Week 8 Thoughts on the Weekend

- We’re at the business end of our football season here. As things get more character and we thin out the herd (so to speak), this part feels like a chaotic downhill slalom. If you aren’t performing at your best then it is easy to make a costly mistake. And a costly mistake can be what separates you from the gold at the finish line.

- Congratulations to John Bapst head coach Dan O’Connell on recording his 100th high school coaching victory with the Crusaders, doing so in his 187th game coached. He became the 16th active coach to have reached the century mark in wins.

- It’s been a very trying season for Biddeford. They were out of the playoffs following last week’s 56-32 loss to Massabesic so Thursday’s game was about pride at Waterhouse Field. The Tigers overcame their 21-18 deficit to score twice and defeat York 30-28. Their win snaps an eight-game losing skid that dates back to 2022.

- One of the more anticipated match-ups of the weekend was a one-two showdown on Thursday between 7-0 Oceanside and 6-2 Medomak Valley. Both sides keep things close with an 8-8 tie after the first quarter. It was Oceanside though that slowly separated moved head, taking a 16-8 lead into the half while leading 24-14 after three quarters. Cohen Galley’s third touchdown of the day, his second consecutive rushing score, put the Mariners up 30-14. The Panthers fought back with two Chase Peaslee rushing touchdowns that brought them within a score following a 75-yard touchdown run by Galley with 5 minutes to go in the game. But time ran out of the Panthers as Oceanside celebrated the victory, an undefeated season, and a number one spot in Northern Class C.

- There was a time in recent memory that Brunswick and deep playoff run were synonymous. Then the 2021 training camp incident happened with the subsequent cancellation of their football season. Then the 0-8 season in 2022. And then the move from Northern Class B to the 8 man large school ranks. The Dragons re-build under new coach Mark Renna has been slow, yet progress has been made. They finished the regular season with the third highest scoring offense in the 8 man large school ranks behind arguably the best passing attack in the class. And it was a kickoff return for a touchdown by Lucas Labrecque, on the opening play of the game at that, which gave Brunswick the confidence that was a given in years past. Gray-New Gloucester made it clear early on, cutting a 22-0 Brunswick lead to a single touchdown deficit in the first quarter following a Kobi Conant touchdown pass to Ben Powell, and then a Kody Tracy pick-six. The Dragons recovered to extend their lead to 46-22 at the half. And from there nothing changed with a 60-28 lead after three quarters of play. In the fourth quarter the two teams had a touchdown a-piece for the final score of 68-34. The playoff win is Brunswick’s first since a 42-14 win over Lawrence in the 2019 Class B North regional final.

- The seventh and final game of the border battle was played on Friday as Thornton Academy travels to Bedford, New Hampshire to play the undefeated Bulldogs. Last year Thornton Academy hosted the game, falling 16-10. This time around it was nowhere close to that game. The Bulldogs took a 14-0 lead into the second quarter and a 28-0 halftime lead. Giovanni St. Onge would get Thornton Academy onto the board in the third quarter, but at that point it was all Bedford with the 38-7 victory.

- It took awhile in the midst of the North Berwick fog for Noble to get onto the board. After exchanging a touchdown for a touchdown with Bangor going into the half. A mostly scoreless third quarter ended with Noble drawing Bangor offsides on a fourth and two at the Bangor 23, with Noble breaking a few tackles on the following play for the touchdown as the skies opened up. The rain led to a fumble on a Bangor punt return, giving the Knights great field possession as the third quarter drew to a close. Noble would score again just 19 seconds into the final quarter for a 21-7 lead. They would then get the ball back about a minute later as a Bangor punt resulted in a fumbled snap with Noble getting possession at the Rams five-yard line. A rushing touchdown a play later put the Knights up 28-7 after the successful PAT kick. Noble would intercept Bangor on the ensuing drive, taking it to the end zone for a 35-7 lead. In the final six minutes of the game the two sides exchanged touchdowns, with Noble bringing the game to a close on their fourth recovered turnover, a picked-off Rams pass with a little under two minutes left, that brought the game to a 41-13 rain-soaked conclusion.

