The Maranacook football team went back to the basics in Week 2 after a tough season-opening loss to Dirigo.

“We had to get the ground game going,” Maranacook coach Joe Emery said. “We preached ball security and we wanted to take the pressure off our young quarterback (Kyle Morand).

“And we did just that.”

Morand threw five interceptions against Dirigo but completed 3 of his 5 passes for 45 yards in a 22-6 win over Traip.

The Black Bears also rushed for about 280 yards.

“We didn’t pass it as much,” Emery said. “Kyle did a great job with the offense and he’s going to get better every week.”

The victory did come at a price as starting tailback Logan Emery left the game with a knee injury in the first quarter and did not return.

Emery, the son of Joe Emery, injured his left knee — the same one he had surgery on two years ago.

“We should know more about the injury (today),” Joe Emery said. “It doesn’t look like he’ll play Saturday, though.”

Chris Robinson rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries to lead the Bears. Jake Gibson, who is bothered by an ankle injury, rushed for 65 yards on 11 carries as well.

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Cony (2-0) began preparations Monday for its key Pine Tree Conference Class B showdown at Brunswick (2-0) on Friday night.

“We have a lot to do,” Cony coach Robby Vachon said. “We know they’ll be waiting for us.”

The teams met twice last year, with Cony winning both meetings. The Rams edged the Dragons 21-20 in a terrific PTC A semifinal at Alumni Field. The victory came about a month after Cony blasted Brunswick 34-7 in the regular season.

“We know they’re gunning for us,” Cony senior quarterback Ben Lucas said. “I’m sure they want to get us back for last season.”

Cony is coming off a convincing 52-12 win over Brewer. Lucas threw four touchdowns to give him seven this season. He’s completed 28 of 45 passes for 573 yards in two games.

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Kents Hill opened its season with a tough 50-8 loss to New Hampton to spoil the debut of first-year coach Steve Shukie.

“We were overmatched,” he said. “They are definitely the class of the (Evergreen League). We made a few big mistakes and that really cost us. We had a lot of fumbles and that turned a close game into a blowout.”

Defensive tackle Adam Rudolph led the Huskies with three tackles for a loss while Nelkas Kwemo had four catches for 85 yards and a touchdown.

The Huskies (0-1) will play Saturday at Hyde School in Bath.

“We just played them a few weeks ago in a scrimmage so we know what to expect,” Shukie said. “We know what we’re up against this week.”

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Oak Hill returned most of its playmakers on offense, including quarterback Parker Asselin, tight end Luke Washburn and running backs Kyle Flaherty and Alex Mace.

On Friday night, the Raiders (2-0) needed a few key plays on the other side of the ball to edge Dirigo 8-6 and remain undefeated in the Western D Campbell Conference.

“It was a very physical game,” Oak Hill coach Stacen Doucette said. “It was a grind. It was a good, old school football game.”

Oak Hill led 8-0 before Dirigo scored a touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. The Raiders stuffed the two-point conversion attempt, but the Cougars still had another shot when they recovered the onside kick.

“I was thinking, ‘someone needs to make play,'” Doucette said. “They were able to run another three plays on us.”

However, the Raiders survived by forcing three incompletions.

“We got good pressure on their quarterback and our defensive backs were able to knock the ball down,” Doucette said. “It was a nice win.”

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Around the state: Twenty-three teams have scored at least 40 points in a game already this season. … Falmouth is the only team in the state that has yet to give up a point. Falmouth has shutouts over Gorham (48-0) and Morse (7-0). Brunswick has surrendered just two points, a safety in a 47-2 win at Brewer in Week 1. … A pair of contenders in Western Class B meet on Friday, when Westbrook plays at Marshwood. Both teams are 2-0.

Staff writer Travis Lazarczyk contributed to this report.

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

bstewart@centralmaine.com