By Cliff White
Staff Writer
The Bonny Eagle Scots have conquered Maine.
Dominating their playoff competition to make it to the Class A State Championship game, Bonny Eagle overwhelmed defending champion Lawrence Bulldogs last Saturday morning at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. The Scots went up 27-0 at halftime and sustained a second half Bulldog charge to secure their third championship in the last four years.
It was a battle of unbeatens, as both teams came into the game 11-0. The match-up also featured a pair of talented quarterbacks; Bonny Eagle’s Nate Doehler and Lawrence’s Jack Hersom both function as lynchpins for their respective offensives. But mostly, according to the Bonny Eagle players and coaches, talent hadn’t decided this game beforehand; rather, the battle was won by better preparation and execution.
“We work very hard in preparation for games, just ask our kids,” Scots Coach Kevin Cooper said. “We knew if we played well, we could keep things close, and then it just comes down to making the right plays at the right time.”
As it turned out, many of those “right plays” happened in the game’s first quarter – Doehler ran the ball on six of the Scots’ first seven plays, culminating in a 38-yard touchdown run to put his team up 7-0.
On Bonny Eagle’s second possession, Doehler threw a 35-yard pass to Travis Dunn before Josh Ruby took a handoff from Doehler into the end-zone for an 8-yard touchdown run, putting the Scots up 13-0.
Doehler, a versatile athlete who can not only run and throw the ball, but also serves as Bonny Eagle’s place-kicker, generally only comes in on defense as a safety in long-yardage passing situations. On the field in a third-and-10 situation, Doehler intercepted a deep Hersom pass and returned the ball 40 yards to the Lawrence 30-yard line. Three plays later – this time on offense – Doehler broke free on the right sideline and sprinted 29 yards for another score.
With 2:33 left in the half, Doehler connected with Ricky Hoyt on a crossing slant and Hoyt broke free of his coverage, sprinting 81 yards and ending first half scoring with the Scots up 27-0.
“We were pretty confident after we scored 27 unanswered points,” Scots lineman Brandon Keene said. “But we knew we still had 24 minutes of football left, and the outcome still could have been different if we didn’t play a full game of football. They’re a good team, and we knew they wouldn’t give up.”
In the second half, Doehler and the Scots offense sputtered, and Lawrence was able to take advantage of short field position created by a turnover by getting a touchdown from a Devon Costigan 1-yard run, making the score 27-7.
Another turnover gave Lawrence favorable field position, and again the Bulldogs capitalized with an 18-yard pass play fourth-and-7 that went for a touchdown with 5:33 left in the game.
“We came out flat in the second half, and they came out bringing it,” Scots wide receiver John Onesti said. “We had to step up.”
Lawrence lined up for an on-sides kick, but Bonny Eagle’s “hands team” – on the field for their specific skill at recovering onsides kicks – fell on the ball for the Scots. However, a penalty on Bonny Eagle allowed the Bulldogs to have another try. The second kick – a line drive – was quickly recovered by Bonny Eagle’s Matt Beckwith, giving Lawrence no chance to make a play.
“I give credit to the Lawrence players and coaches to come out the way they did in the second half,” Cooper said. “They had me pretty concerned. I did think that if we could just not turn the ball over, we would be fine, but we had a little lapse there where we were giving it to Lawrence every series. Any time you have to put your hands team out there to field an on-sides kick, you’re pretty concerned.”
On the ensuing drive, Ruby sealed the win by running in a 9-yard touchdown with 3:17 remaining, putting the Scots up 34-14 – what turned out to be the game’s final score.
“Their comeback might have had something to do with us going into the locker room so confident at halftime,” Keene said. “They’re a good team, and they started throwing everything they had at us in the second half. Thank God we handled it.”
The players and coaches all seemed to have different reasons for why the Scots came out on top.
“Defensively, it was the most prepared we’ve ever been,” Onesti said. “I basically could run Lawrence’s offense.”
“We got a lot of big stops on defense, which allowed our offense to get right back on the field. If our offense is on the field, we’re going to score points. But it was our defense that gave our offense those opportunities. Our preparation on defense for Lawrence’s offense was fantastic.”
“Nate Doehler is the best quarterback I’ve ever seen,” Keene said. “I don’t think we could have done it without him. But Lawrence is relentless; they played hard. We knew we had to play harder than them, and we did.”
“The beginning of the game really helped us out. It got us off to the right start,” Doehler said. “In the end, the first half was the turning point.”
“Not to sound egotistical, but we’re a confident team, and we knew we had good players,” Cooper said. “That goes a long way in winning football games. The support our team gets from its boosters is also a huge part of its success, and our program, which starts in second grade, also is important.”
While the Scots had different opinions on how they came to win, all agreed on what it felt like to hold up their third Gold Ball trophy in four years. Cooper echoed the opinions of his players.
“I’m very proud of it, that’s for sure,” he said as players from his team unfurled a banner that read “dynasty.”
“When you can win three championships in four years, it says a lot about everyone involved with the program.”