WALES — The first two possessions of the second half Saturday hinted at things to come.

Oak Hill’s offense was stymied on its first try of the second half, and Livermore Falls marched downfield on its first chance and took the lead. It was a pattern that barely changed the rest of the way as the Andies rebounded from last week’s loss for a  40-25 win over the Raiders.

“We just knew we had to be ready to play,” said senior back Chandler White, who had two second-half touchdowns and 126 yards on 27 carries. “We knew they were going to be tough and that it wasn’t going to be an easy game. We had to bounce back from last week. We had to get our confidence going, and we had to come out and start off playing hard.”

The Andies (6-1) scored four touchdowns in the second half, but it was the defense that turned the tide against the Raiders. Oak Hill built a 19-14 lead at the half and churned out 249 total yards of offense in the first half. The second half was a different story. The Raiders were held to just three first downs, two completions, 14 yards rushing and 68 total yards.

“We didn’t play well in the second half offensively or defensively,” said Oak Hill coach Dave Wing. “They rose up and we did not.”

Livermore Falls stepped up its push up front and took away the Raider running game. It forced Oak Hill into passing situations. Even though the Raiders passed for 146 yards in the first half, the Andies defended that better in the second half. Oak Hill’s hopes weren’t helped when back Josh Allen left the game with an injury in the first half. He had rushed for 55 yards on eight carries and scored the Raiders first touchdown.

“They didn’t run the ball against us at all in the second half,” said Livermore Falls coach Brad Bishop. “Our front seven played well.”

The Raiders (4-2) had just 14 total yards after their first three possessions in the second half. Still, Oak Hill had a crack at getting back into the game. Trailing 21-19, the Raiders made a defensive stand with 7:38 left in the game, stopping the Andies on fourth-and-one at the 9. Oak Hill’s hopes of a comeback drive lasted just three plays, when Alex Rose intercepted a Brett Turcotte pass. Livermore Falls turned that into an Ethan Hutchins 17-yard run for a 27-19 lead with 5:25 left. After Andre Uter blocked a pass and Dillon Newcomb intercepted, the Andies made it 33-19 with 3:25 left when White took it in from the 2.

“Our defense definitely shut them down,” said White. “That’s what won the game for us. They couldn’t do anything.”

The Raiders finally got some offense moving late in the fourth. A four-play drive, set up by a nice Ben Foss  kick return, was finished off with a 28-yard pass from Turcotte to Dillon Tibbetts. Oak Hill’s attempt at an onside kick was smothered by White, and the Andies turned that into another score when Shawn Whiting connected with Nate Michaud on a 45-yard pass play.

“The second half, they played very well,” said Wing. “They brought it up a notch physically. That’s been our strength but for some reason today, we couldn’t match it.”

The teams traded scores in the opening half. After Hutchins put the Andies on the board with a 24-yard run, Allen scored from 49 yards out to get Oak Hill within 7-6. Turcotte hit Tibbetts for a 64-yard pass play that made it 13-7, but Livermore Falls came right back with a Michaud 10-yard pass reception from Whiting with 8:49 left in the half. Freshman Joel Wells put the Raiders ahead 19-14 with a 4-yard pass reception.

“We made some adjustments in the secondary in the second half,” said Bishop. “We had guys there. They were dropping them. We could have had seven interceptions.”

After stuffing Oak Hill on three plays to start the second half, the Andies produced a 64-yard drive that White finished off with a dive from the 1.

“That was huge for us,” said White. “We knew we had to shut them down on their first drive. Then we had to punch it in and get our offense going.”