It might have taken the Sacopee Valley football team close to three hours to travel 91 miles from Hiriam to Boothbay Harbor Friday, but it took the team almost no time at all to score. Sacopee scored on the third play from scrimmage as a Falcon running back scampered 61 yards to paydirt. After a competitive first half, Sacopee soared to a 50-26 victory in 8-man Football Small Conference action at Sherman Field.

The Falcons took an 8-0 lead 100 seconds into the game. The Seahawks regrouped and, by the middle of the second quarter, had scored twice to take a 14-8 lead. Seahawk running back Slade Balsdon scored his team’s first score in the first quarter. With Boothbay trailing 8-6 in the second quarter, Maddox Cusumano set up the second TD with a 47-yard run to the Falcons’ five-yard line. Quarterback Aidric Canada followed up with a five-yard run giving Boothbay a 14-8 lead. 

Sacopee led at the half 22-14, before eventually building the lead in the second half to 52-14. Boothbay scored its last touchdown in the fourth quarter. Facing a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line, an apparent Boothbay touchdown was overturned by a holding penalty. Coach Ed Crocker disputed the call, and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. On fourth-and-goal from the 28, Canada connected with Cusumano on a touchdown pass. 

Crooker jokingly referred to a similar play earlier after the penalty. He sought an explanation on why holding was not called on Sacopee when the player grabbed a Boothbay player’s jersey and dragged him to the ground without penalty. Following Boothbay’s aborted score, Crocker used the same argument to the same official.  “I told him my player was falling down just like the Sacopee player did earlier in the game, but he wasn’t having it,” Crocker said.

This was a pivotal win in the Southern Conference standings as Sacopee leaped past Boothbay into fourth place. With one regular season game remaining, Sacopee is in good shape to host No. 5 Boothbay in the Oct. 20 playoff game. 

For Boothbay, nothing seemed to work after edging ahead in the second quarter. Boothbay failed to move the ball on offense and could not stop the Falcons’ passing attack. “Our defensive backs couldn’t defend their passes. But that’s not surprising since our pass rush couldn’t get near their quarterback. He must have had 6-8 seconds on every pass,” Crocker said.

The offense scored three touchdowns, but as the game wore on Boothbay runners had difficulty finding holes in the Sacopee defensive line. “Too many times our runners were hit in the backfield including several times the defense arrived before the ball exchange. It’s frustrating to have such a good week of practice, and come out here and look like we don’t know how to play.”

Boothbay closes out the regular season on Oct. 13 against Dirigo (5-1) in Dixfield.  The Cougars are in second place.