CANAAN, N.H. - Mascoma football saved one more big afternoon for the finish. The Royals beat Farmington-Nute 36-8 at home Saturday to close their season at 6-2.
Mascoma led 8-0 in the second quarter and pulled away from there. The Mascoma Football team account summed it up after the final whistle: “Great TEAM win by our Royals capping off a 6-2 campaign!”
It was the Royals’ fourth straight win and their third straight at home. Mascoma scored 186 points in those four games, an average of 46.5 a game, beating Prospect Mountain on Oct. 10, Hillsboro-Deering 53-20 on Oct. 17, Missisquoi Valley 54-8 on Oct. 24 and Farmington-Nute on Saturday. The defense held each of the last two opponents to eight points.
That finish is a long way from the first half of the season. Mascoma scored 54 points total in its first four games, a stretch that included a 7-0 shutout of Raymond, a 21-12 win over Fall Mountain and losses to Newport (6-24) and Newfound (20-40).
Farmington-Nute falls to 2-5.
Other relevant play on Saturday, October 31:
Prospect Mountain 28 at Hillsboro-Deering 29 Hillsboro-Deering, which Mascoma beat 53-20 on Oct. 17, edged Prospect Mountain, which the Royals beat on Oct. 10.
Fall Mountain 8 at Newport 40 Newport, which beat Mascoma 24-6 on Sept. 12, rolled past Fall Mountain, which the Royals beat 21-12 on Sept. 26.
CROSS COUNTRY
Mascoma at the division championships in Manchester | Saturday, October 31
Mascoma’s girls cross country team finished second at the division championships at Derryfield Park in Manchester on Saturday. The Royals scored 111 points in a 13-team field, edging Campbell (120) for the runner-up spot behind champion Hopkinton (27).
Freshman Paige Reney led Mascoma in seventh place in 21:53.1. Brooklynn Rice was 34th, senior Isabella Currier 46th, freshman Grace King 52nd and freshman Maddy Song 68th, with freshman Nobelee Cappetta 72nd. Four of the Royals’ six runners were freshmen.
Senior Carl Russell had the best finish of any Mascoma runner, placing fourth in the boys race in 17:26.0. Senior Karson Rogers (18th, 18:25.7) and freshman Ransom Donigian (21st, 18:27.0) also finished in the top 25, and the Royals boys placed sixth of 19 teams with 213 points. Hopkinton swept both team titles, and Fall Mountain’s Elijah Bodanza won the boys race in 16:43.9.
Russell was also the Royals’ top finisher at the Manchester Invitational on the same course in September, placing 12th in a big small-school field.
Mascoma’s girls are next at the Meet of Champions on Saturday, November 7, at Hopkinton State Fairgrounds, at 2:30 p.m.
That wraps up the day for Mascoma Valley Regional High School sports. We’ll see you next time!