by Mike Lowe
Special to the BDN
PORTLAND, Maine — Top-ranked Portland High overpowered Bangor with a three-headed running game Friday night, rolling to a 54-14 victory in the Class A North championship game at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
Quarterback Louis Thurston and running backs Cordell Jones and Aidan McGowan combined to rush for 368 yards and seven touchdowns as the Bulldogs took control in the second quarter and never looked back.
Portland (9-2) will play the winner of Saturday’s Thornton Academy-Noble game in next week’s Class A championship game. It was the Bulldogs third consecutive regional championship.
Bangor, playing in its first title game in 13 years, finished the season 5-6.
Rams quarterback Kyle Johnson, the key to Bangor’s offense, was sacked seven times for a loss of 37 yards. Portland had a total of eight sacks.
Portland’s Jones rushed for 153 yards and scored three touchdowns, including a 48-yard pass reception; McGowan had 108 rushing yards and three touchdowns; Thurston rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing for two scores.
The first half could not have begun or ended worse for the Rams, who trailed 27-7 after two quarters.
Bangor won the opening toss, but two penalties and two sacks lost 26 yards to force a punt. Portland then took its opening drive and scored in four plays, as Cordell Jones went in from the 2 to complete a 43-yard drive to lead 7-0 with 7:57 left in the first.
Bangor responded, controlling the ball for the next 9:10 to tie the game on a 10-yard keeper by quarterback Kyle Johnson.
One play later, Bangor had the ball at the Portland 31 as Will Houghton recovered a fumble. But two plays later Johnson fumbled as he was sacked, with Portland recovering. The Bulldogs then took control.
Quarterback Louis Thurston scored on a 3-yard run, with the PAT failing, to make it 13-7 with 5:25 left in the second.
Following an interception, Portland scored again, this time a 33-yard run by Aidan McGowan, to make it 20-7. After a punt, Portland scored with five seconds left in the half on an 8-yard pass from Thurston to Charlie Abramson-Thompson.
Portland’s defense dominated, with five sacks totaling 28 yards.
That the Rams were even in the regional title game was a great accomplishment. Bangor started the season 1-5, the last loss a 35-7 decision to Portland on Oct. 11. Then the Rams’ offense came to life.
After averaging just 15.1 points a game in the first six games, Bangor averaged 26.2 in its four-game winning streak heading into Friday night. Defensively, the Rams gave up only 11.9 points a game in its winning streak, as opposed to 31.1 in its first six games.
Bangor hadn’t even made the playoffs the last two falls, and lost in the opening round in 2021.
Portland, meanwhile, was playing in its third consecutive regional final.
