enlarge Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Brandon Ouellette of Old Orchard Beach attempts to sweep past the Yarmouth defense while looking for room in the first half Friday night. Yarmouth recovered from a 20-7 deficit to reach the Western Class C championship game with a 34-28 overtime victory.

 

 

OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Baby steps?

Forget that. Yarmouth High's third-year varsity football program, which won only one game over its first two seasons, took one giant leap Friday night, advancing to its first Western Class C championship game.

Quarterback Eric Estabrook scored his third touchdown of the game in overtime, then the Clippers held off Old Orchard Beach to earn a wild 34-28 victory at Joe Regina Field.

It was the eighth consecutive victory for Yarmouth (8-2), which advanced to next weekend's regional title game against unbeaten Dirigo or Winthrop, who play today.

"This means a lot to us to see how far we've come," said Brodie Woodson, a senior linebacker who had two fourth-quarter interceptions to stop Old Orchard drives.

"It's unbelievable."

Well, believe it. Yarmouth overcame fumbles on its first two possessions, a quick 14-0 deficit and a momentum-killing final three minutes of regulation.

Trailing 20-7 after Brandon Ouellette of Old Orchard (7-3) scored a touchdown early in the second quarter, the Clippers rallied behind the running of Estabrook and David Dietz and a defense that, said Seagulls Coach Dean Plante, "forced us to throw a lot more than we wanted."

Estabrook had a 3-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds left in the first half – set up by his own 59-yard run – and Dietz scored on a 4-yard run late in the third quarter to tie it. Estabrook kicked the PAT to make it 21-20.

Woodson then completed a late drive in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard scoring plunge, and Estabrook's PAT made it 28-20 with 4:04 remaining.

Old Orchard responded, going 66 yards in 67 seconds to tie it. Quarterback Dean Perrone kept the drive alive with a 23-yard completion to Ouellette on fourth-and-3. Then he hit Evan Bujnowski for a 36-yard touchdown, Bujnowski outjumping a defender for the lob pass and spinning away at the 15.

The Seagulls tied it when Perrone rolled right and found Ouellette in the right back corner of the end zone for the 2-point conversion.

The Clippers then drove to the Old Orchard 10 and tried a 27-yard field goal by Estabrook with 12.7 seconds left. But Ouellette leapt over the line and got a piece of the ball, deflecting it wide right.

Instead of being deflated, Yarmouth scored first in overtime when Estabrook ran up the middle, fumbled, then recovered the ball in the end zone. "I was holding the ball way too loose," said Estabrook. "Ouellette made a great play and I felt the ball slipping down my back. But I grabbed it and held on for dear life."

Estabrook's conversion pass was knocked down by Jay Regis of the Seagulls to keep it at 34-28.

Yarmouth then forced three incompletions. On fourth down, Perrone was chased down and sacked by Spencer Dorsett and Ben Weinrich.

"What we needed to do was to learn how to step up and be leaders on the football field," said Yarmouth Coach Jim Hartman. "Step up, be a leader and make the big play. The last two weeks we've had a number of kids step up and be leaders."

Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:

mlowe@pressherald.com