After a devastating loss to Sacopee Valley Sept. 20, Boothbay football coach Ed Crocker had a revelation: "No more Mr. Nice Guy." Crocker decided football practices needed more activity, and he decided to push his squad through strenuous daily workouts with less emphasis on X's and O's.

The new philosophy has worked as Boothbay won its second consecutive game Oct. 4, a 52-16 victory over Telstar, 1-4, at Sherman Field. Boothbay used its running attack to take a 20-0 lead in the second quarter. The extra work in practice inspired the Seahawks to score on nearly every possession regardless of time or field position. 

Telstar drove the ball inside the Boothbay 10-yard line in the half's closing minutes only to turn it over on downs. Instead of running out the clock, Boothbay tried for one last score prior to halftime. Telstar intercepted a long Boothbay pass which resulted in a Rebel  touchdown. With about a minute remaining in the first half, Boothbay, again, turned to its passing attack for one more score and found pay dirt. 

From midfield, Quarterback Tyson French launched a pass which deflected off one Boothbay receiver into the hands of another for a touchdown. "I told the guys we wanted one more score before halftime," Crocker said. "I didn't expect a Telstar interception, but that didn't stop our desire to end the half with a score."

The team's hard work in practice has inspired them to work even harder in practice. Captain Aidric Canada points toward the change in focus following the Sacopee Valley game. "We kept pounding the ball down the field. I give all the credit to our line which allows us to move the ball," he said. "After the Sacopee loss, we really focused on harder practices which has really paid off."

Captain Maddox Cusumano also credited the offense's commitment to running the ball in the team's dominant win. "Telstar had bigger players, but our team speed made the difference. They couldn't keep up with us when we ran wide," he said. 

Boothbay (2-3) has moved into fourth place in the Maine 8-man Football Small Conference standings.

Boothbay plays Traip (1-4) in Kittery on Friday, Oct. 11. The Rangers have lost three in a row. Traip's only victory this season was over Telstar, 32-8.