Winthrop/Monmouth committed the cardinal sins the first time it played two-time reigning Class D football champion Oak Hill this season.

The Ramblers watched the Raiders take an early lead, then sabotaged their own comeback hopes with a pair of second-half turnovers.

Let top-seeded, undefeated Oak Hill dictate the tempo and mood of a game, as 18 consecutive opponents can attest, and it won’t end with a happy bus ride home.

No. 4 Winthrop/Monmouth (5-3) gets another chance to play spoiler when it drops in on No. 1 Oak Hill (8-0) for a southern semifinal at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Wales.

Oak Hill has rolled through its latest title defense with three relatively close games: Wins of 20-14 over Dirigo, 28-19 over Winthrop/Monmouth and 27-18 over Lisbon, all at home. Senior quarterback Dalton Therrien rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 92 yards and another score against the Ramblers.

Therrien has amassed more than 1,700 combined rushing and passing yards while accounting for 26 TDs. The weapons around him are many and balanced, and Oak Hill appears to take pleasure in unleashing a different one (or two, or three) each week.

Jonah Martin, Connor Nilsson, Colby Spencer, Darryn Bailey and Matthew Strout have been the Raiders’ top receivers. Strout played a series at quarterback against Winthrop/Monmouth in the regular season, and that subterfuge ended in a long scoring ramble by Therrien.

When Therrien doesn’t call his own number on the ground, Oak Hill attacks with a combination that includes Cruz Poirier, Levi Buteau and Steven Gilbert.

Oak Hill sacked Winthrop/Monmouth quarterback Matt Ingram six times in the previous meeting, three by Connor Elwell.

Winthrop/Monmouth rebounded from a stunning, injury-riddled 8-6 loss to Boothbay with a 27-3 quarterfinal rout of Maranacook. The Ramblers used six and seven-man defensive fronts to slow down the Black Bears and also didn’t allow Maranacook to complete a pass.

The Ramblers have been balanced offensively, as well. Alec Brown (127 carries, 753 yards, 7 TDs) leads the Wing-T alignment at fullback, but Nate Scott (66-448-3 TDs) has emerged as a home run threat.

Junior Matt Ingram (49-for-104, 717 yards, 7 TDs) provides an aerial wrinkle to the ground-and-pound offense, thanks in large part to favorite target and classmate Bennett Brooks (20 catches, 367 yards, 4 TDs). Ingram also looks to Andrew Pazdziorko, Ben Ames and Scott.

Oak Hill defensive heroes have been many, including Elwell, Strout, Martin, Buteau, Therrien, Garrett Gile, Brendon Tervo and Brian Thorpe.

The Raiders haven’t lost a playoff game since the 2012 semifinals against Dirigo. Winthrop/Monmouth eyes a return to the regional final for the first time in seven seasons.

koakes@sunjournal.com