The Deering High football team started with power and finished off Leavitt with big plays in a convincing 35-6 win Friday night at Memorial Field.

Tavian Lauture threw two touchdown passes on rollouts while under pressure and put the game away with fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 39 and 78 yards.

Deering, which plays in Class B South, improved to 3-0. Leavitt, the defending Class C champion, barely had the ball in the first half as Deering had a 33-14 edge in plays. The Hornets are 1-2.

The combination of power running with feature back Joey Foley, Lauture’s playmaking ability and a defense that has allowed just one touchdown in each game has led to Deering outscoring its opposition 126-21.

Deering dominated the first half while building a 14-0 lead, running 33 plays to Leavitt’s 14.

“We were just trying to punch it down their throats, set a tone in the first half,” said Foley, who carried 24 times, almost exclusively between the tackles for 103 yards, 80 in the first half.

Foley scored the first touchdown on a 12-yard tackle-breaking run on a fourth-and-3 play. That capped a 62-yard game-opening drive that ate up over five minutes.

“I thought we had a chance to be maybe a little more physical and that was sort of the mindset in the first half,” said Deering Coach Brendan Scully on his decision to go for the first down rather than a field goal.

After forcing Leavitt into a three-and-out, Deering again chewed up time (7:22) and yardage (63), scoring on an 18-yard pass from Lauture to Zeke Dewever with 10:55 left in the second quarter, after Lauture gained some extra time while maneuvering to his left. Lauture added his second of five extra-point kicks.

Lauture only completed three of his eight passes but two went for scores. He also gained 135 yards on 10 carries.

Leavitt went to a wildcat formation on its first drive of the second half with burly back Keegan Reny (12 carries, 36 yards) taking the direct snaps.

After runs by Reny and Mason Henderson (eight carries, 56 yards) got Leavitt well into Deering territory, Reny connected with Dane Cabral on a 28-yard play-action pass for a touchdown. Deering stopped Henderson on a conversion attempt.

Deering responded with another nine-play drive finished when Lauture, running right to escape pressure, zipped a pass to Corbin Burke in the back of the end zone for a 20-yard score. As Lauture was approaching the Deering sideline, an assistant coach yelled at him to “dump it, dump it,’ meaning throw the ball out of bounds.

“I did not (hear that),” Lauture said. “I just saw Corbin. I locked my eyes on him and waited for him to get open.”

“That throw, that was a dart,” Scully said. “I mean, he was under pressure and then he threw a fastball for sure.”

Leavitt was back in a two-touchdown hole, and both starting tailback sophomore Randan Hutchinson and top threat Henderson were on the sidelines because of injuries suffered during the game. Of Henderson, Leavitt Coach Mike Hathaway said, “he’s going to be out awhile. I’ll just leave it at that.”

Leavitt’s final three possessions ended with turnovers. Lauture capitalized on the first two with his long touchdown runs, coming on option plays where the Hornets’ defense focused too much on fakes to Foley.

“He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the state, hands down,” Hathaway said of Lauture. “He can ball.”

Lauture said Friday’s win will be appreciated but not overblown.

“This is a big win but we’re on to next week now. This week is in the past,” Lauture said.