BUCKSPORT — In more ways than one, the Bucksport football team came out Friday with a different look.From their uniforms, which included white pants rather than the usual purple, to the team’s stout defense, which struggled in previous games, this showing was a stark contrast from some of the others Bucksport has had this season. Perhaps that could be attributed to the fact that, during the week leading up to the game, the Golden Bucks changed their approach.In the week following the team’s Sept. 22 road loss to Foxcroft, the Golden Bucks changed things up at their practices. After the team’s third loss in four games, it was time to step up the intensity; time to hit harder and practice with a vengeance.“Between our players and coaches, we all knew we had to change something about the way we practiced,” quarterback Chase Carmichael said. “We were working hard before, but the results weren’t there.”This is placeholder textThis is placeholder textThis time, those results came. Bucksport, as head coach Joel Sankey put it, “played to its potential” Friday night to earn a dominant win over visiting Dexter. The 47-14 victory stopped a two-game losing streak and put the Golden Bucks in position to make another playoff run in a few weeks’ time.After both teams exchanged punts to start the game, Bucksport would score first on the third possession. With 5 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Carmichael found Keigan Riccard for a long touchdown pass that gave the Golden Bucks a 7-0 lead.A 7-yard pass from Carmichael to Carter Tolmasoff gave the Golden Bucks (2-3) their second score with 6:08 left in the half, and the Golden Bucks quickly forced a turnover on the kickoff to get the ball back. Twenty seconds later, Carmichael threw a 9-yard pass to Riccard to put the home team ahead 20-0.“We got ahead early, and we were tougher on both sides of the ball than we’ve been this year,” Carmichael said. “That came from what we did in practices. They were harder than usual, but they helped us come together more as a team and were a huge reason we did what we did tonight.”Bucksport soon added a fourth touchdown when Tolmasoff caught a short pass over the middle before juking two defenders and running down the left sideline for a 41-yard score to make it 27-0. It wasn’t until Dexter (3-2) ran the ensuing kickoff back that the visitors got on the scoreboard.Bucksport’s Cameron Soper (left), Keigan Riccard (middle) and Carter Tolmasoff celebrate a touchdown during the second half of a high school football game against Dexter on Sept. 29 in Bucksport. The Golden Bucks won the game 47-14 to snap a two-game losing streak. RICK MCHALE PHOTOBoth defenses forced stops on their first two possessions of the second half. With 4:31 left in the third quarter, Tolmasoff scored his third touchdown of the night on a 45-yard punt return.“I didn’t think they would kick it to me,” Tolmasoff said. “It looked like it was going to go out of bounds, but I picked it up, got some great blocks and was able to take it all the way.”Bucksport added two more touchdowns after back-to-back onside kick recoveries to take a 47-8 lead and push the game to running time with a minute to go in the third quarter. Dexter scored the final touchdown with 3:39 left, but it was a mere footnote in a resounding win for the Golden Bucks.In its four previous games, Bucksport’s defense had given up an average of 41 points. This time, it didn’t allow a touchdown until Dexter finally found the end zone against the Golden Bucks’ backups.With the win, Bucksport finds itself in a position similar to the one in which it found itself when the team earned a Week 5 win after a 1-3 start last year. If they can run the table for the second year in a row, the Golden Bucks will likely earn the No. 2 seed in Class D North and a bye in the playoffs.The team’s next game is at home against Washington Academy (4-1) tomorrow, Oct. 6. A win in that game would put the Golden Bucks at 3-3 with their only remaining games against Mount View and Stearns/Schenck, two of the bottom-three teams in the class.“This is still just one win,” Tolmasoff said. “Like our coaches said, we have to practice like we want to play, and that means going back Monday and working just as hard as we did tonight.” Bio Mike MandellMike Mandell is the sports editor at The Ellsworth American and Mount Desert Islander. He began working for The American in August 2016. You can reach him via email at mmandell@ellsworthamerican.com. Latest Posts Ellsworth runners compete in virtual Boston Marathon – September 16, 2020
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