The Red Riots continued their high-scoring playoff run on Friday night in the eight-player small school North final, defeating Stearns 57-36.
In a physical game, Orono led the entire way over the Minutemen on the road.
Orono lost to Stearns in the regular season and avenged the loss in the playoffs, a theme that has emerged over the team’s past two wins against Bucksport and then Dexter last week.
Orono quarterback Jack Brewer threw for four touchdowns and ran for another on the road to lead the Red Riots to the victory.
Orono wasted no time getting itself on the scoreboard.
Brewer and running back Ben Francis led the Red Riots down the field as they went 66 yards and ended the drive with a 1-yard run up the middle by Brewer for a score. Kase Walston hit what would be one of five extra points in the first half to put Orono ahead 7-0.
After a three-and-out by Stearns, Orono followed up with a quick touchdown drive that was capped by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Brewer to Will Francis down the left sideline.
With 5:22 left in the first quarter, Orono had a 14-0 lead.
Pierce Walston picked off Stearns on the next drive then just three plays later caught a pass in the flat, cut middle and made a couple of defenders miss and ran for a 43-yard touchdown that gave Orono a 21-0 lead right before the end of the quarter.
Brewer threw for 173 yards in the first half with two touchdowns in the air and one on the ground.
Stearns’ quarterback Caleb Shearer got the Minutemen on the board in the second quarter on an 18-yard pass to Aidan Sanders. The two-point conversion run by Shearer made it a 21-8 game with 9:50 left in the first half.
Brady Maheu intercepted a Shearer pass with 4:42 left in the first half and brought it back to Orono’s 45-yard line with 4:42 to play.
Ben Francis took the handoff with four minutes left, cut inside to the left and made two defenders miss on his way to a 28-yard touchdown run that gave the Red Riots a 28-8 advantage.
Stearns was down but not out, and Sanders converted a 17-yard touchdown run with just 78 seconds left to pull the Minutemen within 28-14.
It turned out to be too much time left on the clock, as Will Francis brought the kickoff back 56 yards, which gave Orono great field position. With 35 seconds left, Ben Francis ran a 1-yard touchdown run in to give the Red Riots a 35-14 lead at the half.
At the beginning of the second half, Stearns bounced back in a big way with a 65-yard touchdown run from Sanders that cut the Orono lead to 35-22.
Stearns fumbled the ball on its next drive and Orono fell on it at Stearns’ 19-yard line.
Brewer found Francis on the next play for a 19-yard touchdown pass, giving Orono a 49-22 lead with 3:30 left in the third.
With the game slipping away and Stearns facing a fourth down, Shearer found Sam Jacobs for a 32-yard touchdown pass with Jacobs reaching over Will Francis for the catch.
The two-point conversion run was successful and the Minutemen trailed 49-30.
Stearns let Orono move the ball down the field again but had the Red Riots in a fourth down from the 9-yard line.
Brewer found Francis on fourth down on the left sideline and Francis dove for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was successful and with 5:24 left in the game Orono held a 57-30 lead.
Sanders caught a 7-yard touchdown for the Minutemen with 1:25 left but the lead was insurmountable for Stearns.
