Week 11 Thoughts on the Weekend

- We apologize for the delay in our usual Sunday segment. We wanted to cover all ten games and given them as much attention as we could. The research for that does not happen quickly. So we thank you for your patience on this. Hopefully what we have to add is worth the wait and worth the while.

- Now that we’ve had a chance to thaw out the numbness from our skin, muscles, and bones, we are ready to talk about a great weekend of football from across the state. Emotions run high in these contests where one win is all that separates teams from the winter season and a chance to play for the gold ball for the team, the school, and the community.

- There was only one game on Friday night and that was between the Wells Warriors and the Ramblers co-op of Winthrop, Monmouth, and Hall-Dale. Both teams finished the regular season 5-3, with Wells in first and the Ramblers in third. It meant that they had an extra game to play but they did beat second place (and fellow 5-3 team) Oak Hill to make it to the game before the state championships for the fourth consecutive season. We word it that way because Class D was a single table in 2021 and 2022. In those years the Ramblers made it to the semifinals, while in 2019 they made it to the regional finals only to fall to the eventual Class D champion Lisbon. Meanwhile for Wells this was their first regional final since 2018, which they won en route to their Class D championship win. In contrast to the September 16 game that Wells won 41-0 with a mix of passing and running, the Warriors used their traditional power run game to amass 338 of their 424 total yards of offense. The duo of Dominic Buxton and Eli Potter combined for 288 rushing yards, with Dominic scoring three touchdowns on the night. Wells took a 14-0 lead into the second quarter from Dominic, while on defense Connor Whitten picked off a Ramblers pass. By the fourth quarter when the Ramblers scored their lone touchdown Wells held a commanding 35-6 lead for the victory.

- Wells regular season record was 5-3, but they are 7-0 against Class D opponents this year. In fact, the Warriors have won all 28 games they have played against Class D opposition since the return of the class in 2013. This includes a 35-28 victory of Freeport in 2022 and winning 10 Class D games in 2017 and in 2018. And as much playoff success as they have had in the past (Wells went 23-6 in the 2010s), they have a combined 3-2 record in the 2020s with two of those wins coming this season. The Warriors are 5-3 in state championship games, winning their last five appearances (1997, 2011, 2016, 2017, and 2018).

- Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale did admirably in getting to the regional final. After starting the season with a shaky 1-3 record and getting outscored 92-153 (including giving up 39, 41, and 53 points in three games), but came together as a team down the stretch with six consecutive wins and outscoring opponents 158 to 42. That includes four games where they held opponents to a single touchdown and one where they shut out an opponent.

- Foxcroft Academy has sliced through threw their schedule like a hot knife through so much butter. But while the offense is impressive, even more-so is their defense. No 11-man team came remotely close to allowing their 26 points in the regular season. The nearest opponents were Portland (60) and Kennebunk (91). Even Old Orchard Beach allowed more points (32) in one fewer game. They came in allowing just 3.67 points a game. That is not a lot. In historical context, since 2004 only the 2006 Mountain Valley Falcons (3.50) and the 2010 Mountain Valley Falcons (2.50) have allowed less over the course of an entire season. The stats go on but you get the point. And then there was John Bapst. After the season-opening loss to the Ponies, John Bapst picked up win and win. There was the narrow victory over Freeport followed by a narrower loss to Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale. Then they had blowout wins over Madison, Maine Central Institute, and Poland. So the Crusaders showed they could hang with their opposition this season. And for a half of football Foxcroft Academy only held a 7-0 lead on John Bapst. The game gradually went in Foxcroft Academy’s favor as John Bapst’s three-in-out was followed by a punt that barely went ten yards to give the Ponies the ball in John Bapst territory. Gage Beaudry’s touchdown run and a two-point run after that put the Ponies up 15-0. They got the ball back on a recovered fumble and Beaudry scored his second touchdown of the game. With a two-point conversion Foxcroft was now up 23-0 with a minute and a half left in the third quarter. Aiden Ouellette gave the Crusaders their first score of the game on a touchdown pass to Nathan Butler. But Foxcroft Academy’s touchdown score from Hunter McSorley in the last minutes of the game gave us the final score of 29-8.

- Foxcroft Academy joins Oak Hill as the only team in the Class D football history of the MPA to have gone to three consecutive championship games. They are seeking to join those Raiders and Dixfield as three-peat champions. The trip will also be their fifth appearance in six seasons/seven years. They are also on the way to scoring over 500 points this season. Since 2004, 16 of 21 teams that have scored 500 or more points in a season won state championships. Most recently was Foxcroft Academy in 2022.

