HOULTON, Maine — A second-half rally came up just short for the Houlton football team Friday evening as the Shires fell, 24-20, to Mattanawcook Academy.
Shire Seth Holston took the opening kickoff Friday night and returned it for a touchdown and the ensuing two-point conversion gave Houlton (2-4) a quick 8-0 lead, but the remainder of the first half belonged to the Lynx as the visitors scored 24 unanswered points for a 24-8 halftime lead.
Houlton’s defense stiffened in the second half, keeping MA out of the endzone.
“I think overall it was one of our better defensive efforts of the season,” Houlton coach Brian Reynolds said. “In the second half we picked our heads up and played defensively responsible football. We also learned how to flow to the ball as a unit and gang tackle. I think we did a much better job, but still struggled to get off the field on third down.”
The coach added some of his younger players stepped up to fill the void of injured veterans, Jaron Brewer, David Tucker and Jordan Brown in particular. Damon Reynolds was also injured in the first half of the game. Turning in strong defensive efforts for the Shires were Austin Brown and Nick Botting.
Offensively Seth Holston led the way once again with a couple of long runs to get Houlton on the scoreboard. Holston also had an interception that he returned for a touchdown.
“At halftime we challenged the kids to ‘be the hammer instead of the nail’ and they responded,” Reynolds said. “I was so proud of how the kids played in the second half, nearly leading us back from a 16-point halftime deficit.”
With the season winding to an end, Reynolds said he was pleased with the effort shown by his team. Houlton is currently sixth in the Class D Crabtree Standings, according to the Maine Principal’s Association website. Only the top four squads make the playoffs.
“Sometimes in football it’s winning the little battles that matter,” Reynolds said. “Our kids are gaining confidence and know that they can play with an established program like Mattanawcook now. Hopefully that carries over Friday’s game as we travel to Bucksport to play a tough Golden Bucks team in a game with big time playoff implications.”
