enlarge Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Tyler Russell of Morse latches on to Gardiner’s Dalton Eldridge. Third-seeded Gardiner advanced to the Eastern Class B final against top-seeded Leavitt.

enlarge Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Morse running back Pat Wolfe is tackled by Gardiner’s Forrest Chadwick, left, and Michael Phelps during an Eastern Class B semifinal Friday night in Bath. Gardiner knocked off the defending regional champions, 20-13.

BATH — Morse's reign in Eastern Class B football ended Friday night at the hands of a multidimensional running game and a clutch defense.

Third-seeded Gardiner made four key defensive stops en route to a 20-13 win over second-seeded Morse, the defending regional champion.

The Shipbuilders (7-3) drove inside Gardiner's 10 three times in the first 14 minutes but produced just six points. Then, Forrest Chadwick's interception return for a touchdown at the end of the first half swung the game in the Tigers' favor.

"It was as expected," Morse Coach Jason Libby said. "It was a physical battle, back and forth, and we had two early possessions and came away without a touchdown, and that was a big turning point."

Gardiner (8-2) will face top-seeded Leavitt (10-0) for the regional championship.

The Tigers got contributions from several running backs, led by Dalton Eldridge, who gained 131 yards on 16 carries. But they said it was their defense that carried them to the win.

"(The defense) gave us a tremendous boost," said Chadwick, Gardiner's quarterback. "We knew if we could control their offense, we'd have a chance at winning."

Chadwick scored three touchdowns and intercepted two passes despite battling an illness the past two days. Even during warm-ups, his status for the game was a question mark.

"Forrest has had a sore throat and he lost his voice," Gardiner Coach Jim Palmer said. "What do you do when your quarterback can't call a cadence?"

Morse reached Gardiner's 2 midway through the first quarter, but quarterback Michael Walton (8 of 17, 150 yards, two interceptions) was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-goal.

The Shipbuilders took a 6-0 lead on Walton's 52-yard pass to Everett Moye but missed a chance to add another touchdown early in second quarter when Pat Wolfe (17 carries, 75 yards) was tackled for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-2 from the 5.

It was still 6-0 late in the first half, but Chadwick tied the game on a 4-yard run with 35 seconds left.

Morse tried to answer, but Chadwick intercepted a pass by Walton and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown as time expired to make it 13-6.

"Sometimes you gamble and take a chance," Libby said of his decision to throw and not take a knee at the end of the half. "We thought we could make a play. That was on me."

Chadwick's 28-yard touchdown run in the third quarter made it 20-6.

Walton's 1-yard run and Wolfe's point-after kick cut Morse's deficit to 20-13 with 1:24 left in the third quarter, and the Shipbuilders stopped Gardiner on downs at the Morse 16 with less than five minutes remaining.

Morse was unable to move the ball, however, as Walton threw three incompletions, including one batted away by Chadwick.

The Shipbuilders had one last chance from their 35, but Chadwick's second interception preserved the win.

Staff Writer Rachel Lenzi can be reached at 791-6415 or at:

rlenzi@pressherald.com