Snap the ball, hand it off to one of several running backs on the roster, pick up chunks of yardage. Repeat. 

 

Lisbon did that 57 times, resulting in 311 yards and six touchdowns in its 40-0 victory over the Black Bears. Ten Greyhounds carried the ball, led by Noah Francis, who finished with 13 rushes for 52 yards and two touchdowns.

 

“We’re a team of few members and we work really hard during the week,” Lisbon coach Dick Mynahan said. “We have our hardest practice on Monday and we talked about all day that we thought we were in as good of shape as any team we’re going to play, and they’re just a team that works very hard. They certainly deserve what they get.” 

 

Lisbon (5-0) scored on six of its eight possessions. The other two possessions took place at the end of both halves. 

 

The Greyhounds’ opening drive was a sign of things to come the rest of the game. They covered 55 yards on 13 plays — all on the ground — over six minutes, finished off when Francis barreled into the end zone from a yard out to give Lisbon a 7-0 lead.

 

The Greyhounds were just getting started as they scored six seconds into the second quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run from Joe Philbrick and followed that with a 2-yard score from Henry Adams to give Lisbon a 21-0 lead at halftime. 

 

Lisbon quarterback Kyle Bourget attempted four passes — all in the first half. He finished 2-for-4  for 48 yards, connecting with Shawn Grover and Tyler Halls for completions of 21 and 27 yards, respectively. 

 

The second half started in the same fashion as the first. The Greyhounds ate up seven minutes with a 14-play drive that Francis capped off with a 2-yard dive into the end zone. 

 

“We came into the game knowing it was going to be a tough game,” Francis said. “We battled and in the end we came out strong. The line was blocking great today. Coach Mynahan told me in the second half, ‘This is going to be your half.’ I went in there and dropped my shoulder. I was playing for my team today.” 

 

Said Mynahan: “That’s what we strive for all week, to come out and score in the first series. Any team wants to score at the beginning of the second half. Almost an eight minute drive, two or three yards at a time. Some different kids came into their own on that drive.” 

 

As the game progressed, Lisbon’s offensive line was able to wear down the Black Bears. Three- and 4-yard gains in the first half turned to 8- and 9-yard gains in the second half. With just 24 dressed players, Maranacook (1-4) didn’t have the depth to stop Lisbon’s ground game.

 

“We had to come out strong,” Francis said. “We had to make a statement and we did today.” 

 

The Greyhounds took advantage of Maranacook’s tired line as Adams found running room on the outside and took it 34 yards to the end zone to make it 34-0 with 10:01 remaining. It was the biggest play for either team.

 

The Black Bears struggled all night trying to move the ball on Lisbon’s defensive line. They ran 28 times for 129 yards, 57 coming from Kyle Morand. 

 

Maranacook quarterback Isaiah Weston threw just two passes, completing one for six yards. 

 

mkraft@sunjournal.com