Western Class C football semifinal: Dirigo makes quick work of Winthrop

Amber Waterman/Sun Journal

Dirigo's Nic Crutchfield attempts to keep Winthrop's Hunter Sherman at bay during the first half of their game Saturday in Dixfield. The Cougars won 26-0.

- Amber Waterman/Sun Journal
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Amber Waterman/Sun Journal

Dirigo's Alex Miele forces Winthrop's Dylan Berney out of bounds in the second half of their semifinal game Saturday in Dixfield. The Cougars topped the Ramblers 26-0.

- Amber Waterman/Sun Journal
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Amber Waterman/Sun Journal

Dirigo's Spencer Ross breaks up a pass intended for Winthrop's Ryan Conant in the first half of their game Saturday in Dixfield. The Cougars won 26-0.

- Amber Waterman/Sun Journal
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Amber Waterman/Sun Journal

Winthrop's Dylan Berney fumbles the ball as Dirigo's David Guildford tackles him from behind in the first half of their game Saturday in Dixfield. The Cougars' Kyle Hutchinson nabbed the fumble and returned it for a touchdown. The Cougars won 26-0.

- Amber Waterman/Sun Journal
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DIXFIELD — Dirigo High School continues to teach its football opponents the value of a minute.

Sure, you might move the chains and cover the field for three or four revolutions of the clock at a time. Out of the 48 minutes in a regulation game, you might even celebrate the moral victory of playing 45 of them to a stalemate.

But the Western Class C playoffs are when seconds count, and those blinks and hiccups are what hoisted unbeaten, top-seeded Dirigo to a 26-0 whitewashing of No. 4 Winthrop in Saturday's semifinal at Harlow Park.

Spencer Ross immediately piggybacked a Nic Crutchfield interception with a 59-yard touchdown run.

Two of Crutchfield's three pass completions traveled for long touchdowns — 31 yards to Alex Miele and 54 yards to Tyler Chiasson, each of the catch-and-go variety.

And Kyle Hutchinson headlined the shutout with a 37-yard fumble return for a score to complement a quarterback sack and a blocked punt.

"That's the quick-strike ability we have," said Crutchfield, who sat out most of the second half with what was believed to be a strained hip flexor. 

By then, it didn't matter. Dirigo scored every point in the first half of its school-record 10th victory.

Dirigo will host No. 7 Yarmouth at 12:30 p.m. next Saturday for the regional championship.

Jake Dowland added a sack and Arik Fenstermacher and Mason Cote each registered double-digit tackles for Dirigo, which snapped Winthrop's three-game winning streak. 

Winthrop (6-4) made only one excursion inside the Dirigo 20-yard line. That journey ended when Dowland, Fenstermacher and Ben Dolloff combined to stop Cory Harris for no gain on fourth-and-3 at the 5 with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter.

"We felt like we gave up three big plays and the turnovers in the first half, or it could have gone the other way," said Winthrop coach Joel Stoneton. "All of a sudden we were down 12-0, and it's hard to come back against a team like that."

Crutchfield's interception and Ross' prompt cash-in breathed life into a Dirigo offense that was held to a net two yards on its first possession.

Two plays later, Brandon Jonaitis stripped the ball from Harris' hands and into Hutchinson's on a single, friendly hop.

"It was like that got everybody going," said Chiasson, who made eight tackles from his defensive end slot. "We were talking and communicating out there."

Winthrop's upset hopes also took a scary nosedive when defensive end Cory Staples left the game in an ambulance early in the second quarter.

After his second sack of Crutchfield in the game, Staples stumbled over to the Ramblers bench with a severe concussion. He was semi-conscious and bleeding from the nose when coaches summoned medical personnel.

Staples was alert and receiving a precautionary CAT scan at a local hospital late Saturday afternoon, according to Stoneton.

Solo stops by Chad Oakes and Cote held Winthrop to three-and-out after the lengthy delay, and Hutchinson's deflection limited the ensuing punt to 17 yards.

Crutchfield and Miele's hook-up on a crossing pattern kept the Cougars clicking. The TD was Dirigo's second third-down conversion on the drive.

"They're a hard-hitting team, and they were plugging up the middle a lot," said Miele.

Winthrop backed Dirigo into second-and-26 and applied frantic pressure to Crutchfield before he located Chiasson on a middle screen.

Big blocks at midfield and the 20-yard line did the rest to free Chiasson, who is customarily Dirigo's chain-moving fullback. But the yardage came in bigger chunks Saturday. Dirigo amassed 144 of its 248 total yards on the three touchdown plays.

"They were playing off our receivers and giving them a lot of space," Crutchfield said.

Hunter Sherman and Eric Duplessis joined Staples as defensive cogs for the Ramblers, who were denied their third consecutive trip to the regional final.

Harris had 23 carries for 118 yards and Ryan Conant added 83 yards on 16 attempts for Winthrop.

"We weren't even supposed to be here," said Stoneton. "The kids overcame a lot this year."

koakes@sunjournal.com