Week 8 Thoughts on the Weekend

- After ten long or short weeks, depending on your perspective, we’ve reached that time of the year where everyone was scoreboard watching or sending in requests about updates for scores. Friday and Saturday was a very, very busy day for us as we ran through as much as we could humanly do on the scores and standings front. And what an exhausting 24 hours it was. But that is enough whining about of our problems. There was some really good football this weekend that wrapped up the regular season for much of the state.

- Deering’s strong showing on Friday against Lewiston, highlighted by Joey Foley’s four touchdowns, did two things for the Rams. The first was that it helped them pick up an important 46-0 win. The other thing is that it punched their ticket to the playoffs. Their win, combined with Windham’s 14-0 loss to Oxford Hills, essentially put the Rams out of reach of the Eagles for the fourth and final playoff spot in Northern Class A.

- A week after a painfully narrow 14-7 defeat to Winnacunnet, Bangor rebounded with an impressive 35-0 performance against Edward Little. Running back Zac Cota scored a touchdown in the first, second, and third quarter each to help the Rams roll over the Red Eddies. The win puts Bangor in the drivers seat to clinch second place in Northern Class A. They have not mathematically locked into second place, but they would with a victory over Oxford Hills next Friday.

- Portland’s first regular season game against an out of state opponent, possibly ever, was almost completed in their favor as they built a 27-0 second quarter lead into a final score of 33-21 over the Exeter Blue Hawks in Exeter on Friday. The Bulldogs’ Cordell Jones put together a showcase with 264 total yards of offense, five touchdowns, and 10 tackles on defense. The win helped Portland punch in their first place Northern Class A ticket regardless of what happens in next week’s Battle of the Bridge game against South Portland, as well as Bangor’s game against Oxford Hills.

- What was once a four-team race for the fourth and final playoff spot in Southern Class A came ended on Friday as South Portland manhandled Massabesic 40-0 in Waterboro at Ronco Field. Four players for the Red Riots found the end zone on Friday. Jeremias Manuel ran in two touchdowns, Darius Johnson ran in a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass from Parker Reny, Connor Gerard caught another Reny scoring pass, and Zakarie Gesey scored on a pick-six. Given the current Crabtree standings, South Portland is in a weird sort of middle ground. They are too far back of Noble that a win could help them catch up to the Knights in third place. However, they are too far ahead of Scarborough that a loss would allow the Red Storm to move up a spot out of fifth place.

- There were some big games this weekend. We’re not taking aware anything from games such as Cony and Gardiner or Hermon and Leavitt. That being said the big game of the week, dare I say the big game across the state, was the heavyweight showdown between undefeated Bonny Eagle and perennial powerhouse Thornton Academy. Thornton Academy’s running back Connor Ayoob, a senior, was given a rushing load seldom seen and handled it almost flawlessly. Rushing 40 times (yes, you read that right), Connor gained 304 yards on the ground while scoring three touchdowns. To have those numbers symbolizes one heck of a night. That it came against a Bonny Eagle team that up to this point had only allowed 48 points made it all the more impressive. That ground game, that steady, determined, rushing attack was the hallmark of the game. The Golden Trojans had a time of possession that was almost 3-to-1 what Bonny Eagle had in the first quarter. That is not to say that the Scots weren’t competitive. They were down 14-7 at halftime and 21-14 in the third quarter. They even made it a two-touchdown 35-21 game in the fourth quarter when Drew Gervais caught a 17-yard Colin Morin pass for a touchdown. Ultimately the pound-the-rock philosophy that Thornton Academy employed so masterfully kept Bonny Eagle from getting any closer as the game finished 42-21 for the visiting Golden Trojans.

