West Canaan
Colburn’s inaugural victory couldn’t have come in more dramatic fashion for Mascoma, which improved to 1-2 before a lively homecoming crowd.
“I feel very soaked, but you know, I love, it,” Colburn said. “(There’s) no better feeling than that. It’s the one thing as an assistant coach you don’t get, and to have the opportunity to do it here in Mascoma, where the fans are so great and the program’s turning around slowly and we’re doing a really good job, is a good feeling.”
The Royals, one of eight teams in NHIAA’s newly formed Division IV, entered the fourth quarter with a two-point lead before Sean Rostron put the hosts up 20-12 with a 19-yard touchdown reception.
The second-down completion occurred after Mascoma quarterback Michael Evans faked a handoff to the explosive and often-used Caleb McAlister (102 total yards), then found Rostron near the right sideline. Rostron broke multiple tackles and employed a crafty spin move to match the Royals’ largest lead of the game with 8:05 remaining.
Farmington-Nute (0-3) stopped Mascoma’s two-point conversion attempt and then ended up with the ball near midfield after a short kickoff. Tigers quarterback Isaiah Williams led the charge with several keepers before finding Jake McIssac for a 12-yard touchdown. McIssac scored all three touchdowns for the visitors; Williams scored a late two-point conversion to tie the game.
Mascoma had 2:02 remaining to orchestrate a final drive, but it was unsuccessful and overtime ensued. The Royals won the coin toss and set up on the 10-yard line for four tries at a score. Evans once again found Rostron — this time in the back of the end zone and on fourth down — to gain a 26-20 advantage. The Royals missed the extra-point attempt, but it didn’t matter as the defense did its job, shutting down Williams, McIssac and company en route to its first victory of the season.
“We really had to win the game today,” said McAlister, a senior who played in the first overtime game of his four-year high school career on Saturday. “It defines you, what you do when you’re 0-2.”
McCalister scored Mascoma’s first touchdown on a 25-yard completion from Evans. The senior delivered an effective stiff-arm to a would-be tackler before streaking up the right sideline for the TD. Evans, who ran 42 yards on a first-down play during the previous series, added two points on a quarterback keeper.
Colburn, who previously played at Lebanon and served as an assistant coach at both Mascoma and Newfound, led his team in a fiery cheer following Saturday’s victory. He also gave his players a message.
“It wasn’t pretty, but good teams find a way to win,” he said. “We haven’t peaked yet, fellas. We’re right there.”
Colburn entered Saturday’s game with some concerns about his then-winless team’s consistency.
“Just be aggressive,” he stated as the central component of Saturday’s game plan. “I feel, at times, we become hesitant, and then we become flat-footed.”
Case in point: The Royals went up, 14-6, on a 10-yard TD rush by Josh Evans, then failed on a two-point conversion attempt before allowing a 42-yard kickoff return by F-N’s Connor Griffin. The long return set up the Tigers’ second touchdown.
It’s all part of the process, according to Colburn.
“Now it’s just learning from it; there’s a whole learning curve,” Colburn said. “The kids fought hard, and I’ll always remember that.”
Notes: Sophomores Michael and Josh Evans are identical twin brothers who have played organized football together since seventh grade. … Mascoma committed nine penalties. … The Royals, who won two games last season in Division III, have three home games this season. They play at Newfound on Saturday at 7 p.m.