FARMINGTON — The Skowhegan Area High School football team’s playoff fate had been determined before its game against Mt. Blue was even half over on Saturday night.
Brewer’s win over Hampden meant the Indians were out. Still, Skowhegan played hard, and made sure the season ended as well as it could.
Kaleb Brown ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns, and added 104 yards receiving as Skowhegan took a 26-21 win over the Cougars. Skowhegan ends the season at 4-4, while 4-4 Mt. Blue will play at Messalonskee in the first round of the Pine Tree Conference Class B playoffs next week.
“We knew we had less than a one percent chance of getting in,” Skowhegan coach Matt Friedman said, “but these kids are all about pride and playing for the name on the front of the jersey.”
Skowhegan led 12-7 at the half, and pushed the lead to 18-7 on the third play of the third quarter, a 66-yard touchdown pass to Eli Holland from Garrett McSweeney.
McSweeney threw for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the other a 16-yard pass to Spencer Salley with 44 seconds left in the first half to give the Indians the lead for good.
“We were balanced with the ball really well,” Brown, who scored on runs of 6 and 13 yards, said. “We ran well and Garrett McSweeney threw some good passes.”
Brown’s 13-yard run with 8:31 left in the game gave Skowhegan a 26-14 lead. Mt. Blue cut the led to five points, 26-21, when Ryan Pratt threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Christian Whitney with 2:11 to play. Skowhegan recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
Mt. Blue’s first touchdown, a 30-yard catch by Caleb Hall from Pratt in the first quarter, was originally ruled incomplete, before officials decided Hall caught it on a deflection from a Skowhegan player.
Mt. Blue’s starting halfback, JT Williams, ran once in the first quarter, and Alex Gilbert left the game in the third quarter with an injury, leaving the Cougars depleted in the backfield.
“Injuries are part of the game. No excuses,” Mt. Blue coach Jim Aylward said. “We didn’t play well enough to win.”
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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