WINSLOW — One of the first signs visitors see walking into Poulin Field states “Welcome to the house of pain.”
On Saturday, the Winslow football team brought the pain — and in droves.
The Black Raiders, the defending Eastern Class C champions, forced four sacks and four turnovers on defense, one an 85-yard interception return for a touchdown by Dylan Hapworth, en route to a 38-7 victory over Madison.
“We’re just pleased to get an opening game win,” Winslow coach Mike Siviski said. “A lot of guys getting their first varsity competition, with a smattering of veterans. It’s a work in progress.”
Winslow (1-0) held the Bulldogs to 113 yards of offense. The Black Raiders were able to keep constant pressure on Madison quarterback Chase Malloy. Nat Beckwith, Jordan Wing, Luke Fredette and Ryan Fredette each collected sacks for Winslow.
“I thought our linebackers really stepped up today, I’m not sure we had that last year,” Hapworth said. “They were following their rules and just making plays. It was exciting.”
The Black Raiders had early struggles against Madison (0-1). The Bulldogs defense did well to slow the Black Raiders’ running game in the first quarter, forcing Winslow to a three-and-out on the first drive. The Black Raiders were able to march down for their first score on their next drive, a 67-yard march capped off by a 5-yard quarterback keeper by quarterback Bobby Chenard for the first touchdown. Hapworth’s extra point gave Winslow a 7-0 lead.
The momentum swung completely in the Black Raiders’ corner in the second quarter. Hapworth’s interception came on Madison’s first drive of the period, a tipped pass from Malloy off the hands of receiver Derek LeBlanc. Hapworth raced down the sideline for the score. His extra point gave the Black Raiders a 14-0 lead.
“It was just there in front of me, I just took it and ran,” Hapworth said. “I was just hoping that no one was behind me. Just running as fast as I can.”
Winslow forced turnovers on Madison’s following two possessions, one on an interception by cornerback Trenton Bouchard, the other on a fumble recovery eventually resulting in another Winslow touchdown. With the ball in Madison territory, the Black Raiders drove 33 yards on six plays, capped off by a 4-yard Hapworth touchdown run, giving Winslow a 21-0 lead. Hapworth capped off the first half scoring with a 34-yard field goal, sending the teams into halftime with the Black Raiders leading 24-0.
Winslow picked up more steam offensively in the second half, particularly with the use of the double-dive, faking the handoff to fullback Kenny Rickard and instead handing it off to Hapworth. A 50-yard sprint by Hapworth set on the play set up another Chenard touchdown run, this time on a 1-yard sneak, to give the Black Raiders a 30-0 lead.
Hapworth led Winslow offensively, gaining 88 yards on 12 carries. Rickard added 45 yards on five carries.
The Black Raiders pulled their starters in the fourth, but sophomore quarterback Dylan Hutchinson added one more score for Winslow, a 12-yard run on an option play, to give Winslow a 38-0 lead.
“The lineman did a good job of picking up their blocks later in the game,” Chenard said. “It was a little tricky at first, their defense wasn’t what we were expecting. But we put our nose to the grindstone and played Raider football.”
The Bulldogs lone touchdown came immediately after Hutchinson’s score, as Sean Whalen returned the kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown. Mitch Jarvais’ extra point cut the score to 38-7.
Madison was led by Cody Soucier, who had 38 yards rushing on 14 carries. Whalen added 22 yards on eight carries.
Though the scoreboard may not have shown it, Madison showed fight to the end and plenty of bright spots going forward, particularly on defense.
“I think early we came out and we did a good job not letting them set the tone,” Madison coach Scott Franzose said. “It’s easy to let a Dylan Hapworth or Justin Martin beat you we a big play. We didn’t do that, we forced a three-and-out. We did that two out of the first three series. Not a whole lot of big plays. I think at times we beat ourselves, it was a typical first week. I like the way we matched up early.”
“Madison’s a good team,” Siviski added. “We think they’re going to do alright.”
Dave Dyer — 621-5639
ddyer@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @Dave_Dyer
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