BUCKSPORT, Maine — Mattanawcook Academy showed a few offensive wrinkles on Friday night, but it was an old-fashioned approach that set the tone.
Senior running back Scott Jipson was the beneficiary of consistently strong blocking from his offensive line, and he repaid them by rambling for 184 yards on 30 carries to power the Lynx from Lincoln to a 30-14 LTC victory over Bucksport at Carmichael Field.
Jipson provided scoring runs of 1 and 11 yards as coach Pat House’s squad (2-0) wore down the Golden Bucks (0-2) with the ground assault.
“The running game is what we focused on a lot at the end of the game,” Jipson said. “It just drags them out and once you get a team tired, you can just roll over them.”
Jipson’s night was made possible by the the boys up front: End Trevor Sutherland, tackles Tysen Libby and Tyler Tolman, guards Bryson Martinez and Ben Fiske, and center Allen Dorn.
“I’m going to give it to the people blocking for me. They did a good job at the end of the game and they were what gave me my yards, my runs,” Jipson said.
Junior quarterback Carter Ward directed the offense smoothly and threw a 61-yard TD pass. MA outgained Bucksport 302-96.
Jipson also completed a 17-yard halfback pass and made an interception.
Mattanawcook took the lead for good on its first possession of the second half. The visitors went 67 yards on eight plays sparked by Jipson’s 33-yard run.
Ward capped the march on a 1-yard sneak and Jipson’s conversion rush made it 22-14.
Meanwhile, a Lynx defense led by Sutherland and Dorn shut down Bucksport, which did not have a first down in the second half.
However, MA didn’t ice it until Jipson scored from 11 yards out with 5:18 to play.
Bucksport mustered only 52 rushing yards, while sophomore quarterback Chase Carmichael completed seven of nine passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Matt Vincent and Johann Bradley spearheaded the Bucks’ defense.
The first half ended tied 14-14.
The Bucks opened the contest with an impressive drive that covered 16 plays and 64 yards. It included eight carries for 37 yards by Mike Patterson, but it was Carmichael who scooted in for a 5-yard score.
Tanner Stegner added the PAT kick.
The Lynx answered on their next possession when Ward found Gunner Maxwell streaking down the left sideline for a 61-yard scoring strike. The rush failed, leaving the Bucks on top 7-6.
MA took the lead late in the second quarter. A 25-yard jaunt off left tackle by Jipson helped set up his 1-yard touchdown dive two plays later. His conversion rush gave the Lynx a 14-7 lead.
Hayden Craig made sure the momentum was short-lived. He fielded the kickoff on his own 22, went up the middle, then cut to the left sideline on the way to a 78-yard touchdown.
Stegner’s kick tied it 14-all.
MA threatened again and got down to the Bucksport 17, but Ward’s pass to the end zone was knocked down by Keigan Riccard as time expired.