- John Bapst has not had much in the way of sustained success on the football field as of late. They had a strong 2019 campaign, but this was their first regional final in eleven years. That goes back to a run where they went to the Eastern Class C final in five of six seasons from 2007 to 2012. That stretch contains their most recent trip to a state championship game and a gold ball – the 2008 season. Their growth in the past three years says that this could be a distinct possibility if they keep up the hard work in the off season.

- The 8 man large school state championship assured us a first-time champion regardless of who won. And each team had their own compelling story if they won. Greely was the second-season contender, fresh off a run of co-op seasons with Falmouth before returning to re-start their own program in 2022. After the trials and tribulations last year as a 0-7 “first year” team, they turned around a 1-3 start into a five-game winning streak to earn their ticket to Bangor. And this was done by a team that was not flashy by any stretch of the matter. They didn’t make all the highlight reels. And yet after they picked up a confidence-building win over Yarmouth there was no stopping them. This included playoff wins over Mt. Ararat and Brunswick, teams they lost to earlier in the season. On the other sideline was Mount Desert Island that went into the game following the hard path. Their strength of schedule dropped the 6-1 team into third place behind 5-3 Morse. But come playoffs they beat second place Morse 32-3 and first place Camden Hills 26-6. The trip was the second ever state title game appearance for the Trojans. Their first was a 44-0 shutout at the hands of Wells in the 2016 Class C championship in Portland. On this day Spencer Laurendeau was able to move the Trojans up and down the field as they kept Greely off-balance. An opening possession touchdown and then a flea-flicker touchdown pass for a touchdown for a 16-0 halftime lead. Greely on the other hand was able to move the ball with relative ease until they got deep into MDI territory. That was when their drives sputtered and stopped. Of their five first-half possessions, three ended on turnovers on downs, another on a Laurendeau interception, and the fifth and final as the half ended. In the second half the close game got blown wide open as MDI scored two touchdowns a minute a part on a Laurendeau touchdown pass to Cal Hodgdon, then Evan McKenzie returned a fumble for a touchdown. Both two-point conversions were stopped but the Trojans held a 28-0 lead. Meanwhile when Greely was not fighting the wind in their faces, they were struggling to convert on fourth downs. That was a second half theme as four of their five drives ended in this manner. That included two MDI stops on fourth and two in the fourth quarter. After an MDI punt and a Greely kneel-down, the game ended with Mount Desert Island winning 28-0.

- Mount Desert Island’s trip was not the easy one, both in a geographical sense as well as a metaphorical one. As the Eastern-most team in the 8 man large school class, The Trojans logged 1,206 miles over six trips (counting Cameron Stadium). In the metaphorical sense they had four home games but had road games against Camden Hills and Morse both in the regular season and the playoffs. They allowed only 9 points in the three-playoff games. In the short history of Maine 8 man football, only Cheverus has allowed few playoff points.

- Greely’s Andrew Padgett was lost to an injury late in the first half and was replaced by freshman Luke Piper. Overall the team had opportunities in the game and until the two quick touchdowns in the third quarter, Greely had moments where they looked like they could jump back into the game. With how far they came between last season and this season, teams do not often get to a state championship in their second season of play. Especially downing teams like Mt. Ararat and Brunswick along the way. With 9 seniors graduating, this game gave ample opportunities to the 11 juniors and 12 sophomores for next season. And with whatever direction they pursue in the next few years, things look on the up-and-up in Cumberland.

- In Portland’s return to Class A under new coach Sean Green, the Bulldogs have been racking up the win after win. After a 35-28 season opening win over Thornton Academy, the Bulldogs have not allowed more than a touchdown in the previous seven games they played, ranking first in all of Class A with the fewest points against (60) and the fewest points against per game (7.5). This excludes the 2-0 forfeit win on September 22nd against Falmouth. Offensively, only Bonny Eagle’s 306 in total points exceeds Portland, who happen have a slight edge in points scored per game (34.375 to 34.000). That regular schedule did not put them against reigning Class A champion Oxford Hills though. By the metrics the Vikings haven’t been that far behind Portland offensively and defensively. The two Vikings losses this season came against undefeated opposition - Leavitt (21-14) and Portsmouth-Oyster River (20-14). And while there are the stats, Portland’s 22-7 lead that was neutralized by a two-touchdown Oxford Hills rally by way of three Bulldogs interceptions, the lasting memory of the game will be Cordell Jones’ run with less than a minute left that changed a tied score to a 29-22 Portland lead and eventual victory. We’re not even going to take a stab at describing it. Just watch it. Here is the link from the Portland Hudl page – www.hudl.com/v/2MwyYf (skip to 1:23). We understand that this is simplifying a game that check-marked all the emotions. Portland had all the stats. They outgained Oxford Hills 422-162. The Vikings only converted one of ten third down attempts. The Bulldogs’ Lisandro Rodrigues picked up a safety with a tackle of Jake Carson in the end zone in the second quarter as Portland overcame an early 7-0 deficit to take the 22-7 lead. But the Vikings took full advantage of the Portland turnovers as Hunter Tardiff returned one for a 60-yard touchdown and the other came by way of a 50-yard catch and run touchdown by Malakai Sparks from a Brady Truman pass.

