FARMINGTON — Defensive intensity coupled with a balanced offensive attack carried Mt. Blue to a 43-7 win over Mt. Desert Island on Friday night at Kemp Field in a Pine Tree Conference Class B football quarterfinal.

Mt. Blue jumped to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of Chris Malone touchdown runs, then padded the lead when quarterback Jordan Whitney threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter to build a 28-0 halftime advantage.

“It is really tough to keep MDI out of the end zone,” Mt. Blue coach Gary Parlin said. “They put together 8-, 9-, 10- and 11-play drives that we were able to stop with some very good fourth-down stops.”

Concerned about the Trojans powerful running backs, Jayson Burke (27 carries, 126 yards) and Elias Burne (22 carries, 75 yards), Mt. Blue switched to an eight-man front from its traditional seven-man front with the move proving beneficial for the Cougars.

Colin Richards, Shawn Keach, Chris Cautillo and Bradley Jackson proved to be mainstays for the Cougars on defense. Mt. Blue contained the powerful threat of MDI, shutting down the Trojans on all seven of their possessions.

“In Bar Harbor, they gave us a real tough time,” Mt. Blue defensive coach Brad Bishop said. “Our kids did a great job tonight, reading their keys and containing their runners.”

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Offensively the Cougars were equally impressive with eight players sharing in the running game. Eric Berry produced the most yardage with 54, including a 33-yard scamper in the second quarter that set up Mt. Blue’s final touchdown of the first half.

Whitney finished the game hitting four of seven passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, along with 53 yards rushing.

Twice in the first quarter, the Cougars looked to speedy running back Malone, who raced through the left side of the MDI defense for touchdown runs of 6 and 47 yards, his only two carries of the game. In the second quarter, Cam Sennick took a shuffle pass in the backfield from Whitney and bolted 50 yards to give the Cougars a 21-0 lead with 9:14 remaining in the half.

Whitney’s 16-yard toss to Nick Hilton on the Cougars next possession gave Mt. Blue a 28-0 lead.

Jackson pushed the Mt. Blue lead to 35-0 on a 5-yard run in the third quarter before the Trojans put together an impressive 15-play, 73-yard drive that started in the third quarter and carried over into the fourth quarter when Burke powered in from the six.

Mt. Blue’s second team got into the end zone in the fourth quarter when quarterback Andrew Pratt tossed a short shuffle pass to Nate Backus, who spun and twisted his way for 28 yards in the final minutes of the game.


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