Waterville football players and coaches celebrate after they beat Mount Desert Island in an eight-man Large North championship game Friday night in Bar Harbor. Dave Dyer/Kennebec Journal
BAR HARBOR — All it took for the Waterville football team to repeat as the eight-man Large North champion was a little more focus on the run game.
And a lot more Dustan Hunter.
Hunter, a sophomore who took over at quarterback at halftime, ran for 95 yards on 23 carries and accounted for two touchdowns — one rushing and one passing — to lead Waterville to a 22-12 win over Mount Desert Island at Alumni Field.
Waterville (6-3) will meet Yarmouth (9-1) — which beat Mt. Ararat 20-18 on Friday night — in the Large School state final Nov. 12 at Fuller Field in Augusta.
“It’s a dream, man,” Hunter said. “Ever since I was a kid, it was just (all about) playing football, playing in a state championship, playing for a Gold Ball. It’s just really an honor. Two years straight (as Large North champions), and I feel like this year we have a really good shot. We’ve just got to go take it.”
MDI finished 6-3.
Down 12-6 at halftime, Hunter replaced starter Wyatt Gradie, who threw for 55 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
“We’ve kind of played both those guys (at the position) this year,” Waterville head coach Isaac LeBlanc said. “They have different strengths. We just felt like it was a change we needed to make in this game. Dustan is just a very gritty runner… He made some really gritty runs. And he’s only a sophomore. He commanded the offense in the second half and played really good situational football there down the stretch.”
“Coach is always preaching in practice to be great,” Hunter added. “That’s my mantra, just go in there and be great.”
On his second drive, Hunter helped lead the Purple Panther on a 17-play, 85-yard drive that ate up nearly eight minutes of clock. Hunter capped the drive with a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Spencer Minihan, who had his defender beat on a fade route. Hunter then ran in the 2-point conversion for a 14-12 lead.
Waterville football players and coaches celebrate after they beat Mount Desert Island in an eight-man Large North championship game Friday night in Bar Harbor. Dave Dyer/Kennebec Journal
“We ran the same play two times in a row, Coach just decided to go with the little wobble (play) there,” Minihan said. “(Hunter) threw it up, gave me a shot and I just came down with it.”
“That gave us some breathing room and that really opened up the game and opened up everything,” Hunter said. “That was a big play.”
Minihan finished with three receptions for 50 yards.
Two possessions later, Waterville needed to go just 21 yards for its final score. Hunter kept the ball and dashed around defenders for an 18-yard touchdown run, then made the 2-point conversion run for the final 22-12 score.
“I’m just so proud of my kids,” LeBlanc said. “They just don’t give up. And MDI is a (heck) of a football team. We were down at the half, we just regrouped, made some adjustments. My coaches did a great job. But our guys executed what we asked them to do. We played well defensively in the first half, but both sides (of the ball) in the second half were fantastic.”
Tyson Smith had a 6-yard touchdown reception from Gradie in the first half.
MDI leaned heavily on running back Aiden Grant, who ran for 86 yards on 18 carries, with a touchdown, and quarterback Spencer Laurendeau, who ran for 56 yards on 14 carries. Laurendeau was also 2-7 passing for 54 yards and a touchdown.
It’s the second time this season the Purple Panthers have left Bar Harbor with a victory over the Trojans. Waterville beat MDI 26-20 on Sept. 16.
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