WALES — Oak Hill junior running back Kyle Flaherty did his thing, which was pound the football up into the teeth of the Boothbay defense. So, too, did junior running back Alex Mace, who got to the edge on more than one occasion and provided some flash to a rejuvenated offense.

The pair of contrasting running backs, coupled with a defense that made a few plays when it needed them most, helped lift No. 2 Oak Hill past No. 7 Boothbay 41-22 in a Western D Campbell Conference quarterfinal game Saturday.

“Our whole team has improved,” said Flaherty. “We’re hungry. We want to keep this going.”

Flaherty rushed for a game-high 224 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries to power the Raiders (7-2), who will host No. 3 Lisbon (7-2) in a regional semifinal game AT 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Mace rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He also threw a 57-yard touchdown to Ryan Stevens.

“Our running backs did a great job,” Oak Hill coach Stacen Doucette said. “They worked hard and we got the job done. We executed some plays.”

Jason Maddocks led Boothbay (3-6) with 172 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

Oak Hill led 13-0 after the first quarter and 27-8 at the half. The Seahawks (4-5) pulled within 27-16 when Maddocks rushed for a 58-yard touchdown — his second of the game — with 9 minutes, 10 seconds left in the third quarter.

However, the Raiders pulled away with two scores in the final seven minutes of the quarter.

The first came on a 25-yard touchdown run from Flaherty with 6:07 left in the quarter. The score capped a seven-play, 58-yard drive.

“I just had some openings,” Flaherty said. “The line opened some things up for me and I just got myself to the end zone.”

The Raiders defense, led by Luke Washburn (eight tackles, two sacks), forced Boothbay to punt on its ensuing possession. The Seahawks pinned the Raiders at their own 9-yard line, but Flaherty ripped off a 77-yard run with 2:45 left in the quarter. Three plays later, Oak Hill quarterback Parker Asselin threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Washburn.

“Parker threw a great pass,” Washburn said. “I just went up and got it. It was open.”

Boothbay added a late touchdown in the fourth quarter but it was too little, too late.

“We came out with a lot of energy,” said Washburn. “We had a lot of intensity and it really got us through.”

Flaherty and Mace rushed for touchdowns in the first quarter to put the Raiders ahead 13-0. Mace then threw a nice 57-yard touchdown to Stevens with 9:15 left in the second quarter. Asselin completed the two-point conversion pass to Washburn to make it 21-0.

“We expected a tough, physical game and that’s just what we got,” Doucette said. “We knew they’d come out and play us tough. We expected a full game. It’s the playoffs.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640bstewart@centralmaine.comTwitter: @billstewartkj