PORTLAND — Anders Overhaug awoke Saturday morning a little nervous. The Yarmouth High School senior running back was anticipating a challenge Saturday afternoon when the Clippers played Bucksport in the Class C state championship game.

Then Overhaug stepped onto the turf at Fitzpatrick Stadium and put on one of the most spectacular individual performances seen in a title game.

Overhaug scored six touchdowns — four on runs, one on a pass and one on a kickoff return — to lead the Clippers to their second consecutive Class C state championship, 41-14 over Bucksport.

It was Yarmouth’s 24th consecutive victory, capping back-to-back unbeaten seasons.

Overhaug, who rushed for 113 yards on 11 carries, scored on runs of 25, 20, 30 and 1 yard, caught a 2-yard pass from Brady Neujahr and returned a kickoff 92 yards.

“I just came out and played like I normally do,” Overhaug said. “I guess stuff just worked out today.”

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That’s an understatement.

Bucksport coach Joel Sankey said Overhaug was the best back his team had seen this year.

“There’s no comparison to what we’ve seen,” he said.

Yarmouth coach Jim Hartman, who has said all year that Overhaug belonged in the conversation as one of the best backs in the state, said, “What a performance, what a key performance. He was ready to go. He put us on his back and carried us.”

But this wasn’t just about Overhaug. It was about a defense that slowed down Bucksport’s offense. It was about an offensive line that opened up gaping holes, leading to 258 yards rushing.

“This means everything to us,” said senior nose guard Ben Weinrich, who recovered two fumbles. “We worked so hard these last two years. Everyone is so excited.”

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The Clippers jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the game’s first 3 minutes and 12 seconds. Nathaniel Shields-Auble blocked a punt on Bucksport’s first series. On the next play, Overhaug ran 25 yards down the right sideline for his first score, getting a key block from Dennis Erving.

Then Weinrich recovered a Bucksport fumble on the next series. Two plays later, Overhaug ran through a gaping hole on the left side and scored a 20-yard touchdown. Erving passed to Matt Woodbury for the 2-point conversion that made it 14-0 with 8:48 left in the first quarter.

“They’re very quick,” Sankey said. “We had no answers for them. And the way we started out, we were a little bit nervous and it showed, and we were down 14-0 before you could blink your eyes.”

The Clippers didn’t let up.

They forced a punt and got a 28-yard return by Erving. That set up the third scoring drive, which ended on a fourth-down pass at the 2 from Neujahr to Overhaug in the back of the end zone.

Bucksport (11-1) responded with a nice drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Shawn Smith, who totaled 80 rushing yards. Josh Gray’s PAT kick made it 21-7 with 8:29 left in the second.

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Overhaug squashed that momentum, taking the ensuing kickoff 92 yards and making it 28-7 just 13 seconds later.

“I bobbled it a little bit, but I picked it up,” Overhaug said. “There was a seam right ahead. And once I got through, there were two people left. I cut across the field and outran the last guy.”

Overhaug scored on a 30-yard run late in the second quarter to make it 34-7. Then Bucksport lost quarterback Mike Cummings to a broken left hand and center Cody Gray to a knee injury on the same play, making any comeback hopes difficult.

In the end, Yarmouth simply had too much for the Golden Bucks.

“I’m in awe,” said Hartman. “I’m stunned. The kids just played really well.”

 


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