ORONO — The Winslow High School football team’s bus ride to the University of Maine was silent. Before the Class C state championship football game, senior Dylan Hapworth gave a speech to his team.
What did he say?
“I can’t say,” Hapworth said. “I can’t say.”
Hapworth’s words to the Black Raiders will remain in that locker room, but what he and Winslow said with their play was heard by the entire state. Hapworth scored seven touchdowns, accounted for 300 all-purpose yards, and recovered a fumble as the Black Raiders dominated defending state champion Leavitt, 62-14.
Winslow completed an undefeated 11-0 season and won its first state title since winning Class B in 2001. Leavitt ends the season at 10-2.
The title was Winslow’s fifth under coach Mike Siviski.
“I don’t know if in all my experiences I’ve ever seen a team that was that ready. They were just really, really ready,” Siviski said.
Hapworth had 29 carries for 236 yards. Six of his touchdowns and 206 yards came in the first half, as Winslow built an insurmountable lead. Hapworth opened the scoring with a 25-yard touchdown run two minutes into the game. His 2-yard touchdown run on the final play of the first half gave Winslow a 49-0 lead at the break.
“That kid, he’s all-world. He’s the best running back I’ve put eyes on this year, by a long shot,” Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway said.
“I did not expect that at all. They couldn’t handle our in-your-face offense, and they weren’t catching the ball,” Winslow senior tight end/linebacker Justin Martin said.
Hapworth added touchdown runs of 3, 59, 3 and 5 yards in the first half, and a 7-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter. Winslow’s kicker, Hapworth scored 50 of his team’s 62 points.
“He was out of sight. I couldn’t get over it,” Siviski said.
This was Winslow’s third consecutive trip to the Class C state championship game. The previous two ended in losses, to Foxcroft Academy in 2013 and Leavitt last season. The Black Raiders used those experiences as motivation all season.
“This year, we took all that frustration and put it into the game,” Martin said.
Added Hapworth: “We worked so hard for this. So many practices, so many hours. Ending the senior year like this is unbelievable. We were prepared. We were ready to come here and win the game. We were just so ready to play.”
Leavitt had the top passing attack in Class C, but the Black Raiders contained the Hornets’ offense by getting pressure on quarterback Levi Craig and playing a strong zone in the secondary, with Martin and Hapworth in the flats, Jacob Trask at safety and Trenton Bouchard and Dylan Hutchinson at the corners.
“We wanted to put some pressure on the quarterback. We wanted to keep him in, because he’s such a good scrambler,” Siviski said.
Trask had an interception for the Black Raiders in the second quarter. One play after Leavitt’s Billy Bedard made an interception at the Leavitt 16, Trask picked off a pass at the Hornets 42 and returned it to the 14. Four plays later, Hapworth scored on a 3-yard run for a 35-0 lead.
The Hornets scored on the first drive of the third quarter on a 16-yard run by Hunter Sirois.
Bobby Chenard scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter for Winslow to give the Black Raiders a 14-0 lead. Winslow’s final score came with 5:32 left in the game, when Jordan Wing ran in from two yards out.
Leavitt’s Tyler Green scored on a 3-yard run with just over a minute left to cap the scoring. Sirois led the Hornets with 71 yards rushing. Craig competed just 5 of 22 passes for 67 yards.
“They beat us in all phases of the game. Offense, defense, special teams. They just outplayed us,” Hathaway said.
Kenny Rickard added 91 yards rushing for the Black Raiders.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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