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SOUTH BERWICK — In a game of big plays, the Marshwood football team – a proud program down to barely 25 players – made the last big one.
Brady Isabelle, one of four Marshwood seniors, hauled in a well-thrown deep pass by Mike Sbrizza in the middle of the field and sprinted away from a lone defender for an 86-yard touchdown pass with 1:22 to play, giving the Hawks a 33-28 Class B South win over defending state champion Falmouth on Thursday.
“We have sub-30 kids on the team, so you know everyone out there needs to make a play. Every day in practice, we’re getting tougher and tougher and we’re learning more and more every day,” said Isabelle. “I think the small numbers we have is helping us, for sure. It gives us more reps, more time.”
Marshwood (4-2) entered Week 6 in fourth place in Class B South. The victory likely clinched at least a top-four finish, with wins against Falmouth (3-3) and Cheverus (3-2), the third and fifth-place teams.
The Hawks’ defense, which gave up three touchdowns longer than 30 yards, held firm in the final seconds, stopping Falmouth on fourth-and-14 at the Marshwood 22 after sacking quaterback Tres Walker on second down.
“They were defending champs, and to beat them at home on Senior Night, it means everything,” said senior offensive guard/defensive end Jack McManus. “We wanted it. And we’re going to play another home game in the playoffs and we’re going to win.”
Marshwood offense sharp all night
The Hawks put together touchdown drives of 65, 79 and 65 yards en route to a 21-14 halftime lead. Greg Castoras (12 carries, 135 yards), senior Cole Goodwin (14 carries, 54 yards) and sophomore Noah Goodwin (12 carries, 42 yards) each made positive combinations in the run game, while Sbrizza completed 11 of 17 passes for 125 first-half yards.
Cole Goodwin capped the Hawks’ opening drive with a 6-yard inside run. Falmouth tied the game on a Walker to Abram Wintersteen 34-yard pass. Castoras put Marshwood back in front when he busted an off-tackle run for 15 yards to the pylon, finishing a 13-play drive aided by two defensive penalties.
Owen Ross tied the game again with a 47-yard run, only to have Sbrizza (14 of 23, 223 yards) complete five passes to four different receivers, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Isabelle with 57 seconds left in the half.
Falmouth tied the game a third time when Ross (25 carries, 170 yards) busted another big touchdown run, this one 42 yards on Falmouth’s first possession of the half.
Marshwood responded with a big run of its own, as Castoras raced 67 yards with a double-handoff, criss-cross counter – a call that has been a consistent big-play producer under coach Alex Rotsko. Isabelle missed the point-after.
That kick loomed large when Walker (7 of 17, 113 yards) completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Luke Roy late in the third quarter and Peter Kearns kicked his fourth point-after to give Falmouth its first lead of the game.
Fighting through fatigue
Marshwood gave up a 21-0 lead a week ago in a loss to Class A Noble. It looked like another strong effort was going to be undone by the Hawks simply wearing out.
Instead, Marshwood’s defense stopped Falmouth on three fourth-quarter possessions, holding Ross to 5 yards on his final seven carries and keeping the pressure on Walker.
“We are undermanned. I think we practiced with 25 guys, 26 guys this week,” Rotsko said. “It’s tough to practice, never mind play a game, but these guys have hung in week after week and there’s no drop off in their effort in practice or in the games.”
Falmouth battling injuries
Falmouth entered the game short-handed. Eli Bush, a 2024 Varsity Maine All-State defensive end, and nose guard Harlem Harrison – both keys to last year’s state-best scoring defense – are out for the season with back and knee injuries, respectively. Against Marshwood, two-way tackle Thomas Gale, another returning all-stater, and Wintersteen, Falmouth’s top receiver, were injured and missed the second half.
“We preach courage in the face of adversity and we say that a lot,” said Falmouth coach Spencer Emerson. “Injuries happen in football. It’s a violent game. We want to get our guys healthy and get them back, but we don’t want to give any excuses.”
Emerson said he believes his squad can also stay in the top four in B South if it executes better in close games. Last year, Falmouth dominated opponents and rarely found itself in a close game in the fourth quarter.
“I try not to think about last year and compare,” Emerson said. “We have a lot of guys making a lot of good plays. There’s a lot of good football happening, but we’ve got to be able to put it together for four quarters and be able to execute, especially in big situations.”