BAR HARBOR — Mark Shields, the longtime Mt. Desert Island High football coach, had hugs for everybody – his family, his friends, his players. Shields repeated the same thing, over and over again.
“We did it. We did,” Shields said.
With a ball-control offense and a strong defense, the Trojans wrestled away the Class C North title from three-time defending champ Winslow with a 12-7 win Friday night.
It’s the first regional title for top-seeded MDI (9-1). The Trojans will play Wells or Cape Elizabeth for the state championship next Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
Third-seeded Winslow, which was seeking a third straight state championship, ends the season at 9-2.
“I’m just so proud to be part of this team, but more important this community,” said Shields.
Chris Farnsworth scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 9:22 left.
The Black Raiders then marched to the MDI 21, but the drive ended with an Andrew Phelps interception in the end zone with 5:07 remaining.
Winslow got one more chance, taking over at the MDI 47 with 2:39 to go, but the first two plays resulted in losses of 11 yards and the Black Raiders turned the ball over on downs.
“Coach Shields preached that we’ve just got to keep sticking them and sticking them. We just (have) to do our jobs,” said MDI senior Colby Lee, who led the Trojans with 74 yards rushing.
MDI’s run-heavy offense controlled the clock, particularly in the second half. Winslow had the ball for just 1:13 of the third quarter, and MDI’s winning drive chewed more than eight minutes off the clock.
“We knew we had to keep their high-powered offense off the field. We were able to do that. To beat a program like Winslow, I mean, those guys know how to win big games. It just feels so good right now,” Shields said.
“Too much ball control by MDI,” Winslow Coach Mike Siviski said. “We had to be a little more opportunistic and better on offense. They controlled the ball. They played great. They did what they usually do.”
Winslow marched down the field on the game’s first drive, needing just six plays to go 71 yards. Nate St. Amand ran down the left sideline 46 yards for the touchdown, and Winslow had a 7-0 lead.
The Black Raiders had a chance to increase their lead on their next possession, but Ryan Gagnon’s 21-yard field goal try was wide left.
MDI scored on the final play of the first half when Lee recovered Graham Good’s fumble in the end zone. The snap was high on the conversion try, and the kick failed, leaving Winslow with a 7-6 halftime lead.
“We just had to put our heads down and persevere. We had to play with heart, and that’s what we did,” Lee said.
St. Amand ran for 100 yards on 10 carries for Winslow.
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