H.S. football: Oxford Hills rallies to knock off unbeaten Bonny Eagle

After a pass reception, Oxford Hills’ Alex Turner turns upfield to face Bonny Eagle defender Will Whyte. (Brewster Burns photo)

PARIS — Oxford Hills Mark Soehren had an even-keeled message for his team even though it trailed unbeaten Bonny Eagle 15-7 at halftime.

“We were OK,” Soehren said. “We just said, ‘Let’s just go play.'”

Oxford Hills made its most definitive statement on the field with 17 points in the third quarter and forced three turnovers in the second half to defeat the Scots 31-22 at Gouin Athletic Complex on Friday night.

Colton Carson rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another to help the Vikings improve to 5-1 before a big Class A North matchup against Portland next week.

“This is a stepping stone for us,” senior running back/linebacker Parker LaFrance said. “It gives us a lot of confidence going into next week because Portland is a great team. We sent a message to the rest of the league that we’re ready to compete with anybody.”

Michael Bonang had a fumble recovery and two late interceptions for the Vikings. They were Bonny Eagle’s first turnovers of the season.

Zach Maturo ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns and Will Whyte rushed for 125 and another score and caught a touchdown for Bonny Eagle (5-1)

Oxford Hills went to the air in the third quarter, with Carson throwing for 111 of his 134 yards on the night in the period. That included a 13-yard TD pass to Janek Luksza that capped the opening drive of the second half and pulled the Vikings to within 15-14.

“We played loose. We played without any fear,” said Carson, who was 9-for-12 in the third quarter. “We know how good we are. We called the game that way and we played that way.”

“They changed their game plan a little bit and let Carson throw the ball a little bit, which he’s obviously capable of doing. We knew that going in,” Bonny Eagle coach Kevin Cooper said. “Give Oxford Hills credit. They threw a lot more than they have. They had a lot of success throwing it. That kind of set the tempo for the second half.”

Bonang’s fumble recovery at Oxford’s 33 set up the go-ahead score, a 28-yard run on a QB draw by Carson that made it 21-15 with 4:33 left in the third quarter.

“They (Bonny Eagle’s pass rushers) got aggressive upfield, so we ran that draw play,” Soehren said.

Luksza’s 35-yard field goal later in the quarter made it 24-15.

The Scots pulled within two points when Maturo scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 7:23 left.

Bonny Eagle forced a punt on the Vikings’ ensuing possession and started the potential go-ahead drive at its own 13. But Bonang picked off a Keegan Meredith pass at the 25 and returned it to the 13.

“I had seen the play before. It was a slant-and-swing,” Bonang said. “I knew the guys on the inside were the slant, so I decided to cover slant. They hadn’t thrown it yet to my side and when they finally did, I jumped it.”

Carson went over the top of the pile at the goal line to make it 31-22 with 2:05 remaining. Bonny Eagle drove to the Vikings’ 7 on its ensuing possession before Bonang jumped a similar route and collected his second interception, sealing it with a long return before being brought down around the Scots’ 20 with 15 seconds left.

Bonny Eagle marched 77 yards in 13 plays on the game’s opening drive to put Oxford Hills in a quick hole. Whyte followed his 25-yard run to the 1 with the short touchdown, then ran in the two-point conversion to make it 8-0.

Early in the second quarter, Whte had trouble handling the snap while back in punt formation. He scrambled to get the kick off, but it was blocked at his own 13.

Oxford Hills quickly took advantage of the prime field position with an 11-yard LaFrance run and two-yard TD run by Carson. Luksza’s kick made it 8-7 Scots.

“That was a big momentum-shifter,” LaFrance said. “It gave life to the crowd and the sideline.”

Not only did Whyte cleanly handle the next snap he took in punt formation from his own 40, but he carried it five yards and past the first-down marker to keep a drive alive late in the first half.

That set up an 11-yard Meredith TD pass to Whyte with six seconds left in the half that made it 15-7.

Oxford Hills quarterback Colton Carson gets by Bonny Eagle defender Will Whyte after a quarterback draw. Carson scored on the play. (Brewster Burns photo)

Oxford Hills’ Cole Dunham gets ahold of Bonny Eagle’s Will Whyte to slow him down. (Brewster Burns photo)

Oxford Hills quarterback Colton Carson pushes through various Bonny Eagle defenders to score the Vikings’ first touchdown of the game. (Brewster Burns photo)

Oxford Hills’ Parker LaFrance goes low to tackle Bonny Eagle’s Will Whyte while Viking teammate David Dingley comes in for support. (Brewster Burns photo)