PORTLAND – Quick met quicker. Dominant said hello to resourceful and resilient.

Winthrop turned Western Maine into its playground this fall, but the Ramblers never ran into anybody quite like John Bapst Memorial High School of Bangor.

Unafraid of an undefeated rival’s press clippings and scary statistics and undeterred by another early deficit, the Crusaders chipped away, counterpunched and cemented their school’s first Class C championship since 1976 with a 21-14 victory Saturday afternoon at frigid Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Moments after dropping John Bapst’s hopes to the artificial turf and getting a reprieve from a sophomore center, Crusaders fullback Chase Huckestein scored the go-ahead touchdown from eight yards out with 7:19 left in regulation.

“They haven’t really faced a team like us all year,” Huckestein said. “Our offensive line really pushed them around, and we were able to grind out those yards.”

John Bapst (11-1) rolled up 390 yards against a Winthrop defense that took three to four games to give up that many during the Campbell Conference campaign.

It was enough for the Crusaders to overcome three interceptions, a blocked field goal, and Huckestein’s nearly disastrous fumble on a third-and-19 screen pass deep in Winthrop territory.

Four Winthrop white jerseys and an equal number of Bapst purple shirts pounced on the lifeless leather, which squirted free again. Crusaders lineman Keith Nelson and Ramblers defensive back Zach Farrington eventually smothered it simultaneously.

“They told us that both teams had possession of the ball, and it’s like the tie goes to the runner,” said Winthop coach Joel Stoneton. “I completely disagree with that. We stood up and we had the ball. I don’t know what happened after that.”

Huckestein hammered off tackle to the left pylon on the next play. Doug Dieuveuil’s extra point kick provided the final deficit.

Winthrop (11-1) watched two late chances slip away.

Bapst’s Chris Fogler recovered a fumble after Derek Smith jarred the ball from receiver Jason Raymond’s grasp.

The Crusaders milked five minutes, driving to the 1-yard line before Winthrop blocked Dieuveuil’s field goal attempt. Open-field tackles by Max Andrews, Bill Wetherbee and Tyler Chamberlain held the Ramblers to four-and-out, however, and Bapst QB Smith used four kneeldowns to run out the clock.

“Words can’t express how this is going to feel when it all sinks in,” said Smith, who completed 9-of-18 passes for 144 yards to counter his three picks and top 2,000 yards for the season. “We shed some tears just holding that ball up there. Tonight’s probably going to be the best night ever. I don’t know if I’m going to stop crying.”

Tears of disappointment and disbelief flowed freely on the Winthrop sideline. Renowned for a defense that pitched seven shutouts, the Ramblers never conjured a consistent answer for Bapst’s east-to-west running game or third-and-long aerial prowess.

Wetherbee rushed for 118 of his 166 yards in the second half. He also grabbed a 25-yard TD pass from Smith in the third quarter.

“I knew it was going to be pretty even with speed,” said Wetherbee. “I knew their line was fast, and I knew our line was fast. It was pretty even. I just thought our plays matched up with what their ends were doing.”

Winthrop’s vaunted running game didn’t live up to its season-long billing, churning out only 96 yards on 33 carries. With Jake Steele hobbled by a first-quarter leg injury and Riley Cobb missing due to a suspension, Joe Morey (20 for 77) accounted for most of that.

Jordan Conant capped his career with the most prolific game of his senior season, hitting 14-of-21 for 163 yards.

“They’re a team, almost similar to us, but with so many weapons. They spread that ball around and they ran around us,” Morey said. “They might have more speed than us. Our defense hasn’t seen anything like this. They did incredible. They outplayed us today.”

Still, the first half proceeded mostly according to form. Morey’s 22-yard run set up Conant’s 31-yard scoring strike to Raymond with 7:19 remaining in the second period. Farrington’s kick made it 7-0.

Nelson’s late-game fumble recovery was the second major bounce to go Bapst’s way. The first came with 3:09 left in the first half, when Smith’s under-thrown pass caromed off Morey’s hands and into the waiting fingers of Huckestein for a TD.

That equalizer covered 13 yards on third-and-9, and it put a happy face on a first half of frustration for the Crusaders that included a Winthrop goal-line stand.

“The tipped touchdown was a big deal. If we don’t score there, the kids might get down,” said Bapst coach Dan O’Connell. “We knew they were big and physical and athletic, but we thought we had a step speed-wise. I just thought if we could hang around and be diverse … we’d have a shot because of everything we’ve been through.”

Winthrop trailed only once during the season, falling behind in a 13-6 October win at Dirigo. Saturday marked Bapst’s sixth come-from-behind win and fifth by a touchdown or less.

Smith’s connection with Wetherbee on fourth-and-9 from the 25 put Bapst in front. Winthrop needed only six plays to answer. Conant’s deliveries of 19 yards to Farrington and 41 to Raymond set up a 4-yard surge by Skyler Whaley.

“The score doesn’t show it, but it was a lot closer to a shootout than we thought,” Stoneton said. “I didn’t realize that we both were going to be able to move the ball so well.”

Farrington intercepted Smith twice. Smithgall snagged the other pick for the Ramblers. Kevin Hart notched his 12th and 13th quarterback sacks of a brilliant season.

But it was Bapst’s defense – torched for 40 points by Bucksport in September, nicked for a pedestrian average of three touchdowns per game – getting the last laugh and shedding the final tear of joy.

“Constantly people tried to write them off,” said O’Connell, a Bates graduate who helped the Crusaders end a 41-losing streak in his rookie coaching season of 2003. “In the beginning of the year we were too gimmicky, and then we were too lucky. Now we’re state champions.”