The Winslow football team celebrates after it edged Hermon to win the Class C North title Saturday at Hampden Academy. Dave Dyer/Kennebec Journal
HAMPDEN — The Winslow football team is back in a familiar spot.
Led by a strong ground game that chewed time off the clock in the second half, the Black Raiders held off Hermon 38-30 in the Class C North championship Saturday at the Weatherbee Complex at Hampden Academy.
Winslow (7-2) will meet Cape Elizabeth for the Class C title on Nov. 20 in Portland. Hermon finished 4-4. Winslow last reached the Class C title game in 2015, when it beat Yarmouth 24-10.
“It feels so good, it feels incredible,” Winslow running back/defensive back Jack Dorval said. “We worked so hard for so long in the gym in the offseason. It feels great.”
“It’s pretty awesome,” Winslow co-head coach Wes Littlefield added. “Great group of kids that we have. This is probably, for me coaching, this has been one of the (most fun) years I’ve had. Just a great group of kids, do whatever you ask them to do.”
Dorval had 96 rushing yards on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns for the Black Raiders. He also had an interception. Dorval had help from fellow backs Matt Quirion (16 carries, 137 yards) and Evan Bourget (14 carries, 69 yards and a touchdown).
It was a game of two entirely different offenses. Winslow picked up 367 of its 419 offensive yards on the ground, while Hermon had 246 of its 277 yards come through the air.
“Our offensive line has been good this year,” Quirion said. “They make really big holes for us. There’s not many times where we get negative yardage, because there’s huge holes.”
“It starts with (the offensive line) and it ends with them,” Winslow co-head coach Pete Bolduc added. “They took it to heart this week. They fought like warriors.”
The Winslow football team flocks to its fans after it won the Class C North championship with a 38-30 victory over Hermon on Saturday at Hampden Academy. Dave Dyer/Kennebec Journal
Winslow never trailed during, but Hermon never went away, either. With Winslow up 16-14 entering the second half, both offenses traded blows. Quarterback Jared Newgard hit Tyler Brockway on a 7-yard touchdown pass to give Winslow a 22-14 lead early in the second half. On the next possession, Dorval cut in front of a Johnny Kokoska pass on a slant route, returning the interception for 17 yards. Nine plays later, Dorval scored on a 4-yard run that would set up the Black Raiders with a 30-14 lead.
“We practiced that all week, we have great coaching,” Dorval said. “Coach Bolduc spends hours and hours in the film room. We knew all their plays. He didn’t steer me wrong, I did what he told me to do and I got it.”
Hermon was not done. On its next possession, Kokoska hit Coulter on a wheel route down the sideline for a 55-yard touchdown pass. Kokoska then found Chasen Flanders on the two-point conversion pass, pulling the Hawks within 30-22 entering the fourth quarter.
The key for the Black Raiders was the ability to milk time off the clock with its run game. On its next drive, Winslow was able to kill more than seven minutes off the clock while marching 65 yards on 11 plays. Newgard capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown on an option keeper that helped Winslow take a 30-22 lead.
“That’s our offense, just taking up time,” Quirion said. “Going down (the field), driving slowly and picking up a touchdown. That worked really great in this game.”
Hermon scored again in quick order, needing just seven plays to go 59 yards before Kokoska found Coulter for a 12-yard touchdown pass, then found Coulter again on the two-point conversion to make it a 38-30 game. But once again, Winslow had its way on the ground, and managed to kill the final 3:36 off the clock to seal the game and the regional title.
Kokoska finished 12-19 passing for 234 yards, with four touchdown passes and an interception. Coulter had five receptions for 91 yards, with two touchdowns.
“I’m so proud of them,” Hermon head coach Kyle Gallant said. “We’re young. (Winslow) is a great football team, a very storied program. I’ve got nothing but respect for Coach Littlefield and Bolduc. What has been built by Winslow is just a great football team. We knew it was going to be a boxing match. They might not have, but we did. We may have missed a punch, but every time we went down, our boys punched back.”
Newgard finished with 117 totals yards (65 rushing, 52 passing) with both a touchdown run and pass for Winslow. Brockway had four receptions for 52 yards, with a touchdown.
Dave Dyer – 621-5640
ddyer@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @Dave_Dyer
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