BANGOR – Waterville football coach Frank Knight, the players, and likely some of the fans were getting that d?j? vu feeling toward the end of the first half of Friday night’s Pine Tree Conference quarterfinal playoff game.

The seventh-seeded Purple Panthers had staked themselves to a 14-0 lead and plenty of momentum with just 90 seconds left before halftime. Then No. 2 Bangor took advantage of a bad Panthers snap on a punt for a safety and then followed that up with a 40-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-8 in the space of 15 seconds.

It conjured up images of Waterville’s last meeting with Bangor, in which the Rams staged a big third-quarter rally to erase a sizable Panthers lead and hold on for a three-point win. When Bangor scored on its first drive of the second half to take the lead, the feeling grew.

Rather than get overcome by a feeling of dread, however, the Panthers simply upped their intensity, answered the Bangor score three plays later to retake the lead for good, and used an outstanding effort from junior tailback Matt Hilton and solid, bend-but-don’t-break defense to notch a 30-15 victory on a muddy Cameron Stadium turf.

The win is Waterville’s first over Bangor since the 1999 PTC semifinals and sends the 5-4 Panthers into a semifinal game against Lewiston, which beate Mt. Blue 20-14. Bangor finishes up 6-3.

“I’ve always felt they’re a talented, dangerous team despite their record,” said Rams coach Mark Hackett. “They made the adjustments they needed at the right times and did a great job.”

The best of those adjustments was Knight’s decision at halftime to switch the focus of his running attack from inside the tackles to outside, just as Bangor was adjusting to the Panther run game by pinching the defensive ends inside to cut down Waterville’s penetration.

The result was dramatic as Hilton, who had already gained 80 yards on 14 carries in the first half, looked like he added a couple more gears as he ran for 145 more and a game-icing touchdown on 19 carries in the second half behind a revamped line of center Mike Dennis, guards Mike Rivera and Jon Hart, and tackles Derek DeFelice and Chad Moore.

“We switched our line a couple weeks ago and they played great. They were ready,” said Hilton. “Both our lines were what won it for us today.”

When Hilton wasn’t punishing Bangor’s defense, the Panthers’ D was coming up with big stops to blunt any further Ram rallies. The Rams’ next three drives after the score that gave them their only lead of the game all ended at midfield as the Panthers frustrated quarterback Zak Ray – whether he was passing or running – kept him in the pocket, and pressured him constantly.

“We were certainly concerned about him,” said Knight. “We didn’t want to let him get outside and run on us.”

Ray had just three yards on nine runs, but did throw for two TDs and 150 yards, most of which went to junior split end Mike Prentiss, who had five catches for 112 yards.

The biggest defensive plays came late in the final quarter. With Waterville nursing a 23-15 lead, Bangor drove 29 yards in four plays and was at the W-41 before Ryan Crowell got inside position on Bangor’s Wes Day, intercepted a Ray pass, and returned it 32 yards. Three plays later, Hilton scored on a 50-yard TD run in which he ran off right tackle, cut right, broke a tackle, and was gone.

Ray returned the subsequent kickoff 64 yards to the W-10, but Sean Carey dashed any flickering Ram hopes as he intercepted a pass in the end zone with 32 seconds left.

Waterville drew first blood in the game when Hilton broke two tackles shortly after catching a punt, two more about 10 yards downfield, and then ran away down the sideline for a 92-yard TD return with 8:22 left in the first quarter.

Almost 41/2 minutes after a Nathan Hart 1-yard run capped an 11-play, 48-yard scoring drive and made it 14-0 Panthers, Bangor got on the scoreboard after a high snap sailed over punter Andrew Livingston’s head and into the end zone. Livingston fell on it and Robert Flynn tacked him for a safety with 1:22 left in the half. A 26-yard kickoff return later, Ray found Prentiss near the sideline at the W-28, Prentiss shook two tackles, and sprinted away for a 40-yard TD catch.

Ray gave the Rams the lead with 6:34 left in the third by stepping up to avoid a sack and hitting Wes Day on the right sideline before Day ran untouched into the end zone.

Lockard found Brian Tormollan for a 77-yard TD pass on 3rd-and-7 three plays later to retake the Panthers’ lead.

BLACK RAIDERS 36, WITCHES 12

Winslow (5-4) 6 0 16 14 ? 36

Brewer (7-2) 0 0 6 6 ? 12

W ? Vigue 72 run (kick failed)

W ? Vigue 58 run (McPherson pass from LaPointe)

B ? Emerson 36 run (pass failed)

W ? Vigue 57 run (McPherson pass from LaPointe)

W ? Vigue 6 run (Lopez kick)

W ? McCaslin 4 run (Lopez kick)

B ? Caldwell 1 run (no attempt)

Winslow Brewer

First downs 15 11

Rushing att.-yards 48-412 43-253

Passing comp.-att. 3-7 0-5

Passing yards 24 0

Total yards 436 253

Punts-avg. 2-29.0 5.30.8

Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-0

Intercepted by 0 0

Penalties-yards 3-25 5-30

Rushing

Winslow: Vigue 25-288, Runnells 12-59, LaPointe 3-31, McCaslin 4-18, Hendrick 3-12, Nelson 1-4; Brewer: Caldwell 25-167, Emerson 8-70, Noyes 7-23, Collins 2-(-4), Team 1-(-3)

Passing

Winslow: Lapointe 3-7-0-24; Brewer: Collins 0-5

Receiving

Winslow: Vigue 1-14, Welch 1-6, Nelson 1-4

A?300 (est.)