BREWER, Maine — The Biddeford Tigers scored the final 19 points of the game Friday night to pull away from Brewer 26-12 in a season-opening Class B North crossover football clash at historic Doyle Field on Friday night.
Biddeford senior quarterback Carter Edgerton was the game’s dominant offensive performer, completing 6 of 10 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 115 yards and a third score on nine carries.
Biddeford held a scant 7-6 lead through three quarters before Brewer took a 12-7 edge on Andrew Kiley’s second rushing touchdown of the night, a 35-yard second-effort dive up the middle 55 seconds into the final period.
Biddeford regained its lead on its next possession, going to the air to march 72 yards with the final 41 coming on a pass from Edgerton to wideout David Murphy with 7:38 to play — Murphy’s second long touchdown catch of the night.
Edgerton, who did not attempt a pass in the third quarter, went 4-of-4 on the march for 91 yards.
A pass attempt on the two-point conversion failed, but Biddeford held a 13-12 lead.
Brewer drove the ball near midfield with its next possession, but a pass out of punt formation on fourth down from its 46 was successfully defended by Biddeford sophomore Ashton Crowell and fell incomplete to end the drive.
Biddeford needed less than two minutes to pad its lead, with Edgerton scoring on a 35-yard run to make it 19-12 with 3:31 left.
Crowell closed out the scoring by returning a pass interception 58 yards for a touchdown with 1:11 to play.
Sophomore Aidan Donovan complemented Edgerton’s rushing effort with 75 yards on 19 carries,
Kiley paced Brewer with a game-high 137 yards and two touchdowns on 23 rushes.
This matchup brought back a lot of memories for old-time high school football fans, particularly those familiar with the 1970 Class AA state championship game between the two schools that Brewer won 48-30.
Among those on hand for the rematch 48 years removed were two representatives of that Brewer team that ended the season ranked fifth in the country, head coach Ken Perrone and star running back Ralph Payne.
This 2018 season opener featured two less experienced teams, Brewer and Biddeford exchanged touchdowns within a 2 minute, 5 second span early in the second quarter, with Cody Saucier’s extra-point kick the difference as the Tigers held a 7-6 halftime lead.
Brewer struck first, with Kiley scoring on a 10-yard run off right tackle with 10 minutes left in the first half.
That run capped off a 72-yard drive that required just five plays, as quarterback Brandon Glidden found Jacob McCluskey for a 54-yard gain down the right sideline on a tight end screen.
Only a saving tackle by Edgerton prevented the touchdown, but Kiley scored two plays later.
Biddeford immediately answered, scratching out one first down on three runs after the ensuing kickoff before Edgerton found Murphy down the right sideline for a 51-yard touchdown strike with 7:55 left in the period. Saucier then added the go-ahead kick to give the Tigers the narrowest of leads at intermission.
