WELLS — The Wells High football team couldn’t have executed its game plan any better Friday night in a Class C South quarterfinal against Poland.

The third-seeded Warriors jumped out to a 20-0 lead less than four minutes into the game and rolled to a 55-0 win.

“We talked all week about being able to come out and start fast,” said Wells Coach Tim Roche. “It happened just the way we wanted it to. We came out on fire. The kids were really excited for this opportunity. We came out and did what we needed to do.”

It took the Warriors (7-2) just 21 seconds to grab the lead.

After a failed onside kick attempt by Poland, Wells moved quickly down the field, with Reid Chase darting in to the end zone from 21 yards out.

The Warriors quickly got the ball back after a three-and-out defensive stand, and Owen Berry connected with Sam Hazlett on a 25-yard touchdown pass moments later.

Then the Wells defense recovered a fumble, and the Warriors continued to pour it on offensively, as Evan Whitten plunged into the end zone from 10 yards out with 8:30 left in the first quarter.

“We couldn’t have expected a start like that,” said Roche. “We were nervous all week about what they might be able to do against us, so the fast start like that really was important. Credit our kids for coming out ready to go like they did.”

The Warriors added a fourth touchdown before the first quarter ended, on sweep by Nick Hansen, who finished with more than 100 yards rushing despite only playing the first half.

“We have a group of four guys in Sam, Nick, Reid and Evan who can really run the ball,” said Roche. “It makes it so much easier to do things on that side of the ball.”

Berry connected with Whitten for a 26-yard touchdown pass with eight minutes to go in the first half, and Hansen took a sweep around the right side for his second touchdown with 2:32 left in the half, sending Wells into the locker room with a 41-0 lead.

“We moved him three weeks ago from wing to halfback because we thought he could really deliver on the sweep play,” Roche said of Hansen. “Sam does a great job of blocking on the wing, and Nick runs hard and is tough to slow down. I’m not even sure he realizes how good he is there.”

After the break, Wells sent in some of its younger players, and they delivered as well. Led by freshman Tyler Bridge, who ran for more than 70 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns, the Warriors added to their lead and were able to finish the shutout.

“If you can put your younger guys in and still hold the other team, that’s great,” said Roche. “Those guys came in and played hard and did a really nice job for us.”

It was the third shutout in the last four games for Wells, which next faces second-seeded Cape Elizabeth in the semifinals. The Warriors beat the Capers 15-0 last weekend in the final game of the regular season.

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