WINTHROP — Senior running back Logan Baird was elated with Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale’s 46-27 victory over Bucksport, but he insisted the Ramblers can play a better brand of football.
Baird scored four touchdowns and rushed for 253 yards on 17 carries, leading the No. 2 Ramblers past No. 7 Bucksport in a Class D quarterfinal at Maxwell Field on Saturday night. The Ramblers will face third-ranked Freeport on Nov. 12 in the semifinals.
“Isaac Oliveira had some beautiful blocks tonight,” Baird said. “Jake Umberhind pancaked a couple of kids. Whenever I got the ball, it was beautiful blocking.
“Our performance — subpar. We are definitely better than what we showed today. We will get better from here, though. It feels good winning, always, but we could have had a better win. This isn’t our team. We are way better than this.”
The Ramblers (6-2) came right out and built a 20-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of touchdowns from Baird, including a 24-yard dash up the middle into the end zone. Ramblers quarterback Andrew Foster connected with Robbie Feeney on a 69-yard pass and Baird ran in the conversion.
The Ramblers went on a long drive from their own 36 before arriving at 4-yard line, where Baird drove into the end zone with a TD.
Bucksport (2-6) finally got on the board late in the second quarter when quarterback Ayden Maguire threw a 2-yard pass to Tyler Hallett for the TD. Hallett kicked the extra point, but the Ramblers were leading 26-7 going into the second half.
The second half became a tit-for-tat game. Every time the Ramblers scored, the Golden Bucks returned the favor.
The Ramblers opened the third quarter with a quick drive down to the 1-yard line, where junior Dominic Trott spilled into the end zone for his touchdown.
The Golden Bucks answered when Maguire reeled off a 32-yard pass to Hallett, cutting the Ramblers’ lead to 32-16. The Ramblers scored again when Foster threw a 16-yard lob to Brayden Stubbert for a TD with 1:40 left in the third quarter.
“Those guys (Bucksport), they battle,” Winthrop coach Dave St. Hilaire said. “They just kept bringing it. We have got to get better at pass coverage. We have to be more flexible and we can’t keep giving up big plays.”
Bucksport didn’t flinch and scored in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. The Golden Bucks began their march from their own 26 all the way to the Ramblers 27, where Maguire hooked up with Hallett for a touchdown, making it a 38-21 game.
“Bucksport played their hearts out tonight,” Baird said. “They didn’t believe they are seventh-seeded and they showed that tonight.”
Not to be outdone, Baird rushed from the 22-yard line and scored. Foster and Baird paired up or the two-point conversion. But Bucksport slipped in another TD when Maguire sent a 46-yard pass over to Hallett.
“The first five minutes of the game, it was 20-0,” Bucksport coach Joel Sankey said. “It has been that story all year. We are young and we make a lot of mistakes (and) turn the ball over, but they continue to fight. We have some good players.
“They (the Ramblers) are a good team, wish them luck. It was a good game.”
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