MDI Shocks Waterville 42-35

Senior Night is supposed to be a night of memories, and the MDI Football team made a lifetime of memories with a 42-35 victory over the Waterville Purple Panthers in Bar Harbor on Friday, October 18th.

The MDI Trojans were wearing pink socks in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and playing in front of a great home crowd and large television audience as the game was broadcast on Channel 5, and were fired up, but it was Waterville who scored first, with 5:33 left in the 1st Quarter, on a 52 yard drive that took 4:28. Waterville's Daniel Pooler rushed in from 2 yards out, and Jordhan Levine kicked the extra point and Waterville led 7-0.

MDI scored when Isaiah Keene intercepted a Brian Bellow's pass, and returned in 35 yards for a touchdown. Jon Phelp's extra point kick was no good, and with 1:41 left in the 1st Quarter Waterville was up top 7-6.

Waterville's Pooler scored on a 50 yard rush, culminating a 75 yard drive that took just 1:20, and Levine converted the extra point. With 17.5 seconds left in the 1st Quarter Waterville was leading 14-6.

Waterville made it 21-6 when Pooler scored his third touchdown of the first half rushing in from 6 yards out, on a 27 yard drive that took 1:05. Levine kicked the extra point, and with 10:59 left in the 1st Half Waterville was up 21-6, and it looked like MDI might get blown out.

But, MDI scored two touchdowns in the 2nd Quarter. Jon Phelps scored on a 8 yard run, on a 48 yard drive that took 3:21. MDI converted the 2 point extra point attempt, and that made it 21-14. Teagan Candage scampered 24 yards to score that finished off a 59 yard drive that took 2:36, and when the extra point was good, the score was tied 21-21 at the half.

MDI had lost three fumbles in the first half, while Waterville had lost two fumbles and had an interception returned for a touchdown. MDI had the ball seven times in the first half, as did Waterville. MDI started from their own 44 yard line (11:52 left in 1st Quarter), 19 yard line (5:27 in 1st Quarter), 37 yard line  (0.12 1st Quarter), Waterville 48 yard line (10:48 left in 2nd Quarter), 40 yard line (6:32 in 2nd Quarter) 45 yard line (3:46 in 2nd Quarter) and Waterville 49 yard line (0.57 left in 2nd Quarter). Waterville's starting field positions were 48 yard line (10:01 in 1st Quarter), 36 yard line (2:34 in 1st Quarter), 25 yard line (1:37 in 1st Quarter), MDI 27 yard line (4.3 in 1st Quarter), 31 yard line (7:25 in 2nd Quarter), MDI 40 yard line (6:25 in 2nd Quarter) and 39 yard line with 1:05 left in the 2nd Quarter.

The game was eerily reminiscent of a Waterville- MDI game 4 years ago that was high scoring in the 1st half, but then the teams clamped down in the 2nd half, that saw MDI win.

MDI took the lead for the first time with 9:15 left in the 3rd Quarter as Taner Bickford ran in from 6 yards out, in a drive that took 25 seconds and was 48 yards long. Phelps kicked the extra point and MDI was up 28-21.

Waterville answered when David Bailey scored from 4 yards out, on a 71 yard drive that took 3:27 and with 5:48 left in the 3rd Quarter the score was tied at 28-28.

MDI's Bickford scored on a 49 yard run, in a drive that took 2 minutes and when Phelps converted the kick, MDI led 35-28 with 3:33 left in the 3rd Quarter.

Waterville answered.Dalton Denis scored from 9 yards out, on a 66 yard drive that took 1:55, and Levine kicked the extra point, and the scored was knotted 35-35.

MDI started at their own 1 yard line with 1:36 left in the 3rd Quarter, but were forced to punt and Waterville took over on the MDI 40 with 11:55 left in the game. They drove down to the MDI 1 yard line, but the MDI defense stiffened, and stopped Waterville on 4th and goal, and the Trojans took over on their own 1 yard line, with 9:36 left in the game.

MDI drove down to the Waterville 5 yard line, and on a 4th and 1 fumbled the ball, and Waterville took over with 4:16 left in the game.

Waterville was moving, but Teagan Candage intercepted Bellows' pass and MDI took over on the Waterville 33 yard line with 2:15 left in the game.

MDI scored the final touchdown when Candage bulled in from 3 yards out. Phelps converted the extra point and MDI led 42-35 with 22.9 seconds left.

Waterville had the ball last at their own 30 with 18.1 seconds, but despite Bellows completing a long 35 yard pass to get into MDI territory, Waterville was unable to score, and MDI came away with the victory 42-35!

Unofficial Stats

MDI Rushing

Teagan Candage 16-206 yards

Taner Bickford 5-65 yards

Jon Phelps 7 - 56 yards

Sandy Henggelar 13-46 yards

Waterville Rushing

Dan Pooler 22 - 223 yards

Dalton Dennis 14 - 74 yards

Brian Bellows 10 - 94 yards

Dan Bailey 5 - 23 yards

Trevor Gray 4 - 7 yards.

With the victory MDI improves to 5-2 and will end the season at Old Town on Friday, October 25th in a game that will be heard on WDEA AM 1370 and WDEA Internet Radio. Waterville falls from the unbeaten and are now 6-1, and will host Winslow next Saturday, October 26th at 1 PM.