WINSLOW — Winslow regained the momentum it lost in the second half on one bounce of the football.

Trailing by six points in overtime and facing a second and goal at the 9-yard line, the Black Raiders handed the ball to Dylan Hapworth. The freshman running back never secured the handoff.

Training by six points in overtime and facing a second and goal at the 9-yard line, the Black Raiders handed the ball to Dylan Hapworth. The freshman running back never secured the handoff.

“I went to close it up, and the ball went through my hands,” Hapworth said.

The ball bounced off of a couple of defenders and found its way to the end zone, where Winslow senior Eric Crawley pounced on it. After separating the players, the officials ruled it a touchdown. Hapworth kicked the extra point to give the Black Raiders a 28-27 win.

“I was getting scratched and torn at, and they were trying to pull the ball away from me,” Crawley said of the battle for the fumble. “But I had it tight in my arms. I wasn’t letting that thing go.”

The win leaves Winslow at 5-1 in Class C Campbell Conference play while Dirigo falls to 3-3. The Cougars have lost two of their games in overtime and another by one point

“We need to win next week and the week after to get to the playoffs,” Dirigo coach Dave Crutchfield said.

The Black Raiders dominated the first half and jumped out to a 21-7 lead on the strength of a 35-yard fumble return from Donald Camp and touchdown runs of 51 and 3 yards from Joe Hopkins. Winslow rushed for 205 yards in the first half while holding Dirigo to nine yards on the ground. Cougar quarterback Ben Holmes completed one pass in the first half, a 68-yard deep slant to Nelson Pepin for a touchdown.

The second half was almost a complete reversal of the first. The Cougars outrushed the Black Raiders 118-49. They marched downfield on the opening drive of the third quarter and scored on Jake Dowland’s 5-yard run. They tied the game in the fourth quarter when Bryan Blackman took an option pitch from Holmes and bolted 46 yards for the touchdown.

“They give you a lot of things to defend,” Winslow coach Mike Siviski said. “They have some good people in the skill positions. We got soundly outplayed in the second half. I guess the old quote is I’d rather be lucky. I think Winslow was lucky that time.”

The Cougars got the ball first in overtime with four cracks from the 10-yard line. On third down from the 5, Blackman took a pitch and swept right for the score. Caleb Turner already had kicked three extra points, but his final attempt went wide left.

Holmes completed 4 of 13 passes for 117 yards. His 36-yard toss to Spencer Trenoweth down the right sideline highlighted Dirigo’s third-quarter scoring drive.

The Cougars finished with 244 total yards, while the Black Raiders had 247. Hopkins rushed for 116 yards in the first half but cramped up and didn’t carry the ball in the second half.

“That was a great high school football game,” Siviski said. “We’re lucky, and we know it.”

Gary Hawkins — 621-5638
ghawkins@centralmaine.com

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