- Noble’s win, coupled with the Thornton Academy loss, bumped the Knights into first place in Southern Class A. The million-dollar question we expect to be asked if how will the end of the season play out? We reached out to the King of Crabtree for an opinion of this finish. Noble’s opponents can go anywhere from 33 wins to 37 wins in 76 games. Thornton Academy’s opponents can go anywhere from 50 wins to 52 wins in 77 games. A Noble win gives them an opponent range 33 wins (121.198) to 36 wins (125.146) in 76 games. A Thornton Academy win gives them an opponent range of 49 wins (119.191) to 51 wins (121.789) in 77 games. So what does this mumbo-jumbo mean? If you are Noble you will want to cheer them on for a win against Sanford and Scarborough to beat Thornton Academy. This is the optimum outcome. If Thornton Academy wins, Noble will want to cheer on at least a win from Bangor (against Oxford Hills), Bonny Eagle (against Windham), or Edward Little (against Lewiston). That will guarantee Noble first place. If you are Thornton Academy you will take to cheer them on for a win against Scarborough and Sanford to beat Noble. That is the most optimum outcome. If Noble wins, Thornton Academy will want to cheer on Oxford Hills to beat Bangor, Windham to beat Bonny Eagle, Lewiston to beat Edward Little, and Bedford to beat Merrimack. If all those situations happen it will guarantee Thornton Academy first place.

- Since we had the King of Crabtree on the horn, we also asked what will the scenario look like in the North between Portland and Oxford Hills. Even with the bye Portland and Oxford Hills’ 26-7 win at home against Sanford, the Bulldogs still held a 6 Crabtree point lead for first place. The easiest way is for each team to cheer on the opponents of the other game. Portland – cheer on Bangor to beat Oxford Hills. Oxford Hills – cheer on South Portland to beat Portland. But if both teams win, what next? A Portland win gives them an opponent range of 27 wins (138.571) to 29 wins (141.428) in 70 games. An Oxford Hills win gives them an opponent range of 43 wins (132.905) to 46 wins (136.752) in 78 games. So, again, what does this mumbo-jumbo mean exactly? It means that a Portland win clinches them first place, regarding of what Oxford Hills does. Even if both teams lose, Portland still remains in first. Only an Oxford Hills win and a Portland loss clinches first place for Oxford Hills.

- Friday gave us two of the lowest scoring games this season. South Portland defeated Scarborough 7-0, while Cape Elizabeth won in Freeport 6-3. And because of the anomaly of these low-scoring games, we have a treat for the stat geeks out there. The South Portland win was the first 7-0 victory in six years. The last time it happened was in 2017 when Greely beat Biddeford by that same score. Meanwhile, the 9 combined points by Cape Elizabeth and Freeport was the first time that has happened since 2004 when Winthrop defeated Cape Elizabeth 9-0.

- Four weeks ago Deering was riding high at 3-1 and holding second place in Southern Class B. Meanwhile, Westbrook was 1-3 and fortunate to hold fourth place ahead of three opponents that were a combined 1-11. Since that time the Rams hit a wall going 1-2, while Westbrook was a matching 1-2. However, Deering’s strength of schedule was much lower than that of Westbrook. However, as of last week the 4-3 Rams still held a fourth place with 89.286 points ahead of 2-5 Westbrook and their 83.929 points. Westbrook came back from deficits of 6-0 and 12-6 to score 23 unanswered points, benefiting from three second-half interceptions by Deering and two Giovanni Staples to Aiden Taylor touchdown passes, to win 29-12. The win sets up a rematch at Olmsted Field in Westbrook. The win gives Westbrook their best regular season finish since a second-place rank in 2012. While Deering finishes 4-4, this is their best record since 2015 when they went 6-2.

- At 8 pm we reported a Kennebunk 35-13 point lead over Marshwood. Shortly afterwards Jonah Barstow scored his third touchdown of the game, an answer to a Dylan Grassi Marshwood touchdown prior, that put the Rams up 41-19. With 9:44 remaining, it set into motion a crazy Marshwood rally that was 12 inches short of the Hawks pulling off the upset against the Rams. The rally began with a Tyler Hussey to Benjamin Santisi touchdown pass and a successful two-point conversion. The scored was 41-27. Marshwood would then recover an untouched by on the kickoff in the Rams half of the field, scoring on the following play by way of a Dylan Grassi touchdown run. With the successful PAT kick, the Hawks were now down 41-34. The Hawks would stop the following Kennebunk drive and would score a touchdown with 23 seconds remaining on a Hussey to Ryan Essex one-yard pass. The comeback just wasn’t meant to be though as the Rams defense stopped the two-point conversion attempt just shy of the goal line with seconds left, giving Kennebunk the win.

