The Eagles football team wasted no time in setting a winning tone this season
A year ago, the Messalonskee football team traveled to Falmouth and got stomped 38-9, the second of five straight losses in a season in which the Eagles finished 2-6.
Most so-called high school football experts expected another whipping this fall when the Eagles again made the trip South to open their 2023 season.
And that’s exactly what happened.
But this time the Eagles did the whipping, crushing the Navigators, 47-8.
“We just wanted to prove everybody wrong,” said senior running back Sam Dube, who scored three touchdowns and ran for 158 yards on 17 carries. “We wanted to prove we were a much better team than last year.”
A week later, they proved themselves again, this time crushing Gardiner, 35-0.
This Friday the Eagles will seek a third straight victory when they face fellow unbeaten Cony at 7 p.m. at Veterans Field.
The Eagles wasted no time in setting a winning tone this season.
Sophomore quarterback Tatum Doucette connected with receiver Cash Bizier on an 80-yard touchdown pass on the Eagles first play from scrimmage in the season opener against Falmouth..
Doucette added four more touchdown passes before he finished his night, completing nine of 14 tosses for 264 yards.
“It was huge,” Doucette said of the victory, “because last year we got handled by them.”
In last week’s triumph, Messalonskee dominated both sides of the ball once more. Doucette threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns, while Dube added 133 yards on 12 carries. Two-way starter Garrett Card contributed a 69-yard touchdown reception and an interception.
Many other Messalonskee players stood out in the Gardiner game, including Drake Brunelle (79 yards and a touchdown as a receiver and two interceptions defensively), Brady Brunelle (touchdown reception, touchdown run), Mitchell Marquis (sack, interception), and Denny Martin (sack for a safety).