WALES — The Oak Hill offense, while far from prolific, made just enough big plays at just the right times Saturday in a Campbell Conference Class C game with Poland.

Throw in a terrific defensive effort, and the Raiders ultimately had little trouble with the Knights, winning 28-7.

“This was such a big win for us,” said Oak Hill quarterback Parker Asselin, who completed 6 of 13 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. “The coaches told us this game could decide if we get a home playoff game.”

The Raiders (5-1) certainly look like one of the top four teams in the conference. They dominated the game up front, particularly on defense, to make life difficult for Poland (1-5) and its quarterback, senior Tony Whalen.

“Every win is a good win,” Oak Hill coach Stacen Doucette said. “There’s a logjam at the top right now. It sets up a huge game next week.”

Oak Hill hosts rival Maranacook (5-1) in a pivotal conference showdown Saturday. They are two of four 5-1 teams — Dirigo and Winslow are the others — in the North Division of the conference.

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Junior tight end Luke Washburn, who stands 6-foot-3, caught five passes for 87 yards and two scores for Oak Hill. His first touchdown, a 5-yard completion from Asselin, gave the Raiders a 14-0 lead with 37 seconds left in the second quarter.

The score came four plays after Joel Wells intercepted a Whelan pass at the Poland 12-yard line.

His second reception came in double coverage in the back of the end zone with 4:51 left in the third quarter. The 18-yard score gave the Raiders a 21-0 lead.

“Parker threw a nice ball,” Washburn said. “I just had to go up and get it. I’m pretty good at that.”

Tyler Sturtevant returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, the lone big play of the game for Poland.

The Knights struggled offensively all game. They finished with 81 net yards, including negative 6 in the second half. Sturtevant led the way with 33 yards on 15 carries.

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Poland had a chance to pull even in the second quarter when it drove to the Oak Hill 8-yard line. However, they were stopped on fourth and goal at the 4.

“We played great defense,” Doucette said, “and offensively, we connected on a few passes and that helped loosen up the run.”

Senior fullback Aaron Clark rushed for a 1-yard touchdown just 1:14 into the fourth quarter to help Oak Hill push its lead to 28-7.

Alex Mace led the Raiders with 61 yards on 19 carries. Kyle Flaherty rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

“Our line played really well,” Asselin said. “We played a pretty good game. We just wanted to pound it.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

bstewart@centralmaine.com


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