Windham High School hosted Cheverus High in the Class A North semifinal football game last Friday night. It was an unusually warm evening for November and the fans for both teams took advantage of that and packed the stands. As Windham was looking for a fourth win in a row against Cheverus and a win to move on in the playoffs, Cheverus was looking for a win, revenge and a chance to break their losing streak with the Eagles.
The
Eagles came out strong; however, after a couple of nice drives down field the
ball was fumbled and lost two times turning the ball over to the Stags. The
Stags neglected to take advantage of these misplays and gave the Eagles the
opportunity to continue their powerhouse drives. Windham dominated with their
line and the game was a one-sided show for the most part.
Two
of Cheverus’ regular season losses were handed to them by Windham, including a
19-15 decision two weeks ago when Windham had to rally to get back on top
during that game. Coach Perkins, whose team had a playoff bye last week, stated,
“We made some changes from last time and we just felt we were on top of
everything.”
Windham
totaled 59 plays for 381 yards – 356 on the ground while Cheverus only gained
74 yards on 38 plays. Senior Griffin Jacobson rushed for 123 yards on 17
carries. Cameron Hoffses gained 115 yards on 17 carries and Kyle Houser added
62 yards on 11 carries, while quarterback Desmond Leslie took off for 41 yards
of his own.
“We
had the three-headed monster going tonight, plus Dessie,” Perkins said. “It’s
pretty tough with those four big boys coming downhill with that line.”
Windham
was dominating, but the score was still 0-0 after the first quarter, then
Cheverus made a major error with its one turnover of the game. A pass from
Cheverus quarterback was deflected and sophomore Tanner Bernier grabbed the
interception at the Stags 23-yard line. Windham ended up scoring five plays
later on Kyle Houser’s 4-yard run. Senior Robert Inniss made his first of four
extra points this game.
Windham’s
line of Luke Forbush, Dederick Eastup, Tyrell Gullatt, Gerry Valliere and
Thomas Sappier were strong all night and the Stags felt it. The Eagles scored
on their final drive of the first half, going 66 yards in 3 minutes, topped off
by Leslie’s 9-yard run, for a 14-0 halftime lead against Cheverus. This lead
was just what the Eagles needed going into the second half of the game.
The
Eagles dominated the second half of the game. While Cameron Hoffses and Kyle
Houser scored in the second half bringing the score up 28-0, the Eagles defense
was outstanding with Gullatt, Valliere and Sappier plugging up the middle. Both
ends of Kyle Kilfoil and Griffin Jacobson, and linebacker Patrick Leavitt
contained the outsized the Cheverus Stags offense.
Second-seeded
Windham (7-2) advances to the North championship game next weekend against
top-ranked Portland (9-0). Windham is going for a second straight regional
title. The Eagles have to avenge a 10-3 loss against the Bulldogs from earlier
this year.
“Looking
forward to it,” Perkins said. The No. 3 Stags finished at 6-4. It is the first
time since 2008 that Cheverus has not reached the regional final.
The Eagles next game is
Friday night at Fitzpatrick Stadium against Portland at 7 p.m.
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