(Paris, ME) Eli Soehren was all over the stat sheet in undefeated Oxford Hills, 19-6, win over Bonny Eagle today.
And almost all the stats were positive.
The junior quarterback threw for three touchdowns against the previously undefeated Scots.
“It sure helps to have the best quarterback in the state,” said Vikings senior Isaiah Oufiero afterwards.
Isaiah was on the receiving end of two of Eli’s TD passes.
Bonny Eagle (3-1) won the Class A state title in 2019 and OH coach Mark Soehren has great respect for them.
“We knew that it would be a battle today,” said Coach Soehren. “They had a great drive to start the game.”
The Scots put a seventy-yard march together in an opening possession that was heavy on the run game. They used 8 ½ minutes of the first quarter doing it and ended up with a Zac Oja nine-yard score.
The kick by Kyle Blaney was wide but the Scots led, 6-0, and had shown that they planned on controlling the clock.
The Vikings (4-0) had other plans.
“We went down, 6-0, on their first drive but we made some adjustments and stopped the run,” explained Oxford Hills senior Wyatt Knightly afterwards.
“Our DB’s took care of everyone down the field, and everything started to go our way,” added Wyatt.
Oxford Hills tallied two very similar touchdowns in the second quarter to gain the lead for good.
In each 2nd quarter Vikings touchdown, there were first downs on; scrambles by QB Eli Soehren, passes to sophomore Teigan Pelletier, and sweeps by Matthew Doucette.
“Eli is a heckuva quarterback,” said Scots coach Kevin Cooper. “They have good receivers that are tough to stop. Pelletier is so tall (6-3).”
Isaiah Oufiero had both scores in the decisive second period. On each, Isaiah came out of the backfield and curled into an open spot in the end zone and was wide open.
The first OH touchdown was at 7:51 and covered nine yards. The second was at 2:39 for five yards.
Eli Soehren missed the first extra-point attempt but was accurate on the second.
It was 13-6 at the half.
I haven’t mentioned the heat yet, but it was significant in the second half.
Bonny Eagle tried their second onsides kick at the start of the second half. Junior Lincoln Merrill was quick to intercept each attempt for Oxford Hills and give the Vikings good field position.
QB Eli Soehren (10-for-20) connected with senior Matthew Doucette to get into Scots territory in their third-period scoring drive.
The Vikings put up six points on a 28-yard pass to Teigan Pelletier.
Teigan had the speed to get up the right sidelines and Eli had the arm to get the ball to him behind three defenders.
“Eli is a pretty accurate passer,” explained his father afterwards. “He finds guys and he trusts them. Our receivers are athletic and have great hands. We probably have seven very good receivers now that we can pick and choose from.”
Eli’s extra point attempt hit the scoreboard but didn’t put a point on the scoreboard. Oxford Hills was in front, 19-6, with 9:40 left in the third quarter.
No more points were scored the rest of the way. Plenty of turnovers (five) and penalties, however.
“After that opening score, I thought that the kids on our line played really well,” said OH coach Soehren.
The Scots pass defense also improved after OH’s early passing score in the second half. They alertly collected two interceptions including one by sophomore Owen Sperrey in the end zone.
The game was originally scheduled for last night, but the downpours intervened. Today’s 11AM start worked nicely with many attending.
Isaiah Oufiero: “Bonny Eagle is a great team. They have a great offensive line. Coach put in a good game plan, and we worked hard to execute it. The heat was crazy out there. I was throwing up in my face!”
Wyatt Knightly: “Eli really stretched out the field on them. He did an amazing job today.”
Coach Cooper: “Oxford Hills is a very good team. We gave it our best and it wasn’t enough. We’ve got to get better and come here again and win.”
Coach Soehren: “In the grand scheme of things it’s just another game. However, if we want to be considered as one of the better teams, we have to beat very good teams like Bonny Eagle. We made a lot of mental mistakes today. We had a touchdown called back because of a silly mistake. You’re lucky to beat a team like Bonny Eagle when you do that.”
Eli Soehren’s day: three touchdown passes, ten-for-twenty passing (203 yards), sixty-two yards rushing to lead the team, one extra point, and one interception. (The young man can play and Isaiah’s “best quarterback in the state,” is certainly worth considering.)
(All pictures will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)
McClelland Miscellanea 