- Rivalries can be a subjective thing to talk about. Of those that exist in Maine, every local population believes theirs is the fiercest in the land. But when it comes to the longest-lived rivalry, one towers above them all. Since 1892, with two stoppages, the Cony and Gardiner rivalry spans 145 contests with Cony hold a 77-58-10 lead. The game has been recovered by the Great American Rivalry Series, which puts a spotlight on some of the most famous football rivalries across the country. Cony took an early lead with 4:11 remaining in the first quarter on an Anderson St. Onge touchdown run. The Rams added to that lead in the second quarter on two touchdown passes from Parker Morin to Parker Sergent, coupled with a Gardiner fumble, for a 21-0 lead. Gardiner didn’t roll over though. Asher Nagy would throw a touchdown to Brayden Elliott as the first half ended. They’d score again later in the third quarter on a Nagy touchdown throw to Brady Davidson that made the score 21-14. The Gardiner rally was the last thing on everyone’s minds as the quarter came to a halt due to an injury to a Gardiner player who required transportation to an area hospital. When the game resumed, Cony reestablished their two-touchdown lead with another touchdown pass by Morin, his third of the night, to Killian Arnold for what would be the final lead of 28-14.

- With Massabesic’s 42-14 victory over Gorham, it was enough to nudge the Mustangs ahead of Marshwood for second place in Southern Class B and a first round bye for a second consecutive season. For Gorham meanwhile, the loss locked them into the sixth and final playoff spot and a regional quarterfinal game against Marshwood. In an interesting observation, this will be the fourth time in five seasons that the Rams and Hawks have met in a regional quarterfinal. Gorham will hope to stop their stretch of playoff losses to Marshwood as they lost in 2021 (42-20), 2019 (41-12), and 2018 (61-6).

- Fryeburg Academy’s 28-7 win against Wells, combined with Cheverus’ 34-14 loss to Leavitt, clinches second place for the Raiders with a 7-1 record. The last time they found themselves in this position at the end of the regular season was 2018, which has several parallels to this season. In 2018 they ended the regular season with a seven-game winning streak after dropping the season opener 36-14 to Lisbon. This season the Raiders are also on a seven-game winning streak after losing their season opener 45-8 to Leavitt. In 2018 the Raiders won three regional playoff games, including a 20-13 regional final against Leavitt in Turner, to go to the Class C state championship game. This season, it is to be determined.

- The Lisbon vs Oak Hill rivalry teams to be a slugfest. Not in a literal sense mind you, but they tend to be very physical contests. Friday’s game between the two was no exception. And because of that any mistakes tend to be amplified. A great example of that happened in the opening minutes of this contest. Lisbon, fresh off an interception of Oak Hill’s Kai Taylor seconds into the game, went on a ground-and-pound drive that ended with a Caleb Hayes touchdown run from the goal line. A successful two-point run put the Greyhounds up 8-0. The Raiders scored with several minutes remaining in the first quarter when Taylor threw a three-yard touchdown pass to PJ Smith. A PAT kick had them a point behind at 8-7. Oak Hill took the lead in the final seconds of the first half when Taylor scored on a QB keeper from the goal line. The PAT kick put Raiders up 14-8. The second half featured plenty of strong defensive play, each denying the other any points. That was great for Oak Hill who went on to celebrate the victory, their fifth consecutive win after starting off the season with three straight losses.

- After John Bapst took an season opening loss to Foxcroft Academy, the Crusaders have been but on quite the run. They have won six of seven games, their most recent victory a 40-6 win at Poland, to easily secure second place in Northern Class D and a first round bye. And they have done this while being a bit of a traveling group of nomads. They might just be the only team in recent memory to have played all of their regular season games in eight separate locations. They had home games at the University of Maine, Hermon, Bangor, and Hampden while going on the road Dover-Foxcroft, Old Town, Madison, and finally Poland. The question begs to be asked if they will go for a ninth unique location during their regional semifinal game in two weeks.

