Football: Messalonskee shuts out Gardiner to take early lead atop Class B North

OAKLAND — Before the game and early in it, there were a number of things that could have thrown the Messalonskee football team for a loop Friday night.

With a passing storm forcing a lightning delay, the Eagles’ pregame routine was disrupted in a way that gave head coach Blair Doucette headaches. Then, at the end of the first quarter, opposing Gardiner switched quarterbacks from the one for whom Messalonskee had prepared all week.

None of it could stop Messalonskee, which rolled to a 35-0 victory over Gardiner at Veterans Field. The Eagles led the Tigers 29-0 at halftime and outgained them 454-99 on the evening to move atop the Pine Tree Conference at 2-0.

“I thought we could have played a cleaner game, but there were a lot of things that were outside of our control tonight, and our kids didn’t let it get to them,” Doucette said. “We locked in when we needed to lock in, and when we needed to adjust, we were able to do it.”

Tatum Doucette completed 7 of 24 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns for Messalonskee, and Sam Dube had 133 yards and a score on 12 carries in just one half of football. Defensively, Drake Brunelle intercepted Asher Nagy twice after the Gardiner sophomore replaced starting quarterback Chase Burgess.

Although Gardiner (0-1) got a stop after Burgess threw an interception on the opening drive, the Tigers were pinned near their own goal line after a deep punt by Doucette. Denny Martin then sacked Burgess in the end zone to put the Eagles up 2-0 with 8:19 left in the first quarter.

Messalonskee’s Garrett Card (4) stiff arms Gardiner’s Henry Gingras during a Class B North football game Friday night in Oakland. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

“That was a big play, and it did set the tone for us, definitely,” Tatum Doucette said. “It got everybody hyped; you could tell that crowd was hyped, and the sidelines were hyped. It definitely gave us some confidence after they stopped us (on the first drive).”

Dube ran for a 47-yard score two plays after the safety free kick, and a 46-yard pass from Doucette to Brunelle then put the Eagles up 15-0 midway through the first quarter. From there, though, the home team’s offense stalled somewhat as it turned the ball over on downs on three straight possessions.

But a third touchdown came on Messalonskee’s next offensive play as Doucette found Garrett Card for a 69-yard score. Brunelle then took an interception down near the goal line, and although penalties pushed the Eagles outside the red zone, a 22-yard pass from Doucette to Brady Brunelle made it 29-0 with 45 seconds left in the half.

“(The three turnovers on downs) were frustrating, but we came together, and we just told each other that we needed to move on and put it behind us,” Tatum Doucette said. “We got hyped up, and we were able to take a step forward and played really well on offense.”

Gardiner kept Messalonskee from expanding its lead for much of the second half, but the Tigers didn’t get any closer as the visitors couldn’t push the ball beyond the 42-yard line. Brady Brunelle scored the final points of the contest with 2:45 remaining on a 5-yard run.

Nagy made a few plays with his arm, but the Eagles largely kept him in check as he completed 12 of 30 passes for 91 yards and threw three interceptions. Drake Brunelle had two of those interceptions to move his total to five in just two games.

“My coaches give me a lot of freedom to be free out there and go and do what I do, so I do it,” said Drake Brunelle, who also had two catches for 79 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. “From there, it’s just about playing; playing hard for my team and reading the QB.”

Card and Mitchell Marquis also had interceptions for Messalonskee with the latter also recording a sack as he put immense pressure on both Gardiner quarterbacks throughout the game. Dawson Dingus added a sack of his own for the Eagles, while Kyle Doody had two sacks for the Tigers.

Like many games in central Maine and throughout the state, the game was delayed after lightning was spotted in the area prior to kickoff. The delay pushed the opening kickoff back to 7:45 with the two teams being forced to leave the field just as they were getting into their warm-up sessions.

It was, Blair Doucette admitted, a less-than-ideal prelude to the game for a Messalonskee team that had to settle down again and wait out the storm after taking the field amped up for its home opener. The restart did affect the Eagles — the home team committed 10 penalties on the evening — but ultimately, their mental fortitude prevailed.

“We told them to take their time with (the break) and let them talk and let them be themselves,” Coach Doucette said. “It can be really tough to have to lock in and refocus when something like that happens, but they dealt with it, and I’m proud of the way the came back out and responded so well.”