READFIELD — Parker Rand never had a half like he did on Friday night.

Maranacook’s senior quarterback ran for 158 yards on just five carries and two touchdowns in the first half. As a safety on defense, he had two interceptions.

Rand finished with 171 yards on 10 carries as the Black Bears rolled to a 41-13 victory over Poland in a Class D South football game at Ricky Gibson Field of Dreams.

Rand wasn’t the only member of the backfield that found success for Maranacook (2-1). Senior running back Jack Crosby had 128 yards on 15 carries with three touchdowns and senior back Cobey Dunn had 85 yards on 10 carries. The Black Bears finished with 433 offensive yards, 406 that came through the ground game.

“I like to give a lot of credit to the (offensive line), they had a lot of open gaps for me,” Rand said. “They blocked to the blow of the whistle. It was great. I got a lot of rushing yards because of them.”

Maranacook had 307 yards of offense in the first half. Running the option out of the shotgun, Rand ran for a 50-yard touchdown on Maranacook’s first offensive play. Two possessions later, Rand scored on a 27-yard run, giving the Black Bears a quick 13-0 lead.

Poland (0-4) cut the lead to 13-7 just before the end of the first quarter when safety Lucas Verrill returned a fumble 30 yards for a score. Maranacook scored on its next three possessions as Crosby had touchdown runs of 2 yards and 11 yards and Lucas Drillen added a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Black Bears a 34-7 halftime lead.

“We’ve been trying to get our running backs open, and they’ve gotten a lot of touches, and sometimes it just doesn’t click,” Rand said. “But to see the run game be that good, it’s just really nice to see.”

“I’m thrilled (with the effort),” said Maranacook head coach Skip Bessey. “I told the kids all week, after (a 42-6 loss to Mountain Valley on Sept. 13), I didn’t know where we were at. It was a game that I thought, going into it, we could have won. To come out of it with the outcome that it was, I really didn’t know where we were… Coming out of this, I feel better about where we’re at.”

Maranacook’s final touchdown came on its first possession of the second half, when Crosby rumbled down the middle of the field for a 40-yard touchdown. Rand’s extra point lengthened the lead to 41-7.

“We can (pass the ball), but if I can run the ball, I’m going to run the ball,” Bessey said. “I’m very happy with the way my kids blocked up front. We have a heavy senior presence on the offensive line. They did a phenomenal job blocking. And Parker ran the option really well tonight.”

Poland responded on the following kickoff when junior receiver Landon Cooper found room down the sideline for a 75-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 41-13.

Maranacook’s defense held the Knights to 92 total offensive yards (26 rushing) and forced three turnovers.

Sophomore Lucas Gayton got the start for Poland, but was eventually replaced by junior Damon Martin, who did his best to make plays with his arm and his legs. He had 20 yards on 10 carries. A safety on defense, Martin had two interceptions for the Knights.