WINSLOW — The Winslow High School football team’s 31-20 win over Foxcroft Academy didn’t erase the Black Raiders loss to the Ponies in last season’s Class C state championship game, but it certainly made Winslow’s playoff road this season a little less bumpy.

With the win, Winslow (7-0) clinched a bye in the first round of the Eastern C playoffs. The Black Raiders game at Waterville (6-1) next Saturday will be for the top seed. The loss was the third consecutive for Foxcroft, which is now 4-3.

“We knew this would be a hotly contested game, because everybody’s jockeying for playoff position right now,” Winslow head coach Mike Siviski said.

The Black Raiders took the lead for good midway through the third quarter, with a pair of touchdowns in 45 seconds. Trailing 14-7, Winslow quarterback Bobby Chenard ran untouched for a 36-yard touchdown, and Dylan Hapworth’s extra point tied the game at 14-all.

“We sent (Justin) Martin in motion across the field, and their safety followed him across, and I had a wide open lane,” Chenard said.

On the second play of the ensuing possession, Foxcroft running back Peter Boyer fumbled on his own 10-yard line. Luke Fredette scooped up the ball and ran it in for the go ahead touchdown, with 6:20 left in the third.

“My first varsity touchdown, so it’s pretty exciting,” Fredette, a sophomore, said.

“We had a breakdown down here with a big time mistake in a spot where you just cannot make a mistake,” Foxcroft head coach Dan White said. “They capitalized on it, and I tip my cap to their kids. They played tremendous, and we knew they would.”

The Ponies answered with a 12-play, 80-yard drive, scoring on quarterback Hunter Law’s 6-yard keeper over the left side of the line. The extra point was wide left, and Winslow had a 21-20 lead with eight seconds left in the third quarter.

Containing Foxcroft’s Law and wide receiver Hunter Smith, was the key to Winslow’s defense. Law gained 26 yards on nine carries, while Smith had three catches for 21 yards. Martin blanketed Smith for most of the game, and had a second quarter interception.

“A great job by Justin Martin defensively on Smith. They’ve been going to him 15, 16 times a game sometimes,” Siviski said.

Winslow added an insurance touchdown with 6:33 left in the game on a 5-yard run by Zach Guptill (14 carries for 85 yards). The drive was kept alive when Matt Fortier caught a tipped Chenard pass on third and 13 for a 37 yard gain to the Ponies’ 25.

With just over two minutes left, Fredette sacked Law and stripped the ball. The Black Raiders recovered at Foxcroft’s 22, and Hapworth (16 carries for 63 yards) booted a 34-yard field goal with 1:57 to play for a 31-20 lead.

“That’s really what it came down to, a couple plays that went their way that they made,” White said.

Foxcroft took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 2-yard run by Corey Bjornson. Guptill’s 16-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter tied the game. The Ponies took a 14-7 lead with 9:36 left in the third when Bjornson went 27 yards for a score.

Boyer led Foxcroft with 128 yards on 16 carries. Bjornson ran for 84 yards.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com