JAY – The Jay High School football team took advantage of the elements and showcased a balanced attack Friday night.

Trevor McCourt scored three touchdowns in the second half as the Tigers rallied for a 34-20 win against Boothbay in the semifinals of the Campbell Conference Class C playoffs.

Powerful wind gusts made things interesting at Taglienti Field, leading to both teams attempting to secure field position.

No. 1 Jay (9-0) will host the regional championship game with Livermore Falls next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Jay. The Tigers had defeated Boothbay 22-14 in September, but the rematch was a different story. Boothbay led 12-8 at halftime.

Andrew Deering scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 26-yard pass from senior quarterback Justin Wells to culminate a 90-yard drive that took just 1:19 with the wind at Jay’s back. The conversion attempt failed, but Jay led 22-12 with 26 seconds left in the third quarter.

“It was gut-check time,” Jay coach Mark Bonnevie said. “We had went in at halftime and talked about what we needed to do. The kids really responded well. I’m just so proud of them, an undefeated season and now we are in the conference final.”

After Boothbay’s D.J. Holcomb (76 yards) scored on a 1-yard run to cut the lead to 22-20, Ryan Bourassa recovered an on-side kick attempt for Jay. Two-plays later, McCourt scored on a 45-yard sprint.

Wells (6 of 14, 61 yards) directed a 60-yard drive on the initial possession of the third quarter. McCourt (95 yards, 16 rushes) scored from 16 yards out .

Boothbay took the lead with five seconds left in the second quarter when Holcomb scored on a 2-yard run.

Both teams scored following long drives in the first half. Casey Latter ran one yard on an inside handoff for the Seahawks. Joel Ouellette ran 23 yards for the Tigers and the conversion made the score 8-6.

“Boothbay was ready,” Bonnevie said. “They played us hard in the first quarter, but our kids answered them right back.”

Boothbay concludes its season at 6-4.

The Tigers received big efforts on defense by Bourassa, Shane Gagnon, Kyle Wells (fumble recovery), Eric Clark and McCourt. The offensive linemen – Ben Irish, Derek Franchetti, Chris Jewett, Wells and Gagnon – provided good protection.