THORNDIKE, Maine – It is on to the postseason for the Houlton-Hodgdon-Southern Aroostook-Greater Houlton Christian Academy football squad after the Shires notched their second win of the season Saturday.
Against Mount View on Oct. 15, the Shires overcame a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to pick up a 48-30 win over the Mustangs of Thorndike.
The Shires (2-5) finished sixth out of eight squads in the 8-man Small School North division, which earned the team the final playoff spot in the upcoming postseason.
Houlton-GHCA must now prepare for its 7 p.m. Friday postseason matchup against No. 4 Mattanawcook Academy (4-3) of Lincoln. That game will be played on the road. The Shires fell to the Lynx 54-40 in the squad’s final home game of the season Oct. 7.
In the regular season finale against Mt. View, the Shires tallied 460 total yards of offense, and limited the Mustangs to just 230 yards.
After spotting Mt. View a two-touchdown lead in the first quarter, the Shires rattled off 34 unanswered points to take command of Saturday’s game.
Shire quarterback Isaiah Ervin completed 6-of-7 passing attempts for 158 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He also ran the ball 19 times for 114 yards and two additional touchdowns.
Kohl Skehan contributed 17 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown, while AJ Lewis added 16 carries for 55 yards; Bronson Hanning had seven carries for 44 yards; Logan Faggiole had six carries for 17 yards; and Landon Laferrier had one carry for one yard.
Hanning led the Shires in receptions, hauling in four passes for 91 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson Cullend added two catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Shires were led by Lewis who racked up five tackles and snatched an interception. Ervin had 3.5 tackles and three interceptions while playing defensive back.
Mt. View ends its season with a 1-6 record.