- The Bulldogs are hoping that this is finally the season that yields them a gold ball that has eluded them since 2002. Things have not been that kind to Portland in the past seven seasons. Their last four trips to state have resulted in a 20-14 loss to Skowhegan (2022), a 49-14 loss to Thornton Academy (2018), a 34-14 loss to Bonny Eagle (2016), and a 24-14 loss to Thornton Academy (2015). To do that they must find a way to limit their turnovers. In the past four games they have eight combined interceptions and fumbles. Their last turnover-free game was their week seven victory over Noble.

- Oxford Hills did a phenomenal job this season given a team that graduated 14 seniors, including the Fitzpatrick Trophy-winning Eli Soehren and Gaziano Defensive Lineman Award-winning Zach Louvat, and also lost incoming senior Teigan Pelletier to an out-of-state prep school transfer. The path for 2024 will be that much harder for the Vikings with the next wave of graduates from this team. But if there is one thing that head coach Mark Soehren has done lately is shown he has a pipeline that allows him to reload instead of rebuild.

- While the record is not characteristic of Thornton Academy teams in the past, they found themselves in the usual place of being within a game of the state championship. This was the sixth season in a row, which hasn’t been done since Mountain Valley went to eight straight regional finals from 2004 to 2011. After the Golden Trojans lost back-to-back games to Portland and Oxford Hills to start the season, they reeled off four straight wins before falling to undefeated Leavitt and Bedford of New Hampshire. Despite the 5-4 record at season’s end, their strength of schedule gave them the needed boost to move ahead of 6-3 Noble and 6-3 Bonny Eagle for first place in the region. Bonny Eagle meanwhile had a slightly different path, but one that still led to the regional finals, one stop before the state championships, for a fourth consecutive year. While Thornton Academy jumped to an early lead and did not trail at any point in the game, Bonny Eagle did not roll over. While the Golden Trojans took a 14-0 first half lead through the hands and feet of quarterback Wyatt Benoit, his opposite in Bonny Eagle’s Terrell Edwards twice narrowed the deficit to a single touchdown with rushing touchdowns. But four sacks and two turnovers by Thornton Academy, as well as a blocked extra point kick and recovered an onside kick, combined with some timely gains by the offense, helped punch Thornton Academy’s ticket to the Class A championship game with the 21-13 win.

- The Golden Trojans will be going to their fifth consecutive Class A championship game and their eighth in eleven seasons/twelve years. Since the Maine Principals Association went to state championship games for each class (1967 for Class A, 1978 for Class B, and 1985 for Class C), only the Stearns Minutemen had been to five consecutive state championship games (1991 to 1995 in Class C). Thornton Academy became the second team to do that and the first in the long history of Class A. Prior to that no A-team had gone more than two years in a row.

- While it was no doubt a disappointing loss for Bonny Eagle, the Scots had a very solid season. They defeated Noble in the road in the regional semifinals and scored the most points in all of Class A. In a crazy up-and-down season two of their three regular season losses came to teams in the Class A regional finals, while the third was against Merrimack of New Hampshire.

