DIXFIELD — Whether the Raiders wanted to say it or not, Friday’s Western Class D semifinal contest against Dirigo was a revenge game.
They wanted revenge, and they got it.
Eight weeks removed from their only loss of the season, which came at home to Dirigo, the Raiders rushed for 284 yards and came away with a 25-6 victory over the Cougars. Oak Hill will face the winner of Lisbon and Old Orchard Beach in the regional final.
“We came to work last Monday and we were hungry for this game, especially with what happened last week,” Oak Hill running back Kyle Flaherty said. “It was definitely a revenge game.”
The Raiders avenged a 14-6 loss to Dirigo back in mid-September and also got the bad taste out of their mouth from their game a week ago, a 7-6 victory over Maranacook in which Oak Hill did not look anything like its defending-state-champion self.
The Raiders (9-1) needed just 5 minutes, 45 seconds to match their scoring output from their previous meeting with the Cougars (7-2). Oak Hill took the opening kickoff and handed the ball off to Flaherty 13 times before scoring on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal.
“We love getting the ball first,” Flaherty said. “We love driving down the field and scoring first. It sets the tempo for the game.”
A Dirigo turnover set up Oak Hill’s second score. Dirigo’s Joe Casey muffed a punt in his own territory and the Raiders recovered, setting them up at the Cougar 45. Oak Hill capitalized as Flaherty scored from three yards out less than a minute into the second quarter to grab a 12-0 lead.
Flaherty had 103 yards on 18 carries in the first half. He accounted for all but 19 of his team’s first-half yardage.
“Offensive line played well,” Stacen Doucette said. “We did a lot of stuff on talking about commitment and assigning gaps and not getting beat inside.”
The Raiders took the 12-0 lead into the half before Dirigo marched down the field on its first possession and punched it in on a 4-yard quarterback sneak by Riley Robinson to cut the deficit in half.
The Cougars found success in the running game in the second half, adding Tyler Frost to the game plan. All 18 of his carries came in the final 24 minutes. Frost finished with 119 yards, nine carries going for seven yards or more.
Still, Oak Hill’s running game proved more effective. The double wing formation gave Dirigo fits. The Raiders went on a 13-play drive following Dirigo’s touchdown, and went up 19-7 on Flaherty’s third score of the game. Alex Mace broke the game open with a 75-yard touchdown down the far side of the field with 10:36 remaining.
“I’m not going to make any excuses,” Dirigo coach Jim Hersom said. “They played well. They’re a good team. We made some mistakes in the first half, regrouped in the third period, but the double wing is a tough offense to defend. Our kids did everything they could to stop it, but they do a good job with it.”
Not even the swirling snow slowed down Flaherty and the Raiders. Despite never playing in the snow before, Flaherty rushed for 158 yards on 33 carries. Mace finished with 114 yards on 13 carries.
“If we have an itch we scratch it,” Doucette said. “We feel we do a number of different things, feature different plays and different offenses and go with what’s working.”
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