OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Winthrop/Monmouth senior running back Nate Scott earned the nickname “Edelman,” after Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, some time before his Friday night tour de force against Old Orchard Beach. But Ramblers’ head coach Dave St. Hilaire was glad to see the senior running back demonstrate how well-earned the moniker is.
“We call him Edelman because of his haircut and beard, and he idolizes Edelman. And certainly I called him that tonight because he was catching the ball,” St. Hilaire said. “He’s very good out of the backfield, running the ball and catching the ball. It’s a mismatch if you try to put a linebacker on him.”
Scott caught five passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 128 yards on 12 carries as the Ramblers dominated the Seagulls, 39-8, at Regina Field.
“Our offensive line, receivers and running backs just had an excellent game blocking,” said Scott, who also had a fumble recovery. “I couldn’t have gotten anywhere without all of those blocks. I can’t block for myself.”
The Ramblers (4-0) outgained the Seagulls (1-2), 455-160, with the junior varsity defense yielding about one-third of those yards, and OOB’s lone score, in the fourth quarter.
Winthrop/Monmouth senior QB Matt Ingram completed nine of 12 passes for 202 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
The Ramblers’ defense, meanwhile, contained OOB junior QB Dylan Boudreau, allowing 5 net rushing yards and 10-for-27 passing for 72 yards and an interception by Bennett Brooks.
“Our main goal was to make sure their quarterback didn’t get outside,” sophomore defensive end Noah Elegbede said. “We wanted to play physical football, too.”
Eight OOB possessions ended with punts.
“It was a combination of them and ourselves. We didn’t execute. We missed assignments. We dropped balls early. You can’t fall behind a good team and expect to play catch-up,” OOB coach Dean Plante said. “They dominated us tonight. Flat out.”
It was a much-needed confidence boost for the Ramblers heading into next week’s showdown with three-time state champion Oak Hill. Despite being unbeaten, they were not happy with their performance in their last two wins, over Traip (19-7) and Dirigo (14-6).
“It was really ugly, so we got back to some basics and put in a couple of power-type football things and a little bit of I-formation,” St. Hilaire said. “I can’t wait to see the film because from (the sideline), it looked like we executed very well tonight, and that’s something we did not do last week.”
“We felt better tonight,” Elegbede said. “There’s always room for improvement.”
The Ramblers took the lead two plays into their second offensive series, as Ingram hooked up with Brooks on a 40-yard touchdown pass.
Scott recovered a fumble at OOB’s 25 on the Seagulls’ next possession. He then caught Ingram’s pass near the Ramblers’ sideline, spun off a tackler while somehow staying inbounds at the 15, then cut back inside for his first score and a 12-0 lead.
Scott made it 18-0 midway through the second quarter by taking a screen pass from Ingram, weaving his way through the defense for 10 yards, then turning on the jets down the far sideline for a 70-yard touchdown.
“That was just a really well-executed play,” Scott said. “Luke (St. Hilaire) went out, picked up their corner and had a couple of other blocks downfield, and I was just able to spring it to the outside.”
Brooks’ interception three plays into the second half set up Winthrop/Monmouth’s next touchdown, a 34-yard run by Alec Brown (10 carries, 96 yards). Ingram and Brooks hooked up on the two-point conversion for a 26-0 lead.
Scott collected his third receiving TD from 27 yards out to make it 32-0. Tyler Cote capped the Ramblers’ scoring with a 1-yard TD run.
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