- Despite how the regular season started, Lawrence and Cony both got better and better as the season progressed leading into the playoffs. The Bulldogs were able to unseat the previously number one-ranked Messalonskee to take over the top spot in the region and make their fifth regional final in six seasons/seven years. The Rams overcame a 1-3 start to win six consecutive games, including avenging a regular season loss to Messalonskee with a 28-14 victory last week, to make their first regional final since 2013. With the Northern B regional finals moved to the artificial turf of Charlie’s Field at Maxwell Complex in Winthrop due to Don Roux Field in Lewiston being unavailable due to the state soccer finals, the venue change did not change the Lawrence approach which is their bread-and-butter – the ground game. And the Bulldogs did just that as they amassed 480 yards in their 27-7 victory. Colton Carter paced the ground game with 221 yards and three touchdowns on 23 runs, while Gaige Martin ran for 170 yards and Gavin Wilson ran for 86 yards and a touchdown. They also took time to review the video of Cony’s previous game against Messalonskee as they intercepted Rams quarterback Parker Morin four times and held them to just 170 yards passing on the evening.

- Similar to Wells, Lawrence is another team that faired well against Class B opposition. How well? They went 7-0 this year in Class B games. Their two loses were in week one to Bangor 21-6 and at the end of September to Leavitt in a 94-point shootout. The appearance is Lawrence’s first state title game since 2012, a game they lost 37-23 to Thornton Academy when the Bulldogs were in the old Eastern Class A. They also have lost nine of their last ten championship games. Their most recent title was in 2006 when they defeated Gorham 14-13.

- The Cony Rams were a few young, very youthful team coming into 2023. And that is bound to lead to learning mistakes and growing pains. That is especially true in offenses that are pass-heavy like Cony. The strides they made down the stretch in their six-game winning streak showed that the pieces are there. Unfortunately they will have to wait for next season to continue their growth. But that will be up to the team and what they want to do between now and next fall.

- It was a new chapter for the Kennebunk Rams as they said farewell to Joe Rafferty and welcomed into the head coaching spot Keith Noel. And that new chapter was a successful one as they enjoyed their best regular season since 2018 where they had the best defense/fewest points against (91) of all 14 teams in Class B. For Massabesic, the Mustangs had a slight decline from last year as they battled amongst the rest of the Southern Class B pack to clinch second place for a second consecutive year. They also advanced one round further than last year as they made the regional finals this season after losing in the regional semifinals last year. The game was close though as Massabesic fought back from an early 15-0 hole to a 15-10 score at halftime. But in the second half the Rams just kept up the pressed as Barstow scored his third touchdown on the day for the 36-17 victory as they outgained the Mustangs 366 yards to 94 on the ground and 435 yards to 277 overall.

- The win gives Kennebunk an 8-0 record in Class B games. They have won their last five games against Massabesic. That is a run that goes all the way back to 2012 to the last time Massabesic defeated the Rams. This is Kennebunk’s third regional finals victory since they became a Class B team in 2013. However, they are still trying to win their first state championship since 1991.

- To get this far is a credit to Massabesic as they overcome an 0-3 start and a 1-4 record to win their final three games to narrowly secure second place. They also defeated Marshwood in the regional semifinals. The one thing that the Mustangs will need to do to continue their push forward and upward is limit the points they allow on defense. Of the eight regional finalists this week, they ranked a distance eighth in points allowed with 250 in the regular season and were 60 points above the regional points allowed average of 190.

- The 8 man small school championship game between Old Orchard Beach and Orono was a chance to showcase two teams that were considered by many (present company included) the two best 8 man teams in the state. Both teams came in ranked one-two in both the small-school class and Maine 8 man in most points scored and fewest points allowed. The defending champion Old Orchard Beach Seagulls had set a Maine 8 man record with seven shutouts during the season while their 648 points in ten games was more than the 2014 Marshwood Hawks scored in twelve games (603). Orono on the other hand has one of the most innovative passing games in Maine 8 man while their defense were no slouches either in averaging only two touchdowns allowed (14.66 points) a game. With wind being a factor early on in the game, both teams went four and out in the first quarter and ended it with a scoreless tie. The first momentum shift came early in the second quarter as Orono’s Pierce Walston recovered an Old Orchard Beach fumble. A few minutes later Will Francis helped put the Red Riots on the scoreboard as he caught a Jack Brewer dump-pass and ran it in from 21 yards out for a 6-0 lead. Orono doubled their lead with 2:51 remaining in the half as Walston caught a Brewer pass over the middle for a 27-yard score. Old Orchard Beach committed their second turnover of the first half on a fumble, which Ben Francis of Orono recovered. Two plays later Ben Francis scored on a two-yard touchdown run. With a successful two-point conversion Orono held a 20-0 lead. Brady Plante and Riley Provencher responded 30 seconds later for Old Orchard Beach as Riley caught the Plante pass and then ran down the sidelines for the touchdown. The 20-6 score was how the half came to a close. Not even three minutes into the second half and on Old Orchard Beach’s opening drive, Pierce Walston recovered his second turnover, this time an interception. After an exchange of punts, Orono added to their lead with Walston’s third touchdown of the game. On Orono’s next possession at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Walston scored his fourth touchdown, a 37-yard touchdown run, that further added to Orono’s lead. Old Orchard Beach responded 47 seconds later as Plante completed a touchdown pass to Kooper Gervais to make the score 32-12. Walston and Provencher exchanged touchdowns in the next minute and a half. Old Orchard Beach’s on-side kick was unsuccessful and Orono made them pay as Ben Francis scored two and a half minutes later for what would become the eventual final of 46-18.

