Somersworth football bounces back with big win over Raymond (video)

RAYMOND – The last week was something that many members of the Somersworth High School football team haven’t experienced all that often.

Coming off the program’s first loss in over two years, the Hilltoppers spent the time in between games getting focused on what they would need to do to bounce back.

They were ready to make it happen heading into Saturday’s game at Raymond, and then Mother Nature threw them a curve. Fortunately, Seth Worell was there to keep things headed in the right direction.

Worell returned two first-quarter kickoffs for touchdowns and Tayshawn Sheppard added three rushing touchdowns, as Somersworth rolled to a 44-6 win over the Rams in a Division IV game at Nor-Rock Vikings Field in Raymond.

Sheppard finished with 218 yards on 27 carries while Worell had 157 yards in kickoff returns to help the Hilltoppers (3-1 in Division IV) bounce back from last week’s loss to Newport, their first loss since the opening week in 2021.

“It stung a little bit for them,” Somersworth coach Jeremy Lambert said. “Some of these kids, I coached in Pee Wees and we were 31-0. They did a great job in practice this week. They stayed focused and got done what they needed to get done and they were able to show it.”

Somersworth did that despite weather affecting the early part of the game. Moments before kickoff, a downpour came through the area and last for the beginning of the first quarter.

That didn’t bother Worell, who took the opening kickoff 82 yards for a score and a 6-0 lead just 12 seconds into the game.

“I called Tayshawn’s name (on the kickoff),” Worell said. “He was supposed to get the ball, but I just grabbed the ball. There’s this massive hole the team created, take the opportunity, so I took the opportunity.”

From there, it was a fumble fest, as the teams traded them. Raymond (4-1) coughed up the ensuing kickoff, but Somersworth gave it right back six plays later.

After losing a yard on first down, the Rams faced a second down from their own 1, and it looked like they changed momentum. Quarterback Trey Donahue hit Drezell Duffaut for what looked to be a 99-yard touchdown, but the play was called back on a hold by Raymond.

Three plays later, the Rams had to punt, but Somersworth lost a fumble again, this time near midfield. On fourth-and-10 from the Hilltoppers 44-yard line, Donahue tucked and ran, racing down the sideline for a Raymond touchdown to tie it at 6.

But on the ensuing kickoff, Worell did it again, returning this one 75 yards for a score. Sheppard added the conversion and Somersworth led 14-6 with 3:19 left in the first quarter.

“Raymond is always an explosive team,” Lambert said. “They can score points from anywhere. As soon as you blow one of your disciplinary jobs on defense, they’re going to make you pay for it.

“They did it twice, and we lucked out, one of them had a flag on them. We knew we had to be disciplined and that was the focus all week. The message was just do your job and settle down. We got a little frantic at the beginning.”

Somersworth’s defense was locked in the rest of the way, as the Hilltoppers held the Rams to 32 yards on the day and sacked Donahue six times.

The offense finally got going for Somersworth late in the second quarter, as Sheppard capped a six-play, 74-yard drive with a 5-yard run. Worell added the conversion for a 22-6 lead with 1:27 left in the half.

Two plays later, Jackson Dumont picked off Donahue, and a personal foul on the Rams gave Somersworth a first down at the Raymond 17. Sheppard picked up all 17 yards, scoring from 3 yards out on the final play of the half for a 28-6 lead.

“It made a huge difference,” Sheppard said of the two touchdowns. “Halftime, the score is reset, 0-0. If we score points in the first half, they could do the same in the second half. Obviously it’s nice to look up and have some extra points on the board.”

Raymond got the ball to start the third quarter, but after going three-and-out, Somersworth went on a nine-play, 50-yard drive, getting a 9-yard scoring run from Sheppard. Blayne Belanger added a touchdown run of his own in the fourth quarter, with the conversion by Amani Muya putting the game into running time.

“Last week, we knew it was going to be a dog fight,” Sheppard said. “This week, after the loss, we knew this was all about how we’d react, how we’d bounce back. That was the mindset going into this. We know we’ll most likely see this team again (in the playoffs). We gave it all we had.”