In reality, the Portland High football team is 8-2 after a Friday night victory over Windham. That’s not the way the Bulldogs like to look at it.

“We have a saying when playoffs come at Portland, ‘We’ve got to go 1-0 every day,’ ” quarterback Louis Thurston said. “And we went 1-0 every day this week.”

They did, and with emphasis. Thurston ran for two scores and threw for another, Carter Lucca’s interception return for a touchdown highlighted a strong defensive effort, and the top-seeded Bulldogs took down No. 4 Windham, 42-14, in the Class A North semifinals at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Portland will play No. 3 Bangor in the North final next week.

“Our seniors really hit this week that any game could be our last,” said Thurston, who ran 10 times for 171 yards. “We’re not going to let it slip.”

Portland (8-2), looking to return to a third straight state championship game after making it in Class B in 2022 and Class A last year, got that endeavor off to the right start by scoring on three of its four first-half possessions en route to a 28-0 lead at the break.

“We talk about having a maniacal sense of urgency,” Portland Coach Sean Green said. “It’s something we talk about every single week, and just being present on every single play. We know how well-coached Windham is, and how tough those guys are. … You can’t let off the gas pedal at any point.”

The Bulldogs scored on their first drive, with Charlie Abramson-Thompson weaving through the defense to turn a screen pass from Thurston into a 17-yard score and 7-0 lead.

An interception by the Eagles’ Mason Arbour on the next series did little to slow the Portland offense. Thurston kept for a 2-yard score after Colin Haigh recovered a fumble, and Cordell Jones (10 carries, 63 yards) scored on a 1-yard run on the next series to make it 21-0 with 1:33 left in the half.

The Portland ballcarriers – a group that included Aidan McGowan (15 carries, 98 yards) – piled up the yards, but the damage was being done up front as an offensive line featuring Riley Wildes, Dominic Huntington, Colin Haigh, Anthony Tavares and Colin Kelly moved bodies and opened up big holes.

“The blocking was great. It helps when that’s on, I just kind of run to space,” Thurston said. “It’s a gift every time I run the ball, man. They don’t ever let anything up.”

The biggest gains came when Portland ran to the left, behind Haigh at guard and the 6-foot-3, 310-pound Tavares at tackle.

“Anthony and Colin are beasts,” McGowan said. “That’s all I’ve got to say. … It’s great to have them. They’re definitely the best linemen in the state, in my opinion.”

Windham (3-7) saw its efforts to get points just before halftime end in disaster, as Karl Longstreth tried to throw the ball away to avoid a sack, but Lucca instead came up with the interception and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown.

It was the signature play of a good defensive night that saw the Bulldogs clamp down on Windham’s passing game, allowing only four completions on 20 attempts, and occasionally bend but never break against the run until the game was in hand.

“They have threats all over the place on offense,” Green said. “(Parker Sperry) is one of the best sophomore football players in the state, he’s a tremendous running back, he’s a tremendous linebacker. Karl Longstreth, I know him really well from the offseason, he’s come a long way and especially in the run game, he’s become a dual threat. A lot of what we did this week was to take him away and kind of make the rest of the offense beat us.”

Thurston added a 41-yard scoring run in the second half to make it 35-0, and McGowan tacked on a 5-yard touchdown run to make it 42-7.

Sperry, a bright spot for the Eagles with 24 carries for 187 yards, had Windham’s first score on a 31-yard run, and Longstreth hit Wyatt Washburn for a 38-yard touchdown late in the fourth.

The Eagles are a young team, with only two seniors on each side of the ball, and Coach Matt Perkins said the team’s determination to keep playing in the second half was a promising sign.

“We’re in the second half, and we’ve got linemen downfield blocking,” he said. “This year, we had a bunch of guys who had never started before. … It’s growing pains, but when you’re getting guys playing with effort and pride, that’s a lot.”