WINSLOW — Ben Dorval didn’t know the day he was in for.

The Winslow junior replaced an injured Ryan Fredette at running back and proceeded to lead the No. 2 Black Raiders football team to a 49-13 win over rival No. 7 Waterville in a Class C North quarterfinal game Saturday at Poulin Field.

Dorval ran for 148 yards on 19 carries, scoring four touchdowns for Winslow (8-1), which will host Maine Central Institute in the semifinals at 1 p.m., Saturday.

Waterville finished 3-6.

Dorval took over after Fredette injured his ankle on Winslow’s third offensive possession of the game. The star running back was in street clothes and crutches with his ankle heavily wrapped in the second half. His status for next weekend’s game is uncertain.

“(Saturday), Fredette got hurt and told me he want me to (get the job) done for him,” Dorval said. “He wants to keep going, even if you’re not going to be able to play, he wants us to keep playing.”

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The Black Raiders kicked off their scoring through the air to open the game, when quarterback Ryan Gagnon hit Colby Pomeroy on a post pattern for a 61-yard touchdown. Gagnon’s extra point opened the game 7-0 in favor of Winslow.

Waterville answered on its first possession thanks to a trick play. After receiving a toss from quarterback Jack Thompson, running back Chase Wheeler threw the ball downfield to a wide open Anthony Nabarowsky, who completed the 52-yard scoring strike that made it a 7-6 game.

Fredette — who finished with 78 yards on just five carries — scored his lone touchdown on the next drive, bursting up the middle of the Waterville defense for a 53-yard touchdown run. Gagnon’s extra point gave Winslow a 14-6 lead that they would never relinquish. Gagnon added a 1-yard touchdown dive to push the lead to 21-6 by the end of the first quarter.

“We had a strong running game, and the early (touchdown) pass (helped),” Winslow head coach Mike Siviski said. “We’re just happy to move on.”

The Purple Panthers notched their final touchdown in the second quarter, when Thompson completed a 33-yard pass to Wheeler for a touchdown, which brought the score to 21-13. For the rest of the half, it was all Winslow. Specifically, it was all Dorval.

Dorval had touchdown runs on his fourth and fifth carries of the game. His first touchdown was a sweep to the left, where he found room to bolt down the sidelines for a 57-yard score. His next touchdown run came on the ensuing Winslow possession, when he went 17 yards up the middle into the end zone. By halftime, the Black Raiders enjoyed a 35-13 lead.

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Dorval credited the offensive line with his play.

“They make everything,” Dorval said. “We always thank our lineman, we’re always like, ‘You’re going to make or break us.’ We’re fortunate enough to have the coaching staff we have and the big line we have. They just get it done every day.”

Neither team scored in the third quarter, but Winslow sealed the win in the fourth with two touchdown runs by Dorval — one for 6 yards, another for 22 yards — for the final 49-13 score.

Alex Demers aided the Winslow rushing attack with 60 yards on seven carries. Waterville was led offensively by Thompson, who was 5 for 11 passing for 69 yards and a touchdown. Nicholas Wildhaber had 52 rushing yards on 12 carries.

“We make three mental mistakes, and (Winslow) cashes in with two quick scores,” Waterville head coach Matt Gilley said. “That passes, kids hold their ground (in the second half) and then we’re playing football again….The scheme was there, it’s not like we didn’t know what was coming. We were getting to the point of attack. They tackled and blocked a little bit better than we did today.”

The game was the fifth playoff meeting between Waterville and Winslow since 2005, with the Black Raiders coming away with the victory in each of those contests. Winslow also sank the Purple Panthers 57-10 on Sept. 16 in Waterville.

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The contest was Waterville’s first playoff game after a two-year absence. The Purple Panthers will lose seven seniors.

“As a program, we’re moving in the right direction,” Gilley said. “We’ve got guys saying the right things. It comes down to the offseason. You can’t take a season off, not get ready…If (the team) decides to get after it, it shows up on the field. We’ve got a group that’s saying the right stuff, but championships are won from November to August. We’ll see where we stand.”

The Black Raiders will have their hands full in the semifinals against MCI. The two teams met in Pittsfield in the regular season finale Oct. 20, with Winslow coming away with a 32-29 win. In that game, Fredette ran for 218 yards on 28 carries, including a scoring run of 97 yards.

“All I can tell you is, it’s going to be a battle,” Siviski said.

David Dyer — 621-5640

ddyer@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Dave_Dyer


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