- On paper the 147th edition of the Cony and Gardiner football rivalry had all the makings of a game for the ages. Cony came in with a 7-0 record and Gardiner sported a 6-1 record. Both teams were at or near the top of their respective regions. The teams had the best-combined record in the competition’s 133-year history. It was Maine’s only recognized game in the Great American Rivalry Series, which is an organization that recognizes, covers, and provides awards to some of the most memorable high school rivalries across the country. And it was a memorable finish all right. Maybe not nearly memorable if you were on the Gardiner side of things, but it was memorable none-the-less as Cony rolled to a 54-10 win over the Tigers. It was a night where both the air game and the ground game clicked for the Rams. Parker Morin threw for 200 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for a touchdown. Andrew Noyes ran for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns. On top of that, the Rams defense made it a miserable night for Gardiner quarterback Isaac Madore as he was intercepted five different times. Cony leads the rivalry with 79 wins to Gardiner’s 58 and 10 ties.

- It wasn’t the prettiest of wins for Westbrook as they took on Gorham in the newly christened River Bowl rivalry, but the narrow 12-10 win was enough for Westbrook to do a few things that may be program firsts in the football team’s history. When the Blue Blazes made their big midfield stop on fourth down with four yards to go at the Westbrook and just 55.3 seconds remaining on the clock, it directly led to Westbrook earning their seventh victory of the regular season. They had six-win seasons in 2012 and 2016, which coincided with their enrollment putting them into the Class B ranks. During that 2012 season, Westbrook beat Fryeburg Academy 34-8 in the regional quarterfinals before falling 21-14 to York a week later. The seven wins and first place in Southern Class B are both, based on our records, program bests. As the top overall team they will get a first round bye and can await the winner of Marshwood and Cheverus.

- While the Southern Class B Crabtree margin was enough to put Westbrook ahead of Kennebunk by a single opponent victory, there was the mathematical realm that made first place in the region a bit uncertain. For Kennebunk to finish ahead of Westbrook, in the event of a tie the first tiebreaker of the head-to-head game would go in Westbrook’s favor via their week six 20-0 win, they would have needed at least two of the following three events to happen: a win by Massabesic, a win by Scarborough, and/or a loss by Poland. One event happening would have tied the two teams. Two events would have put Kennebunk 1.5625 Crabtree points ahead. The scoreboard watching would not end in the Rams favor however as Massabesic and Scarborough both lost and Poland narrowly won their game. That is the series of standings events that had Westbrook on top.

- In a wet environment, it was the Leavitt Hornets that prevailed in the end following a last-play interception that preserved their close-fought 12-7 victory of Hermon at Libby Field in Turner. Many will continue to talk about the lack of a call on Nathan Karkos’ go-ahead touchdown for Leavitt. We’ve been tagged on several of those conversations. However, we are choosing to take a more nuanced approach. One that Hermon head coach Kyle Gallant appeared to take as well. He didn’t focus on that one play. Instead he was focused on the three subsequent Hermon drives after that touchdown that got into the Leavitt half of the field but ended in turnovers. Three drives, three Leavitt interceptions. It will sting all the more for Hermon as they kept it a one-score game all night long. For Leavitt, the win gave them the tiebreaker that enabled them to slide ahead of Hermon into second place as they both finished the weekend tied on Crabtree points.

- Back on April 28 we unveiled the result of our day-long schedule evaluation. Specifically, we looked at the weakest and the toughest of schedules based on what we called the COmpared STrength of SChedule Against Region, or COST-SCAR method. In Classes A through D, the numbers forecasted that Oceanside had the toughest 2025 schedule. Now that the regular season is over, we went back and evaluated the numbers based on the second half of the Crabtree ranking formula, what we call the strength of schedule component, and it supported Oceanside having the toughest schedule of all 11 man teams in the state. Their opponents won 45 out of 64 possible opponent wins. Only York, a fellow Class C team, came close to that at 43 out of 64 possible opponent wins. Because of that significantly high strength of schedule, it meant that Oceanside was still in contention for a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season. Had the Mariners defeated Greely they could have finished with a Crabtree number of 81.250. That, combined with a York loss, would have moved the Mariners into the 10th and final playoff spot while dropping York out of the playoffs and into 11th place. That scenario would not be needed as Greely defeated Oceanside 30-16.

