OAKLAND — His team’s body language at its lowest, B.L. Lippert made a call that put the Cony football team on course for a regional championship game appearance.
Six turnovers in the second quarter had prevented the Rams from establishing what could have been a healthy lead in a Class B North semifinal against Messalonskee. Tied at 14 to begin the second half, the Rams were set to kick the ball away, but Lippert, their eighth-year head coach, had other plans.
Kicker Landon Foster executed a well-placed onside kick that took a perfect bounce into the arms of Ethan Demmons just inside Eagle territory, setting up a go-ahead touchdown drive for Cony. It sparked a dominant second half for the Rams, whose 28-14 victory clinched a B North title game clash with Lawrence on Saturday at a time and venue to be determined.
“Our body language was bad, we had turned the ball over that many times and we weren’t feeling good about ourselves, and I really wanted to flip the momentum of the game,” Lippert said. “We wanted to take a chance, we got it, we went down and scored. Trying to play to win is what we do at Cony, and it set us up to do that.”
It took just 1:11 for third-seeded Cony (7-3) to take the lead as a pass interference call and a 35-yard pass from Parker Morin to Parker Sergent set up a 1-yard plunge by the former. The Rams then made it 14-0 with 43 seconds left in the quarter as Morin hit Demmons for a 73-yard touchdown pass.
No. 2 Messalonskee (7-2), though, answered on the following drive on a 32-yard end-around by Garrett Card — and just 19 seconds later, the Eagles would inexplicably have the game tied.
A long kickoff return by Cony following the score set it up with what looked to be excellent field position. The very next play, Messalonskee’s Brady Brunelle slipped in between Morin and his receiver for an interception and couldn’t be caught as he sprinted 63 yards to the end zone.
“For my money, Brady Brunelle is either the best player or the most underrated player in this league,” Lippert said. “It was a good read, and we missed a block, but he did a great job expecting the bubble and making the play. … It’s 14-all (in just 19 seconds), and I think our kids were feeling that a little bit.”
Morin would throw four more interceptions in the quarter, but penalties prevented Messalonskee from taking further advantage after tying the game up so quickly. Two holding flags and a false start stalled a drive into the red zone for the Eagles midway through the second quarter.
Cony’s Ethan Demmons hauls in a pass against Messalonskee defender Tyler Hansen during a Class B North semifinal football game Monday in Oakland. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
Although Cony could have been considered fortunate to go into the locker room still tied despite six turnovers, the Rams were also a bit dejected by the miscues. Yet the momentum changed with the onside kick, one that set up a six-play 53-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 2-yard touchdown run by Anderson St. Onge.
“I give hats off to Cony for that play and having the smarts to do that after halftime,” said Messalonskee head coach Blair Doucette. “We had actually talked to the kids at halftime about the chance they might do that and being ready for it, but we just didn’t get it. It was great execution by them.”
Messalonskee drove just inside Cony territory later in the third quarter, but the drive would stall as a Tatum Doucette fumble was recovered by Jonny Lettre. A series of intermediate runs and pass plays then set up a 2-yard pass from Morin to Demmons with 10:54 to play that proved to be the final points of the night.
Morin completed 18 of 37 passes for 225 yards, the two touchdowns to Demmons and five interceptions. Demmons finished with four catches for 88 yards in addition to the onside kick recovery, and Sergent had five catches for 61 yards as well as an interception on defense.
Cony’s true star of the night, though, might have been Josh Kidd. The senior linebacker and captain gave the Messalonskee offensive line nightmares, recording a sack and two tackles for loss and racking up pressure after pressure to help the Rams to a sixth straight win.
“It was a rocky ride to start, but we’re 6-0 since then now that we’ve had some guys come back from injuries,” Kidd said. “(My performance) was all energy; being out here on the field with these and playing, I love it. It’s what I dream of. We’ve still got more to play, and I love it.”
Messalonskee quarterback Tatum Doucette eludes Cony defenders during a Class B North semifinal game Monday night in Oakland. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
Card had two interceptions on defense for Messalonskee, which got 67 yards on eight carries offensively from Sam Dube. But the pressure from Cony’s Kidd and Lettre as well as a good performance from the Rams in the secondary prevented Tatum Doucette (5 of 18, 58 yards) from having a big game for the Eagles through the air.
The loss was the second in three games for Messalonskee after a 6-0 start to the season under Blair Doucette, the Eagles’ first-year head coach. The seven wins were still the most for Messalonskee since 2000 and marked an impressive turnaround for a team that went just 2-6 a year ago.
“This was the greatest group of kids you could ever imagine being able to coach,” Doucette said. “They came to practice every day locked in and ready to get it done, and they just bought into everything we did. I couldn’t be more proud of their season and the way they handled everything.”
For Cony, the appearance in Saturday’s regional final is the first since 2013. For the Rams to reach a state title game for the first time since winning the Gold Ball that year, they’ll have to take down a Lawrence team that ran for 483 yards against them back in Week 4 — the last time Cony lost a game.
“We still have tire marks from getting run over in that Week 4 game, but we’ll have to wash those off and see if we can be a bit more stout against the run,” Lippert said. “It’s a tough task ahead of us on a short week, but we’re thrilled with the opportunity.”
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