Football
Wildcats lose playoff, 14-7
By Stan Ross
The Wildcats football team faced off against Cape Elizabeth in last weekend's Western Maine Class B playoff game. Wildcats pictured here include Gene Jones (73), Jake Moran (78), Ian Bond (87) and Alex Quinn (33).
Photo by Sherry DaBiere
YORK - Last Saturday, Nov. 4, the York High Wildcats (7-3) journeyed to Cape Elizabeth to take on the Capers (9-1) in a Western Maine Class B playoff game.
The loyal York parents were all there, and the York players were looking to avenge an early season loss of 14-8 at home, but the Capers were well prepared. York led 7-0 at the half, but the Capers came fighting back.
York Head Coach Randy Small said after viewing the films, "We had too many turnovers, too many dropped balls and too many penalties. I felt we could have won, but we were always in a hole with poor field position."
Tony Romano returned the Capers opening kickoff to the York 43 and the Wildcats opened the game with a "no huddle" offense. The Wildcats picked up one first down after a run for a seven-yard gain by Romano, a two-yard plunge by Alex Quinn and a fourth down plunge by sophomore QB Evan Wallace. Wallace ran a sweep left for 10 yards and another first down at the Capers 35. But two plays later, York fumbled and Cape took over. York was penalized 15 yards for a late hit and the Capers completed a long pass from freshman QB Evan Wolfinger to senior wide receiver Bogie Foden, who reached the York eight yard line before Alex Blomquist could run him down.
Then the Wildcat defense, paced by the aggressive tackling of Eugene Jones, stopped the Capers cold and they were forced to turn the ball over on downs. York went three and out and Ryan MacGlashing was forced to punt from York's 10 yard line. Blomquist nailed the Cape punt returner in his tracks but the Capers had a first down on the York 35. The Wildcat defense stiffened as Scott Langenheim and Tom Ross made solid tackles. Then Ryan Vokey was credited with a fumble recovery and York had a first down on their own 25. But after a pair of incomplete passes, York tail back Zach Pruger was stopped for no gain and York was forced to punt again.
Cape returned to the York 36 yard line. Then Sonny Sala and Quinn combined on three straight tackles and forced Cape to punt. York took over on their own eight yard line and Wallace hit Romano on a crossing pattern to gain seven yards.
York started the second quarter with a second and three at their own 15 when Pruger followed a solid lead block by Quinn to pick up a first down at the York 21. Three plays later, York was forced to punt again and the kick went out of bounds at the Wildcat 46.
Jon Jiminez and Blomquist each broke up Caper passes but the Cape QB drew York off side with a "hard count" to gain a first down at the York 42.
Jiminez and Quinn stopped the Capers running game and Zach Wheeler blocked a pass. Then a fourth down punt was partially blocked by Quinn and York took over on their own 40. QB Wallace passed to halfback Blomquist in the flat and he threw down field to Romano for a first down at the Cape 43. Wallace gained 15 more yards on QB keeper and added another 12 on a sweep left. Then Wallace completed a pass in the flat to Romano and York had a first and goal on the Cape nine yard line. A short pass from Wallace to Blomquist over the middle scored the TD and MacGlashing added the point after to give York a 7-0 lead with just 1:24 left in the first half.
Cape recovered the York squib kick on their own 44 and went to the air to gain two quick first downs, but Pruger finally intercepted for York as the half ended.
MacGlashing kicked off for York to open the second half and Pruger made an open field tackle. Vokey with a stick, Langenheim with a sack and Blomquist knocking
down a pass forced Cape to go three and out. Dan Moran used a "fair catch" to collect their fourth down punt at the York 45. But three plays later, the Wildcats were forced to punt and after a questionable 15-yard facemask penalty against York, the Capers had the ball on the York 49 yard line. Sala combined with Wheeler for a sack and Jones had a solid stick to force a fourth-down punt. This time Caper Sean Meagher boomed a high punt that rolled dead on the York six yard line.
York tried two running pays for no gain and then used their favorite middle screen. But senior Jon Lavallee, a 6'2'', 315-pound tackle, leaped high to intercept and rumbled into the endzone for the Capers first score. After the conversion, the score was tied at 7-7 with 5:20 left in the third quarter. Both teams exchanged punts near midfield but Cape scooped up a York fumble and returned it to the York 19. The Wildcat defense stiffened as Vokey and Jones made key tackles. Then Blomquist broke up two passes and York took over on downs at their own 18. As the quarter ended, Pruger gained 10 yards on a sweep right and an extra 15 yards for a facemask penalty gave York a first down on their own 44. Wallace connected with Romano for a 32-yard pass-and-run play, and York had a first down on the Capers 24 yard line. After four unsuccessful pass plays, York turned the ball over on downs. The Capers countered through the air and scored on a pass from QB Wolfinger to fullback Meagher for the winning TD with 9:14 left in the game.
The Wildcats never gave up, but were plagued by penalties and incomplete passes and could not sustain a serious drive. The game ended after Cape intercepted a desperate York pass on the York 16 and the final score remained Cape Elizabeth 14, York 7.
Now Cape will travel to play Mt. Valley (10 and 0) while the York seniors can only think of what might have been, and the underclassmen will wait until next year.
