None of those things helped matters, but the bottom line was that the Yarmouth defense wouldn’t budge an inch most of Friday night at Griffin Field. The undefeated Clippers rolled to a 29-8 Class C South football win over the Phoenix as a consequence.
Cody Cook rushed for three touchdowns and was sensational at linebacker for Yarmouth (6-0), which surrendered only 43 net yards and four first downs over the first three quarters.
“We went back to our base defense, because our base defense is meant to stop our own offense, and they run an offense like ours,” Cook said. “Our coaches put in a lot of really good things.”
Spruce Mountain scored its only touchdown on a 78-yard connection from Caulin Parker to Andrew Darling with 6:50 remaining.
It was the sixth and final time all night that Darling, chief touchdown-maker for the Phoenix (3-3) this season, touched the football.
“They have a really good defensive team. They’re very physical and very sound,” Spruce Mountain coach Walter Polky said. “We didn’t play fundamentally sound. We made mental mistakes, and their defense played fast and played strong.”
Polky was ejected late in the third quarter. He was first assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for arguing an illegal formation flag against his team, then was tossed after he called timeout and continued the dispute with head official Jeff Mertzel.
Maine Principals’ Association precedent is that Polky would be prohibited from coaching next Friday’s game against rival Leavitt.
“I don’t know what the rule is,” Polky said. “I have to meet with the athletic director.”
Cook (13 carries, 88 yards) raced to touchdowns of 23 and 28 yards after Polky’s departure. The second was set up by a 37-yard Remi Leblanc punt return, thanks to a key block from Jack Snyder.
Andrew Beatty also matched his season-long with a 47-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
“They had the ball in our territory the whole first half,” Polky said. “They did a great job with the field position. Their kicker pinned us inside the 20 every time. They played great in all three phases.”
Yarmouth scored on the final play of the half to turn the tide in what was otherwise a defensive struggle on the rain-soaked sod.
The Clippers converted two third downs to highlight a 10-play, 54-yard scoring parade on their opening drive. The key play was a pass in the left flat that Sebastian Lombardi appeared to intercept, but receiver Andrew Kinsman’s attempt to wrestle it away was ruled joint possession.
His team awarded the ball and a reprieve, Cook carried for eight yards to move the chains on the next play, then capped the march with a 4-yard surge.
“We played outstanding defensively, and offensively I’m almost without words. We’ve struggled on the road and tonight was no different for us,” Yarmouth coach Jason Veilleux said. “We started out, had great drives and moved the ball. Then we had penalties, mental errors, stuff we need to clean up if we want to go any further in this league.”
Spruce Mountain lost out on a possible 85-yard touchdown run by quarterback Parker in the second quarter.
The officials thought fullback Dillon Webster had the ball and blew the whistle after he was tackled. Parker had faked out everyone and was all alone in the open field.
“That’s the second week in a row that’s happened,” Polky said. “That’s not a reason why we lost.”
That drive, like nine others, ended in a punt. The Phoenix also lost a fumble, and an apparent kick return TD by Darling was later flagged for an illegal block in the back.
In addition to keeping Darling under wraps for all but one play, Yarmouth contained Webster to 43 yards on 17 carries.
“This has been the best ranked defense in the conference all season long, and I don’t expect that to change,” Veilleux said.
Led by James Ouellette’s numerous tackles for loss and Thomas Young’s two sacks of John Thoma, the Phoenix nearly matched the Clippers hit for hit.
It evaporated when Yarmouth drove 66 yards in the final 37 seconds of the half, capped when Thoma (10-for-14, 90 yards) found freshman Noah Eckersley-Ray for 34 yards and a TD at the horn. Thoma’s pass wasn’t a Hail Mary. Spruce stayed in a base defense rather than camp out its secondary in the end zone, and Eckersley-Ray was in single coverage.
“That definitely was a momentum changer,” Polky said. “If we go in at the half 6-0, maybe it’s different. But they executed the play. The kid made a nice throw.”
Snyder, Kinsman, Jack Venden and Ricky Tillotson, all seniors, shone brightly on defense for Yarmouth.
“We were concerned about Darling. He’s a great player. He’s quick,” Cook said. “We knew they had a capable quarterback who can run and pass. But we focused more on their formations than individual players.”
koakes@sunjournal.com
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