HAMPDEN, Maine — Gardiner High School went into Friday night’s game at Hampden Academy intent on proving it could play power football. The Tigers’ emphasis on the run game was rewarded.
Treavon Horton racked up 194 yards on 27 carries and Gardiner unveiled a well-balanced ground attack while churning out a 28-25 victory over the Broncos.
A week after halting an 11-game losing streak, Gardiner (2-2) overcame three first-half turnovers and fought off a late rally by Hampden Academy (1-3) to get back to .500.
“It feels great,” Horton said. “We lost all our games last year and we’re coming out 2-2. I think we’re going to have a good season.”
Coach Matt Burgess’ team was relentless running the ball. Wyatt Blair netted 55 yards on 11 carries and Brad Weston picked up 30 yards on 10 attempts to complement the workmanlike performance of Horton, who was effective outside and between the tackles.
“We definitely turned it on in the second half,” Weston said.
“We put more men in the box, we ran more right up the middle, then outside. Our linemen blocked very, very well,” he added, citing Jake Truman, Andrew Doody-Vellieux, Orion Seref, Adrian Heath, Spencer King and Josh Curtis.
The Tigers seized the momentum in the closing seconds of the first half. Eli Kropp lofted a high-arcing pass to wide receiver Chase Begin streaking down the left sideline for a 35-yard touchdown with only 1.4 seconds remaining in the quarter.
The conversion failed, but the Tigers led 14-10.
“That score we got, it lifted the team up,” Horton said. “It brought everybody back up and we were back in the game.”
Gardiner capitalized after the Broncos muffed the second-half kickoff at the HA 30. Sparked by a 16-yard fourth-down completion from Kropp to Chase Begin, the Tigers scored on Kopp’s 1-yard sneak.
Horton’s conversion rush put Gardiner up 22-10.
Coach Kevin Canty’s Broncos responded with a 13-play drive behind the hard-nosed running of halfback Isaiah Olson. He carried nine times for 31 yards on the march.
However, after Gardiner stopped Olson for a 3e-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 4, Hampden opted for a field goal. Ian Gehrke’s 21-yard attempt was blocked with 2:50 left in the third quarter.
The Tigers later extended the advantage to 28-10 with a six-play drive that included a 41-yard jaunt around left end by Horton. Weston capped the march with a 5-yard scoring run with 9:04 to play.
Hampden rallied, scoring on back-to-back possessions to make things interesting.
Tommy Farrar (12-for-35, 160 yards) completed four passes on the first drive, which covered 79 yards and seven plays. He found Conary Moore over the middle for an 18-yard TD hookup and Gehrke added the PAT kick to make it 28-17 with 7:20 left.
The Broncos then made a stop and blocked a pooch punt, recovering at the Gardiner 41. Farrar made a key 14-yard run on third down and later snuck in from the 1. His conversion pass to Olson got HA within 28-25 with 3:33 remaining.
However, Gardiner was able to run nearly three minutes off the clock and punted the Broncos deep to help secure the victory.
Hampden broke a scoreless tie three minutes into the second quarter after recovering a Gardiner fumble at its own 49. The hosts balanced the running of Olson and Farrar’s passing.
Wide receiver Jake Black ran a nifty route off the left side, took a quick toss to the inside from Farrar and scooted into the end zone to complete the 9-yard scoring hookup.
Horton bolted 55 yards for a touchdown on Gardiner’s next possession and Weston’s rush gave the Tigers an 8-7 lead at the 6:11 mark.
The Broncos went back ahead after a muffed punt gave them the ball at the Gardiner 7. Gehrke booted a 24-yard field goal to make it 10-7.
However, Gardiner went back in front on Kropp’s bomb to Begin.