FARMINGTON – David DiGravio had the ball and plenty of room to run.

When the Mt. Blue senior defensive back recovered the football Friday night, he didn’t have much time to think, but his instincts told him what to do.

“The ball all of a sudden popped in the air,” said DiGravio. “It came right to me. It couldn’t have been any easier. I caught the ball and said to myself Go, go go. Don’t let up and keep sprinting all the way.'”

DiGravio returned the fumble 47 yards for a touchdown. It turned a 14-7 lead into a 21-7 Mt. Blue advantage. Messalonskee never recovered in a 28-13 Cougar win in their Eastern A quarterfinal matchup. Mt. Blue (8-1) will host Skowhegan next week.

“They were moving the ball, and it was a close game,” said Mt. Blue coach Gary Parlin. “That kid has made more plays for us this year.”

Down by just a touchdown, the Eagles (6-3) were moving downfield on its second possession of the second half. Chris Duffy, who finished with 175 yards on 25 carries, had helped carry Messalonskee to its own 47 and were building momentum for a tying score. When the ball popped loose from Duffy’s grasp, DiGravio was there.

“We came out at halftime, and we drove the football on them,” said Messalonskee coach Wes Littlefield. “We just happen to fumble, and DiGravio was sitting right there. That’s the luck of the draw. That’s kind of how football goes.”

Early in the fourth quarter, a Hal Robbins interception set up a 10-play drive that was capped off by a Jordan Stevens plunge from the 3 with 6:50 left in the game. The Eagles did get a Duffy touchdown from the 8 with 1:25 remaining.

DiGravio’s night wasn’t limited to the second half fumble. After an interception on its first possession, the Cougars got the ball right back on a fumble. DiGravio blind-sided quarterback Ted Fabian. Jared Richards returned the fumble to the 2.

“I didn’t have any pass coverage on that one,” said DiGravio. “I saw him rollout, and I came as hard as I could.”

DiGravio dove in from one yard away with 6:52 left for the 7-0 lead.

That was great,” he said. “The momentum was on their side at that point, and we took it right back.”

Messalonskee answered with a quick score. A Duffy 43-yard scamper led to a Josh Cote rush from the 2 with 5:57 left. Mt. Blue managed to maintain possession for much of the first half after that, preventing the Eagles from getting its offense going until late in the second quarter. The Cougars had a 10-4 edge in first downs in the first half.

“That’s what you do against a good back,” said Parlin. “If you’ve got the ball, they don’t have it. We preached hard all week – 10 plays drives.”

Mt. Blue used a lengthy drive that culminated in a DiGravio score from the 5 with 11:26 left in the half for the 14-7 lead.