FARMINGTON — Two big plays in a 26 second span to open the second half propelled Mt. Blue to a 32-0 Class B North football win over Gardiner on Friday night at Caldwell Field.

Clinging to a 14-0 lead at halftime, Nate Pratt-Holt took the kickoff to the end zone, bolting 79 yards through the heart of the Gardiner (1-4) defense to give Mt. Blue (4-1) a 20-0 lead.

Seconds later, Alex Gilbert turned in a key interception along the sideline to give Mt. Blue the ball on its own 47-yard line. A 10-play drive, featuring the power running of Christian Whitney, concluded with teammate Zach Meader busting across the goal line from 13 yards for a 26-0 advantage with 7:17 remaining in the third quarter.

“This was a big win for us,” Mt. Blue coach Jim Aylward said. “We are fighting for a home playoff game and this gives us a big step in that direction.”

Although Gardiner struggled offensively, the Tigers managed to stay in the game in the first half. Mt. Blue scored a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter the Gardiner defense caused plenty of problems for the Cougars, especially in the passing game.

“We tried to match up with Mt. Blue man-to-man when they were passing,” Gardiner coach Joe White said. “We tightened up and played solid in the secondary, especially in the second quarter.”

Mt. Blue finished the game hitting just one of nine passes, but on the ground the Cougars punished the Tigers on the inside, finishing with 313 rushing yards on 56 total carries.

“Offensively we were okay but we still have to get a lot better,” Aylward said. “Defensively we are starting to get physical.”

Mt. Blue’s vaunted running game featuring Meader, Whitney and Gilbert helped the Cougars put together a pair of impressive drives in the first quarter. Whitney scored from eight runs out to cap a seven-play, 71 yard drive on the Cougars first possession of the game.

Gilbert featured on the next possession, a 10-play, 47 yard drive. Gilbert carried the ball three straight times for runs of 5, 7 and 3 yards for the score. Whitney booted the point after on both first quarter touchdowns.

Whitney finished the evening, amassing 144 yards on 22 carries, Gilbert managed 68 yards on 11 carries and Meader banged out 52 yards on 10 carries.

Mt. Blue controlled the ball for nearly eight minutes in the fourth quarter putting together a 14-play, 47 yard drive that featured all running plays, concluding with Caleb Hall bursting in from the two. Hall was the fifth Mt. Blue player to score a touchdown in the game.

Gardiner quarterback Eli Kropp finished the game converting seven of 19 passes for 70 yards, with two interceptions.