Winnacunnet's McDonald scores three TDs, rushes for more than 200 yards against Bangor

HAMPTON – Bangor High School head football coach David Morris left the final decision on his players – play it safe and kick the game-tying extra point, or roll the dice and go for the win.

The response was instant and unanimous – the Rams didn’t drive nearly 200 miles to go for a tie in Friday night's out-of-state game at Winnacunnet.

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“We all wanted to go for the win,” Bangor junior quarterback Kyle Johnson said.

Johnson’s third rushing touchdown of the night cut Winnacunnet’s lead to 27-26 with 41 seconds left. After a Bangor timeout to go over what the Rams wanted to do, Johnson had his number called again on the two-point conversion attempt.

It appeared the Warriors’ defensive line initially stopped Johnson short of the end zone. However, Johnson kept his feet moving and plunged into the end zone, giving Bangor its first lead of the night, 28-27.

“As a team, we knew we wanted to win the game,” Morris said. “We brought the team together (during the timeout), and we said 'let’s go win this.’”

Winnacunnet got the ball back at its own 36 with 41 seconds left. Junior quarterback Sean Griffin’s pass fell incomplete on first down. He then connected with junior Harvey Reynoso for 8 yards on second down and the pair connected for 1 yard on third, setting up a fourth-and-1 from the WHS 45 with 13.9 seconds left.

Griffin’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete, sending Winnacunnet to its second straight defeat, 28-27. A bright spot for the Warriors is the game doesn't count against its Division I record, keeping them at 4-2 with games at Manchester Memorial and Dover in the final two weeks of the regular season.

Extra effort by Johnson delivers comeback win for Rams

Johnson, the burly Bangor quarterback, thought he came up short on the 2-point conversion attempt.

“I tried to jump in and realized I was a couple of yards short,” Johnson said. “Luckily, I found my way into the end zone. Coach gave us the option, we all wanted to go for the win, we didn't want the tie."

“We knew they were going for two,” Winnacunnet head coach Ryan Francoeur said. “(Johnson) is a big, strong kid, and is smart where he picks his holes. We had trouble with him all night.”

Johnson rushed for 130 yards on 20 carries, and completed 9 of 19 passes for 156 yards.

“These guys are my brothers, and I wouldn’t want to go to war with anyone but these guys over here,” Johnson said. “We made something happen, it was a good all-around team win.”

WHS turnover sparks Bangor game-winning drive

Midway through the fourth quarter with the Warriors leading 27-20, WHS had a first-and-goal at the Bangor 10. The Warriors appeared to be on the verge of making it a two-score game.

However, Winnacunnet quarterback Riley McDaniel was sacked and lost control of the ball. Johnson recovered the ball at the Bangor 18 with 5:47 left. It was the second straight Winnacunnet drive that ended with a turnover.

Johnson then engineered Bangor’s 14-play, 82-yard game-winning drive. Bangor faced a fourth-and-8 from its own 35, but Winnacunnet was called for a “blindside block” down field, giving Bangor a first down at midfield with 3:14 left.

Johnson ran the ball eight times on the drive, with his longest gain being a 25-yarder which gave Bangor a first down at the Winnacunnet 14 with 2:03 left.

Johnson ran for 1 yard on first down, 6 on second and and 3 on third, giving Bangor a first-and-goal at the 4.

“(Johnson) is a great player,” Morris said. “This win means a lot, a great team win. It looked like (Winnacunnet) had all the momentum in the fourth quarter, but we hung in there. We played with a lot of character tonight.”

Winnacunnet’s fumble which led to the game-winning score, followed a turnover on its previous drive - a Griffin interception at the Bangor 25. Winnacunnet held leads of 14-0 in the second quarter, and 26-14 in the third.

“The last two drives we didn’t execute,” Francoeur said. “We had the ball in the red zone twice ready to seal the win, and we didn’t. All we can do is learn from this and find a way to finish the job when we’re in that situation next time.”

The loss overshadowed the performance of Winnacunnet senior running back Mason McDonald, who ran for 207 yards on 18 carries, including touchdown runs of 9, 17 and 19.

“He did an amazing job for us,” Francoeur said. “He threw us on his back and really set the tone tonight. He’s been doing that all year.”

Senior Logan Brown scored Winnacunnet’s other touchdown on a 1-yard run with 5:44 left in the third which gave the Warriors a 26-14 lead.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Winnacunnet's McDonald scores three TDs, rushes for more than 200 yards against Bangor