SANFORD — One team had to win, and one team had to lose, with an entire season on the line.

And at the end of the day, it was the Sanford Redskins who will enter the Western Class A playoffs, while their rival, the Massabesic Mustangs, play the waiting game with the Crabtree Standings.

The Redskins piggybacked their season on the sturdy shoulders of running backs Alex Shain (18 rushes, 189 yards, three touchdowns) and Jon Schroder (13 rushes for 91 yards and a touchdown) to lead Sanford to a 31-7 win over the Mustangs at Cobb Stadium.

The win sealed a playoff spot for the Redskins, who end the regular season with a 5-3 record, and will likely enter the tournament as a No. 6 seed next weekend. Sanford missed the playoffs last season, ending the season one spot away as a No. 9 seed.

“It feels great,” Schroder said. “Anytime you make the playoffs, no matter what seed you are, it’s a great feeling for the program. It uplifts the community, and there’s a lot of pride right now that we have being back in the playoffs, after last year and everything.”

Sanford head coach Mike Fallon said his team wanted no repeat of what happened last season.

“We came into this game with the mentality that we had to win,” Fallon said. “I’m no mathematical genius, but we knew that we didn’t want that situation like last year where we had to win and pray that something good happened. We wanted to control our destiny. I’m so proud of our kids, it felt like we put it all together tonight.”

Though Massabesic lost, and ends the season with a 4-4 record, thanks to a 41-12 loss for Gorham at the hands of Scarborough the Mustangs could possibly enter the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, which leads to a showdown with No. 1 seed Cheverus next Saturday in Portland. Either way, the Mustangs had a successful turnaround, improving upon the 0-8 record the team had last season.

“That’s not how we wanted it to go down, but that’s the way it’s got to be,” Massabesic fullback Sam Chaves said, referring to counting on Crabtree Points. “Hopefully we see Cheverus next week.”

Sanford scored all of its 31 points in the first half of the contest. The Redskins needed only four plays and 44 yards to score on the first drive of the ballgame, with Shain breaking off a 16-yard run into the endzone to give Sanford the lead. The extra point by Jimmy Chaisson gave the Redskins a 7-0 score.

Sanford added 24 more points onto its lead in the second quarter. Schroder took the handoff on a sweep toward the sideline, and turned upfield for a 7-yard touchdown run, capped off with a Chaisson extra point to make the score 14-0 in favor of the Redskins.

Four minutes later, after holding Massabesic to a three-and-out, Shain, coming off the edge, blocked a Travis Mansfield punt and returned it all alone 50 yards for a touchdown. After Chaisson’s extra point, Sanford had a comfortable 21-0 lead.

“Anytime you can make a special teams play like that, it’s huge,” Fallon said.

Massabesic scored its only points on the next possession, moving 70 yards down the field on six plays. On the Sanford 46-yard line, quarterback Jake Desrochers, dropping back to pass, rolled right and found slotback Dan Welch open down the right sideline. Desrochers hit Welch in stride, capping off a 46 yard scoring toss. Mansfield’s kick brought the score to 21-7.

Sanford added another Shain scoring run on the next possession, as he found space on a sweep and sprinted 57 yards for the score. Chaisson’s kick brought the Sanford lead to 28-7.

Fallon credited the work of both Shain and Schroder after the contest.

“Those guys are our workhorses,” Fallon said. “I talked to both of those guys and I told them that we needed them tonight. Both of those guys brought it. Alex and Jon, they were tremendous tonight. They’re special players, and some of the stuff they’re capable of doing are game-breaking, and if we can get that consistently, because we don’t just want a token appearance, I want these kids to be confident that they can go out there and compete and make something happen.”

Chaisson added to his busy night by kicking a 32-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in the half to give the Redskins the 31-7 lead.

Neither team scored in the second half, though there were opportunities. The Mustangs, who had only three offensive drives in the second half, twice moved inside the Redskins 20-yard line and failed to come away with points.

“We knew they were an explosive offense,” Schroder said. “Our coaches really did a good job coaching us up about the triple-option, keying in on guys. We just came out and played a great game defensively and made things happen.”

Desrochers led the Mustangs with 171 total yards (92 passing, 79 rushing). He was followed by Chaves, who had 60 yards rushing on nine carries.

Sanford had 298 total offensive yards, 280 of which came from Shain and Schroder. Massabesic tallied 277 offensive yards.

“Me and Alex, we try to see who’s going to have the most touchdowns,” Schroder said. “Alex is beating me right now, but I’m not complaining.”

— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 318.