DIXFIELD — Another quick start. Another defensive and special teams clinic throughout.

Dirigo’s early-season pattern might not be edge-of-the-seat excitement, but it’s a level of September efficiency that will make the Cougars tough to handle in October and November.

Three first-quarter touchdowns, four fumble recoveries, a blocked punt and an interception staked Dirigo to a systematic 25-6 Class D West victory Friday night over Winthrop/Monmouth at Harlow Park.

“It’s a process. We’re getting there,” Dirigo coach Jim Hersom. “We’re pretty quick and we’re learning how to play. I’m happy with how things are going.”

If Hersom could quibble with anything, it’s that the Cougars (3-0) couldn’t put away the young Ramblers (0-3). That was as much a credit to Winthrop/Monmouth’s persistence and stubbornness as anything.

And there was ample cause for celebration.

Riley Robinson completed touchdown passes of 19 and 29 yards to Gavin Arsenault to give the Cougars a 13-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.

Joe Casey’s 52-yard return of the opening kickoff — he went the distance with it in last week’s 14-6 win at Oak Hill — set up the first connection. Arsenault’s own fumble recovery led to the second.

“Coach Hersom always says we’re going to come out and play aggressive,” Robinson said. “We just come out and try to score right away. That was our emphasis, to put up points today.”

And defending Dirigo is a pick-your-poison problem. Casey (11 carries, 107 yards) and Tyler Frost (17 for 100) dominated the rest of the evening on the ground.

Winthrop/Monmouth took down Casey at the one-foot line after a 55-yard run, only to see Frost barrel in on the next play for a 19-0 lead with 2:19 remaining in the quarter.

“We know they can throw the ball. We know Hersom is going to have a different trick each week. It’s not going to look the same. The results are the same each time, but the look is different,” Winthrop/Monmouth coach Dave St. Hilaire said. “We were ready for it, but we misfired on a couple of passes where our safety read run and we left that open.”

The Ramblers shut out the Cougars’ offense thereafter, with Ben Ames’ takedown of Casey producing a goal-line stand late in the third quarter.

“They made some nice adjustments on defense. We tried to counter that,” Hersom said. “We just need to secure the football and be a little more attentive and finish those drives off.”

Winthrop/Monmouth couldn’t escape the dangerous field position, however, and Kaine Hutchins batted down Mario Meucci’s punt. Vincent Hebert covered it for the score.

Robinson intercepted Matt Ingram in the end zone to protect the shutout early in the fourth quarter, but the Ramblers finally broke through on a 19-yard hookup from Ingram to Meucci with 3:02 left.

“Six turnovers don’t help anything at all. But these guys don’t quit,” St. Hilaire said. “We settled down, but all of a sudden we have to do different things and dig pretty deep in the bag of tricks. We can’t play power football once we’re down.”

Ingram completed 12 of 27 for 140 yards to lead the Ramblers. Meucci caught seven for 83.

Dirigo’s defense, led by Frost in the middle, slammed the door on Winthrop/Monmouth’s running game, allowing only 47 yards on 30 tries.

“We’ve got a lot of playmakers on our team,” Robinson said. “Tyler Frost is a real force in the middle. He’s the best defensive player in the conference. He’s just tough.”

Andrew Pazdziorko had a sack of Robinson to lead the Ramblers’ defense. Arsenault added a second fumble recovery and lengthy return late in the first half for Dirigo. Frost and Casey each scooped another.

Winthrop/Monmouth’s three losses are to teams with a combined record of 8-0.

“We know they’ve got a group of athletes,” Robinson said. “They’re a good team. They’ve just got a tough start to their schedule. They’re going to win some football games this year.”