MAKING HIS PRESENCE FELT — Linebacker Kevin Reardon (#50) made a major impact for the Fryeburg Academy defense, collecting 13 tackles against Gray-New Gloucester. (Rivet Photo)

By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

FRYEBURG — At first, it appeared Devine Dockery’s pre-game brunch had him running high octane.

The Raider senior ripped the Gray-New Gloucester for 124 yards on touchdown runs of 15 and 16 yards to lead Fryeburg Academy to a 26-6 victory Saturday over the Patriots.

Dockery combined his great speed with a relentless drive that enabled him to either bounce off or run over would-be Patriot tacklers.

Defensively, he was a menace from his outside linebacker position, logging a sack to go with three other unassisted tackles as the Raider defense dominated the second half.

Yet, Dockery also learned a little lesson — never dive, even if one wants to pump up the home crowd, on a full stomach.

After his 15-yard TD scamper down the left sideline with 24.5 seconds until halftime to tie the game at 6-6, Dockery went to one knee along the FA bench area and vomited.

“I had two pancakes and a bunch of sausage before the game,” he said. “When I dove and hit my stomach, I wasn’t feeling too good.”

But, he bounced back.

And, so did the Raiders to improve to 2-0 on the season.

PUTTING ON A MAJOR HURT — FA's Zach Sheehan (#20) thumps Gray-New Gloucester punter Aaron Chapman, forcing a short kick which was returned for a touchdown by Kyle Bonner at the start of the fourth quarter. (Rivet Photo)

Coming off a big opening win over Falmouth, Gray-NG had a chance to start quick when linebacker Tyler Hicks recovered a fumble near midfield. The Patriots entered FA territory, but sophomore CJ Bartlett dropped GNG quarterback Carson Hodsdon for a seven-yard loss to stymie the scoring threat.

Fryeburg appeared to go up 6-0 at the start of the second quarter as Dockery broke free from 27 yards out, but a holding penalty nullified the score. Hicks again came up big for the Patriots, sacking FA quarterback Andrew Rascoe for a nine-yard loss to thwart the drive.

The Pats forced a fumble with 7:45 left in the half as the ball was stripped out of FA receiver Bright Amoako’s hands after a quick pass to the left, and Zachery Haskell recovered for GNG at the FA-30.

Fryeburg’s defense dug in as Amoako tipped away a pass and lineman Greg Harmon applied big pressure to force a bad throw on fourth down.

But, the Raiders gave the ball right back to the Patriots, and this time it was costly. Rascoe delivered the ball late to the outside, and GNG linebacker Adam Dumas picked it off, returning the ball to the FA-1. Two plays later, senior Josh Greenleaf (23-82) scored from two yards out. Hodsdon’s two-point pass try failed as the quarterback was hit from the backside by FA’s Zach Sheehan.

FA evened the count with a seven-play, 62-yard drive keyed by a catch over the middle by Amoako, good for 31 yards to erase a 3rd-and-19 situation. After Rascoe picked up 10 yards off a scramble, the senior QB connected with Amoako for 10 yards and Ryan Buzzell for 5 yards, setting up Dockery’s touchdown.

“The blocking was great. We’re gaining more confidence and getting more excited every time out,” Dockery said. “We’re family out there.”

The two-point try failed.

“We did a better job getting our blockers out to the second level, with Kyle Bonner really throwing some blocks that opened up our running game. Devine had a chance to build up a little steam, unlike early on when we missed some blocks and the space to run was tighter,” FA Coach David Turner said. “When Devine runs hard and makes one cut, he’s a really good back.”

Momentum carried over for the Raiders into the second half.

A big kick return by Buzzell and a facemask penalty tacked on gave the Raiders great starting field position. Rascoe made good use of it, zipping a low pass to Amoako on a slant pattern. Catching the ball in stride, Amoako shot past two defenders and raced 34 yards for a touchdown. Rascoe hooked up with Kyle Bonner on the PAT, but he fell a yard short of the end zone.

