RUMFORD — Gray-New Gloucester delivered a message to the rest of the conference Friday with an emphatic opening-night win — its first since 2012.
Quarterback Justin Bowie threw a pair of touchdowns to Tristen Herod and Austin Chase ran for three long touchdowns as Gray-New Gloucester rallied from a double-digit deficit for a monumental 44-37 triumph over Mountain Valley at Chet Bulger Field.
Every score by the Patriots was longer than 45 yards and Gray-New Gloucester made history by beating the stunned Falcons for the first time ever.
Mountain Valley had taken a 37-22 lead following a 33-yard TD run by Troy Cochran in the fourth quarter. The score completed an 8-play, 92-yard drive.
But, Gray-NG wasn’t done. The Patriots proceeded to run the ball off-tackle against the suspect Falcons defense.
“This is simply amazing,” Gray-New Gloucester coach Mark Renna said. “To come up here and knock off Mountain Valley is huge for our program. The atmosphere is electric and it’s a credit to the kids who just came out in the second half and believed in themselves.”
On the winning drive, Chase (283 yards, 24 carries) shouldered the load with two long runs for first downs. Then Bowie dropped and threw over the middle to Herod, who broke arm tackles and sprinted to the right pylon.
“We didn’t make any adjustments in the second half,” Renna said. “Mountain Valley is a solid team. But, we had success running off tackle all game long.”
Mountain Valley had scored on its first two possessions on TD runs by Curtis Gauvin of 11 and 1 yards. The former drive was set up by a 44-yard pass from QB Alex Ridley to Holden Blauvelt.
“We came out on fire in the second half. But, we just couldn’t stop them,” Mountain Valley coach Steve LaPointe said.
“Gray-NG is a vastly improved team. Mark had a great blocking scheme and they opened up holes. Their offensive line dominated our defense.”
The Patriots’ Zack Haskell scored on a 77-yard run, shedding tacklers, in the third quarter.
The Falcons went back to the basics and received a strong performance by Kyle Farrar, who ran for 144 yards and scored TDs on runs of 44 yards.
Cohran added a 4-yard TD and Farrar also kicked a 28-yard field goal for a 17-16 lead at halftime.
“I thought we did all right on offense. When we score 37 points in a game, we should win,” LaPointe said. “But, we need to tighten up the defense.”
Gray-NG opened the scoring when Chase sprinted for a 54-yard TD on the opening possession. Mountain Valley had scrambled for a 38-14 triumph over Gray-New Gloucester last year.
The Falcons scored 31 unanswered points. Two years ago, the Falcons had a 35-14 win against Gray-New Gloucester in Rumford.
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