Two long running plays by wingback Mike Hallowell demonstrated Boothbay’s dominance over Traip Academy Sept. 16 in Kittery. Hallowell scored two touchdowns: a 62-yard run in the first quarter and a 55-yard run in the third quarter. Boothbay (3-0) won 41-12.

Boothbay’s domination wasn’t limited to the scoreboard. Traip (0-3) began the game with 18 players, but the Seahawk defense’s fierce tackling resulted in injuring six Rangers. On Sept. 18, Traip officials, faced with having only 12 healthy players remaining, ended their season. So the Class E developmental league, which began its first season with six teams including Boothbay and Traip, is now left with five.

But Boothbay’s road to its third win of the season had some bumps. A first quarter turnover resulted in a 6-0 deficit. Traip’s defense intercepted a Jay Hasch pass and returned it for a score. Hallowell’s first touchdown, later in the quarter, gave Boothbay a 7-6 lead. The Seahawks solidified their lead with second quarter touchdowns coming on quarterback keeper by Hasch, and later, a  Hasch seven-yard pass to Steve Bennett. Boothbay ended the half leading 20-6.

In the second half, Boothbay’s offense stuck with what worked in the first half. Boothbay continued to run the ball against the Ranger defense. Boothbay ran for 285 yards on 35 rushes. The Seahawks out gained Traip 295 to 50 in total yards. The Rangers managed only 35 yards on 40 rushes. The only phase of the game where Boothbay was less than perfect was in turnovers. The Seahawks lost two fumbles and threw three interceptions. Traip committed three turnovers.

On Boothbay’s first second half possession, Hallowell scored his second touchdown. Hallowell finished the game with three carries for 113 yards. Traip countered by scoring its only offensive touchdown cutting its deficit to 27-12. But Boothbay responded with two more scores. Sophomore Hunter Crocker, who scored five offensive touchdowns in the season’s first two games, didn’t find the end zone from his wingback position, but he did score on defense and special teams.

Crocker picked up a fumbled kick-off return and scored. The linebacker also returned an interception later in the third quarter.

Boothbay head coach Ed Crocker attributed his team’s victory to its dominance on the offensive and defensive lines. “On defense, we are getting to the quarterback and nobody can run up the middle against us. On offense, we do a great job blocking, and we also have so many options running the ball that defenses are having trouble stopping us,” said Crocker.

The Seahawks are in third place in the Class E Heal point standings. Their next opponent is the only other undefeated team in Class E, the Maranacook Community High School Black Bears. The Readfield-based school has defeated Camden Hills, 21-0; Telstar, 47-8; and Sacopee Valley, 22-6. Coach Crocker described Maranacook as a “tough defensive team employing a 5-3 alignment with a good quarterback and two good running backs.

“This is going to be huge for us,” he said. “We match up well against them, but the key is having a good week of practice. If we focus on our game then I think we are a tough team to beat,” he said.

Boothbay hosts Maranacook at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22 at Sherman Field.