DIVING ATTEMPT — Tanner Wentworth tries to make a diving catch on a two-point conversion play during Fryeburg Academy's 26-6 victory over Gray-New Gloucester last Saturday. (Rivet Photo)

The Raider defense took command. Suddenly, there were fewer open lanes for Greenleaf and Dumas, while Dockery, Bartlett and Harmon were lowering the boom on Patriot quarterback Hodsdon, who was sacked four times in the second half.

“I need to thank my coaches because they told me what my assignments were and because I executed them, I was able to make some sacks. It was my best game as an outside (line)backer,” Dockery said.

Fryeburg upped its lead to 20-6 as Dockery broke several tackles on a 45-yard run. He carried the load, rushing four times for 77 yards, capping the 80-yard drive with a 16-yard TD burst with 8.8 seconds left in the third quarter.

Fryeburg’s special teams got in on the action early in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Zach Sheehan blocked punter Tyson Campbell’s kick and lowered a major hit that sent the junior Patriot hard into the turf. Meanwhile, Bonner caught the short kick and returned the ball 28 yards for a touchdown with 11:05 left in the game.

The PAT pass fell incomplete.

The Patriots did move the ball to the FA-22 late in the game, but Sheehan and Jake Thurston made defensive stops to stall the scoring drive.

FA Coach David Turner liked the fight he saw in his players in the second half, and also was pleased to see his senior quarterback bounce back after a costly interception.

“I think what helped us and I hoped helped him (Andrew) was that we were in a lot of dogfights all last year. Our games were close and we had to battle. We knew we were going to get a dogfight today, and I thought the experience from last year helped,” Coach Turner said. “Andrew has been playing pretty well. He made a good read, but made a terrible throw. Give him credit. He didn’t hang his head. He came right back and made some really good throws.”

GETTING TO THE QUARTERBACK — Fryeburg Academy linebacker Devine Dockery (#7) puts pressure on Patriot quarterback Carson Hodsdon, who was sacked on the play. (Rivet Photo)

Coach Turner felt the Raiders’ defensive intensity turned the game in their favor.

“I think they wore down a little bit. We were more aggressive,” he said. “I think the difference was we played a little faster than the first half.”

For the second straight year, the Raiders start the fall 2-0. Now, can they take the next step?

Up next: The Raiders (2-0) host York (1-1) this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. How does FA Coach David Turner size up the game, which could have playoff implications down the line?

“We need to look at it that we’re playing York, probably the best football team we have seen so far this season. We have to be better than we were this past week. We have to be smarter,” Coach Turner said. “When you play these teams, like York, that have playoff experience, you know they are coming right at you and you need to play your best to compete with them.”

RAIDERS 26

PATRIOTS 6

First Downs: FA 11, GNG 5

Penalties: FA 6-45, GNG 7-52

DEFLECTED AWAY — Raider safety Bright Amoako (right) tips the ball away from Patriot receiver Zackery Haskell. The Raiders rallied from a 6-0 deficit to beat the Patriots 26-6 to improve to 2-0. (Rivet Photo)

Turnovers: FA 3, GNG 0

Rushing: FA 30-208, GNG 43-115

Passing: FA 10-132, GNG 0

Total Offense: FA 340, GNG 115

FA Rushing: Devine Dockery 14-124, Andrew Rascoe 9-5, Kyle Bonner 7-29

FA Receiving: Kyle Bonner 2-15, Ryan Buzzell 3-28, Bright Amoako 5-89

Tackles (solo, assist, total): Kevin Reardon 7-6-13, Sulo Burbank 1-0-1, Ian MacFawn 5-3-8, Billy Rascoe 2-5-7, CJ Bartlett 2-1-3, Ryan Buzzell 2-1-3, Devine Dockery 4-1-5, Greg Harmon 3-2-5, Tanner Wentworth 0-1-1, David McLaughlin 1-0-1, Andrew Lyman 0-3-3, Jake Thurston 2-1-3, Zach Sheehan 1-2-3, Bright Amoako 0-1-1, Kyle Bonner 2-1-3, Willy MacFawn 0-1-1, Winston Richards 2-0-2