- It is more common than one would think that a football rematch ends up with different victors. Take Mountain Valley and Waterville. Last week the Falcons crushed the Purple Panthers 68-8. This week, with Dawson Harrison back on the field, the results were decided different as Waterville won in Rumford by the score of 34-22. Dawson accounted for 280 rushing yards and all 34 of Waterville’s points (five touchdowns, two two-point conversions). Waterville took a 20-8 lead into the half, overcoming a fumbled punt return with a defense that twice stopped Mountain Valley in the red zone and only gave up the lone touchdown. Mountain Valley’s Kaden Passo scored two of his three touchdowns in the second half and they recovered an onside kick with less than three minutes in the game. But it was Waterville’s defense that limited a final desperate passing attack by Mountain Valley to force a turnover on downs. This led to Waterville running out the clock for the win. The win is Waterville’s fifth consecutive regional playoff victory.

- In the middle of the 8 man playoff games on Friday come two firsts for two programs. Houlton’s 26-22 regional quarterfinal win against Dexter was the first ever playoff victory for the Shiretowners, their first ever playoff home victory, and the first football playoff victory under the MPA for an Aroostook County team. The win came after they suffered playoff losses in 2015 (43-6 to Mount View), 2017 (60-28 to Mattanawcook Academy), 2019 (46-14 to Foxcroft Academy), 2021 (60-32 to Dexter), and 2022 (58-56 double overtime to Mattanawcook Academy). On the opposite side of Maine it was Sacopee Valley, hosting their first ever playoff game, which beat Boothbay 22-20 on Friday. The Hawks playoff fortunes have been even less that Houlton. Since they came into the MPA in 2009 they fell in playoff games in 2017 (28-0 to Boothbay in Class E), 2019 (36-22 to Boothbay in the inaugural 8 man season), 2021 (57-28 to Dirigo), and 2022 (28-8 to Maranacook). With both teams getting a ticket to the regional semifinals, they had previously appeared in just three appearances in 18 combined seasons of exists. Houlton’s lone trip was in 2021 when the earned a trip after a first round bye. Sacopee Valley’s two appearances were as a result of their playoff structures. They were in the 2017 Class E playoff semifinal only because those playoffs admitted four of the six teams. They were in the 2019 8 man small school division playoff semifinal only because those playoffs admitted four of the five teams. Neither team has been to a regional final.

- Winslow did something that nobody else had done in 2023 against Foxcroft Academy and that was scoring 14 points against the Ponies and tying them at halftime. It’s true, look it up. Things were on the up and up for the Black Raiders coming out of the half as they returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. The first setback against them penalty on a Winslow player that nullified the touchdown. The next setback was on the following play when a completed pass ended with a stripped ball that was recovered by Foxcroft Academy. The Ponies would take a 21-14 lead into the end of the third quarter, expanding on it in the final quarter for a 35-14 victory. Foxcroft Academy finished the season with 407 points scored and 26 points allowed. That means for a second consecutive season they have led Classes A through D in both categories. Since 2004 that has only be accomplish by the 2018 Thornton Academy Golden Trojans and the 2015 Winslow Black Raiders. More impressive is that they have gone 23-1 in the regular seasons of the 2020s. Only Leavitt has a better record at 22-0.

- Since an October 18th, 2023 Portland Press Herald article came out titled “As eight-man football programs grow, the question becomes: How long should they stay?”, it certainly created plenty of discussion on both its role and what is its purpose in the grand scheme of things. We wanted to use this segment to put forward our opinion on the matter.

Since 8 man football came into existence in 2019, there is an undercurrent existing to this day that it was created only as a continuation of the developmental Class E that existed in 2017 and 2018. And by that we mean that it was viewed only as a way to get teams back into the “real football” i.e. 11 man football. Maine’s take on the version of football is certainly a unique one when compared to the rest of the country. No other state has schools as large as Maine taking part in 8 man football. That includes the two most recent states that authorized its creation in Michigan and New York. Every other state has a hard enrollment ceiling separating 8 man and 11 man. Maine has no such dividing line. Many other states and their middle size to small sized schools, especially the more rural ones, do not have other athletic programs that complete for students. Almost every school in Maine has a soccer program, while just 78 teams (and 99 total schools counting co-ops) have a football program. There are schools in Maine that do not have a football program, or have students that go to another school to play football. Every state with 6 man, 8 man, or 9 man football have schools the same size as Maine’s smallest schools that have their own or a co-op football program.

