It was the final game of his junior campaign. 

Macomber tore his ACL and MCL against the Blue Devils last season and was forced to watch from the sidelines the rest of the year. He was in uniform Friday, his knee fully healed, thinking about that life-altering moment with every carry.

He revisited that incident plenty as he carried the ball 34 times for 184 yards and two touchdowns in Biddeford’s 21-20 victory over the Blue Devils at Don Roux Field. The Tigers (3-1) rushed 53 times for 301 yards.

“A year ago from tonight my life changed incredibly,” Macomber said. “Every time I got the ball I thought about that time I got my knee blown out last year. It just carried me through today and I’m glad we got the ‘W.’ It was a close one but we pulled it off.” 

Friday’s contest quickly became a battle of the fullbacks between Macomber and Lewiston’s Stone Colby. Colby finished with 103 yards on 16 carries, ripping off a 23-yard burst on his second attempt of the game. It took several tacklers to bring down Macomber and Colby, and each wore down the opposition with every carry.

“I want to thank my line,” Colby said. “They really put their head to the ground and did what they could do. It all starts up front.” 

After a scoreless first quarter, the Blue Devils (0-4) struck first with 8:03 remaining in the opening half. Running back Stefan Porter gave Lewiston a 6-0 lead with a 37-yard touchdown run, bouncing it outside and shedding off tacklers near the sideline. Porter finished with 75 yards on 14 carries. 

The Tigers responded on their next drive, marching the ball down the field before Macomber punched it in from the 4. Biddeford converted the two-point conversion to take the lead. 

Lewiston’s Jared Rubin — making his third consecutive start in place of the injured Quintarian Brown — recaptured the lead for the Blue Devils a minute before halftime when he hit Sheon James for a 34-yard touchdown on third-and-10. 

“I think we got better this week,” Lewiston coach Bill County said. “I’ve got six starters that were out tonight that make us a better football team. I thought the kids came out today and played tough football. It’s exactly what we expected. Two teams that are very blood and guts.” 

The Tigers dominated the third quarter, scoring on both of their possessions. Macomber’s 5-yard touchdown run gave Biddeford a 14-8 lead and an 11-yard touchdown by Lucas Rhoy followed by a Dominick Day extra point stretched the Tigers’ advantage to 21-6 at the end of the third quarter. 

Macomber carried the ball 16 times in the second half, registering 117 yards. He was never stopped behind the line of scrimmage. 

“I think you have an idea what kind of a football player number 15 (Macomber) is,” Biddeford coach Brian Curit said. “He’s a throwback. He’s mentally and physically so tough. I’ve been coaching this game a long time and he’s as good as anybody I’ve ever coached. He showed that tonight.” 

The Blue Devils cut it to 21-20 with 9:41 left when Rubin connected with Ace Curry for an 8-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. The two hooked up again for the two-point conversion.

“I feel like we really stepped up today,” Colby said. “We had a really good game. We may not have come out on top, but we definitely made improvement this week in practice and performed well.” 

Rubin finished 6-for-13 for 95 yards. 

The Blue Devils were unable to move the ball in what would be their final possession of the game. The Tigers got the ball back with about four minutes remaining and ran out the clock.

Quarterback Casey Twomey had an open lane to the end zone with a minute remaining, but opted to take a knee at the 2 after reaching the first-down marker. With no timeouts remaining for Lewiston, the Tigers were able to run the clock out.

We knew what we were going to get in Lewiston,” Curit said. “The Lewiston kids and the Biddeford kids are very similar. This was not a surprise. We expected a game like this. ” 

mkraft@sunjournal.com