Owen Dostie returns a kickoff during Medomak Valley’s 36-8 loss to Greely in a Class C quarterfinal game on Friday, Nov. 7 in Cumberland. (Mic LeBel photo)
The Medomak Valley football team lost 36-8 to Greely in a Class C quarterfinal game on Friday, Nov. 8 in Cumberland. The Panthers got off to a strong start in the opening eight minutes of the first quarter but were dominated thereafter by the undefeated Rangers (9-0).
Greely received the opening kickoff and had success moving the ball up the field until Panther Max McCabe intercepted a pass by Ranger quarterback Luke Piper and returned the ball to the Greely 38 yard line.
The Panthers offense took over and advanced to the Greely 14-yard line on first down runs by Shamus Pease and Jaydiin Ruiz. An errant pitch from quarterback Wyatt Simmons to Ruiz was recovered by Greely at their 18-yard line, ending the Medomak scoring bid.
During their next offensive possession, Greely drove the ball up the field with an efficient combination of passing and running plays. The Rangers scoring drive featured passes by Piper to tight end James Tyll for 27 yards and to running back Sean Justice for 13 yards. Greely got on the scoreboard when Justice bolted up the middle for a 19-yard touchdown run and the extra point kick was good, staking the Rangers to a 7-0 lead with 1:02 left in the first quarter.
The Panthers botched the ensuing kickoff return and Greely recovered the fumble at the Medomak 44-yard line. Key plays for the Rangers on their next scoring drive included a 15-yard scramble by Piper and a 19-yard pass to Jackson Justice to the four yard line. After a running play lost a yard, Piper lofted a perfect five yard pass to Tyll, who had been left alone in the end zone. The Panthers blocked the extra point kick and the score remained 13-0 with 9:52 left in second quarter.
The next offensive possession for Medomak was stopped on downs. The Panthers punted the ball and Greely took over at their own 38-yard line. The Rangers drove the ball up the field again, highlighted by a 26 yard pass to Jackson Justice to the Medomak three-yard line. Medomak stopped the first scoring attempt at the one-yard line, but on the next play Piper ran it into the end zone on a quarterback keeper. Greely was successful on the two point conversion and the score was 21-0 with 3:34 left in the first half.
Shamus Pease sprints into the end zone during Medomak Valley’s 36-8 loss to Greely in a Class C quarterfinal game on Friday, Nov. 7 in Cumberland. A penalty negated the play. (Mic LeBel photo)
On the first play after the kickoff, Medomak’s Shamus Pease exploded for a 63-yard run into the end zone, but the play was called back due to a holding foul near the line of scrimmage. Medomak was able to march the ball up the field with running backs Ruiz and Jack Simmons each gaining a first down, but the drive stalled due to a pair of penalties and a loss of several yards due to a fumble on a quarterback snap recovered by Ruiz. Facing a very long fourth down, the Panthers were forced to punt the ball to Greely, who was content to run out the final minute and head into halftime in the pouring rain with a 21-0 lead.
The game did not go better for the Panthers in the second half as the cold rain continued to drench the field, players, and fans. Medomak received the kickoff but failed to move the ball and was forced to punt.
Greely took over at their 40 yard line and Jackson Justice ran for a nine-yard gain. Ruiz, Medomak’s top offensive threat, was injured making the tackle on defense and did not return to the game. On the next play, Jackson Justice carried the ball up the middle and broke a pair of tackles on the way to the end zone for a 51-yard touchdown run. The Rangers scored on the two-point conversion to boost the lead to 29-0 with 7:35 left in the third quarter.
The Panthers mishandled the kickoff due to the wet and slippery turf but recovered the fumbled ball at their own eight-yard line. The Medomak offense put together a series of first downs, but the drive stalled due to an incomplete pass on a fourth down play and Greely took over at their 43-yard line.
The Rangers offense put together their final scoring drive highlighted by a 20-yard run by Jackson Justice and a 14-yard carry by physical running back Dominic Martone. Panther safety Owen Dostie was injured early in the fourth quarter when his helmet popped off while making a tackle on a nine-yard run by Martone to the Panthers’ eight yard line. The game was halted for more than 20 minutes while officials took precautions to load Dostie into an ambulance. In a show of good sportsmanship, the two teams gathered together near the sideline. On Monday, Nov. 10 Medomak Valley Athletic Director Matt Lash said Dostie is sore, but is expected to fully recover.
Martone finished the scoring drive on the ensuing play as he exploded up the middle for eight yards into the end zone. The Rangers kicked the extra point and the score was 36 0 with 10:49 left in the game.
The Panthers received the kickoff and embarked on a scoring drive that broke the shutout. Quarterback Wyatt Simmons tossed a 26-yard pass to Shamus Pease to the Greely 42-yard line. Pease put together a series of runs of 15, 14, and 10 yards to advance the ball to the Greely three-yard line.
Quarterback Wyatt Simmons searches for an open receiver during Medomak Valley’s 36-8 loss to Greely in a Class C quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 7 in Cumberland. (Mic LeBel photo)
Wyatt Simmons ran the ball into the end zone to make the score 36-6. Pease ran the ball in for a successful two-point conversion with 5:35 left on the clock. Greely received the kickoff and a converted a pair of first downs to run out the clock.
Shamus Pease led all Medomak running backs with 15 carries for 59 yards and a two-point conversion. Other Panthers running the ball included Ruiz, nine carries for 31 yards; Jack Simmons, five carries for 28 yards, Grady Pease, three carries for 11 yards; Dostie, one carry for six yards; Josh Blake, one carry for four yards; and Wyatt Simmons, one carry for three yards and a touchdown.
Wyatt Simmons completed three passes out of seven attempts for 27 yards. Shamus Pease caught a pair of passes for 44 yards and Logan Vigue had one catch for 10 yards.
Ruiz led the defense with eight tackles and two assists. Statistics for other Medomak defenders included Vigue, five tackles and one assist; Ashton Lowe, five tackles; Cole Bales, three tackles; Max McCabe, two tackles, one assist, and one interception; Jack Simmons, two tackles and one assist; Dostie, Luke Camber, Shamus Pease, Reid Grindle, Mitchell Collins, and Grayson Downing, two tackles each; and Grady Pease, Blake, Parker Eaton, and Max Pease one tackle each.
Greely will play Wells in a Class C semifinal on Friday, Nov 14. Medomak Valley finished the season with a 5-5 record.
