WINTHROP — Senior Ben Ames didn’t have time to worry when he saw the game-winning pass coming his way in a crowded end zone with 12.1 seconds left in a football game against Maranacook.

Aimes’ primary concern was catching the ball, despite a host of defenders trying to get in his way. Matt Ingram lofted the ball from the 28-yard line as Maranacook’s mountain-sized lineman came rushing in to run him over.

Ames caught it without any fanfare to help deliver a heart-stopping, 17-14 Winthrop victory over Maranacook on Friday night. Just last week, the Ramblers beat Dirigo in another nail-biter.

“I saw it as a way to win the game and needed to do my job. That was my job to do it,” Ames said, still wearing a look of disbelief on this face. “I had no time to think about it. I just wanted to catch the ball. We were definitely worried. We had to produce.”

After giving up two fumbles and an interception late in the fourth quarter, it appeared the Blacks Bears and their oversized line might have the game wrapped up.

“We really didn’t deserve to be in this one. Five turnovers, a blocked punt, a blocked PAT, you just don’t win games like that,” Winthrop coach Dave. St. Hilaire said.

But the Ramblers were lucky enough to get the ball back with about two minutes left in the game.

“That was basically the last play we had,” Ingram said. “We had to get them deep down field to get a touchdown right there. I just looks, saw him out there and was hoping for the best. It got there.”

Ingram saw that Ames caught the ball from the ground after getting hit by the Black Bears.

Winthrop began the march to its last-minute win at its 42 yard-line, where Ingram completed a series of short passes and had time to run for a keeper for three yards, and before they knew it, the Ramblers were on the Maranacook’s 44-yard  line. Alec Brown got the Ramblers to the 28 on a 16-yard run, giving Ingram a good vantage point to find an open Ames in the end zone.

After Aimes scored, making 15-14, Ingram added another two points with a conversion pass to Avery Amero to seal Maranacook’s fate.

In the third quarter, the Black Bears rallied from Winthrop’s shaky 9-6 lead when Drew Davis scored on a 1-yard run and Brandyn Michaud ran in the two-point conversion. The Blacks Bears went ahead 14-9, and went on to dominate the fourth quarter and cause the Ramblers to make several key turnovers.

The Blacks Bears dominated the first quarter with their defense and offense.

Maranacook (3-1) used its crushing wedge of lineman and drove over the Ramblers’ defense from it 29-yard line to the 8, where Zach Lacasse came across with a touchdown.

But the Ramblers shook off Maranacook’s grinding TD in the second quarter when Ingram connected with Bennett Brooks for a 44-yard touchdown, The extra point failed and the score stood at 6-6.

Winthrop was satisfied with a tie game going into the half and put itself in the right spot when Tyler Cote kicked a 22-yard field goal with no time left in the first half.

“They are really good passing team. We had the right coverage,” Maranacook coach Joe Emery said.. “They made a great play, said We had some sustained drives. There was some mistakes on both sides of the ball. But we played pretty. We fixed some stuff at half time. Obviously, we didn’t fix it enough.”

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