Liam Van Oesen scored five touchdowns and passed for another as the Purple Panthers (5-1) clinched the No. 1 seed in the Large School North division eight-man playoffs by defeating the Shipbuilders (5-2) at Bath.

Gabe Aucoin of Morse answered with six touchdowns, five rushing and one receiving.

After a 22-22 halftime tie, Waterville scored the first 16 points of the third quarter, on runs of 34 yards by Van Oesen and 39 yards by Dawson Harrison. The Panthers led 44-28 through three quarters, then saw the lead dwindle to 50-42 with 7:25 left before Van Oesen added a 49-yard TD run with 6:12 remaining.