FAIRFIELD — Mt. Blue thrust itself into the thick of the Pine Tree Conference playoff race Friday night, taking an impressive 40-12 Class B North football win over Lawrence at Pete Cooper Stadium.

Mt. Blue (2-1) was stingy on defense and explosive on offense, scoring three times after the Cougars forced Lawrence (0-3) to fumble.

“That was a big game for us,” Mt. Blue coach Jim Aylward said. “We are in the hunt for a playoff spot and are playing strong defense.”

Aylward, who missed last week’s home game with Brewer, was back with the team Friday night, coaching from the press box at midfield. Aylward suffered a collapsed lung last week and was hospitalized four days. He recovered enough to attend practice sessions at Mt. Blue in the middle of the week.

Nate Pratt-Holt stunned the Bulldogs’ faithful, scoring three sensation touchdowns to pace the Cougars’ attack.

Pratt-Holt opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game when Mt. Blue quarterback Ryan Pratt lofted a soft ball into the left back corner of the end zone, where Pratt-Holt out jumped his defender for the touchdown. Christian Whitney booted the point after for a quick 7-0 lead.

Two minutes later Mt. Blue was back on offense following Lawrence’s first of three turnovers in the game. Mt. Blue took control on the 16, three running plays by Zach Meader took the ball into the end zone for a 13-0 lead at 7:01 of the first quarter.

Mt. Blue’s defensive front wall of Isaac Collins, Will Gunter, Brandon Durrell and Caleb Hall were quick to the ball holding the Bulldog offense to 139 yards, 46 on the ground.

“We came into the game looking to control the gaps,” Collins said. “We wanted to run 11 gold helmets at the ball.”

Two more Lawrence turnovers ensued in the second quarter. With 6:10 remaining in the first half, Alex Gilbert (6 carries, 86 yards) punched in a four yard run after the Cougars recovered a bad snap at the four to take a 19-0 lead.

Just as the half was ending, the Bulldogs fumbled the ball away on a pass-and-run near midfield. Pratt-Holt picked up the loose ball, bolting down the right sideline, untouched for the score with six seconds left before halftime, giving the Cougars a 33-6 halftime advantage.

“Last week we missed a lot of scoring opportunities,” Pratt-Holt said. “We wanted to stay focused in this game and take advantage of our chances.”

Whitney (12 carries, 58 yards) also scored for the Cougars in the second quarter on a one-yard run up the middle. Holt ended the Mt. Blue onslaught in the third quarter scoring on a 54-yard reverse play two minutes into the frame.

Lawrence broke up Mt. Blue’s scoring binge in the second quarter when quarterback Braden Ballard tossed a 26 yard touchdown pass to end Seth Powers.

The Bulldogs scored as time ran out when backup quarterback Ryan Pellerin found Spencer Trask in the end zone.