By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

LEWISTON — If you ask Michael Malia what is the formula to win a state football championship, he will tell it is actually quite simple.

“If they don’t score, we win the game,” the Raider senior captain said.

It is one thing to say it.

It is entirely another to do it.

Fryeburg Academy produced many electrifying plays on offense all season to average over 30 points per game, but the key to claiming the school’s first football Gold Ball in 59 years on Saturday in the Class C title game was total domination on defense.

The Raiders (9-2) combined a stingy defense, a big play and a potent running attack to blank North champ Hermon 28-0 at Don Roux Field at Lewiston High School Saturday. The Hawks, making their first state title appearance, closed out their season at 8-3.

“It’s amazing. So much hard work. The blood, sweat and tears. It’s just great to be able to do this with a lot of guys I’ve been growing up with my whole life and also some new guys. We’re a family. It feels great to win it with those guys,” said Malia after he and fellow captains Holden Edenbach and Anton Kravchuk raised the Gold Ball.

“It’s one of the best feelings ever. It’s like you are on top of the world. It’s like nothing can ruin our mood right now. It’s crazy,” a jubilant Ty Boone said after rushing for 113 yards. “I think it was just us being more physical than them. We knew if we executed at a high level, we would win the game, eventually. We knew if we beat them down and be physical, we would win. And, that’s what we did…We just kept that dog mentality all day. We were confident in ourselves, even when they got inside the red zone. We were ready to make a stop, and we did.”

The three captains spearheaded a defensive wall that stymied Hermon’s vaunted running game. The Hawks found little space to run, gaining just 59 yards on 31 carries.

“I think we were just very physical and we told each other don’t let the opponent score any points. We hadn’t allowed any points in the playoffs, and we wanted to do something special here. And, we did it,” senior linebacker Malik Sow said. “It was just an awesome feeling (being state champs). It’s unbelievable.”

FA Coach David Turner felt his club rose to every challenge they faced from overcoming penalties (7 for 75 yards) to making a red zone stand.

“We knew they would be tough to handle, but our guys really came through,” Coach Turner. “Every time they were challenged, they answered.”

And how good did it feel to finally win the Gold Ball after being so close before?

“Fantastic,” Coach Turner said. “You know, no year is ever the same. You work hard all year long, and at the end, there’s only one team that’s truly happy. So, it is pretty good today. We’re the ones that are happy.”

Did the Nokomis loss in their last state title appearance make for any changes from a coaching standpoint?

“We joked as coaches that we were going to try and enjoy it more,” Coach Turner said. “We asked the kids to enjoy it, but as coaches, you don’t ever enjoy it unless you reach the final goal. We just tried to do what we’ve been doing all year long. Today, it worked out.”

Chapter 1 — FA sends a message

Hermon won the coin flip and elected to play offense first.

The decision backfired. After allowing an initial first down, the Raider defense stuffed two running plays and forced an incomplete pass. On fourth down, punter Griffin Dunton looked to sidestep the Raider rush by moving to his right. As he went to kick the ball away, Raider linebacker Malik Sow fully extended and blocked the kick.

Starting at the H-37, Raider running back Daniel Ruiz (7 carries, 80 yards) rumbled for 16 yards. On second down, speedy Ty Boone followed a solid lead block by Zane Tully, shook off a grab by Hermon’s Colvin Hamm and cut left to find daylight. Hermon’s Bruce Coulter wrapped his arms around Boone’s waist at the 5-yard line, but the scrappy Ty refused to go down and wiggled free for the touchdown.

Ricardo Schulz, who was perfect on PAT tries, boomed the kick through a gusting wind to put FA up 7-0 with 7:39 left in the first quarter.

“With the wind the way it was, if we won the toss we were going to defer (receiving the ball) to the second half. They took the ball so we pinned them. We wanted to establish field position,” Coach Turner said.

Schulz again was a weapon, hammering kickoffs deep into the end zone forcing Hermon to start drives at the 20-yard line.

The Hawks were unable to move the ball on three rushing tries, so they hoped to catch the Raiders off guard. Facing a fourth-and-three at the H27, punter Dunton faked a kick and ran right. He was unable to avoid the long arms of Anton Kravchuk, who dragged down the kicker for a 5-yard loss.

The Raiders cashed in as Sow gained 2 tough yards to keep the drive moving, and Boone burst up the middle for an 11-yard TD with 3:25 left for a 14-0 lead.

Chapter 2 — Defense to rescue

After a 3-and-out near the end of the first quarter, Hermon needed a break, badly.

Fryeburg gave the Hawks a chance to climb back into the game by fumbling the ball at the FA-35.

But, the Raider D rose to the occasion. Two runs netted 2 yards. Hermon went to the air, but found no success there either as Boone knocked down one sideline pass and sophomore Ethan Curtis’ fourth down pass was off target as he was forced to unload as the A-Train from the Ukraine — Anton Kravchuk — was closing in for a sack.

Hermon put together its best drive of the day with 8:25 left in the half. The Hawks dug out of a hole when Curtis’ pass deep down the middle was tipped and somehow found its way to tight end Tyler Corson for a 27-yard gain.

The catch ignited Hermon, and senior back Max Hopkins, who started to find his footing, carrying four times for 16 yards.

