DIXFIELD — Old Orchard Beach opened the second half of Friday night’s Campbell Conference Class D season finale with a surprise for Dirigo — the wildcat formation.

The wildcat solved the Seagulls’ problems moving the ball more consistently, but not their tendency to draw penalties that kept them from capitalizing on scoring chances. Hunter White, Luke Lueders and the Cougar defense were all-too-happy to make them pay for those mistakes.

White and Lueders each picked off a pass in the second half to help Cooper Chiasson’s outstanding night on the ground stand up for a 12-6 win that clinched home field advantage for Dirigo when the two teams meet again in the D South playoffs next Friday night.

“It wasn’t a pretty game,” Dirigo coach Jim Hersom said, “but we’re going to regroup next week and try to come back with something we can hang our hat on.”

Chiasson rushed 19 times for 184 yards and both Dirigo (4-3)  touchdowns of 53 and 66 yards.

Dylan Creswell and Thomas Fregeau led an OOB (3-4) running committee with 52 yards apiece.

The Seagulls used direct snaps to running backs Dylan Creswell and Brian Davis for the bulk of the drive as it marched to the Cougars 4-yard-line.

Threatening to at least erase Dirigo’s 6-0 lead, OOB instead picked up two crucial penalties — an illegal block below the waist and an illegal motion — to turn first-and-goal from the 4 to 1st-and-goal from the 24.

“If we don’t clean that up against good teams, we lose games. It’s that simple,” OOB coach Dean Plante said.

“First-and-10, our Wildcat’s nice. First-and-20, it’s a little more challenging,” he added.

On second down from the 21, OOB quarterback Dylan Boudreau threw to his left, but White was waiting at the five to pick the pass off and returned it 60 yards into Seagull territory.

“It was big,” White said. “I saw the quarterback throw it and when I saw the opportunity to get, I just got in front of the receiver, read it and ran as far as I could once I got it.”

The Cougars stalled at OOB’s 31, but the defense returned the favor with a three-and-out of its own. On the first play of their next series, Chiasson burst up the middle for a 66-yard touchdown run and a 12-0 lead.

“We love the ‘rips,'” Chiasson said. “We block them well. We have great tackles and we rip the hole hard.”

The Seagulls continued to move the ball into the fourth quarter and finally got on the board on a five-yard run by Creswell that cut the deficit in half with 8:37 remaining.

Old Orchard held the Cougars to just one first down the rest of the game, but Lueders’ interception near midfield ended one drive with 4:38 to go and forced OOB to start burning time outs.

The Cougars pinned the Seagulls to their own five with 2:31 remaining. With no time outs remaining, OOB had to hurry-up and ultimately only made it as far as its own 23 before turning it over on downs with under a minute left.

“They moved the football, but we’ve got a lot of potential with this group,” Hersom said. “It’s a small group, but we’ve got a lot of heart, a lot of determination, and I’m just proud of the kids for hanging in there and pulling this out.”

Dirigo needed seven plays to drive 80 yards and score on the game’s opening drive. White’s block on the edge allowed Chiasson to bounce outside and race 47 yards for the his first touchdown.

Led by Quentin Penley and Dalton Berry, Dirigo’s defense stifled OOB after the Seagulls recovered a fumble at the Cougars’ 27, turning the ball over on downs.

The Cougars spoiled two more OOB drives into their territory in the second quarter. The first ended at the 13 when Boudreau couldn’t connect with Cody Blanchette on a slant on 4th-and-8.

Old Orchard started its next drive at Dirigo’s 43, but a sack by Berry on first down essentially ended the threat before it began.

The Seagulls were penalized eight times for 70 yards, the Cougars five times for 40 yards.