- John Bapst wrapped up a perfect 8-0 regular season by coming from behind with three consecutive toughest to defeat Hampden Academy 20-13. The undefeated regular season was their first since 1976, before several of the players’ parents were born. The undefeated season was their first going back to 2004. It’s true. Since 2004 they finished in second place on five different occasions, but never first up until this season. The Crusaders will get a bye and the right to wait for the winner of the regional quarterfinal game between Mattanawcook Academy and Maranacook.

- That Southern Class D ended the regular season with four 5-3 teams still baffles us for some reason. To get to that point, it required fifth place Freeport to defeat second place Dirigo, third place Poland to hold off a 2-5 Maine Central Institute team that was in sixth in Northern Class D, and a 4-3 Oak Hill team to defeat a 1-6 Lisbon team in their rivalry game. Sure enough those three situations happened. The separation naturally came down to whose opponents had the most wins on their schedule, which is at the heart of the Crabtree formula. . Dirigo’s opponents had 33 total wins, Poland had 31, Oak Hill had 30, and Freeport had 29. So for those wonder how it is that they finished the way they did in second-third-fourth-fifth the way they did, there you go.

- When Poland experienced their first varsity season in 2004, the expectations were likely as modest as they could get. They, like others, probably seeked out increment and sustainable gains over the years as they worked to build a strong program in a community when high school football had little to no tradition. Few might have envisioned a run of 10 years before their first playoff birth in 2014, the bulk of which was in the unforgiving three-class environment. As the state moved to four classes, the class sizes decreased, and the playoff fields increased, Poland found themselves in playoff games but they just weren’t winning them. The inconsistencies of the program started to become a thing of the past when Gus LeBlanc took over the helm of the Knights. In his tenure the team experienced a program-best four game winning streak and a 4-0 start in 2023. While they proceeded to lose their next five games, there was a feeling that things were finally on the rebound. We’ll never know what was to come next as Gus passed away several months later. The team brought in Seth Johnson, who previously was a head coach of the Sacopee Valley Hawks, another struggling community similar to Poland which he had helped lay a solid foundation that is being built upon to this day. After a tough 2024, this season has been a banner year. In addition to finishing with a program-best 5-3 record, they also finished with a program-best third place finish. For only the second time in the 21-year history of the program, they will host a playoff football game on their home turf. In 2023 they hosted Freeport, a game they lost 32-14. This year they will host Morse, a team they defeated 35-0 during the season opener.

- After dispatching Cape Elizabeth 58-22 on Friday, Old Orchard Beach finish this a third consecutive undefeated regular season. They are now one of seven teams since 2004 to achieve that distinction. They join Cheverus, Lawrence(2), Leavitt, Maine Central Institute, Thornton Academy, and Wells in that exclusive club. This was the fourth time in the six-year history of 8 man football in Maine that they finished first in their respective region.

- Two 8 man teams that started out the season on a sluggish footing ended the season on a strong note on Friday. The Orono Red Riots, who suffered two stinging defeats to Old Orchard Beach and Stearns in their opening two contests, held off a late Bucksport rally to win 45-36 and end their season on a six-game winning streak. The Yarmouth Clippers, coming off a 2-6 2024 campaign and a 44-20 season opening loss to Mt. Ararat, will enter the playoffs on a seven-game winning streak following their 36-12 victory over the visiting Mount Desert Island Trojans. Orono will enter the playoffs as the second place team in the 8 man small school North, while Yarmouth goes into the playoffs as the third place team in the 8 man large school South.

- In the rough and tumble world that was Class C, teams very quickly learned that losses could have a significant impact on their standings. Nokomis entered the week in sixth place. After seeing wins by Wells and Foxcroft Academy, the Warriors had to know that their tentative hold on a preliminary round bye was going to be easily lost if they fell to Medomak Valley. At the very least Nokomis would fall to seventh. With a series of bad results it could have extended to an eighth place finish. Having seen the types of efforts that the Panthers’ Jaydiin Ruiz has experienced in his two games back, there had to be lingering questions about what Nokomis was in for. Those questions seemed to be quickly dispelled as Nokomis turned a 14-0 halftime lead into a 28-0 advantage in the fourth quarter. Medomak Valley would eventually get onto the scoreboard. However, a Warriors touchdown kept it a four-score game to the end with the 36-8 victory. The win did not draw Nokomis any closer to fifth place Wells, although it did kept them ahead of Foxcroft Academy for the sixth and final preliminary round bye going into the Class C playoffs.