There is no argument anymore against the proven reality that 8 man serves a vital place for our smallest football-playing schools. That is beyond question anymore. Anyone that argues otherwise is either trolling or uneducated to the realities. Our smallest communities are getting smaller and smaller. Jobs are not coming back to these places to revitalize them to their prior population. And with that, the schools enrollments are not going to get any bigger except in the case of consolidations.

But what about those larger school programs? It seems that the prevailing segment is that schools above an undecided number are automatically destined to return to 11 man. There appears to be no real reason for this other than “because that is the way it has to be”. Sure there are some programs, both large school as well as small school, that have it as a stated eventuality to return to the 11 man ranks. That makes sense and nobody seems to have a problem with that. But some programs are not every program. Each team has a unique situation that is not the same in school A or B or C. So why force a plan for a problem that does not really exist? Is there truly a problem with a team wishing to remain in 8 man? It is a version that is not going away now that it is here. The growth of 8 man teams may have slowed to a halt but that does not mean the trend will suddenly reverse with 8 man teams flooding back into the 11 man ranks. That means the Maine Principals Association, the MPA Football Committee, the Maine Football Coaches Association, or any other organized body or entity should not be making a push to do so.

We’ll take the criticism from the public on our viewpoint of what is in the best interests of football in Maine. We are just not going to sit idly by when something could be done that could harm its short-term or long-term stability. 

- New Hampshire tracker
Bedford defeated Thornton Academy 38-7 on Friday. The 8-0 Bulldogs will travel to 3-5 Merrimack next Friday.
Bishop Guertin defeated Goffstown 35-20 on Saturday. The 5-3 Cardinals will host 1-7 Nashua South next Saturday.
Dover defeated Concord 28-27 in overtime on Friday. The 5-2 Green Wave will travel to 5-3 Exeter next Friday.
Merrimack lost to Portsmouth-Oyster River 13-7 on Friday. The 3-5 Tomahawks will host 8-0 Bedford next Friday.
Portsmouth-Oyster River defeated Merrimack 13-7 on Friday. The 8-0 ClipperCats will travel to 4-4 Timberlane on Friday.
Spaulding defeated Nashua South 41-14 on Friday. The 4-4 Red Raiders will travel to 1-7 Winnacunnet next Friday.
Winnacunnet lost to Timberlane 21-6 on Friday. The 1-7 Warriors will host 4-4 Spaulding next Friday.

"It was incredible. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it. You could feel the energy on both sides - you can feel the hatred for both teams. But you have to understand how much energy was here. It was truly incredible how much we were grinding for every yard. Every inch of this game mattered."
Kai Taylor, Oak Hill quarterback

- Streak tracker
There are 7 unbeaten teams in Maine, which is the same as last week.
No team had a winning streak of 4 or more games ended this week.
The longest active winning streaks belong to Leavitt (19), Foxcroft Academy (16), Old Orchard Beach (15), Oceanside (8), Camden Hills (7), Orono (7), and Portland (7)
There are 7 winless teams in Maine, down from last week’s 8.
1 team ended their losing streak of 4 or more games; Biddeford (8)
The longest active losing streaks belongs to Madison (16), Edward Little (14), Valley (13), Mount View (12), Lake Region (12), and Mt. Blue (12)

- First place teams after week eight
Class A North – Portland (no change)
Class A South – Noble (change from last week)
Class B North – Lawrence (no change)
Class B South – Kennebunk (no change)
Class C North – Oceanside (no change)
Class C South – Leavitt (no change)
Class D North – Foxcroft Academy (no change)
Class D South – Wells (no change)

- Five games of interest to us in week nine
South Portland at Portland
Windham at Bonny Eagle
Mount Desert Island at Morse
Stearns at Bucksport
Maranacook at Dirigo

What are your thoughts on the weekend?