TURNER — Believe it or not, a scenario where three teams in the statewide Class C all finished 8-0 was a possibility through five weeks of the high school football season.

It isn’t a possibility anymore – not after what the Leavitt Hornets did Saturday night.

Leavitt knocked Gardiner from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 32-7 victory at Libby Field. The Hornets gained 392 yards — 342 on the ground — while holding the Tigers to 147 yards.

“We did a great job tonight of staying together as a team and just doing what we did in practice,” said Leavitt quarterback Landon Marquis. “The coaches did a great job of preparing us for this week, and we just came out and did what we were supposed to do.”

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Leavitt (4-2) blocked far better than it did in last week’s loss to Wells. That was coach Mike Hathaway’s biggest key going into the week, and the Hornets answered the call by dominating Gardiner’s defensive line.

“Up front and on the perimeter, we did a good job early in the game of staying on blocks, which is something we weren’t able to do last week,” Hathaway said. “That was a big point of emphasis for us, and I thought the backs did a good job of running hard behind (our line).”

• Leavitt put Gardiner (5-1) in an early hole. Touchdowns on the first two drives gave the Hornets a 12-0 lead with two minutes left in the first quarter. Then, a hard hit by Leavitt’s Darren Flagg jarred the ball from Chase McGrane on a reception, and Cooper Morin took the fumble 53 yards for a score.

“You can’t spot a really good team 20 points in the first quarter,” said Gardiner coach Pat Munzing. “That was something we were looking to do — get up and get going early — but we just never got into sorts; we couldn’t get our feet in front of us, and we never really made any plays.”

WHAT IT MEANS

• Gardiner failed to keep pace with Greely and Hermon, both of which improved to 6-0 with victories Friday. Leavitt, on the other hand, earned a win vital to its hopes of a top-four finish in Class C, and a home quarterfinal game.

“This win was big, not only for the rankings but for our team and our chemistry, which is the biggest piece that we’re gaining right now,” Marquis said. “(It was important to) proving ourselves as a team and just coming together more closely.”

YELLOW HANKIES GALORE

Penalty flags – both the traditional yellow ones and pink ones for Breast Cancer Awareness Month – littered the grass at Libby Field. There were 19 penalties in total: Leavitt was whistled 12 times for 132 yards and Gardiner was assessed seven penalties for 55 yards.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

“It starts in practice with the guys that give the look. Our second team was really good in practice this week at simulating what Gardiner does, and they got after it pretty good to give us a competitive practice all week. Our guys were hungry, and you feel the intensity and concentration in practice.” — Mike Hathaway

“Big props to my line. All week, we’ve been changing up our schemes a little bit to figure out what would work the best, and I think we found it. We had a pretty good game up front.” — Leavitt running back Randan Hutchinson

“You can’t dwell on a loss because it’s just one. It’s an eight-game schedule, and we knew that coming in. Being 5-0 was awesome, but in reality, it’s onto the next game. That’s how we’ve taken each one of our wins, and that’s how we’re going to take this loss.” — Pat Munzing

STAT LEADERS

• Gardiner: Isaac Madore (7 of 15 passing, 59 yards, INT; two rushes, 13 yards), J.C. Adames (two catches, 42 yards)

• Leavitt: Randan Hutchinson (17 carries, 114 yards, 2 TD; 24 yard TD reception), Landon Marquis (4 of 8 passing, 50 yards, TD; six carries, 66 yards), Mason Henderson (five carries, 54 yards)

UP NEXT

• Gardiner: vs. Foxcroft (4-2), 7 p.m. Friday

• Leavitt: at Messalonskee (3-3), 7 p.m. Friday