By Bob McPhee,Staff Writer

DIXFIELD – A bit of adversity can go a long way.

But the Jay football team stayed together and it paid off on Saturday at Harlow Park.

A well balanced offensive attack was key and scat-back Zane Armandi scored a rushing touchdown and also caught a scoring strike as the Tigers won 27-0 in a Class C Campbell Conference contest.

Jay (2-1) capitalized on having excellent field position, with four of five drives beginning in Cougar territory. This resulted in four TDs in the first half. The Tigers’ runners followed the linemen and were able to break containment by sweeping outside.

“The field position definitely helped,” Jay coach Mark Bonnevie said. “We were able to take advantage of it and called the right plays. I feel good about the team performance because we had a lot of sickness this week, so we didn’t know who would be available. I feel fortunate to leave here with a win.”

Nick Bourassa (109 yards, 13 rushes) and Armandi (65 yards, 11 rushes) each scored on runs of two and four yards, respectively, in the first quarter. The second series was an 11-play, 65-yard drive. The Tiger pulling guards Eric Clark and Derek Franchetti led the way.

Dirigo (0-3) utilized trickery as end Spenser Berry passed 39 yards to end Levi Hutchins. But the Tigers’ defense stiffened and the drive stalled

“We are starting to move the ball,” Cougar coach Hart Daley said.

“Plus, our kids are becoming more aggressive and hitting on defense.

“They are staying home and that’s a sign of maturity.”

In the second quarter, Jay quarterback Mike Nemi threw a 33-yard strike to Armandi who had beat the Cougar secondary. Shane LeFebrve (80 yards, 14 rushes) scored on a five-yard run. Jacob Brown kicked three extra points.

The second half proved to be totally different as the Dirigo defense held their ground. The Tigers gained 72 yards and five first downs.

“In the second half, we played more as a team,” Berry said “We made some adjustments and we were not on each other over assignments on defense. Every one did their job.”

Pat O’Leary recovered a fumble in the red zone and Kevin O’Leary made several tackles and batted a pass down. The Cougar offense drove into Tiger territory and converted two third-down conversions, but Armandi intercepted a pass.

“I was a bit upset because we hadn’t come out focused in the first quarter,” Cougar QB Josh Daley said. “But the second half changed all that. We adjusted and players were moving in and out of position.”