- While Orono did not have much success on third downs (3-11), they did do very well on fourth downs (4-6). Another area of success was a ground game that Old Orchard Beach had few answers to. Ben Francis and Pierce Walston both had punishing runs in the second half, supplemented by Jack Brewer’s passing that seemed to keep the Seagulls defense off-balance. The victory ends a lengthy football title drought. After getting six consecutive titles from 1977 to 1982 and the titles in 190 and 1994, the Red Riots had not seen another gold ball until this past Saturday.

- The surprised reaction across the state at Old Orchard Beach’s loss was not surprising given the performance during the season. One culprit to the loss was a turnover battle that they lost. During the season they committed only three turnovers while benefiting from 29 opponent turnovers. On Saturday they doubled their season total with three, while Orono did not turn the ball over by fumble or interception. Orono converted 14 points, which could have changed the trajectory of the game had they not occurred. Old Orchard Beach, despite the loss, still finished the season with 666 points scored and 86 points allowed.

- It was the defending regional champion against the number one contender and the top seeded team as Northern Class C rivals Medomak Valley and Oceanside met in the afternoon game at Hampden Academy on Saturday. The Panthers graduated 17 seniors off last year’s team and yet there was no significant drop in their play. To only allow about 16 points a game on average is a sign of the quality upon and down their sideline. Meanwhile Oceanside featured one of the state’s best 11 man offenses with a group that put up the second most points (370) and outscored opponents by six or more touchdowns in nine of their games. What is more significant is that they scored on average at least around three touchdowns more than their opponents average points allowed. And these guys still lead Class C in fewest points allowed with 112. So when Medomak Valley went up 6-0 in the first quarter on a 25-yard Aaron Reed touchdown, Oceanside did what they have done and that is scoring points like crazy and forcing the opposition to do what the Mariners wanted them to do. The Panthers turned the ball over three times in the game with Zeb Foster being involved in each and every one of them for the Mariners. His most pivotal came in the final play of the first half as he recovered a ball that was stripped by Carter Galley from Medomak Valley’s Chase Peaslee as Chase was several yards shy of scoring a touchdown. That bit of momentum seemed to carry over into the second half as Oceanside expanded their 14-6 halftime lead to a 34-14 advantage. A Panthers touchdown in the fourth quarter by Reed, his third and final score, would give us the final score of 34-22.

- The last time Oceanside played in a regional final was in 1979 when they played Orono in the Little Ten Conference / Northern Class C final. They lost that game 20-0. They are also the fifth team in five seasons/six years to have won the Northern Class C title joining Medomak Valley (2022), Winslow (2021), Maine Central Institute (2019), and Nokomis (2018). With football records in Maine being unofficial at best due to the de-centralized nature of information we wanted to bring up this tidbit of info. With Cohen Galley’s three touchdowns on Saturday, he sits at 46 (23 passing and 23 rushing). With three more touchdowns he will tie the unofficial state record of 49 set by set by Tyler Bridge of Wells in 2018. In twelve games that season Tyler ran for 45 touchdowns, passed for 2, and returned 2 via kickoffs).

- As we mentioned earlier, Medomak Valley came into the season looking very different from 2022 with their vast graduations and they still remained dominant throughout much of the season. Of their three losses, two came against Oceanside and the other was by Foxcroft Academy.

