PORTLAND — In their last home game as seniors, Portland’s Vinnie Pasquali dropped a sure touchdown pass and Quinn Clarke pushed a game-winning field goal attempt.
Those moments will be forgotten.
What they will remember instead is Pasquali’s overtime interception that set up another winning field goal attempt, this one from 14 yards closer.
Clarke’s 21-yard kick split the uprights to give Portland a 17-14 Class A North football victory over Lewiston Friday night at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Coming on third down on Portland’s only possession in overtime, it gave the Bulldogs (2-5) their only lead of the night.
“You can’t hang your head,” Pasquale said of his drop early in the fourth quarter, shortly after Lewiston (3-4) had taken a 14-7 lead on a 55-yard run by Garrett Poussard. “You’ve got to move on to the next play and not let it get to you.”
That possession ended in a punt, as did the next for Portland. Not until Terion Moss forced a fumble deep in Lewiston territory did the Bulldogs get things rolling. Moss, starting at quarterback for only the second game, connected with Nico Leavitt for 13 yards and ran the final six for a touchdown with 4:21 remaining. Clarke kicked the extra point to tie the score at 14.
Lewiston drove to the Portland 28 before Ben Stasium’s interception gave the Bulldogs a chance to win in regulation. Scrambles by Moss, who finished with 158 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, and a short pass to Leavitt set up Clarke for a 35-yard field goal attempt with 13 seconds left.
The kick had enough distance, but sailed wide right.
Portland won the toss for overtime, elected to play defense first, and Jonah Green stuffed Lewiston’s first run for a 1-yard loss. After Poussard (163 yards on 12 carries) bulled his way to the 5, Pasquali came up with his interception in the left corner of the end zone.
Two quarterback sneaks placed the ball in the middle of the field and Clarke, on his second chance, came through.
“We needed that so bad,” said Portland Coach Jim Hartman, whose team overcame 10 penalties, including a late appearance after intermission. “It’s been a season of bad luck and we finally caught a break there.”
The score was tied at 7 at halftime. After a scoreless first quarter, Lewiston opened the second with a successful fourth-down conversion. Lucas Nichols then snuck behind the Portland secondary and Tanner Cortes hit him with a 40-yard touchdown pass. Jaheim Whiting booted the extra point.
Portland evened the score late in the second after converting its own fourth down. Needing eight yards, Moss dumped a short pass to Zach Elowitch, who rumbled for 10 to the Lewiston 16.
One play later, Moss rolled to his left, faked a throw, and scampered into the end zone from 13 yards out. Clarke’s point-after kick made it 7-7 with 55 seconds remaining.
Moss completed 6-of-13 passes for 25 yards.
“The linebackers kept blitzing and blitzing and I had to run it,” he said. “I didn’t have time to throw that much.”
Known more for his basketball prowess, Moss also saved a touchdown by running down Poussard after a 67-yard gain late in the third quarter, and Portland recovered a fumble two plays later.
“He is a great athlete,” Lewiston coach Bruce Nicholas said. “He runs and he squirms and he cuts and you can’t bring him down and he finds an opening. Guys like that are really dangerous. He was the difference, obviously, in the game.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