- When Waterville defeated Mountain Valley 34-22 in the 2023 8 Man Large School North regional quarterfinals, there is no way any of the coaches or returning players would know what sort of a drought they were in for. First was the 44-0 loss the subsequent week to Camden Hills. Then there was the particularly tough 2024 winless season, playing in the state’s toughest class and featuring one of the toughest schedules of any team based on the strength of schedule. The losses in 2025 continued to pile up. Their closest game resulted in Ellsworth’s only win of the season, a 40-36 loss. Coming into the regular season finale at home against Gray-New Gloucester, both teams were desperate for a win that could keep them on the narrow path of the fourth and final playoff spot in their region. Gray-New Gloucester, at 3-4, was the odds-on favorite in the game. That favorite designation quickly faded as Waterville took leads of 14-0 in the first quarter and 38-14 at halftime. With their playoff fates hanging in the balance, Waterville took full advantage of the opportunity as they conceded just a single touchdown in the second half en route to a 44-20 lead. Their victory, combined with Ellsworth’s loss on Friday and leads by Stearns and Spruce Mountain, would eventually lead to the Purple Panthers leaping out of the cellar and into the fourth and final playoff spot at the end of the final buzzer. The win also ended the state’s third longest winless streak of 16 consecutive losses.

- When the 2011 consolidation brought together the neighboring mill towns of Jay and Livermore Falls and created the Spruce Mountain Phoenix, there was a lot of early optimism surrounding the Phoenix and just how good they had the potential to be. A 4-4 season in 2011 showed glimpses of that potential. This stoked the dreams of bringing the first gold ball to the region since Jay shared the 1979 Class C South title with Marshwood. Then came an off-season of turmoil highlighted by the 6-3 vote of the Spruce Mountain district board of directors to not renew the contract for head coach Mark Bonnevie. There was a lot said on the matter. We highly suggest reading the April 15, 2012 edition of the Sun Journal and “The Hot Corner” article by Kal Oakes on the matter. After a 2012 where a 3-5 Phoenix team missed the playoffs, they rebounded the next season in spectacular fashion by going 6-2 and progressing all the way to the Western Class C regional finals before falling 48-21 to Leavitt. They went 7-1 in 2014, although the fell 14-13 to Wells in the Western Class C regional semifinals. Then from there the success of the 2013-2014 campaigns quickly became a distance memory as they had some success, but nothing to rival that two-year run. With diminishing numbers on the football team, the Phoenix opted for another re-birth in 2021 at the 8 man level. Two 5-2 seasons with regional semifinal knockouts were quickly followed by a tumultuous 2023 season where Spruce Mountain went 0-7 and had voluntarily withdraw from the playoffs. That off-season the team welcomed new head coach Devin Roberts, who previously was the head coach of Mountain Valley before having to step down. In his first season at the helm the Phoenix rebounded with a 7-1 record and an unfortunate 42-28 loss to Sacopee Valley in the regional semifinals. Instead of there being another off-season let down, the team instead continued to improve. Moving from the 8 man small school south to the very competitive 8 man large school south, the Phoenix flew sky high all season. With their 50-8 win over Dexter, the 6-1 team finished in first place in their region for the first time under the Spruce Mountain banner. The Phoenix will host fourth seeded Lake Region this weekend.

