TOPSHAM — It was a literal bounce for Mt. Ararat that led to a mental bounce for the Lewiston football team Saturday.
After the Eagles returned a fumble 80 yards for an early touchdown and lead, the undefeated Blue Devils had to rebound from that setback. Lewiston did just that and responded when needed the rest of the day in a 57-29 win.
“I don’t think we’ve been down the first score all season,” junior back Joe McKinnon said. “That really got to us. The coaches said a few words and as a team, we overcame it and bounced back together.”
Lewiston (5-0) scored on its next possession, for an 8-7 lead, and never trailed again. Mt. Ararat (0-5) hung around, but Lewiston proved too much for the Eagles, who scored two of their four touchdowns on the fumble return and a kickoff return. A third touchdown was set up by a lengthy kick return.
“Their kick return has been good on tape against everybody,” Lewiston coach Bill County said. “We tried to talk to the kids about it during the week. You can’t simulate it, and they’re really good at it. Then we spit the ball out, and the kid takes it the distance. We weren’t down big, but we needed a play. I thought offensively when we needed a play, our kids did a nice job.”
Lewiston finished with 388 yards on the ground on 57 carries. McKinnon led the charge with 169 yards on 16 tries and a touchdown. Jeff Turcotte added 100 yards on 18 carries and scored three touchdowns.
“I thought Jeff Turcotte did very well,” said County, who utilized him especially well down the stretch in the second half. “He’s a junior and it’s his first year as a starter. He’s been coming along. He showed some field presence and saw the field better than he has. That’s probably his best game.”
Lewiston also got 10 completions, 148 yards and two touchdown passes from Chris Madden. Cody Dussault had two touchdown receptions and 64-yards receiving.
“We try to open up and throw the ball a little bit more,” said County. “Obviously people know we like to run the football. We try to keep people honest and the kids did a nice job.”
It was a physical game that took its toll on both teams. Lewiston had two players, lineman Leo Gaghan and back Jeff Keene, leave the game with injuries. Many others were banged up. The Blue Devils balance, especially in the backfield, paid dividends as Lewiston ate up yards and minutes in the second half.
“Our offensive line really did a great job up front,” said McKinnon. “Every team has some mistakes, but overall, our line did a great job blocking. It really came around when we needed it.”
Lewiston opened the game scoring on a safety, when Luke Liedman fumbled the snap on a punt attempt and threw the ball through the end zone. On Lewiston’s next possession, it reached the 22 before the fumble. Liedman returned it 80 yards for the score and 7-2 lead. In response, the Blue Devils marched the ball downfield in response, thanks to two lengthy runs by McKinnon. He took it in from the 25 to make it 8-7 with 5:34 left in the opening quarter.
Mt. Ararat was held to 29 yards in the opening half, and Lewiston opened up the lead with three more scores before halftime. Madden connected with Dussault on a 48-yard pass play, and Keene took it in from the 7 early in the second quarter for a 22-7 lead.
Mt. Ararat nearly returned the kickoff for a touchdown, but a penalty brought it back to the 20. The Eagles turned that into a Derek True score, but Lewiston finished off the half with a Turcotte 1-yard run with 28 seconds left.
“They’re a physical team,” said McKinnon. “When we really get down to it and get our heads in the game, we just drive it down people’s throats. Whether it is up the middle with me or once they stop that, we just go outside. Our passing game has improved too.”
Mt. Ararat got an 80-yard kick-off return by Ryan Greene to start the second half, making it 29-21. Lewiston responded with a couple lengthy drives. Turcotte took it in from the 2 and Matt Therrien followed with a 4-yard scoring run to make it 43-21 with 4:19 left in the third.
The Eagles had one last comeback try when Liedman caught a 14-yard pass from Brett Milliken, but Lewiston finished the game with a Turcotte plunge from the 1 and a 16-yard pass from Madden to Dussault.
“There was a little two-for-one,” said County, whose club only gave up 139 yards to Mt. Ararat’s offense. “They’d score one, and we’d score two. As long as we could keep that cushion.
“If you eliminate the (special teams) from our game today, the score doesn’t really indicate how well we played defense. We didn’t play a great defensive game, but it certainly wasn’t a defensive game that would give up 29 points.”
kmills@sunjournal.com
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