball at will out of a shotgun formation that brings back memories of the efficiency, if not the explosiveness, of last year’s team.
“We went back to that formation exclusively about four weeks ago, and that’s the best our offense has looked,” said Jay coach Mark Bonnevie. “That should put us in.”
Jay can do no worse than a tie for the final playoff spot and would have an edge in a multi-team tiebreaker due to the strength of its cross-over opponent, Bucksport.
Bonnevie was happiest of all that Jay dominated from start to finish in what could have been a trap game for the Tigers. Jay meets riverside rival Livermore Falls in the traditional regular-season finale next week.
“This is the toughest week every year for me,” Bonnevie said. “You worry if they’re looking ahead.”
They weren’t.
“We knew what was riding on this game,” said Loon, who caught a 15-yard touchdown toss in the second quarter and put the game out of Madison’s reach with a 44-yard TD grab in the third. “And we’re not thinking about the playoffs, either. The only thing on our mind now is Livermore Falls.”
Nemi, who has thrown the ball sparingly after serving as Justin Wells’ understudy the last three years, was a tidy 7-for-10 through the air for 107 yards. The Tigers’ triple-threat backfield helped his cause by making so much hay with misdirection plays early in the game and persuading Madison to load up at the line of scrimmage.
Bourassa finished with 11 carries for a team-high 102 yards, mostly on counter plays and reverses. McCourt banged out 64 yards and a 3-yard TD run.
Jay led 7-0 after the first quarter and 21-6 at the half.
“I give a lot of credit to Madison for playing so hard with 16 or 17 players,” said Nemi. “Our spread offense is probably one of the hardest to go up against. You never really can tell who has the ball.”
Madison (3-4) scored on two long runs by senior quarterback Dan Kalagher, a 66-yard ramble midway through the second quarter and a 28-yard jaunt that capped a 99-yard drive in the final four minutes of the game.
Kalagher rushed for 99 yards. Mitch Steward picked up 98. But the Bulldogs put the ball on the ground seven times, losing four of those fumbles, and Nemi and Bourassa each intercepted a pass.
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