WELLS — Wells overcame a 21-7 halftime deficit with three unanswered touchdowns to beat Madison/Carrabec 25-21 in a Class D South football showdown Friday night.
Madison quarterback Evan Bess ran for one touchdown and threw for another. But the Bulldogs (3-1) had a key fumble, and later had a punt blocked. The fumble led to a 6-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and the blocked punt led to the winning touchdown with 2:05 left.
“Against a tough team like that, you can’t give them a short field,” Madison Coach Scott Franzose said.
It would not be surprising to see these two teams play again in November for the regional title. Both teams were in Class C last year – Wells (4-0) was the state champion – and appear to be the teams to beat in Class D.
“That is a tough football team with some fast backs,” Wells Coach Tim Roche said. “They’re the best team we’ve faced in a while.”
Wells came into the game outscoring opponents 95-7, while Madison had a 147-42 scoring advantage.
But the points came early Friday, with Madison taking a 13-6 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Bulldogs took only 14 seconds to grab the lead, as Sean Whalen took the opening kickoff at the 15, followed solid blocks and broke free for an 85-yard touchdown. Whalen kicked the extra point, and Madison led 7-0.
Wells answered with a 10-play, 63-yard drive, capped by Chad Fitzpatrick’s 9-yard run. Matt Tufts kicked the conversion.
Madison needed only three plays to regain the lead. Bess took off on a keeper, going down the right sideline for a 52-yard touchdown. The conversion was no good, so the Bulldogs led 13-7 with 6:16 remaining in the first quarter.
The defenses then began to take over. After each team punted twice, Wells drove into Madison territory, but a fourth-and-12 pass was incomplete with 2:49 left in the half.
On third-and-7, Bess dropped back and launched a deep pass to the left sideline. Jacob Meader ran under it, caught it and kept going for a 74-yard score. Bess ran in the 2-point conversion for a 21-7 halftime lead.
Madison had one good drive in the second half. A seven-yard run to the 1 was nullified by a holding penalty. The drive eventually ended at the 18.
The Bulldogs’ defense was strong, but mistakes cost them in the second half.
Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:
kthomas@pressherald.com
Twitter: KevinThomasPPH
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