BANGOR — It has almost become a rite of passage for Melrose-Mindoro High School football players to being their seasons with a loss to Bangor.
But the Mustangs, who have always seemed to learn from the experience and make necessary adjustments for a successful season anyway, changed all of that on Thursday.
The Cardinals led visiting Melrose-Mindoro as time ticked away, but the Mustangs had the answer they needed to beat Bangor 21-20 and pick up its first win in the nonconference series since 2007.
The teams have opened their seasons against each other every year since 2005 — the only exception being 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic — and the Cardinals had won the last 17 of 18 when Thursday’s opener in Bangor kicked off.
Melrose-Mindoro, however, received a 2-point conversion run from junior quarterback Bradly Blaken with 1.1 seconds left to turn a 1-point deficit into a 1-point victory.
Blaken completed 14 of 23 passes and was intercepted twice, but he passed for a touchdown and rushed for a touchdown in addition to the conversion to help the Mustangs score a significant win.
“It’s huge for the kids, especially,” Melrose-Mindoro coach Tory Lockington said. “They never gave up, and this shows them that they can play in these games.”
The Cardinals broke a long run to the 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter and punched it into the end zone for a 20-13 lead with 40 seconds remaining.
Blaken completed two long passes to move the Mustangs down the field before finding Isaiah Kleinsmith for the touchdown that brought them within 20-19 with 1.1 seconds left.
Blaken, who passed for 145 yards, then completed the conversion run that gave his team an exciting way to start its season.
“Brady did a lot of smart things tonight,” Lockington said. “We’ve said that if (the pass) isn’t there, take off and run it, and he did that.
“He had some decent runs for us in this game.”
