READFIELD -- Awed but focused, the Winthrop High School football team did just what it wanted to Friday night at Maranacook Community High School.

"We knew it would be an emotional night," Winthrop coach Joel Stoneton said. "So we wanted to stay out of the way, disappear in the woods and play some football."

The Ramblers did just that before more than 1,000 fans who witnessed the official Ricky Gibson Field of Dreams dedication in an emotional evening at Maranacook.

Cory Harris rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown to lead Winthrop past Maranacook 12-8 in a pivotal Campbell Conference Class C game.

Ryan Conant rushed for 84 yards and a score as the Ramblers (3-2) grabbed a 12-0 halftime lead, then hung on late for the win.

"It was an intense game," said Conant, who opened the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run with 8 minutes, 26 seconds left in the second quarter. "The crowd was fired up and they really wanted a win. But we just came out and hit harder."

Added Winthrop quarterback Travis Luce, who completed just one pass, although it was a key third-and-long completion late in the third: "Ricky Gibson did a great thing here, and it was a moving night. But we had to keep our heads together and stay focused and play some football."

Ricky Gibson III died in April of an inoperable brain tumor. The school dedicated the field in his honor on Friday night.

The Ramblers ran the ball effectively all night, even when Harris didn't return in the second half after suffering from what Stoneton called concussion-like symptoms.

"We really needed this game," Conant said.

They played like it from the get-go.

Winthrop controlled the first half and forced two turnovers to keep Maranacook's offense grounded. In the second quarter, the Ramblers scored all the points they would need.

Conant capped a five-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to give the Ramblers a 6-0 lead. Harris set up the score with a key 28-yard run from the Maranacook 37.

"I just kept my head down and ran as hard as a I could," Conant said of his touchdown.

After forcing Maranacook to punt, the Ramblers doubled their lead when Harris used a nifty cut-back move en route to a 53-yard touchdown with 5:36 left until halftime.

"You have to give a lot of credit to Winthrop," Maranacook coach Joe Emery said. "They out-played us in the first half."

Maranacook, which lost big tight end Ben Johnson to a knee injury, pulled within a touchdown when Luke Emery rushed for an 11-yard touchdown with 6:06 left in the third.

Emery finished with 89 yards, including 75 yards in the second half.

"I got some good blocking, found a hole and ran it right in," he said. "But we started out flat. We should've had it."

Maranacook drove to the Winthrop 30 with just less than eight minutes remaining, but came up short on a fourth-and-1. Winthrop than ran six minutes off the clock to preserve the victory.

"We didn't think we could run the ball like we did (Friday night)," Stoneton said. "This was a big win."

Bill Stewart -- 623-3811, ext. 515

bstewart@centralmaine.com