HOULTON, Maine — Sometimes a team needs a spark plug to get things going. For the Houlton football team Friday evening, that sparkplug turned out to be senior wide receiver Garrett Ring, who scored a touchdown, added a pair of two-point conversions and secured a key interception to help lift Houlton to a 22-14 victory over Camden Hills.
Josh Upton led the Shires’ ground attack with 14 carries for 178 yards and a touchdown. Nearly half of that yardage total came on one 80-yard run. Austin Brown had five carries for 35 yards and quarterback Jared Fox had three carries for 19 yards and a score.
Fox completed 5-of-9 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, as well as a pair of two-point conversions. Ring had four catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, while nabbing both two-point conversions.
Offensively, the Shires racked up 355 yards, but committed four turnovers, losing two of them. Camden Hills (0-2) amassed 337 yards on the ground, and 342 total yards. The Windjammers also had two turnovers.
Penalties hurt the Shires, as the team was flagged eight times, resulting in the loss of 55 yards. Camden Hills had three penalties for 25 yards.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Shiretowners got things going offensively in the second period using a steady mix of runs to the edges, short passes and plunges up the middle for small gains. But the team’s fortunes changed when Ring broke the scoring ice by hauling in a 30-yard pass from quarterback Fox.
Ring leapt high into the air alongside Camden Hills defender Daulton Oakes. Both had their hands on the ball, but Ring was able to rip the ball down, spin away and scamper into the end zone for the game’s first score with 9:42 to play in the first half.
“I don’t know how I did that (pulled the ball away),” Ring said. “We practice stuff like that every day in practice. I saw the opportunity and grabbed it.”
The addition of Fox, a transfer from Washington Academy, has been a huge addition to the Shires thus far. The team is looking to pass more, and having Fox as the team’s signal-caller allowed Ring to move out from under center to play a slot receiver.
Fox has been sharp in the team’s first two games (12 for 23 for 238 yards, two touchdowns) as the team has looked to move the ball through the air.
“Jared has been a big pickup for us,” Ring said. “Last year, I had to play quarterback. I had never played that position. I was always a wide receiver.”
Windjammer Jack Morse answered with 3:59 remaining in the half, on a 6-yard dash to the corner, knotting the game at 6-6. That score held until the halftime break.
In the third quarter, Ring and Fox hooked up for a 50-yard pass play that saw Ring race all the way to the four-yard line. After Houlton lost a couple of yards on the first two plays, Fox called his own number and ran for a six-yard plunge to the right corner, giving Houlton a 12-6 lead with 2:18 to play in the third quarter. Ring successfully scored on a two-point conversion, making it 14-6 in favor of the Shires.
Houlton added an insurance touchdown midway through the fourth quarter when Shire senior Upton blasted his way through the Camden Hills’ defensive front and raced for an 80-yard touchdown. Ring made a nifty leaping grab of for the 2-point conversion giving the Shires a 22-6 lead.
Camden Hills’ Taylor Crosby scored with 20.4 seconds remaining to cut the Shire lead to 22-12, giving the Windjammers a slight glimmer of hope. But the ensuing two-point conversion and onside kick attempts were unsuccessful resulting in the 22-12 final score.
The Windjammers deployed a single-wing formation, with lots of motion, which caused the Shires fits for much of the contest.
“I have never seen a single wing (at the high school level) before,” Houlton coach Brian Reynolds said. “It was difficult for us. But we made some adjustments, changed our defense and that helped some.”
Reynolds said he was disappointed his team gave up a late score, but was pleased with the team’s offensive production through the first two games.
“We have never been 2-0, so there is something to that,” he said.
Camden 0 6 0 8 — 14
Houlton 0 6 8 8 — 22
