RUMFORD — Robert Leveillee scored on a run, a kick return and a punt return for Mountain Valley — in the first quarter.
The senior finished with seven touchdowns in four different ways in the Falcons’ 74-20 season-opening win over Telstar in 8-man football Thursday night at Chet Bulger Field.
“After the first couple touchdowns I definitely felt good and felt like I could keep going,” Leveillee said. “It just came naturally, you know? I just went out and played and had fun. It’s my last year so I’ve got nothing to lose. I want to just go have fun.”
Leveillee started the scoring by returning Telstar’s second punt of the first quarter 55 yards. Jyrrmal Yates ran in the two-point conversion and with 6:13 left in the first, the Falcons led 8-0.
Mountain Valley (1-0) forced another punt that went 10 yards and out of bounds. The Falcons moved the ball up the field in six plays, with Leveillee finishing the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run up the right side. That gave the Falcons a 14-0 lead with 3:05 left in the opening quarter.
Telstar (0-1) then went on an eight-play drive that ended on a Will Doyle quarterback keeper up the right side to pull the Rebels within 14-6 with just four seconds left in the first quarter.
Four seconds was enough time for Leveillee to make one more big play.
Leveillee fielded the ensuing kickoff the ball on Mountain Valley’s 11-yard line and brought it back 89 yards for another score, and a two-point run made the lead 22-6.
Leveillee finished the game with 342 combined rushing and return yards.
“I would say the line did most of the job, to be honest,” Leveillee said. “They pushed the defense back and I was able to get the extra yards. We were struggling a couple weeks back, and even last week, but we picked it up this week and I give the linemen credit.”
Knocked back on its heels, Telstar countered.
The Rebels went on a nine-play, four-minute drive capped off by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Doyle to Wyatt Lilly, making it 22-12.
Telstar then kicked off to Leveillee again, and again the senior brought back the kick, 82 yards this time, for a touchdown. Yates punched in the two-point conversion and the Falcons held a 30-12 lead with 7:42 left in the first half.
“We’re going to work on special teams, obviously,” Rebels coach Tim O’Connor said. “We have to come out and play ball. Some of my players were soft. If you’re not running 100 miles per hour down the field, that’s going to happen. It was a lot slower start than I thought we’d have.”
Leveillee’s fifth touchdown was a 30-yard run on Mountain Valley’s next drive, which, after another two-point run from Yates, made the score 38-12.
The Falcons’ only first-half touchdown not scored by Leveilee was a 53-yard pass from Kaden Paaso to Seneca Jones with 1:09 remaining in the second quarter. Mountain Valley took a 46-12 lead into halftime.
Mountain Valley coach Pat Mooney, an alumnus who was making his return as the Falcons’ coach after three years as a Mt. Blue assistant, said the team was “outstanding” and was reminiscent of the program’s glory years in the 2000s.
“The physicality of the game I liked,” Mooney said. “The tradition here is when you step on this field there’s a toll to be paid, physically. We want to reset that standard here that if you step on this field you’re going to pay the price physically.”
The Falcons, according to Mooney, entered Thursday with a chip on their shoulder.
“We didn’t feel like we played very well against Spruce last week at home (in the preseason) and seeing Dirigo behind our bench, and hearing another team in the conference saying they didn’t have any competition, we wanted to come out and make a statement, and a statement was made,” Mooney said.
In the second half, Leveillee picked up where he left off.
On his first touch of the third quarter, he found an opening on a run up the middle and scored a 41-yard touchdown to put the Falcons up 52-12.
On Telstar’s next possession, he intercepted a pass by Doyle and returned it 60 yards for his seventh and final touchdown. After Yates’ two-point conversion, the Falcons led 60-12.
Mooney said he hasn’t seen an individual have a performance like Leveillee’s since 2009 Mountain Valley graduate Justin Staires.
“Every time (Leveillee) touches the ball he’s a danger,” Mooney said. “He can do it all, pick-six, punt return, sweeps, but like we just talked about, anyone’s individual accomplishment is what the team is doing. The runs he had were set up by other guys, Paaso had great runs, everyone does everything in this offense and everyone reaps the rewards.”
Doyle scored two possessions later on a 15-yard run that pulled the Rebels within 60-20.
Adam Gammon scored for the Falcons in the fourth quarter on a 47-yard touchdown. Diquari Thompson later reached the end zone on a 31-yard run that put Mountain Valley ahead 74-20.
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