LIVERMORE FALLS — When the Wells defense stopped Spruce Mountain senior running back Matt Vigue on 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line on the Phoenix’ first possession of the game, it was a sign of things to come for how the Warriors were going to play on that side of the ball in the Western Class C semifinal between the teams at Griffin Field on Friday night.

After a few twists and turns ”“ and few points scored ”“ another fourth-down stop by the Wells defense sealed a 14-13 victory for the Warriors.

While the second-seeded Phoenix (8-2) didn’t score on that opening drive, they did move the ball with some relative ease, going 61 yards on nine plays before being stopped short of the end zone.

It looked the Phoenix wouldn’t have the same success on their second drive as they faced a 3rd-and-7 at their own 17-yard line. But Andrew Darling got open in the secondary and quarterback Peter Theriault found him for an 83-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute to go in the first quarter. A two-point conversion run by Vigue was stuffed short of the goal line, however, keeping Spruce Mountain’s lead at just 6-0.

While the Phoenix found some success on offense early, the third-seeded Warriors (8-2) found themselves going nowhere. Wells punted on its first two drives, then sandwiched another punt around a pair of turnovers on downs while never getting closer than the Spruce Mountain 39-yard line.

The Phoenix then struck again after a 15-yard penalty on Wells on a late hit gave Spruce Mountain a first down at the Warriors’ 18-yard line. On the next play, Theriault hit Vigue in the back of the end zone to cap off a seven-play drive with 1:39 left in the first half.

When the Warriors got the ball back, they put the ball in the hands of 1,700-yard senior running back Chris Carney, who had been held to just 27 yards on 11 carries up that point. Carney gained five yards on first down, then got the hole he had been waiting for, as he scampered 59 yards up the left sideline for a touchdown.

An extra-point by Ryan Marsh cut the deficit to 13-7 as the Warriors finally showed some life on offense.

“I can’t say enough of the blocking on that one; I mean, it was just a wide open lane,” Carney said.

“We didn’t move the ball great to start. We knew if we kept running it with Chris, he’s going to break one eventually, and he did,” Wells head coach Tim Roche said. “I kept saying ”˜I think sweep is it.’ This is what we do, and if we can’t do what we do, then we don’t deserve to win.”

Spruce Mountain got the ball back with 56 seconds left, but went nowhere with the last-minute drive. The Phoenix then got the ball to start the second half, but were stopped three-and-out after gaining just five yards.

Wells had momentum on its side as it got the ball for the first time in the second half and they Warriors used it to their advantage. Quarterback Nate Booth scrambled for 16 yards on 3rd-and-7 to jumpstart the drive, then Carney ran for 55 yards combined on the next two plays to move Wells down to the Spruce Mountain 2-yard line.

Michael Curtis was stopped for no gain on 1st-and-goal and Carney gained just one yard on second down, but Booth barreled in from one yard out to tie the game at 13-13. Marsh made the all-important PAT again to put Wells on top for the first time, 14-13.

The Wells defense took over from there as the Warriors came up with four-consecutive drive-stopping plays.

The succession of defensive stands began with a stop on fourth down at the Wells 17 after the Phoenix looked primed to answer the Warriors’ go-ahead score. But Theriault threw incomplete on three-consecutive passes at the 17-yard line, including a fourth-down overthrow to Darling in tight coverage in the end zone.

After a Wells’ three-and-out, the Phoenix’ next drive lasted just two plays, as Dylan Webster fumbled the ball near midfield.

The Warriors couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, as a pass from Booth was just off the fingertips of Marsh in the end zone on a fourth-down play, but Wells made another key defensive stop after giving the ball up to the Phoenix.

Spruce Mountain drove the ball 71 yards down to the Wells 8-yard line, but Reid Chase stripped the ball from Theriault’s hands as he stretched for extra yardage.

“We had a couple (stops) when they got in close and we stuffed them. We were able to get it done,” said Roche. “That was a great defensive play.”

The Warriors were forced to punt after gaining just one first down, and a 15-yard penalty after a fair catch by Spruce Mountain gave the Phoenix the ball at their own 48-yard line with time winding down in the game.

The Wells defense made its final stand, as Theriault sandwiched incomplete passes around a run for no gain. That set up a desperate fourth-down play, and Booth was able to knock the ball out of Vigue’s hands on what would have been a catch for a first down.

“Defense won the game for us. Defense was the key to this game,” said Carney. “We stepped up big, (defensive coordinator Carmen) Perri got us ready. We just came ready to play and motivated.”

Two Carney runs ”“ giving him 191 yards on 28 carries for the game, and one kneel down by Booth were all the Warriors needed to punch their ticket to the Western Maine regional final next week at top-seeded Leavitt (9-1), which beat up on fifth-seeded Yarmouth 30-6 in the night’s other semifinal.

“I’m just so proud of them; they’re resilient kids. They’ve lost to (Spruce Mountain) a couple times in a row, and to finally come out and get it done in a big game like this, it’s so cool,” said Roche, alluding to Wells’ loss to the Phoenix in last year’s playoffs ”“ in Wells ”“ and during the regular season this year.

—Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.