LEWISTON — The overarching theme to Friday night’s Pine Tree Conference clash between Oxford Hills and Lewiston was momentum.

The Vikings couldn’t sustain it. The Blue Devils knew just when to seize it. And they seem to be gaining it at just the right time in the season.

Jeff Turcotte ran 25 times for 185 yards and two touchdowns and Lewiston’s defense clamped down in the second half for a 21-12 victory, the Devils’ second straight.

Turcotte’s touchdowns came on back-to-back carries that were at the center of one of the game’s critical momentum swings. His 3-yard scoring run with 9:05 left answered the Vikings’ first score. After Oxford Hills drove 81 yards to retake the lead, the senior tailback responded immediately with a 65-yard run off left tackle that put the Devils back in front to stay.

“To tell you the truth,” Turcotte said, “we were just pounding them down right in the middle, and then all of sudden I just saw the blocking kind of break down in the middle and I saw everybody flow that way. My eyes got big. I just saw that wide-open grass and I was like, ‘I know I can outrun this guy. I want this.’ It was great blocking.”

Oxford Hills (1-4) rang up 207 yards of offense in the first half, outgaining Lewiston by 44 yards, but still had a two-point deficit to show for it.

Senior quarterback Tyler Brown, who moved from fullback last week after starter Logan Sanborn broke a clavicle against Messalonskee, gave Lewiston problems with his arm (7 for 15, 98 yards passing) and his shifty legs (16 carries, 82 yards).

Brown’s 34-yard pass to Ryan Godin set up the Vikings’ first score, a 1-yard run by Ryan Creney that made it 6-0 late in the first quarter.

After Turcotte’s touchdown and Tom Hird’s extra point put the Blue Devils (3-2) in front, Brown directed 14-play, 81-yard drive capped by Creney’s 11-yard TD run off right tackle for a brief 12-7 lead.

“I thought Tyler played extremely well,” Oxford Hills coach Paul Withee said. “He did an outstanding job for a kid that really hasn’t played much quarterback other than the last two weeks.”

Turcotte’s long touchdown run quickly shifted momentum back in Lewiston’s favor, but the Devils went into the locker room frustrated with their defensive execution.

“We all sat in the locker room and a little tension was flaring,” Turcotte said. “We all came to the agreement that this is our last homecoming. We have to play up to it. And also, one little loss, one little screw-up, and we can be out of the playoff race, so we needed to play with urgency.”

The Devils held the Vikings to just 70 yards in the second half. Their most crucial stand came after one of their own drives stalled at the Viking 6 when Joe McKinnon bobbled a pitch to the left on 4th and 3 and was tackled in the backfield.

Oxford Hills got a first down but had its drive stalled due in part to a controversial aiding the runner penalty and had to punt.

“We were bending, bending, bending defensively, but we didn’t break,” Lewiston coach Bill County said. “We threw a shutout in the second half. That was the turning point.”

Lewiston took over at midfield and got an insurance touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. On 4th and 2, QB Chris Madden (6 for 9, 128 yards, TD, INT) dumped a short pass to Steve Patrie, and Patrie scooted 29 yards down the left sideline to paydirt.

“We knew that Patrie would be open on that,” Madden said. “I have to say so much about our O-line. The first couple of weeks, they were having some trouble pass protecting. Since then, every single day, every single week, they’re out early for practice and they’re staying late and they’re just working on pass blocking and they’ve done an absolutely amazing job.”

The Blue Devils made one more stop to seal it, tackling Creney (13 carries, 56 yards, two TDs) short of the sticks on 4th and 5 with 7:46 remaining.

Things don’t get any easier for either team next week. The Vikings host Bangor while the Devils travel to unbeaten Lawrence.

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