- Leavitt and Fryeburg Academy offered all the intangibles and feel of big fight meeting coming into the Southern Class C regional final. The reigning, defending, and undefeated team against the number one contender that had not lost since the two teams met earlier in the season. There was even the intrigue of five years ago when one team upset the favored team on their home ground. Both teams put forward dominant displays getting to this point in the regional semifinals. So it was expected the game would not disappoint. And that it did not. Both teams exchanged leads early on before Fryeburg Academy’s Maik Sow recovered a fumble and Cohen Carter threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Logan Walton that put the Raiders up 20-7. Leavitt came back to reclaim the lead 21-20 with two touchdowns from Noah Carpenter to Keegan Reny. The Raiders again reclaimed the lead on a third Carter to Walton touchdown in the game for a 26-21 lead going into the half. Fryeburg Academy had their second two-score lead of the game as Carter threw his fourth touchdown pass to Walton on the opening possession of the second half. Then Gunnar Saunders intercepted a Carpenter pass later in the third quarter. But Leavitt saved its best for the fourth quarter as they forced a Raiders turnover on downs via a batted pass. Carpenter then finished the ensuing drive with a rushing touchdown as well as a two-point pass that brought the Hornets to within three points at 32-29. Seven minutes later and the ball back in the Hornets hands, Noah scored his fourth touchdown via the run and was successful on the PAT kick to give Leavitt a 36-32 lead. Then, finally, he picked off a Carter pass on the final play of the game to ice the contest and clinch the win.

- The regional final title is Leavitt’s third in five years and their eighth since 2004. The win extends Leavitt’s state-leading winning streak to 21 games and they are 28-1 in the 2020s. The Hornets are seeking to become Class C’s first back-to-back champion since Winslow accomplished it in 2014 and 2015.

- Since Fryeburg Academy snapped their state title game gap in 2018, the Raiders have gone 22-16 in the past four seasons/five years. Maybe not as flashy as their 30-12 run from 2015 through 2018, but getting to the regional final is the ends justifying the means. After their sluggish first three games where they allowed 26.3 points per game, they allowed 8.3 points per game over their next six games leading up to the regional final. They also gave Leavitt their narrowest margin of victory (4) since a 21-20 Hornets win over Cape Elizabeth in week six of 2022.

- It was noted that there have been seven different 8 man state champions since its adoption in 2019 i.e. no team has repeated as a champion or won two titles.

- Four of the eight contenders in next Saturday’s state championships played in the 2022 versions – Foxcroft Academy, Leavitt, Portland, Thornton Academy. Only two teams have the potential to win again – Foxcroft Academy and Leavitt. - This is the first time since 2011 that all the teams in the state championships finished first in their respective regions during the regular season.

- There are two sites for next Saturday’s state championships – Portland and Lewiston. Portland will host classes A and B while Lewiston will host classes C and D. The MPA will officially make their announcement on Monday for the times of each contest.

- The MPA football committee made a shift effective 2023 with how the home team was designated for state championships. This year all Southern teams will be the home team. In 2024 all Northern teams will be the home team. The change was not extended to the 8 man class as the large school South was the home team and the small school North was the home team.

- State championship game records for the eight teams involved
Portland: 2-5 (titles in 1982, 2002)
Thornton Academy: 7-3 (titles in 1986, 1988, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2021)
Lawrence: 3-10 (titles in 1983, 1984, 2006)
Kennebunk: 1-3 (title in 1991)
Oceanside: 0-1
Leavitt: 6-4 (titles in 1995, 1998, 2009, 2013, 2019, 2022)
Foxcroft Academy: 7-9 (titles in 1983, 1996, 2003, 2007, 2012, 2021, 2022)
Wells: 5-3 (titles in 1997, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018)

- Quote of the week #1
"We knew we were the best team in the state. Nobody believed in us and we just wanted to show them that we were the best team in the state."
Spencer Laurendeau, Mount Desert Island quarterback

- Quote of the week #2
"(Winthrop) told us that we couldn’t run the ball. They kept telling us all week that we’re going to stop the run so we had to prove them wrong."
Dominic Buxton, Wells running back

- Quote of the week #3
"I didn’t doubt our guys. I told our guys at halftime, like we were down worse than this at (Thornton Academy), and it was at TA, so there’s nothing that we can’t come back from. So either way, we’re just going to leave it on the field. Like we’ll have no argument with ourselves if we just go out and empty the tank."
Mike Hathaway, Leavitt head coach

- Streak tracker
There are 5 unbeaten teams in Maine, down from last week’s 6.
6 teams ended their winning streak of 4 or more games; Old Orchard Beach (17), Fryeburg Academy (8), Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale (6), Cony (5), Greely (5), John Bapst(4)
The longest active winning streaks belong to Leavitt (21), Foxcroft Academy (18), Oceanside (10), Orono (10), Portland (9), Mount Desert Island (7), and Lawrence (5)

What are your thoughts on the weekend?