Workshop Draft
Rams Run Through Tigers by Anthony Lacaprucia
Kennebunk High School Football dominated Friday night against division rival Biddeford High School.
With a powerful final outing of the regular season, the Kennebunk Rams (7-1) rolled past division rival Biddeford High School (1-7) 46–6 on Friday night, Oct. 24, at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford.
The Rams imposed their will early, leaning on a dominant offensive line with the ground game. On their opening possession, Kennebunk was able to move the chains four times before Austin West capped the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.
“We felt as if we needed to come out hard, just because their record was bad doesn’t mean anything,” said Senior offensive lineman Jim Spinney. “Last year we were in the same kind of scenario and we were only up by 7 at halftime. We realized we needed to take them seriously, and take care of business.”
Friday’s victory secured the Rams the No. 2 seed in Maine’s Class B South and a valuable first-round bye heading into the playoffs.
“I feel this past week gave us a great opportunity to further refine and improve our game heading into the postseason,” said senior quarterback Sam Matthews. “On both sides of the ball, I think the team is communicating at such a high level, saying a lot about our overall chemistry as a group. The communication piece is what stood out to me the most against Biddeford.”
Kennebunk kept their foot on the gas, turning their next few possessions into more explosive scoring drives. Following the Rams’ first touchdown, the defense was able to force the Tigers to punt on a three and out. After a solid return, the ground and pound continued until eventually Bradley Farrell found the endzone with a 14-yard rushing touchdown.
West continued to shine for Kennebunk, snatching an interception just before the end of the first quarter. On the next offensive possession, he broke free for a 78-yard touchdown run that extended the Rams’ lead to 21 points.
Later in the second quarter Kennebunk continued to find success on the ground, with Zachary Fine getting loose for a 59-yard touchdown run.
Just as Biddeford thought they had the Kennebunk offense figured out, the Rams fired a deep shot downfield. Matthews heaved the ball toward the right sideline to find senior wide receiver Jaiden Homa for a 63-yard touchdown reception to make the game 33-0.
“Our defense has been amazing all year, and our offense has improved as we have playmakers all over the field who can break for big plays at any moment,” said Homa.
The Rams’ defense played a key role, limiting the Tigers’ chances and giving the offense favorable field position. After a long interception return from junior defensive back Charles Pentland, Grisam Shields found the endzone on an 8-yard rush, which pushed the halftime score to 39-0.
Kennebunk added to their lead in the third quarter when sophomore Peter Landenberger powered in a 2-yard touchdown run, while the defense held the Tigers to just a single score in the fourth quarter.
The Rams extended their winning streak over Biddeford, having not lost to the Tigers since 2015.
“Biddeford was a big confidence booster for the team going into the playoffs. We are definitely ready to rest up, and come out firing for playoffs and compete for the state championship,” said Homa.
No. 2 Kennebunk will face the winner of next Friday’s (Oct. 31) matchup between No. 3 Falmouth and No. 6 Gorham, with the Rams’ next game scheduled for Friday or Saturday, Nov. 8-9.
Revised Draft
HEADLINE- Rams Run Past Tigers
SUBHEADLINE- Kennebunk High School Football dominated against division rival Biddeford High.
By Anthony Lacaprucia
LEAD- With a powerful final outing of the regular season, the Kennebunk Rams (7-1) rolled past division rival Biddeford High School (1-7) 46–6 on Friday night, October 24th, at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford.
HIGHLIGHT/KEY PLAY- The Rams imposed their will early, leaning on a dominant offensive line with the ground game. On their opening possession, Kennebunk was able to move the chains four times before Austin West capped the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.
QUOTE- “We felt as if we needed to come out hard, just because their record was bad doesn’t mean anything,” said senior offensive lineman Jim Spinney. “Last year we were in the same kind of scenario and we were only up by 7 at halftime. We realized we needed to take them seriously, and take care of business.”
IMPACT OF EVENT ON SEASON- Friday’s victory secured the Rams the No. 2 seed in Maine’s Class B South and a valuable first-round bye heading into the playoffs.
QUOTE- “I feel this past week gave us a great opportunity to further refine and improve our game heading into the postseason,” said senior quarterback Sam Matthews. “On both sides of the ball, I think the team is communicating at such a high level, saying a lot about our overall chemistry as a group. The communication piece is what stood out to me the most against Biddeford.”
MORE IMPORTANT PLAYS- Kennebunk kept their foot on the gas, turning their next few possessions into more explosive scoring drives. Following the Rams’ first touchdown, the defense was able to force the Tigers to punt on a three and out. After a solid return, the run-heavy offense continued until eventually Bradley Farrell found the endzone with a 14-yard rushing touchdown.
MORE IMPORTANT PLAYS- West continued to shine for Kennebunk, snatching an interception just before the end of the first quarter. On the next offensive possession, he broke free for a 78-yard touchdown run that extended the Rams’ lead to 21 points.
MORE IMPORTANT PLAYS- Later in the second quarter Kennebunk continued to find success on the ground, with Zachary Fine getting loose for a 59-yard touchdown run.
MORE IMPORTANT PLAYS- Just as Biddeford thought they had the Kennebunk offense figured out, the Rams fired a deep shot downfield. Matthews heaved the ball toward the right sideline to find senior wide receiver Jaiden Homa for a 63-yard touchdown reception to make the game 33-0.
QUOTE- “Our defense has been amazing all year, and our offense has improved as we have playmakers all over the field who can break for big plays at any moment,” said Homa.
MORE IMPORTANT PLAYS- The Rams’ defense played a key role, limiting the Tigers’ chances and giving the offense favorable field position. After a long interception return from junior defensive back Charles Pentland, Grisam Shields found the endzone on an 8-yard rush, which pushed the halftime score to 39-0.
MORE IMPORTANT PLAYS- Kennebunk added to their lead in the third quarter when sophomore Peter Landenberger powered in a 2-yard touchdown run, while the defense held the Tigers to just a single score in the fourth quarter.
HISTORY- The Rams extended their winning streak over Biddeford, having not lost to the Tigers since 2015.
QOUTE- “Biddeford was a big confidence booster for the team going into the playoffs. We are definitely ready to rest up, and come out firing for playoffs and compete for the state championship,” said Homa.
NEXT CONTEST- No. 2 Kennebunk will face the winner of next Friday’s (October 31st) matchup between No. 3 Falmouth and No. 6 Gorham, with the Rams’ next game scheduled for Friday or Saturday, November 8-9th.
REFLECTION
I really enjoyed working on this project. It was nice to be able to get out and watch a game and have a different perspective on it as a reporter as opposed to a fan. I was surprised at just how easy it was to piece everything together using the inverted pyramid as a guide. It felt like as I was writing it was almost as if I was checking off a checklist and fitting things in like a puzzle. I was also surprised at how easy it was to get good quotes from the players I talked to. They were super open to helping out and wanted to paint their team in a really good light. It also helped that I have a teammate who went to Kennebunk High and he was able to help connect me with players. I think the only really hard part about getting this project done was keeping track of the game. I knew going into it that I wasn’t going to be able to get the box score or any of the stats online so I would have to be diligent with taking notes. I also paid to get access to the broadcast so I could go back and rewatch key plays. For the entirety of the first half I had a big google doc with all sorts of stats on it such as rushing yards, tackles, etc. I didn’t end up using a majority of this information but it was definitely good to have. I think if I were to this project again in the future I would try to do a college game instead where I would be able to get the official stats after the game.
