Home-field advantage has played a significant role when Bangor and Skowhegan have met on the gridiron in recent years.
So when those Pine Tree Conference Class A rivals help open Week 1 of the 2010 high school football season Friday night, the fact the game will be played at Reginald Clark Memorial Field in Skowhegan shouldn’t be taken merely as a geographical consideration.
Just look at their last three meetings.
Bangor used a season-opening 41-12 victory over the Indians last fall to get off to a fast start en route to winning the Eastern Maine Class A title.
In 2008, Skowhegan romped to a 44-20 homecoming victory over Bangor on the way to its most recent regional title, while Bangor knocked the Indians from the unbeaten ranks with a 26-14 victory at Cameron Stadium midway through the 2007 season.
“We love to play Skowhegan, and I’ve told the guys that every other year they have our number and it seems to be pretty one-sided,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett. “Last year was our turn and it was one-sided, and the year before they hammered us over there, so this year it’s their turn again?
“I hope we’re a better team, but we won’t know until we play them.”
Bangor is coming off an 11-1 season and a trip to the Class A state final, and features senior quarterback-safety Joe Seccareccia, considered one of the top players in the state.
The Rams will seek to offset the graduation loss of Fitzpatrick Trophy finalist Lonnie Hackett, now at Bowdoin College after rushing for a school-record 2,257 yards and scoring 28 touchdowns last year.
Senior Josiah Hartley, the team’s top receiver a year ago, has been shifted to tailback and figures to get most of the carries, but Bangor hopes to involve a number of skill-position players in its offense.
“We’re going to know where we’re at in a hurry,” said Hackett. “They’re always physical, they’re always tough. And if [Skowhegan’s Mike Marston] is not the best coach in the league he’s one of the best, he makes adjustments better than anyone.”
Skowhegan, which qualified for postseason play last fall with a 3-5 record, will rely on its combination double wing-Power I offense, a run-oriented, ball-control attack that will try to overcome the transfer of 1,000-yard rusher Taylor Bradley to Mountain Valley of Rumford with fullback Matt Bigelow and tailback Kaleb Austin.
“They’ll be ready for us, and we’ll have to play fundamental football in all three phases or we won’t beat them,” said Hackett.
Leavitt Hornets at Hampden Academy Broncos, 7 p.m. Friday: When these teams met in Week 1 last year, Hampden nearly knocked off Leavitt on its home field before the Hornets rallied for the overtime win.
That victory propelled Leavitt to its first Class B state title since 1998, a run that included another victory over Hampden in the Eastern B semifinals.
Leavitt will turn the reins of its spread offense over to junior Jordan Hersom, the nephew of Lawrence of Fairfield coach John Hersom who started at wide receiver for the Hornets as a freshman and a sophomore.
Jake Ouellette takes over the bulk of the rushing duties, and he also led the team in tackles a year ago at linebacker.
Hampden graduated 20 seniors, but coach Harry McCluskey’s club returns a top quarterback in senior Jon Haws. Classmates Cody Miller at tight end and Richard Hoch, a two-way lineman, also figure to be key playmakers, along with junior halfback-noseguard Nick Stevens.
Lawrence Bulldogs at Brewer Witches, 7 p.m. Friday: Lawrence of Fairfield hopes to re-emerge at the top of the PTC Class A standings after being ousted in the conference semifinals each of the last two years.
The Bulldogs will rely on an aggressive defense in pursuit of that goal, which begins at Doyle Field against a Brewer team seeking to grow week by week in what could be its last season in Class A.
The Witches will rely on the double-wing offense as run by senior quarterback Dylan Oxley.
Stearns Minutemen vs. Mattanawcook Academy Lynx, 7 p.m. Friday at Lincoln: This should be one of the more physical Week 1 matchups when these northern Penobscot County rivals square off at Dale Curry Field.
Stearns is being projected as one of the teams to beat in the LTC thanks to a veteran nucleus that includes quarterback Jared McGreevey and tailback Billy Eurich.
Mattanawcook, while less experienced than the Minutemen, features its own premier running back in Grady Markie and some experienced linemen in Nolan Pelkey and Mike Parent.
John Bapst Crusaders vs. Mount View Mustangs, 1 p.m. Saturday at Thorndike: John Bapst is beginning its pursuit of a third straight trip to the Eastern C final, while Mount View is hopeful its fourth season in the LTC will mark another step forward.
John Bapst graduated 1,887-yard rusher Bill Wetherbee, but still should be able to generate a strong ground game thanks to its size and strength along the line of scrimmage.
Mount View, 2-6 a year ago, boasts a third-year starter at quarterback in Aaron Santana and one of the conference’s leading receivers in Erick Nealley.
This will mark Mount View’s first game at Larrabee Field, located not far from the Thorndike school. Previously the team played home games at Belfast Area High School, and next year the Mustangs plan to play home games on their school campus.