LISBON — Injuries are, unfortunately, a part of sports.

There is always a risk anytime an athlete steps onto the playing surface for one to occur, and last Saturday Lisbon senior quarterback Kyle Bourget saw his season come to an end during the Greyhounds’ 25-12 win over Old Orchard Beach in the Western D Campbell Conference semifinals.

Bourget went down with what appeared to be a knee injury in the second quarter against the Seagulls and Lisbon coach Dick Mynahan confirmed Wednesday that an MRI had revealed a torn ACL.

Replacing Bourget, according to Mynahan, is something the Greyhounds cannot simply do with one player.

“I felt that any game we played if he had a hot hand he gave us an opportunity to win,” Mynahan said. “He was our leader.”

Sophomore Tyler Halls will get the call to start at quarterback Saturday but his experience this season at that position has been limited. Mynahan said he got reps at the position during 7-on-7 workouts in the preseason, but has not played the position prior to taking over for Bourget last Saturday.

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Outside of the obvious difficulty in replacing Bourget, the move will also force the Greyhounds to change up what they would like to do stylistically as Halls has been one of the league’s top wide receivers.

“The biggest change is that Kyle and Tyler were about as good of combination as I’ve seen in this league,” Mynahan said. “Tyler is a tall, great receiver. It means we’re going to rely more on the run. We’re going to have to find a way to change that a little bit.”

Mynahan said they have been getting Halls 85 to 100 snaps per practice to try and get him up to speed.

As for the Raiders, they are preparing for Saturday’s regional championship as if it were any other game.

“Lisbon is a very good football team (and) well-coached,” Oak Hill senior Kyle Flaherty said. “Coach Mynahan knows what he’s doing for sure and they have some very good players. We’re going to have to work hard.

“We’re practicing for anything right now. We’ll take what they give us.”

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Flaherty and Mace each had big games in the Raiders’ 28-14 win over the Greyhounds on Oct. 25 — combing for 350 total yards — and Lisbon is well-aware they are going to have to find a way to slow the duo down to have a shot Saturday.

“I don’t think you stop them,” Mynahan said. “They’re both really outstanding athletes. Either one of them can go 75 or 80 yards in a heartbeat.

“There’s no question to even be in the game we have to have a perfect game. We have to make sure we don’t turn it over.”

Turnovers were a key difference when the two teams met earlier this season.

After Oak Hill took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter on the first of three Flaherty touchdowns, Lisbon fumbled away the ensuing kickoff. On the fourth play of the next possession quarterback Dalton Therrien found Kyle Tervo for a 34-yard touchdown pass to give the Raiders a 14-point lead from which Lisbon never recovered.

If Oak Hill can find a way to win the turnover battle once again Saturday, it should be in good shape to make a return trip to the Class D championship.

Evan Crawley — 621-5640

ecrawley@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Evan_Crawley


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