WELLS — For as long as any of these Wells gridders can remember, Mountain Valley has had their number.

Sometimes by a little.

Sometimes by a lot.

Always by holding the upper hand on the field, and in the Warriors’ heads.

Friday, the Warriors put up an impressive number of their own, as they downed their nemesis and defending Class B state champion, 28-12, before an overflow crowd at Warrior Memorial Field.

“It’s a big rivalry between Wells and Mountain Valley,” said senior lineman Andrew Staples, whose emotions left wet trails down his cheeks. “This just shows how good we are. We’ve just got to keep going and get to the Gold Ball. Now it’s our time to shine.”

Such glimmers have been non-existant for the Warriors in recent tangles with Mountain Valley. The Falcons (5-1) had rolled over Wells (6-0) four straight times since 2008, including last year’s 18-0 Western Maine final which paved the way for their second state crown in four years.

“Since Nov. 11 last year,” said tight end Josh Ingalls. “That’s all we’ve been waiting for. This game. It’s been a big one. It’s been circled since (then). We’ve wanted them all this time.”

Their time came last night, when they led from the first drive of the game, to the last.

In between, Wells kept the Falcons at bay by holding two touchdown leads, three times.

“We got it going,” said running back Louis DiTomasso, who opened the scoring with a 15-yard gallop. “We closed it out by controlling the clock.”

DiTomasso’s score came at the end of a nine-play, 62-yard drive, directed by quarterback Paul McDonough, who celebrated his 18th birthday.

The Warriors stayed on the ground during that series, with four different runners darting through big holes ripped open for them by the offensive line.

“Attention to detail is key,” said Ingalls. “We just had everything clicking.”

DiTomasso made clutch plays on defense, too.

His recovery of a Matthew Hosie fumble near midfield paved the way for Wells’ second TD, a 51-yard toss from McDonough to Kevin Woods, which made it 14-0 with 1:52 gone in the second quarter.

The Falcons rebounded with a 13-yard scoring run by Kyle Duguay with 5:01 left in the half.

A failed conversion try left the score 14-6.

The Warriors, however, patiently ground out a 12-play campaign that covered 81 yards and was capped by Ingalls’ 5-yard TD grab in the back corner of the end zone with 20 seconds left in the half to make it 21-6.

“The line collapsed,” said Ingalls, who stands 6-6, “and I saw Paul rolling out. I was taller than the guy covering me ”“ it’s a big advantage being this tall ”“ and I saw Paul lob it up there. My first thought was to get my feet in bounds because I didn’t know where I was. I just saw that ball, got the feet down.

“I didn’t even know it was a touchdown. I heard the people in the stands screaming. And that’s when it hit me.”

Ingalls helped keep that drive alive with a clutch 22-yard reception on third and 16.

The Warriors stayed in command throughout the second half, although they had to endure some nerve-wracking moments.

The first of those came when the Falcons drove to the Warrior 3, before the Wells defense stopped them on fourth down.

Then, with 1:52 left in the third, Mountain Valley’s Taylor Carey scooped up a fumble and ran 77 yards for the score, which made it 21-12.

Still, Wells refused to buckle under the pressure.

Instead, the Warriors lengthened the lead with 6:35 to play, when on second and 12, McDonough sprinted 35 yards down the left sideline to cap the scoring.

After stopping the Falcons at the Wells 33, the Warriors chewed up the final 4:49 to ice the win.

“It’s a team thing,” said McDonough. “This is the biggest win we’ve had in the regular season, by far.”

Said Ingalls, “When that final whistle blew, we just knew that we had done it.”

— Contact Dan Hickling at dhickling@journaltribune.com or follow on Twitter @DanHickling.