WAREHAM — In a game delayed three times by lightening and thunder, Apponequet's own version of thunder and lightening led the Lakers to victory.

Quarterback Chad Gaucher threw two touchdowns and running back Brendan Cooney ran for 78 yards and a touchdown to help the Lakers win a soggy one, 23-0, in Wareham.

A collective gasp could be heard after lightning struck in Wareham as rain poured down for three of the game's first four quarters. Three half-hour delays meant no halftime in order to speed the game along.

Cooney got the ball rolling for the Lakers on a one-yard touchdown run six minutes in, after a botched Wareham snap set up Apponequet on the goal line.

A Lakers safety in the second quarter made it 9-0, and Gaucher's first scoring strike of the game came with 21 seconds left in the first half after he rolled out of the pocket right, read through his progressions and found his third option David Lewis open in the back of the end zone to make it 16-0.

"He had a pretty good game," Apponequet head coach Zane Fyfe said of Gaucher. "He managed it pretty well. We wanted to throw it a little more, but the weather ... toward the end there it started to dry up and he got a better handle on the ball."

Gaucher's second touchdown pass came with 4:28 remaining in the second half when he threw an eight-yard laser beam to Elvis Choate.

Fyfe commended the play of his defense, and singled out Cooney for his hard-nosed running.

"The defense played very fundamental. They were fantastic," he said. "And Cooney, he was a monster. He was running the ball hard. It took three or four guys to bring him down."

Wareham starter Isaac Nascimento was forced to leave the game in the first half after re-injuring his left shoulder. Steven Toal took over, but he wasn't much more successful than than his teammate at penetrating the Laker defense, going 2-of-7 for 12 yards. Nascimento was more successful on the ground, though he took a pounding from Apponequet's defenders. He finished 2-of-8 passing for 30 yards, while rushing eight times for 50 yards

"It was definitely difficult to adjust to the weather," said Gaucher. "But coach had compete faith in me ... it was all about confidence."

FATHER, FATHER, SON, SON: Chad Gaucher and Eric Nascimento, the fathers of the two QBs, were teammates on Wareham's 1995 Super Bowl Championship team. "My father texted me before the game and told me I might be the last Gaucher to play on Wareham's field," said the younger Gaucher. "I had to go out with a bang."

MVP: APPONEQUET'S D: The Lakers forced four turnovers, including a Lewis interception of Nascimento in the first half, and held the Vikings to just 148 total yards.

WAREHAM COACH DAN NAULT ON HIS TEAM'S EFFORT: "I thought it was a little more even than the score showed. We didn't catch any breaks, but we didn't make any either, and we're 2-3."

CHOPPING BLOCK: The refs called six penalties for chop blocks. "I think it was just guys falling down because it was slippery out there," said Nault.

Apponequet 23, Wareham 0

Apponequet: 7;9;0;7 — 23

Wareham 0;0;0;0 — 0


1st quarter

A: Cooney 1 yard run, (Nee kick good) 6:00

Second quarter

A: Safety on Nascimento sack 10:19

A: Gaucher 8 pass to Lewis (Nee kick good) 0:27

Fourth quarter

A: Gaucher 8 pass to Choate (Nee kick good) 4:27 

Individual Stats

Passing — W: Nacimento 3-8-30, Toal 2-7-12; A: Gaucher 4-10-38-2

Rushing — W: Nascimento 8-50, Elicier 8-36, Onijiogu 5-12, Toal 5-19; A: Cooney 17-78-1, Gaucher 4-6

Receiving — W: Fernandes 3-20, Onijiogu 2-22; A: Lewis 3-26-1, Choate 1-8-1