Curtis kept the drive going with a fourth down completion. Three Hopkins’ carries moved the ball inside the FA-10.

After Hopkins gained four yards, the Raider defense stiffened. A fumbled exchange loss six yards, and Kravchuk sacked Curtis for another six-yard loss. On fourth down, Curtis fired to the end zone, but the pass was picked off by Daniel Ruiz, who returned the pick close to 50 yards.

The Raiders looked to deliver a knockout punch before the half, but a penalty and interception ended the drive.

Chapter 3 — Raiders keep pounding it

All season, the Raiders wore opponents down by sticking with their physical ground attack. It worked again Saturday.

FA scored on their opening possession, driving 62 yards in 8 plays with Ruiz scoring from 4 yards out.

“Every play, I knew this was my last high school football game of my life. I just left it all on the field. My back hurts, everything hurts, but I still went out there and just left everything out there,” Ruiz said. “I think our physicality was the difference. We just played harder, we run tougher, we tackle harder. They were hurting. You could see it in their faces.”

 Sow delivered the big blow, breaking loose for 29 yards. Boone followed with an 11-yard burst.

Hermon also stuck with what they do best, running the ball, but had an opposite result. The FA defense forced a three-and-out as Sow knocked Hermon back Bruce Coulter for a 2-yard loss.

Fryeburg refused to take their feet off the gas pedal, driving 41 yards in 10 plays as Sow keep his legs pumping, carrying a few Hermon defenders and extending the football to break the goal line plane from 4-yards out.

But, the drive wasn’t easy. FA was flagged for holding, leading a frustrated Coach Turner to yell out to the official, who was responsible for throwing most of the flags, “They hold too.”

No matter, the Raiders kept their cool and focus, putting away the Hawks.

“We knew we just had to move on to the next play. We just stayed positive and looked to make the next play,” Malia said.

Chapter 4 — Finishing the job

Give Hermon credit, the Hawks were determined to put at least one TD on the scoreboard.

Hermon found success through the air as Curtis completed four straight passes, including a 24-yard hook up, moving the ball to the FA 30.

The Hawks creeped closer as the Raiders were flagged 15 yards for a helmet hit on a receiver working to make a catch over the middle.

At the FA 15, Hopkins gained 3 yards.

Pressure by Malia and sophomore lineman Eddie Yin resulted in a sack, loss of 5 yards.

With senior corner Jagger Helwig out due to a knee injury, rookie Robbie Hazelwood tipped away a pass.

On fourth down, Hermon pulled out a gadget play. Hopkins took a pitch, ran right and fired a pass into the end zone. A receiver slipped and was unable to haul in the toss.

The Raiders closed out the game with a ground-and-pound drive as Boone (14 carries, 113 yards) gained 18 and 17 yards, while Sow (14 carries, 80 yards) added 12 and Ruiz 20.

“Since the start of the season, we knew our team had the potential. I think the Wells game, our mentality completely changed. We wanted to be the best defensive team in any class,” Ruiz said. “Our defense won this title. We had three shutouts in a row. The defense was the key to our success.”

Final thoughts

A few quick takes:

Nice touch — Aron Gadolla wasn’t able to play in the state championship game, but the Raider speedster’s presence was felt.

A knee injury in the season finale against Gorham knocked the Raider senior out of action. However, he asked Coach Turner if he could dress for the state game, and was given the green light. Wearing a knee brace, he walked onto the Lewiston High turf with a big smile as he received a momentary hug from athletic trainer Jess Werner.

Gadolla went from spectator to on-field player late in the game. With the win secured, the Raiders ran off the final seconds by having quarterback Benny Arnason take a knee. Coach Turner inserted Gadolla as the deep back in the formation, enabling him to enjoy the moment with his teammates.

“It was awesome to see him wearing a jersey again and coming onto the field,” Sow said. “It was a great feeling for him. I hugged him. It was just great seeing him out there.”

Good sportsmanship — All day, FA linemen chased and hit Hermon sophomore quarterback Ethan Curtis. When Geza Labancz knocked Curtis to the turf a tick after letting a pass fly, the burly lineman offered an open hand to help the quarterback up.

Painful reminder — Football is a physical game, and unfortunately, it comes with risks. Senior Jagger Helwig had an amazing fall anchoring the FA secondary, hauling in several interceptions. His athleticism enabled him to outleap opposing receivers, while his soft hands allowed him to corral the ball. He was also gritty, unafraid to come up the field and make a stop on a barreling ball carrier.

Helwig suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter, and was forced to watch the final minutes leaning on a pair of crutches. His replacement, sophomore Robbie Hazelwood, was up for the challenge, tipping away a third down pass as Hermon looked to finally find pay dirt.

As his teammates lifted the Gold Ball for all to see, Helwig watched. Teammate Malik Sow brought the Gold Ball to Helwig, who like other Raiders, smiled as he admired the prize.

“When Jagger got hurt, I told him we had his back and were going to win it for him. We did,” Sow said. “Jagger’s a homegrown kid. He’s been my brother for so long. I just love him. He’s one of my best friends. He’s a great two-sport athlete. I just hope the injury isn’t too bad because he has a big basketball season coming up.”