"Well done."Įthan Moss connected on the extra point and the Bedford lead was sliced to 12-7 with 3:04 left in the third quarter. Wiberg also had a 24-yard reception on the second play of the drive. The Blue Hawks went on an eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped by Wiberg's 29-yard touchdown run up the right sideline. Still trailing 12-0, Exeter started its possession at its own 20, needing a score to stay within arms reach in the game. "He high-pointed the ball and made a good play." Exeter finds the end zoneīedford received the second half kickoff, but was forced to punt after a seven-play, 31-yard drive. "That was a nice play by Nate (Ross)," Ball said. Leading 12-0, and at Exeter's 43-yard line with roughly 30 seconds until halftime, Mikol heaved a pass towards the end zone that landed in the hands of Nate Ross, who came down with the interception at the 4. Throughout the season, Exeter's defense has been a strength of the team, only allowing 34 points the entire season prior to Friday night - and it was a strength again.Įxeter was held scoreless in the first two quarters and Bedford was looking to tack on to its lead before halftime. Starting at its own 38, Bedford running back Logan Sfeir ripped off a run for 15 yards, and the Bulldogs were quickly in Exeter territory.Įight plays later, and Bedford facing a third-and-7, Mikol's pass was incomplete, and nearly intercepted by Exeter's Mason Douglas.Īlthough the Bulldogs ran nine of its 10 plays on the first possession in Exeter territory, the Blue Hawks held Bedford to just three points on Mikol's 30-yard field goal. It was Bedford that won the coin toss and elected to defer, meaning the Exeter offense got the first action of work in the heavily anticipated matchup between two good Division I teams.Įxeter, set back by a false start on third-and-four, went three-and-out, and punted the ball to Bedford. Here are five highlights from the game before Exeter travels to Portsmouth next Friday to take on the ClipperCats Defense Holds Strong Mikol, on fourth-and-7, connected on the game-winning field goal. The Bulldogs marched 59 yards on 12 plays, a mixture of pass and run, to get into field goal position at Exeter's 16. Regaining possession with just under 3 minutes left to play, Exeter fumbled the snap on Bedford's 31 yard line which was recovered by the Bulldogs, who took over at the 35. Just didn't finish."īedford (5-2) led 12-0 at halftime, before Exeter rallied to score touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to take a 13-12 lead with 5 minutes left in the fourth.Įxeter running back Jake Wiberg scored on a 29-yard touchdown for the first score, and scored on a 16-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Evan Pafford in the fourth.Įxeter forced a turnover on downs on Bedford's possession after Exeter took the lead late in the fourth. "We were lethargic in the first half and played a great second half. "Give Bedford a lot of credit," Exeter head coach Bill Ball said. More: Maine football: Five takeaways from Marshwood's 41-14 win over Biddeford More: Maine football: Five takeaways from York's 31-21 loss to Leavitt More: PHOTO GALLERY: Portsmouth/Oyster River at Dover football More: Division I football: Five takeaways from Portsmouth/OR's 29-28 win over Dover EXETER - The unfortunate part of great high school football games, such as the 48-minute slugfest between Exeter and Bedford on Friday night, is that there can only be one winner.īedford's Joseph Mikol's 33-yard field goal with 3 seconds left in the fourth quarter lifted the Bulldogs to a 15-13 win over the Blue Hawks (4-2) in a Week 7 Division I matchup at Eustis Field at William Ball Stadium.