The Cony football team received a wake-up call when it lost to Brunswick 54-38 in a Pine Tree Conference Class B game Friday night at Crimmins Field.

The Rams (2-1), who trailed by just eight points with about five minutes to play, struggled all night to stop the Dragons’ wing-T offense.

“The bottom line is, we couldn’t stop their run and they couldn’t stop our pass,” Cony coach Robby Vachon said. “I actually thought we played pretty good in the second half.”

The Rams trailed 32-12 at the half but made some defensive adjustments that worked, at least a little, in the second half.

“We put six in the box,” Vachon said. “We had to.”

Cony (2-1) hosts Lawrence (2-1) on Friday night at Alumni Field. It’s homecoming night for Cony.
Lawrence beat Cony in the PTC A championship game last fall 22-10.

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“I think we’ll rebound well,” Vachon said. “We have to turn the page from (Brunswick), and I think we will. Lawrence is tough but we’ll be prepared. There are a lot of teams in the league that still control their own destiny, and we are one of them.”

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Oak Hill senior quarterback Parker Asselin enjoyed one of his best performances in his career last Saturday, when he completed all seven passing attempts for 173 yards and a touchdown in a 38-0 victory over Maranacook.

Asselin, a three-year starter, is one of many reasons why the Raiders (3-0) are off to an impressive start.

“He’s always been a good throwing quarterback,” Oak Hill coach Stacen Doucette said. “He’s always thrown a good ball. It’s just this year we’ve been doing it a little more. Parker calls 90 percent of our plays. His responsibilities increase each week.”

The Raiders relied primarily on the run last season but have tried to stay more balanced this year. With the shifty Alex Mace, who starts at tailback, a threat in the passing game, Doucette has opened up the playbook a bit in the early going.

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Furthermore, the Raiders have implemented a hurry-up offense, which they use sporadically throughout their games.

“We decided that this year we need to use all the weapons we have,” Doucette said. “We need to use all our athletes.”

Oak Hill hosts fellow unbeaten Winthrop/Monmouth (3-0) in a key Western D Campbell Conference game Saturday in Wales.

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The Ramblers (3-0) are off to their best start in three years, with impressive victories against Lisbon and Dirigo already on their resume.

But coach Joel Stoneton knows the team’s biggest test comes Saturday, when it visits Oak Hill.

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The Raiders (3-0) and Ramblers are the lone undefeated teams in Western D Campbell Conference.

“This is a huge test for us,” Stoneton said. “It’s definitely a showdown. You can’t deny the fact we are the only undefeated teams left. I’m really curious to see how we line up with this team.”

The Ramblers last won three straight in 2010, and are relying on a tough ground game and stingy defense. They are allowing just 7.3 points a game while scoring 20.7.

One of the deepest teams in the conference, Winthrop/Monmouth has more than 60 players on its roster. The depth is a luxury in Western D as the Ramblers can rotate players on both sides of the ball throughout the game.

However, Oak Hill could test that depth when it runs its hurry-up offense.

“It will make it hard to substitute, that’s for sure,” Stoneton said. “We’re going to face a big test.”

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• • •

Maranacook coach Joe Emery said his team needs to play “with more intensity” after it lost to Oak Hill 38-0 on Saturday.

“We played with it our first two games but I didn’t see it (Saturday),” Emery said. “I don’t think we gave it our best. Losing a game when you didn’t give it your best is the worst. When you get down in a game, you have to play harder; you can’t play the same or less.”

The Black Bears (1-2) are without starting tailback/linebacker Logan Emery, who suffered a knee injury two weeks ago. Joe Emery said if his son Logan were to return, it would be the middle of October at the earliest.

It’s been a tough season already for injuries for Maranacook which lost junior lineman Michael Antanavich with a hand injury last weekend as well.

Joe Emery added that Maranacook will get two players — Levi Emery (wide receiver) and Brandyn Michaud (cornerback) — back from concussions this week against Sacopee Valley.

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• • •

After struggling in two games, Messalonskee’s offense came to life in Friday’s 49-41 win over Mt. Blue. If the Eagles’ are clicking, they’re another team in the playoff mix in the tough PTC B.

“The line worked hard. They got low, and we all did our job. All 11 guys bought in. We knew we’re a good team, we just had to do our assignments,” said quarterback Jake Dexter, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for three scores in the win.

This is Messalonskee’s first season in new head coach Brad Bishop’s wing-T offense, and Bishop expected some growing pains as the team learned the system after years running the double wing.

“They just have to feel comfortable. We’re running more formations. It’s probably confusing. It’s different than what they were doing,” Bishop said. “They had some success early in the game, and I think that just opened their eyes. They were more aggressive, once they had that success.

Staff writer Travis Lazarczyk contributed to this report.

Bill Stewart — 621-5640
bstewart@centralmaine.com


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