Game 2: Dirigo 14, Oak Hill 6. Road underdogs have done well in the recent rivalry between these two programs, and this Cougars’ victory was no exception. Beaten at Wales in the 2013 Class C West regional final, the Cougars charged from the gate with Joe Casey’s touchdown on the opening kickoff. Tyler Frost supplied the block and then provided the relentless ground game that helped Dirigo control the clock. Oak Hill suffered a serious blow to its chances when Kyle Flaherty left the game after only four carries due to a leg injury. Four turnovers also hampered the Raiders, including a fumble at the 2-yard line. Mace caught a 77-yard touchdown pass from Therrien late in the third quarter, but Oak Hill’s limited ground game couldn’t generate the field position necessary to push for a potential tying score. The result ended an eight-game winning streak.

Game 3: Oak Hill 21, Maranacook 0. The Raiders got back on the board with an impressive defensive performance at Ricky Gibson Field of Dreams. Mace rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns. He scored on a 3-yarder late in the second quarter and a 4-yarder in the fourth. His own long catch from Dalton Therrien set up the first. Jonah Martin caught a 25-yard TD from Therrien in the first quarter and finished with five catches for 90 yards. Therrien completed 10 of 17 for 150 yards. Samson Lacroix and Garrett Gile led the resistance for Oak Hill and kept Maranacook off the board. Gilbert and Levi Buteau supplemented Mace’s running in Flaherty’s absence.

Game 4: Oak Hill 48, Winthrop/Monmouth 8. Four interceptions and a career night by Mace staked the Raiders to their most one-sided victory of the season. The Ramblers tried to take away Mace’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, so he stayed between the tackles to the tune of 16 carries for 218 yards and four TDs. His scores covered 44, 2, 5 and 87 yards. Buteau, Mace, Kyle Tervo and Brian Thorpe picked off passes for the Raiders. Tervo returned his pick for a score. Drew Gamage also recovered a fumble. Therrien connected with Matt Martin for a touchdown, and Colby Spencer tacked on a long run for a late score.

Game 5: Oak Hill 32, Old Orchard Beach 2. Flaherty made a triumphant return, and a defense that has given up only two touchdowns all season to date again kept an opponent out of the end zone, thanks in large part to a series of forced turnovers in the shadow of the goal line. Flaherty rushed 13 times for a team-high 168 yards and a touchdown. Dalton Therrien and Alex Mace each ran for a score and hooked up for another through the air. The defense was equally inspired for Oak Hill, to the tune of four fumble recoveries, two sacks and an interception. Three different drives for OOB fizzled inside the Raiders’ 10-yard line. Buteau and Brendon Tervo each had a fumble recovery inside the 5.

Game 6: Oak Hill 39, Boothbay 6: Flaherty rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns and Mace added 92 yards and a score for Oak Hill. It was 14-6 until late in the third quarter, when Flaherty ran 22 yards for his second score of the night and Gile returned an interception 50 yards to the end zone in a 61-second span. Therrien added a 26-yard scoring run and Adam Merrill booted a 36-yard field goal in the fourth for the Raiders. Flaherty scored from 7 yards out and Mace from 8 yards away to give Oak Hill the early edge. Lacroix had three tackles for loss to lead the Oak Hill defense, which forced four Boothbay turnovers.

Game 7: Oak Hill 35, Traip 0. For the fourth time this season, the Raiders’ defense didn’t allow a point. Mace enjoyed another game for the ages, with 140 yards and two TDs on the ground and a 98-yard interception return for a score. He scored from 77 yards out less than a minute into his final regular-season home game. Flaherty chipped in an even 100 yards and two TDs. He scored from 11 and 5 yards out. Oak Hill’s two premier backs averaged 13.3 yards per attempt. Mace’s second interception of the day led to his second rushing TD. The Raiders shut down a couple of lengthy drives by the Rangers in the second half to seal the shutout.

Game 8: Oak Hill 28, Lisbon 12. Despite the team’s gaudy combined record of 12-1 entering the game, the regular-season finale between the No. 1 Greyhounds and No. 3 Raiders didn’t mean anything in terms of playoff seeding. The Raiders sent a message going into the postseason, however, with an impressive victory. Enjoying optimum health for the first time this season, Flaherty carried 27 times for 205 yards and three touchdowns, the final one a 68-yard backbreaker. Mace added 146 all-purpose yards and Kyle Tervo caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Therrien for Oak Hill, which converted two early Lisbon lost fumbles into scores and never let off the accelerator. The Raiders ran off the final 8:53 on the clock, kneeling down inside the 5-yard line to end the game.

Game 9: Oak Hill 7, Maranacook 6 (Class D West quarterfinal). Mud, heavy rain and the double wing offense proved great equalizers. The Black Bears scored on their first drive of the day, and while the Raiders held them to nearly zero yards thereafter, it was nearly enough to spring the colossal upset. Flaherty and Mace struggled to find their footing on the weather-beaten turf in the first half. Maranacook also had a notable defensive stand against Therrien and the passing game. Oak Hill found a rhythm in the third quarter, however, with Mace churning out consistent big gains. Flaherty scored the go-ahead touchdown from a yard out with 1:18 remaining in the third quarter, after a Maranacook encroachment penalty on fourth down gave Oak Hill first-and-goal.

Game 10: Oak Hill 25, Dirigo 6 (Class D West semifinal). The Raiders and Cougars met in the playoffs for the third consecutive year, with Oak Hill making it back-to-back ousters of Dirigo. It was easier on the scoreboard than most recent battles in the series. With a few snowflakes floating through the air, the Raiders rolled up 284 rushing yards. Flaherty carried the ball 13 times on Oak Hill’s opening drive, capping it with a 1-yard TD. After the Raiders recovered a muffed punt, Oak Hill cranked out another short drive, punctuated by a 3-yard Flaherty score. A third Flaherty TD capped another 13-play drive in the third quarter, and Mace applied the exclamation point with a 77-yard scoring jaunt. Flaherty rushed for 158 yards on 33 carries. Mace finished with 13 attempts for 114.

Game 11: Oak Hill 7, Lisbon 6. The Raiders dominated on the strength of defense and time of possession, again, in defending their regional title. Oak Hill completed only one pass all afternoon. It went for the winning touchdown, 40 yards from Therrien to Mace with 7:15 remaining in the first half. Merrill booted the all-important extra point. Flaherty led the Raiders with 111 yards on 30 carries, while Mace had 92 yards on 17 carries. Brendon Tervo made a crucial fumble recovery at the 4-yard line to deny Lisbon in the second half. As was the case three weeks earlier, Oak Hill ground out four first downs in the closing minutes to deny the Greyhounds a final possession.

Copy the Story Link