FAIRFIELD — The Lawrence football team did what it does best in its Class B North quarterfinal against Mt. Blue on Friday night: Dominate the ground game.

Garrett Leclerc (157 yards), Keegan Littlefield (156) and Jaiden Hebert (113) led the third-seeded Bulldogs to a 40-14 victory over No. 6 Mt. Blue and a berth in the semifinals. Littlefield, a junior, ran for five touchdowns, while Leclerc, a senior, ran for one.

Lawrence improves to 5-4 and will face No. 2 Fryeburg Academy in the semifinals next Friday.

“I’m speechless,” Littlefield said. “I’m just glad we were able to play as a team and do whatever we could (to win).”

Lawrence gained 482 yards, all on the ground.

Senior quarterback Gary Harkins III was 10 of 19 passing for 127 yards and a touchdown for Mt. Blue (1-8).

How did they get there?

Pounding the rock. Lawrence had some early struggles, turning the ball over twice in the first quarter. But the Bulldogs eventually found their rhythm and took a 7-0 lead on a 15-yard run by Littlefield.

Littlefield added two more touchdowns, on runs of 8 and 3 yards, to give the Bulldogs a 20-0 halftime lead. Lawrence had 243 yards in the first half, while Mt. Blue managed just 31.

“The offensive line work their (tails) off every day of the week,” Littlefield said. “They just keep pushing.”

Herbert added: “It’s just a grind, and we have to keep working. They make those holes, it shows up in games.”

Harkins hit Roman Galkowski for a 57-yard touchdown pass early in the second half to cut the lead to 20-7. Reed Cousineau added a 13-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for Mt. Blue.

“First off, congrats to Lawrence, they’re a class act and Coach (John) Hersom does a great job,” Mt. Blue coach Craig Collins said. “We had our opportunities early. Two turnovers (from Lawrence) and we didn’t score. I thought that would have given us some more energy. … In the playoffs, you win up front. Their front five beat our front five, and that’s the bottom line. We just couldn’t find anything to stop them.”

What does this mean?

After some struggles early in the season, the Bulldogs have found some momentum. Lawrence has won three straight games since a 46-14 loss to Cony on Oct. 17.

“We took a few losses early in the season; really, I just think that fired us up,” Leclerc said.

Though the season is over for Mt. Blue, the Cougars have some pieces in place heading into the future under Collins, who wrapped up his first season as the head coach.

“Our goal was to get better each day, and I think we got better as the year went on,” Collins said. “That was the goal, and they’ve done a great job. The senior class, they’ve done a good job leading us and I’m proud of them.”

A heart-warming moment

In the final 10 seconds, Collins sent in senior Keegan Parker to play on the defensive line. Parker, who is autistic, excitedly waved to the crowd before making a tackle on Lawrence running back Dawson Moore.

On top of a loud ovation from the crowd, Parker received high-fives from both Mt. Blue and Lawrence players. It was the first time this season Parker got into a game.

“I wanted to get him in. Keegan has been there at every practice,” Collins said. “From June 16, he has not missed a day. He’s a great kid and I wanted to reward him. I honestly think this is what (sports) is about.”

They said it

• “This is really a brotherhood. We just get along so well.” — Garrett Leclerc

• “We’re extremely excited (for the future), because the kids do work hard. I work in the school system, and I see them every day. We have improved. Tonight, we ran into a better team.” — Craig Collins

Statistical leaders

• Lawrence: Keegan Littlefield (14 carries, 156 rushing yards, 5 TDs), Garrett Leclerc (12 carries, 157 yards, TD), Jaiden Hebert (14 carries, 113 yards).

• Mt. Blue: Gary Harkins III (10 of 19 passing, 127 yards, TD), Roman Galkowski (3 receptions, 76 yards, TD), Dillon Gray (10 carries, 41 yards).