For one quarter, Falmouth and Lawrence looked like evenly matched teams in Friday night’s Class B North football game.

For one quarter.

Then, one play after Lawrence missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt – and three after Bulldogs quarterback Michael Hamlin overthrew an open receiver in the end zone – it was no longer close.

Indi Backman rolled around left end untouched and scored on an 80-yard run. With Peter Kearns’ PAT, Falmouth led 14-3 and the eventual 48-3 rout was underway.

“I can’t give myself credit for that touchdown,” Backman said. “I literally did not get touched. It was all blocking, dude. I did nothing. I just ran.”

After Backman’s score, Falmouth’s defense teed off, with two sacks and six additional tackles for loss. Ends Eli Bush and Dylan Cleveland, inside backers Backman and Kearns, and undersized sophomore tackle Harlem Harrison were among the many who swarmed the ball and held hard-running Lawrence senior Colton Carter to 73 yards on 22 painful carries.

“They had some surprising passes (early in the game) that we didn’t plan for,” Bush said. “But once we got on it, we figured out what we needed to do and we got it done. We know our defense is the best in the state. That’s what we live by.”

Falmouth, ranked fifth in the Varsity Maine poll, is 7-0. Lawrence is 4-3. Falmouth has allowed only 40 points in seven games.

“They missed that field goal, that was huge,” said Falmouth Coach Spencer Emerson. “Them coming up empty was a huge burst for us and then being able to score and we always say score quick. We want to score every play and if we end up with a first down, that’s great. We always say we want fireworks. We want to be able to score from deep. Hit home runs.”

Lawrence had scored 110 points in its last two games, wins against Messalonskee and Mt. Blue.

But against Falmouth’s big, fast and aggressive defense, Lawrence’s offense could not keep pace. Its defense, which has been suspect most of the season, allowed 375 yards (and 48 points) on just 25 plays through three quarters.

Lawrence Coach John Hersom said it was uncharacteristic for his team to “lose control of all momentum that quickly. And we really didn’t have an answer. Which is kind of concerning.”

Lawrence was further limited when wingback/defensive back Keegan Littlefield suffered a knee injury. Preston Roy, a captain and the second option in the run game, was operating well below 10o percent following a week-long illness.

Falmouth quarterback Tres Walker, who had his first pass intercepted, finished 6 of 7 for 150 yards and four touchdowns. Backman rushed for 146 yards on 13 carries and two scores.

Walker shoveled a pass to Gio Guerrette, who turned the play into a 55-yard score for Falmouth’s first touchdown and a 7-3 lead. Lawrence scored first on a 25-yard field goal by Trevor Pellerin.

Walker’s next two TDs were well-placed deep balls of 30 yards to Ben Robbins and 36 to Logan McVeigh.

“Those deep passes definitely feel great. They get our energy up, too,” Walker said.

Robbins was another key performer, making sticks on defense and excelling as a punt returner. Where most high school returners struggle to catch a ball near them, Robbins repeatedly and aggressively raced forward to catch short punts in the air and then gained an extra 8 to 10 yards on his return, keeping Falmouth way ahead in the field position game.

Up 34-3 at the half, Falmouth quickly pushed the game to running time in the third quarter when Joey Guerrette took a screen 53 yards. On Falmouth’s next possession, senior captain Owen Bombardier, an offensive lineman, capped a short drive with a 1-yard run.