TOPSHAM — With the ball sitting on the Mt. Ararat 7-yard line, Lewiston appeared to be going into the end zone for a season-opening touchdown.

The Blue Devils did indeed score on that first drive. It just took 24 hours to accomplish the task.

Eddie Emerson’s pass on the second play from scrimmage Saturday night found Steven Patrie for a touchdown to complete a 36-yard drive that began on Friday and was interrupted by lightning.

Saturday’s early score spearheaded a 26-14 Lewiston victory over the Eagles, who dropped their 19th consecutive game.

Down 26-0 in the fourth quarter, the Mt. Ararat backups put together two drives, with Bru Abreu scoring twice against the Blue Devil backups to make the final score closer.

When the first-team was in the game, though, Lewiston dominated behind the hard running of sophomore running back Quintarian Brown, who routinely broke arm tackles on his way to a game-high 137 yards on 17 carries. His 2-yard touchdown run 90 seconds into the second half completed the Blue Devils’ scoring.

“He looked good last week in our exhibition game, and after tonight we are going to have to work on other parts of our offense because our opponents will know Quintarian is the man,” said Lewiston coach Bill County, whose team hosts Messalonskee on Friday at 7 p.m. at Don Roux Field. “He has a great future, and as he grows he has a lot of potential. We are excited about the next couple of years with him.”

“We wanted to start off with a win and see where we are at as we move forward, knowing that we are a young team and can do it,” Brown said. “There was pressure, but I just have to be me. I can’t get caught up into being somebody else. I wouldn’t have gotten half of my yards without keeping my feet running.”

The Blue Devils began finding their stride in the second quarter, with Brown darting through the Mt. Ararat defense for a 23-yard gain and Nick Perreault finding room on the outside with gains of 23 and 21 yards.

“Once Lewiston started going downhill, it was tough to get a stop,” said Mt. Ararat coach Frank True, who saw his team struggle in the second quarter when Lewiston turned a 6-0 advantage into a 19-0 edge at the break.

Gabe Johnson finished off a 64-yard drive with a 2-yard TD run for a 12-0 Lewiston lead, and Sheon James’ 6-yard TD scamper and Tom Hird point-after kick gave the Blue Devils a 19-point lead.

“At halftime we evaluated our performance, and realized we scored on three of four possessions,” said County, whose squad rushed for 120 yards, while Emerson completed 3-of-5 tosses for 37 yards. “These kids will have to mature quickly, with Messalonskee and Brunswick after that.”

Defensively, Lewiston held Mt. Ararat to just 72 total yards in the first half, with the Eagles flagged for nine penalties accounting for 68 yards.

The Blue Devils had 199 yards on 37 rushes, while Emerson finished 5-for-8 in the air for 69 yards. Zach Phelan led the Lewiston defense with 12 tackles, with Brian Wigant picking up six solo tackles and Colton Bernier recovering a fumble.

Joey Burr paced Mt. Ararat with 51 yards on 11 carries, with Abreu finishing with 30 yards on six rushes. Brandon Dionne hauled in one pass for a 26 yards.

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