The No. 2 John Bapst Crusaders overpowered underdogs No. 6 Old Town on Saturday afternoon, punching in four rushing touchdowns en route to a 28-14 victory and an appearance in the Class D North regional title game.
The Crusaders scored on their first two drives of the game at Cameron Stadium in Bangor, and sealed the win with senior running back Logan McMahon’s second touchdown of the night early in the fourth. The victory propelled John Bapst to its first regional championship appearance since 2012.
“It feels great, man,” McMahon said. “We have a lot of seniors that do great things every day. We’re really excited for this opportunity.”
Fellow Bapst senior backs Hayden Rollins (59 yards rushing, two first half touchdowns) and Will Cashman (71 yards rushing) complemented McMahon’s efforts (152 total yards) in the Crusaders’ tricky motion-powered ground game. Head coach Dan O’Connell and his squad orchestrate a triple option system that is difficult for rookies to learn at first, but ultimately gives the Crusaders plenty of flexibility on offense.
“It’s pretty second nature at this point,” McMahon said. “But for new players it’s hard to master. It’s a great offense, obviously.”
McMahon, Rollins and Cashman all recorded multiple runs for double-digit yards, and sophomore quarterback Aiden Oullette also sprinkled in a few screen passes to McMahon that each went for 15+ yards. The Coyotes recorded three tackles for losses and two sacks, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Crusader locomotive.
“Old Town played tough and did a great job — from Week 4 to now they’re a totally different team,” O’Connell said. “We had to answer the bell.”
With the victory, John Bapst improved to 7-2, and will play the winners of No. 1 Foxcroft Academy and No. 4 Winslow next Saturday at Hampden Academy. It’s been quite the journey for O’Connell and his talented senior class, who finished 1-7 just two years ago.
“They got beat up as sophomores, but they hung together,” O’Connell said. “Last year we took a big step forward with learning how to compete, and had a fusion of a really good freshman class. So we knew coming back this year there was an opportunity to be successful. I’m proud of these kids.”
On the other sideline, Old Town head coach Charles Beale and company are vying to replicate John Bapst’s success. The 2-7 Coyotes are really young – only graduating five seniors this year – and just shocked 4-4 Belfast earlier this week with a 14-12 upset victory on the road. Down the stretch, Old Town has shown it has plenty of heart, and boasted a respectable run game. Speedy quarterback Ethan Closson (class of 2027), star lineman Brady Paradis (class of 2025) and dynamic utility man Elijah Alston (class of 2025) will all be returning next year, and are hungry for more success.
“We’re a really young team, so we just gotta put the work in this offseason,” Alston said. “We have the commitment.”
