Governor’s senior running back and linebacker Porter Lalime played a pivotal role in his team’s 12-7 victory over St. Mark’s in a NEPSAC Class C Group 2 football game on Saturday in Byfield. Lalime contributed significantly on both offense and defense, rushing 24 times for 93 yards and catching a 58-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Kasztenja that opened the scoring. Defensively, Lalime led the effort with six tackles as Governor’s stifled St. Mark’s offense for the first three quarters.

Luke Boria, who took over as Governor’s head coach before the 2025 season, highlighted Lalime as a cornerstone of the program’s resurgence. Boria noted that Lalime was his first recruit upon arriving at Governor’s and praised his impact on the field. “I told him he was going to be one of the main reasons why this program gets back to where we need to be, and you see it here today,” Boria said.

Governor’s improved to 3-1 on the season with the win, while St. Mark’s also fell to 3-1. The Lions’ offense struggled to find its rhythm against a defense that generated three turnovers. Aidan Bly intercepted two passes and scored on a 26-yard run, helping Governor’s build a lead in the third quarter. St. Mark’s quarterback Craig Haas exited due to injury late in the third quarter, and his replacement Jack Cullinan managed a 36-yard touchdown pass to Dharysus Sisay in the fourth quarter to narrow the deficit.

Despite the late scoring by St. Mark’s, Governor’s defense held firm. Brandon Fowler sealed the victory by intercepting a pass in the end zone during St. Mark’s final drive.

Senior defensive lineman Tiger Xiong, who has committed to Dartmouth, praised Lalime’s all-around contributions and expressed surprise that he has not attracted more college recruitment interest. Xiong credited the team’s defensive success to linebackers coach Gardner Cousins, a 2020 Governor’s alumnus and Stonehill player, citing his preparation during practices and film study.

“We knew our defense was definitely the strong point of our team, and we knew we were going to hold it down from the beginning,” Xiong said. “The only thing we had to do was on offense, but they showed up. Porter ran his tail off.”