SKOWHEGAN — Throughout Friday night’s Pine Tree Conference Class B semifinal, the Brewer High School football team had seen four drives end in a turnover in Skowhegan territory. When the Witches got the ball with 8:04 left in the game and down seven points, they knew another turnover would cost them the season.

The Witches mounted a 19-play, 57-yard drive that took 7:53 seconds, scoring with 11 seconds left on Trey Wood’s run from inside the 1-yard line. When Dylan Severance ran in the 2-point conversion untouched, the Witches had a 16-15 lead.

The win wasn’t complete until Austin Lufkin sacked Skowhegan quarterback Garrett McSweeney at midfield on the final play, giving the Witches the 16-15 come-from-behind win.

No. 3 Brewer (9-1) will next play at No. 1 Brunswick (8-1) in the conference championship game next week. No. 2 Skowhegan ends the season 7-2.

Brewer converted two fourth down attempts on the game-winning drive. The second came on Wood’s touchdown run with 11 seconds left. The first game on fourth and three from the 50, on the fourth play of the drive. Quarterback Logan Rogerson kept the ball and ran to the left, getting just past the down marker to keep the Witches marching.

“We knew we could run the ball. We’d been having some success with a couple plays just going right up the middle. We trust out line, and they did a great job,” Severance said.

“Facing the same situation, if we were down, we probably would’ve done the same thing. At that point, the season is on the line,” Skowhegan coach Matt Friedman said.

With just under a minute to play, Brewer had first and goal at the Skowhegan 3-yard line. On first down, Severance was dropped by Kam Doucette for a four-yard loss. On second down, Rogerson ran to the right sideline, getting to the one. On third down, Severance tried to leap over the pile, but was stopped for no gain, setting up fullback Wood for the fourth down carry.

“What was it, like a half yard to go?” Wood said. “We just got a big push off the line and I barely made it in. One last drive.”

Down 15-14, the Witches went for the 2-point conversion and the lead, using a variation of a play they’d run multiple times in the game.

“We knew they were blitzing all the (line)backers to the same side. We had run the play six times before, and we knew if went to the opposite side, it’d be wide open,” Severance, who ran for a game-high 136 yards on 37 carries, said. “I had Trey running in front of me, and he opened up that huge hole.”

“We gave up a couple first downs there, and let them stay on the field. I think we did a great job down here on the goal line. We held them as long as we could. A little bit less time or one more stop we would’ve been in good shape,” Friedman said.

Spencer Salley picked up the ensuing kickoff at his own five yard line and returned it to the 24. A personal foul on Brewer gave the Indians the ball at their own 39 with five seconds left. Brewer was called for pass interference, giving Skowhegan one last play with no time left from the Brewer 46. This time, Lufkin broke through for the sack, ending the game.

Skowhegan got on the board first, when McSweeney connected with Salley for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 4:06 left in the first quarter. The Witches answered nearly three minutes later, when Rogerson scored on a 12-yard run, and Severance ran in the 2-point conversion to give Brewer an 8-7 lead.

Twice in the second quarter, the Witches had the ball inside the Skowhegan 10, but each time the Indians came away with an interception. John Blodgett’s pick ended a Brewer drive at the two with 5:38 left in the quarter. With under a minute left in the first half, Salley intercepted Rogerson in the end zone and returned it to the Brewer 48.

Brewer lost a fumble at the Skowhegan 37 on the first drive of the third quarter, and this time, the Indians capitalized. McSweeney’s one yard run with 3:32 left in the third capped a 10-play, 64-yard drive, and Salley’s run on the 2-point try gave Skowhegan a 15-8 lead.

When Rogerson had to leave the game for a play on fourth down and seven early in the fourth quarter, the Witches tried a fake punt that turned into a fourth turnover, this time at Skowhegan’s 25. The Indians were unable to move the ball, however, and punted back to Brewer for what became the game-winning drive.

“They made a lot of great plays and stuck us and made a lot of turnovers. But we overcame those and never gave up,” Wood (78 yards on 14 carries) said.

Luke Bolster ran for 93 yards for Skowhegan. McSweeney threw for 101 yards.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM