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OAKLAND — For Tatum Doucette, the touchdown was the last of many on his home field in a storied career.

For Parker Doucette? The very first, possibly of many — and a catch that gave his older brother a victory in his final game at Veterans Field.

Tatum Doucette’s 18-yard touchdown pass with 1:43 left was the difference in Messalonskee’s 35-28 victory over Skowhegan in a Class B North quarterfinal Friday. The win sends the Eagles to the semifinals against No. 1 Cony (8-0) at Fuller Field in Augusta.

“For my first varsity touchdown, it couldn’t have been in any other way,” Parker Doucette said. “It’s amazing; it’s like no other feeling in the world.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

No. 4 Messalonskee (4-5) struggled early, going backward on its first two possessions. Skowhegan, meanwhile, got its running game going, courtesy of Ayden Mulcahy and Blake Kenyon, who scored on a 13-yard run to give the visitors a 6-0 lead with 3:06 left in the first quarter.

Tatum Doucette answered for Messalonskee, hitting Fin Minkel for a 12-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter. Fifth-seeded Skowkegan (3-6) quickly regained the lead, though, as a 15-yard touchdown run by Mulcahy sent the River Hawks to the halftime break with a 14-7 advantage. 

“He was a workhorse tonight, and he gave it everything he had, which was our plan,” Skowhegan coach Brad Cyr said of Mulcahy, who did not play in the River Hawks’ 33-28 loss to Messalonskee on Sept. 19. “I can’t say enough about the effort he gave running the football tonight; he was phenomenal.”

Messalonskee drove down the field to make it 14-14 with 7:58 left in the third quarter, but Mulcahy went 61 yards moments later for another go-ahead touchdown. Two plays after that, Tatum Doucette broke multiple tackles and raced 70 yards down the Skowhegan sideline to tie it at 21.

Messalonskee took the lead after forcing a three-and-out, getting a 59-yard touchdown pass from Doucette to Quinn Charles. Mulcahy’s third touchdown of the night tied it once more, but then the Eagles chewed up the clock before Tatum Doucette found his brother for the winning score.

“In the moment, it didn’t hit me because I was thinking about whether we were going to go for 1 or 2, but that was absolutely a cool moment for our family,” said Messalonskee coach Blair Doucette, Tatum and Parker’s father. “It’s something I’ll never forget, honestly.”

WHAT IT MEANS

• After not winning a playoff game from 2017-23, Messalonskee now has a playoff victory in back-to-back years. It was also the first home playoff win in 11 years for the Eagles, who now turn their attention to an unbeaten Cony team that defeated them 47-0 in the season opener.

• Skowhegan’s season ended in the North quarterfinals for the third consecutive year. The River Hawks got a huge game from Mulcahy (26 carries, 256 yards, three touchdowns), but the Eagles’ ability to control the clock after Skowhegan tied the game with 9:11 to go swung the game in their favor.

“When they went down to score that last touchdown, I was half-thinking we should use our timeouts, but then I thought, ‘Well, what if we stop them?’” Cyr said. “We kind of ran out of time, but kudos to them for having that long drive on us that put our back against the wall.”

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

• “I have to give kudos to our line. They were down on themselves in the first half — they weren’t proud of themselves — but at halftime they talked amongst themselves, and they said, ‘We’ve got to do a better job.’ They allowed me to pass and run, and it was awesome.” — Tatum Doucette

• “It doesn’t matter for Tatum whether it’s his last game or not; he’s going to play at 100 percent and always play with all of his heart, no matter what the situation is.” — Blair Doucette

STAT LEADERS

• Skowhegan: Ayden Mulcahy (26 carries, 256 yards, 3 TDs), Blake Kenyon (six carries, 46 yards, TD), Jameson Shanoski (2 1/2 sacks).

• Messalonskee: Tatum Doucette (12 of 18, 208 passing yards, 4 TDs; 13 carries, 164 yards, TD), Parker Doucette (three catches, 74 yards, TD), Quinn Charles (three catches, 71 yards).