FAIRFIELD — The way this game unfolded could have deflated the Deering Rams. Instead, they always seemed to find a way to answer.
Giving up a 99-yard drive after being stuffed on the 1-yard line wasn’t a backbreaker for Deering on Friday. Nor was turning the ball over on downs on its first two drives of the second half. Trailing by 14 and faced with a third-and-19 situation on the last play of the third quarter? That didn’t break the Rams, either.
Au contraire, Deering rallied to claim a 22-21 victory over Lawrence in a Class A-Class B crossover football game Friday at Keyes Field. The result marked a bounce-back victory for the Rams after a 34-0 shutout at the hands of rival Portland last week.
“We just needed a win, and we were going to do whatever it takes,” said Deering’s Zade Smith, who kicked the winning extra point with 2:17 to play. “We said in the huddle, ‘Just keep pushing; we can only win today,’ and we did.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
• After Lawrence stuffed Deering’s Nathan Foley on the 1 midway through the first quarter, the Bulldogs mounted a 99-yard touchdown drive to go up 7-0 with nine minutes left in the second. Deering (2-2), though, answered on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Foley to Corbin Burke with 5:44 left.
• Lawrence (1-3) answered right back on a Landas Mansfield reverse with 46 seconds left in the half to take a 13-7 lead. Then, after Deering turned it over on downs twice to start the second half. Garrett Leclerc scored from 4 yards out to make it 21-7 with 3:16 left in the third quarter.
• Faced with third-and-19 on the final play of the third quarter, Foley found Elijah Stewart for a 37-yard pass down the sideline. Then, with 10:05 left in the game, the Rams converted on another third-and-long situation, as a 17-yard touchdown pass from Foley to Burke on third-and-13 made it 21-15 Bulldogs.
• After the teams exchanged interceptions, Lawrence punted to midfield. Four plays later, Deering was in the end zone again on a 6-yard touchdown run by Foley, and Smith’s extra point proved decisive as the Rams forced the Bulldogs to turn it over on downs at the edge of the red zone.
“I was just thinking, ‘I have to make this point,’” said Smith, who also had an interception on defense in the first quarter. “I wasn’t even a kicker going into this year, but I’ve put a lot of work into it, and seeing it go through and seeing us go out with a win was amazing.”
FAKE EXTRA POINT SPURS DEERING
In a one-point game, every decision a coach makes can be the difference between victory and defeat. Deering coach Brendan Scully saw something in the first half that led to a decision that gave ultimately gave the Rams one point more than the Bulldogs.
On Smith’s first extra point, Scully noticed that the way Lawrence lined up left the left side of the field open. The Rams lined up in kicking formation after their second touchdown, but instead they ran a pitch play to Smith, who ran in untouched for a 2-point try that, in a tight game, decided the outcome.
“We couldn’t run the 2-point play we normally run because of the way they lined up on the edge, but on that first extra point, they were lined up different,” Scully said. “I saw it again (on our second score), and I said, ‘OK, if we do this now, we should get it.’ Fortunately, the game came down to it.”
NOTABLE QUOTABLES
• “We know that (we’ve lost two games by a point after losing 14-13 to Skowhegan two weeks ago), so our message is just to stick together. We just kind of failed to keep them out on that last (drive), but I thought we showed great effort tonight.” — Lawrence coach John Hersom
• “I threw some picks, but I was able to just brush it off and keep going. It’s all about having the memory of a goldfish like that. My O-line played great, so that made it easy for me to bounce back.” — Nathan Foley
STAT LEADERS
• Deering: Nathan Foley (7 of 13, 139 passing yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; 14 rushes, 78 yards, TD), Corbin Burke (4 catches, 56 yards, 2 TD), Zade Smith (2 for 2 PAT; 1 catch, 18 yards; INT on defense).
• Lawrence: Garrett Leclerc (19 rushes, 119 yards, 2 TD), Colt Robinson (3 of 12, 56, INT), Jaiden Hebert (8 carries, 42 yards).
UP NEXT
• Deering: vs. Cheverus (2-2), 6 p.m. Oct. 3
• Lawrence: vs. Mt. Blue (1-3), 7 p.m. Oct. 3