HOULTON, Maine — It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win that Houlton football coach Brian Reynolds could live with Friday evening as the Houlton Shiretowners bested Washington Academy, 34-22, in the final home game of the season.
Both squads committed numerous turnovers with WA fumbling five times and throwing a pair of interceptions. Meanwhile, Houlton was not without its fair share of miscues as the Shires turned the ball over three times.
“This was a huge game for us,” Houlton junior quarterback Jared Fox said. “The winner of this game really has a shot at the playoffs, so we needed this win.”
Fox and his twin brother, Jacob, are former athletes from Washington Academy.
“We came out, we had a few little mistakes, but we overcame them tonight,” Reynolds said. “We practiced hard all week and it was nice to see that pay off tonight.”
WA had to turn to its best running back, Patrick Finn, midway through the second half when starting quarterback Justin Villone injured his shoulder and was forced from the game.
WA opened the scoring when Finn plunged into the end zone with a 3-yard reception off play-action from Villone. Villone then found tight end Janko Stojanovic for a two-point conversion.
Houlton answered quickly as it methodically marched down the field before quarterback Jared Fox connected with Garret Ring for a 10-yard strike. The two-point conversion failed giving WA an 8-6 lead.
The Shires used its short passing game to perfection in the second quarter, picking up chunks of yardage on slant routes and screens by Ring and Austin Brown, while Josh Upton did the bulk of the power running with plunges up the middle. Fox connected on a 16-yard pass to Upton off play-action, giving Houlton a 12-8 lead. The ensuing 2-point conversion was no good.
With 34 seconds left in the half, Brown intercepted a pass from Villone and returned it 65 yards for the score. Jared Fox hooked up with Jacob Fox for a successful 2-point conversion giving Houlton a 20-8 lead with 30 seconds to play.
The Raiders were not done their scoring in the half as Gregg Jarrett returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for the score, cutting the lead to 20-14 with 17 seconds left in the half.
After forcing a Houlton punt to start the second half, WA picked up right where it left off with yet another huge play as Villone lofted a floater to Jarrett, who eluded several tackles on his way to a 70-yard touchdown. Finn plowed his way in for the two-point try giving WA a 22-20 lead with 7:21 to play in the third quarter.
Upton gave Houlton a lead it would not relinquish as he pushed his way to a nine-yard touchdown run with 8:19 to play, 26-22. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
After forcing the Raiders to punt on their next possession, Houlton added an insurance touchdown late in the fourth quarter as Brown scampered for a 30-yard score, breaking several tackles in the process, as he used his speed to get to the outside. Jared Fox connected with Ring on a quick slant for the two-point conversion giving Houlton the 34-22 final margin.
WA 8 6 8 0 — 22
Houlton 6 14 6 8 — 34
