The mystery inherent in any opening week of a high school football season is now a distant memory, with many teams hoping to build on successful debuts in Week 2 and others seeking to regroup from the frustration of defeat.
Mount Desert Island (1-0) at Hampden Academy Broncos (0-1), 7 p.m. Friday: Hampden and MDI have split their last four meetings, with neither team able to win on the road — including last fall when MDI edged the Broncos 13-12 at Bar Harbor en route to a berth in the Eastern B final.
Hampden is coming off a 29-22 overtime loss at Leavitt of Turner in a battle of teams expected to rank among the upper echelon in the PTC Class B ranks. Jon Haws completed 12 of 22 passes for 171 yards and two TDs for the Broncos, who led 22-7 in the third quarter.
“The kids were all very disappointed, but we’ve had some very good practices this week,” said Hampden coach Harry McCluskey.
The Broncos also got strong play from their secondary, with Haws credited with a team-high 14 tackles and Nolan Turner in on 13 stops. Safeties Ryan Blake and Alex Cust also were major contributors, as was linebacker Michael Jenkins.
MDI opened with a 35-18 victory over Belfast, as Derek Colbeth rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns and Chase Bickford contributed nine tackles, three quarterback sacks and a blocked punt.
“I know MDI suffered some heavy graduation losses,” said McCluskey, “but they looked pretty impressive on film. They’ve got that ‘T’ offense going again.”
Bangor Rams (1-0) vs. Mount Ararat Eagles (0-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Topsham: Coming off an 41-12 victory over defending Eastern Maine Class A champion Skowhegan, Bangor will be on guard for a potential letdown against a Mount Ararat team that has struggled in recent years.
“We’re very happy with how the first game went,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett. “There was a high level of contact, and we played with energy and emotion.
“As long as we keep moving forward, things will be good.”
Mount Ararat is coming off a 28-7 loss to Cony of Augusta. McKenzie Gary rushed for 107 yards on 19 carries for the Eagles, while Drew Marshall passed for 41 yards and a TD and rushed for 40 yards.
“They’ve got some good players,” said Hackett.
Lewiston Blue Devils (1-0) at Brewer Witches (0-1): 7 p.m. Friday: Brewer faces another stout test in its home opener. Brewer is coming off a 61-20 loss at Lawrence of Fairfield last Friday, while Lewiston shut out Oxford Hills of South Paris 26-0.
Lewiston reached the Eastern A semifinals last year, and figures to be one of the stronger teams in the Pine Tree Conference Class A southern division this fall. The Blue Devils feature a dynamic quarterback in Ronnie Turner, who passed for 136 yards and rushed for two touchdowns last weekend.
Dom Drake led Brewer offensively against Lawrence with four pass receptions for 96 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Dylan Oxley.
Oxley passed for 133 yards, while Caleb Woodward and Jeremy Heath combined for 182 yards on the ground.
Bucksport Golden Bucks (0-1) vs. Maine Central Institute Huskies (1-0): 7 p.m. Friday at Pittsfield: Bucksport came within a two-point conversion of defeating defending state champion John Bapst of Bangor in its season opener — a stout effort considering the Golden Bucks had their exhibition game wiped out by inclement weather.
Coach Joel Sankey’s club limited John Bapst to 192 yards of total offense, and amassed 195 rushing yards, including 110 by Vince Tymoczko.
MCI had 442 total yards in a 49-22 win over Calais-Woodland. Shawn Bennett had an impressive debut at quarterback, going 10 for 10 through the air for 178 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 91 yards and a score. Tyler Maloon added 144 rushing yards and a TD.
Calais-Woodland Silverados (0-1) vs. John Bapst Crusaders (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Bangor: Calais-Woodland rallied from a halftime deficit to nearly knock off John Bapst during Week 2 last season in what would have been the Crusaders’ second straight loss.
Instead, coach Dan O’Connell’s club held on for a two-point victory, and did not lose again en route to the Class C state title.
John Bapst held on for a 19-18 season-opening win over Bucksport in a rematch of the 2008 LTC final, as Bill Weatherbee rushed for 138 yards and two TDs.
Calais-Woodland is coming off a 49-22 loss to MCI. The Silverados gained 312 total yards, with Kevin Ross rushing for 180 yards and two touchdowns.
Mattanawcook Academy (0-1) vs. Stearns Minutemen (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Millinocket: Few fans of these northern Penobscot County rivals will forget last year’s clash, Stearns’ 18-12, six-overtime win that matched the longest game in LTC history.
Stearns is coming off a 35-12 win at Dexter. Senior quarterback Jared McGreevy and senior running back Billy Eurich will play key roles for the Minutemen offensively.
Mattanawcook fell 28-7 to Foxcroft Academy at Lincoln last weekend. Senior Ethan White will start at quarterback for the Lynx after Josh Pelkey suffered an injury to his throwing hand during the second quarter of the season opener.
