As teammate Alex Fox blocks, Oxford Hills quarterback Colton Carson skips out of a tackle and looks to avoid Cheverus’s Colt DuMond during Saturday’s Class A North semifinal at Gouin Athletic Complex in Paris. (Brewster Burns photo)
PARIS — With a bye came a bit of rust for the Oxford Hills Vikings, but they shook it off and earned a convincing 35-6 win over Cheverus in the Class A North football semifinals Saturday at Gouin Athletic Complex.
Oxford Hills earned a bye through the first round of the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a record of 6-2, which put the Vikings in second place in A North behind Portland.
It took over a quarter, but Oxford Hills found its stride late in the first half and held back the Stags to advance to the A North final against Portland next week.
“It felt like it started off pretty slow, but we knew that if we did our thing and played our game that eventually we would start scoring,” Oxford Hills quarterback Colton Carson said.
His head coach agreed that it took a little while to get back into the flow of the game, but once they did it was back to Vikings football.
“Each week you prepare for things, and I think they did a good job of getting my tendencies as a play caller,” Mike Soehren said. “We missed a couple dropped balls, just little things. Then we started to run outside and then show some things we didn’t show last time, and the kids executed really well.”
Oxford Hills’ opening drive was halted when Carson was stopped on fourth down in Cheverus territory, but the Vikings bounced back on their second drive with a score that was set up by a 41-yard run from Janek Luksza. Three plays later, Emerson Brown ran it up the middle for a 5-yard touchdown to make it 7-0.
Two Stags drives later, Cheverus moved the ball down the Vikings’ end of the field after fielding a punt at Oxford Hills’ 43. The drive finished on a 15-yard pass from Marc Reali to Vic Morrone to cut the Vikings’ lead to 7-6.
On the ensuing drive, Carson ran 40 yards down the left sideline, then followed that a 20-yard touchdown run to make the lead 14-6.
“That was fun,” Carson said. “Really good, set up by great blocking.”
Oxford Hills’ Cole Dunham picked off the first throw of the next Cheverus drive to give the Vikings great field position.
“The (interception) down here was the one that felt like it woke us up and it got us in that short field,” Soehren said. “Two weeks off, it took a little bit to wake up.”
Carson later ran in a touchdown from 7 yards away to push the Vikings’ lead to 21-6 just before halftime.
Carson became too much for Cheverus to handle over the course of the game.
“They got an interception and then made it (21-6) on a short field,” Cheverus head coach Mike Vance said. “(Carson) is a good player, and we didn’t have any answers for him tonight.”
In the third quarter, the Vikings scored on their opening drive on Parker LaFrance’s 5-yard run.
Cheverus moved the ball effectively on its next drive, with 49 yards coming from running back Greyden Lindstet, until, on fourth down, Carson jumped a route in the back of the end zone to intercept Reali’s pass and save a score.
“I saw the tight end on the left side and I knew I had to go with him and the ball was thrown right to me,” Carson said.
Carson was sacked for a loss on the first play of the next game, but a short pass to Alex Turner turned into an 86-yard touchdown make it 35-6.
Soehren said he knew it was just a matter of time before his team found a rhythm.
“Their starters are very good and very young,” Soehren said. “We knew this from last time, too. We wore them down. I also think our guys got their feet under them a little bit and found out what to call.”
After a block by teammate Alex Turner, Oxford Hills’ Janek Luksza looks to evade Sean Tompkins and another Cheverus defender during Saturday’s Class A North semifinal at Gouin Athletic Complex in Paris. (Brewster Burns photo)
Oxford Hills quarterback Colton Carson breaks through the line, aided by a block by JJ Worster, against Cheverus in Saturday’s Class A North semifinal at Gouin Athletic Complex. (Brewster Burns photo)
Cheverus’ Akera Oryem leaps over Oxford Hills’ Alexander Turner during Saturday’s Class A North semifinal at Gouin Athletic Complex in Paris. (Brewster Burns photo)
Oxford Hills quarterback Colton Carson and wide receiver Alex Turner congratulate each other after a long touchdown on a slant pattern during Saturday’s Class A North semifinal at Gouin Athletic Complex. (Brewster Burns photo)
Oxford Hills kicker Janet Lucsza watches his kick on a hold by Noah Oufiero during Saturday’s Class A North semifinal at Gouin Athletic Complex in Paris. The kick was good. (Brewster Burns photo)
Oxford Hills cornerback Alex Turner jars the ball loose from Cheverus’ Vic Marrone after a shot pass. The ball was caught by Oxford Hills for a turnover during the Class A North semifinal at Gouin Complex in Paris on Saturday. (Brewster Burns photo)
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