Jayvees Rally for 42-25 Win over Bridgton Academy

Sunday, October 28

Hanover, N.H.

1:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Bridgton Academy

Bobby Jefferson had six tackles with a 13-yard sack

Photo by: Tom McNeill (www.tommcneillphotography.com)

Jayvees Rally for 42-25 Win over Bridgton Academy

10/28/2018 10:10:00 PM | Football, JV Football

Keegan McHugh ran for three touchdowns and Dakari Falconer two in the win

By: Bruce Wood, Big Green Alert

HANOVER, N.H. — Freshman Keegan McHugh ran 24 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns Sunday as the Dartmouth junior varsity stormed back from a 25-14 fourth-quarter deficit to close out its season with a 42-25 win over Bridgton Academy.

Junior Cole Douglas completed 14-of-23 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown with one interception and sophomore Dakari Falconer ran 10 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns for the Big Green.

Bridgton (3-3-1), a one-year prep school in Maine, drove 87 yards in 14 plays after taking the opening kickoff to send the message that it was going to be a lot more competitive than Dartmouth's previous opponents. The PAT sailed wide, leaving the score at 6-0.

The Big Green's Arthur Kaslow forced a fumble by a ballcarrier on the Wolverines' second possession and Mick Reese recovered at the 20 to give Dartmouth a short field for its first score. Falconer ran for 14 yards on one carry and for six yards and a touchdown on his next to give the Big Green a 7-6 lead on Kalle Wagner's kick.

After Bridgton scored early in the second quarter on a 62-yard drive, Dartmouth responded with a four-play, 50-yard march capped by a 24-yard catch and run by Joe Kramer. The freshman tight end drew cheers from his teammates on the sideline when he slammed on the brakes, let a would-be tackler fly by and continued to the corner of the end zone. With Wagner's kick the Big Green was back in front, 14-13.

The visitors took an 18-14 lead into the break thanks to a safety and a 25-yard field goal on the final play of the opening half.

After a Dartmouth fumble and a 19-yard touchdown run by 5-foot-7, 160-pound Jha'mil King — maybe as elusive a back as the Big Green will see at either the jayvee or varsity level this fall — the home team dominated the rest of the way, although no more points were scored until the fourth quarter.

McHugh scored untouched from one foot out 48 seconds into the final period to finish off a short drive set up by Alex Schmidt's fumble recovery at the Bridgton 26. Bidding to pull within a field goal, Dartmouth opted go go for two but seemed in trouble when the snap went awry. Falconer simply pulled it up and beat the defense to the left pylon to make it 25-22.

The Big Green caught a break on its next possession when a Bridgton player dropped an easy interception. Falconer got the touchdown this time on a 12-yard shake-and-bake run up the middle on the 10th play of the drive. With Wagner's PAT, the Green had a 29-25 lead with 8:52 left.

Bridgton then turned the ball over again and one Dartmouth snap later Douglas hit sophomore Samuel Laurent with a 57-yarder to the one before McHugh came on to bull his way into the end zone. Although the PAT hit the left upright and kicked out, Dartmouth had a 35-25 lead.

Bridgton starting quarterback Wyatt Ruth, who had directed the first two scoring drives before taking a seat in the second quarter, returned midway through the fourth as the prep school bid for the win. A long 4th-and-six pass down the left sideline seemed primed to give the Wolverines hope only to see freshman Max McIntosh knock it way.

McHugh put the game completely out of reach nine plays later when a snap at the five sailed over quarterback Harry Kraft's head, and the running back picked it up around the 15 and rambled in for the score.

Among the defensive standouts for the Big Green were linebacker Mac Battle with 10 tackles including a sack, nickel Joe Heffernan with nine stops and a big pass breakup, defensive lineman Bobby Jefferson with six stops and a 13-yard sack and corner Robert Crockett III with six stops and a pass breakup. Alex Schmidt also had six tackles, as did Carson Reich including a sack, while Reese, Kaslow and Landon McDermott each had four tackles and Luca Di Leo three.

Wagner sent five kickoffs into the end zone and might have saved a touchdown with a tackle on one that didn't. He also booted a 67-yard punt that was downed at the one.