- At the time of our writing, we were notified earlier in the day that Boothbay had withdrawn from the playoffs. Naturally these sort of things always carry with it opinions on what should happen next. As the playoffs are a Maine Principals Association event, the determinations tend to be based on long-standing precedent by them. This includes how to handle those who decline their invitation/withdraw from the playoffs. As the event is invitation-only there is no suspended season punishment the next season, unlike if a team forfeited a regular season game. And when a team withdraws, there is no reseeding or moving up of the next team(s). This came to the forefront as recently as 2023 when Spruce Mountain, Telstar, and Valley all withdrew from the playoffs. This happened to be the season when as many teams could be admitted into the playoffs as the brackets could hold. With Spruce Mountain and Valley in last place it simply led to a bye week for their opponent. However, in the case of Telstar they finished in sixth place. The MPA stated that there would be no reseeding. This led to the unusual appearance of third place Maranacook having a bye week.

- The playoff fields have been determined. We will be updating our website and our playoff brackets over the next day for the upcoming games and their respective dates and times.

- We observed the following end-of-regular-season team statistics
Cony was the first Class B team to lead the state in points scored (401) since Brunswick had that distinction in 2016 (423)
Greely led a class in points scored for the first time in their program’s history.
For the third consecutive season Old Orchard Beach had the most points scored by an 8 man team
Hermon finished the season with the fewest points allowed by a Class C team. It is the first time they have had that defensive distinction.
Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale led the state in fewest points scored (47). This isn’t the first time for them. They led the state in fewest points allowed in 2008 (40).
For the second consecutive season Stearns had the fewest points allowed by a team in the 8 man small school class
Lewiston is currently on pace to have the fewest points scored (28) in the state. If that holds, it will be the third consecutive season a Class A team had that distinction amongst Classes A through D.

- Out of state tracker
Bedford defeated Londonderry 30-10 on Friday. The 8-0 Bulldogs will host 1-7 Keene on Friday.
Exeter lost 33-21 to Portland on Friday. The 5-3 Blue Hawks will travel to 7-1 Manchester Memorial on Friday.
Keene lost 41-7 to Nashua North on Friday. The 1-7 Blackbirds will travel to 8-0 Bedford on Friday.
Laconia defeated Sanborn 35-6 on Friday. The 6-2 Sachems will host 4-3 Inter Lakes-Moultonborough on Friday.
Monadnock defeated York 8-6 on Saturday. The 8-0 Huskies will travel to 6-1 Campbell on Saturday. 
Winnacunnet lost 37-35 to Salem on Friday. The 6-2 Warriors will host 6-2 Bishop Guertin on Friday.

- Quote of the Week
”For those all wondering why Boothbay withdrew from playoffs, my name is Griffin and I am a senior for Boothbay. One of the biggest reasons was because our team has low numbers as associated with being a small school (around 16-18 kids) during this season we have had many injuries core that would’ve left us going to play OOB with about 12 or 13 healthy kids, no we didn’t forfeit because we are scared. The decision was made for the safety of my team.”
Griffin Yereance, Boothbay senior and football team member

- Streak tracker
There are 5 unbeaten teams in Maine, down from 7 last week
2 teams ended their winning streak of 4 or more games: Bonny Eagle (7) and Hermon (7)
The longest active winning streaks belong to Old Orchard Beach (19), Greely (17), Cony (8), John Bapst (8), and Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale (8)
1 team ended their losing streak of 4 or more games: Waterville (16)
The longest active losing streaks belong to Mount View (28), Belfast (18), Mountain Valley (12), and Hampden Academy (10)

- First place teams after week eight
Class A North – Portland (same from last week)
Class A South – Thornton Academy (changed from last week)
Class B North – Cony (same from last week)
Class B South – Westbrook (same from last week)
Class C – Greely (same from last week)
Class D North – John Bapst (same from last week)
Class D South – Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale (same from last week)
8 Man Large School North – Camden Hills (same from last week)
8 Man Large School South – Spruce Mountain (same from last week)
8 Man Small School North – Stearns (same from last week)
8 Man Small School South – Old Orchard Beach (same from last week)

- Five games of interest to us in week nine
Noble at Thornton Academy
South Portland at Portland
Bangor at Oxford Hills
Cheverus at Marshwood
Yarmouth at Mt. Ararat

What are your thoughts on the weekend?