FALMOUTH — On a night when Fryeburg Academy completely bottled up Falmouth’s top running back, Indi Backman, the Navigators turned to an unexpected hero – junior Abram Wintersteen.

Wintersteen made the biggest play of Friday night’s showdown at Falmouth’s Stadium Field, catching a 52-yard touchdown pass from Tres Walker with 10:55 remaining. The Navigators’ stout defense slammed the door from there to secure a 15-14 victory.

Falmouth improved to 4-0 and reinforced that it’s a legitimate contender in Class B.

“We just want to prove everyone wrong and show we can play,” said Wintersteen, who missed the first two games because of an injury, then saw limited time in a Week 3 victory over Cony. “It’s just another great win for us.”

The Navigators allowed just seven points total in their first three games and hadn’t been behind for a single second, but Fryeburg (3-1) took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter when Daniel Ruiz (66 yards on 17 carries) scored on a 2-yard run.

Falmouth’s offense struggled for most of the first half, but with just 6 seconds on the clock, Walker hit Gio Guerrette for a 40-yard score, as Guerrette caught the ball on the run at the 20 and eluded two defenders en route to the tying touchdown.

“I knew we needed it really bad going into halftime,” said Guerrette. “I knew I could get there once I got outside. That was a big motivation for the team.”

Fryeburg Academy went back on top in the third quarter. After a long punt return by Freddie Francis set up the Raiders at the Falmouth 7, Malik Sow bulled in from the 4.

Falmouth defense ultimately turned the game in their team’s favor. The Navigators pinned Fryeburg deep in its own territory, and a bad snap resulted in a safety to cut the deficit to five.

Falmouth then got the ball at its 48 after the free kick and went on top in the blink of an eye, as Walker hit Wintersteen with a long pass in tight coverage. Wintersteen, despite being interfered with, caught the ball, broke a tackle, and beat the pursuit to the left pylon.

“Coach (Spencer Emerson) told me, ‘Abe, it’s your play,’ so I just ran full speed and tried my best and caught it,” said Wintersteen. “I needed that touchdown and we needed to win.”

“It’s about players, not plays,” Emerson added. “I told the quarterback to give him a chance and he made a heck of a play.”

The Raiders had two chances to win it, but Falmouth held them without a first down before running out the clock.

The Navigators have already doubled their win total from last season.

“I’m not surprised because I didn’t come in with any preconceived notions,” said Emerson, Falmouth’s first-year head coach. “I’ve said since I got hired that I don’t know how many games we’re going to win, but I know we’re going to play with unbelievable effort. We have talented kids who play super-hard.”

Walker was 9 of 13 passing for 126 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Backman gained just 5 yards on 16 rushes, but Joey Guerrette helped pick up the slack with 97 yards on four attempts, including a pair of huge runs late in the game to seal the victory.