Chemistry means a lot in football. The chemistry of all five offensive linemen. The chemistry between a center and quarterback, between a long-snapper, holder and kicker. The chemistry of an entire defense.

On Friday night, the chemistry between a quarterback and his go-to receiver was featured twice for local teams. Two kids playing pass-and-catch went for two combined touchdowns, and two very important wins.

The two plays happened roughly 20 minutes apart. First, Winthrop/Monmouth senior quarterback Matt Ingram found his classmate Bennett Brooks for a 44-yard touchdown with 16.3 seconds left. The scoring strike provided the winning points in a 14-6 win over Dirigo. Ingram found Brooks on the two-point conversion as well.

Then about 40 miles west of Winthrop, Edward Little one-upped the downfield drama. On the final play of the game Grant Hartley found CJ Jipson in the back of the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown. That was a go-ahead, game-winning TD in a 32-28 road victory over Oxford Hills/Buckfield.

While the NFL is a passing league, and major college football has become dominated by spread offenses that throw the ball all over the field, Maine high school football still has its scales tipped toward the running game. Passes are a necessity sometimes in the final minute when the game is on the line, but the Ramblers and Red Eddies made those throws look easy.

“That was a play we’ve ran in 7-on-7 in the summer the last few years,” Jipson said, “and just kind of a 50-50 ball, could have gone either way, and it feels good to come down with it.”

“We played all the way back in middle school, sixth grade and stuff,” Jipson added, “so it’s been times over and over again we’ve ran that play and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It feels good that it works tonight.”

Jipson may be a senior, but Hartley is new to being the starting QB as a junior. The 7-on-7 work that the Red Eddies put in during summer sessions provided whatever experience was lacking between the passer and pass-catcher.

“That whole crew that was on the field at the end, we did numerous 7-on-7s, we did them in Portland, we actually went to a 7-on-7 in Massachusetts, and we played only Massachusetts teams, and we played extremely well,” EL coach Dave Sterling said. “Our guys learned a lot as far as speed level, and also reading coverages and knowing what to run for routes. Before we got that last play, we all talked for a second, we knew what we could run for routes to try and separate the defense. And those guys have great experience doing that, because of all the work we’ve done together.”

No such lack of experience exists between Ingram and Brooks. Both are seasoned veterans, making that game-winning hook-up seem more like a probability than a possibility. Brooks was Ingram’s favorite receiver last year, with 26 catches going for more than 500 yards. And Ramblers coach Dave St. Hilaire said during the preseason that Ingram improved tremendously as a passer since last season.

Running out of backs

While big-time passes highlighted the weekend, running backs for local teams also became a storyline.

While every coach holds a deathgrip onto the cliche that injuries aren’t an excuse, they can certainly play a part in outcomes.

Spruce Mountain was without senior running back Dillon Webster from the beginning of Friday night’s loss to Cape Elizabeth. He had four touchdown runs in a victory the previous week.

The way Cape Elizabeth played it might not have mattered if the Phoenix had Jim Brown or Barry Sanders to hand the ball off to, but not having Webster left a big hole in the Spruce Mountain backfield.

“Dillon, he’s a guy that you can rely on to get three yards when there’s nothing,” Phoenix coach Walter Polky said. “He is the heart and soul of our offense. When we need yards everybody knows who’s getting the ball.

“On defense he plays a very good outside linebacker. He’s the only player that’s going to be an almost-four-year varsity player for us. We miss a lot of experience. He’s played a lot of football for us.”

There were voids for both Edward Little and Oxford Hills/Buckfield in their game. The Vikings were without running back Dawson Stevens for part of the third quarter. Even when he returned, Stevens wasn’t the same player. After running for 183 yards prior to going down with what appeared to be cramps, Stevens didn’t add another yard to his total the rest of the way.

“I don’t think he was hitting holes quite like he was in the first half,” Vikings coach Mark Soehren said.

The Red Eddies also had a running back go down in the third quarter. Caden Begos didn’t return to the game, however.

“I couldn’t tell you what he has. We had to get him out of the game,” Sterling said after the game.

Getting his due

Despite losing by 43 points, there was still at least one highlight for Spruce Mountain in a loss. Senior Devan Pomeroy scored half of those points thanks to a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown. Pomeroy made his way out into coverage in the right flat and picked off a Jeb Boeschenstein pass, then saw daylight all the way to the end zone.

“He’s a kid that spent a lot of JV time,” Polky said. “He’s a great kid. That play couldn’t happen to a better kid.”

Starting to separate

Polky said after Friday night’s loss that it’s too early to panic after three weeks.

That may not hold true for all teams. And while the Phoenix may not need to panic, a 1-2 start might be a cause for concern.

Spruce Mountain was hoping to get some wins against the supposed four toughest teams on their schedule. The Phoenix now have losses in two of those — to Wells and Cape Elizabeth.

Getting up to those teams’ level by the end of the season will take a reversal of fortune for the Phoenix.

After three weeks, many local teams are feeling the heat. Leavitt has already lost close games to Westbrook (at home) and York (on the road). And the Hornets play in what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive divisions in the state this year, in Class B South. After three weeks they already find themselves far from the top of the standings.

Lewiston is 0-3 in a Class A North that only has one team miss the playoffs. The Blue Devils already have a loss to Oxford Hills/Buckfield, and only Bangor is winless in the division as well.

Mt. Blue’s rebuild has resulted in an 0-3 start. Class B North, like the South, is quite competitive, and the Cougars are already behind the 8-ball.

Spruce Mountain is actually in better position than fellow Class C South teams Gray-New Gloucester and Poland. The Patriots and Knights are both 0-3, with losses to last year’s division bottom-dweller Freeport.

All four local Class D South teams — Winthrop/Monmouth, Oak Hill, Dirigo and Lisbon — take up the top four spots in that divison’s standings. But the Cougars and Greyhounds already have losses to a top-four team.

wkramlich@sunjournal.com