Hampden Academy senior Andrew “Doe Doe” Cote pulled off the unimaginable on Friday night, returning back-to-back-to-back kickoffs for touchdowns in the Broncos’ season opener.
He then caught a 49-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to seal the Broncos’ 32-21 victory over Skowhegan — all in front of his home fans.
“Everybody was going crazy. The atmosphere was phenomenal,” Cote said. “We wanted to make a statement, and the blocking was fantastic. Just gotta hit the hole fast and get outta there.”
Cote set the tone by running back the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown.
He received the kick at around Hampden’s 15-yard line, right near the Bronco sideline. Gaining speed and veering toward the far hash, he blazed through a sea of jerseys at the 30-yard line, broke two arm tackles and had already beaten Skowhegan’s kicker by the time he reached midfield.
The slot receiver also runs indoor track and plays baseball, and has an unofficial 40-yard dash time of 4.5 seconds. That’s as fast as the average free safety in the NFL.
“Watching him score the first one was a pretty amazing feeling to start the game,” senior Andy Henaghen said. “Everyone knows when they do their job and find a man to block, we all trust Andrew to do what he does best. But to watch him score two more after that to also help keep us in the game makes it that much better.”
After a Skowhegan turnover on downs and a Hampden punt, the River Hawks took an 8-6 lead on a rushing touchdown and two-point conversion midway through the first quarter.
But whenever the River Hawks scored, Cote and the Broncos punched back.
“For the team to continuously fight and come back — for it to matter in the moment — this game’s definitely at the top of my list of games I’ve ever played at Hampden,” Cote said.
After Cote’s second return TD, the River Hawks had learned their lesson and booted their third kickoff of the night out of bounds near the 50-yard line. But instead of taking the good field position while trailing 15-12, Hampden declined the penalty and forced Skowhegan to kick to their return man.
The gamble paid off, as he ran back his third consecutive kickoff return for a touchdown, all before halftime. The Broncos went into hysterics.
“It was unbelievable — something guys just dream of doing,” Hampden Academy head coach Robenson Saintard said. “We knew what Andrew’s capable of, and that they were avoiding him for a reason. At that point, any chance we can get him the ball, we’ll take it. We made the right call. It’s gotta be a record.”
The Maine Principals’ Association was not able to provide information contextualizing Cote’s performance in the history of Maine high school football.
Nobody in NFL history has ever returned more than two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single game, and only one college player has ever accomplished the feat of returning three: Bashir Levingston of Eastern Washington (FCS) versus Sacramento State on Oct. 31, 1998.
Cote received his fair share of praise when he returned to school on Monday.
“There were teachers and administrators coming up to me and congratulating me in the hallway. They made an announcement over the PA,” Cote said. “Gotta soak it in while it lasts.”
