For the second straight year, the boys and girls soccer games this week between archrivals Bangor and Brewer represented the only time the teams will play each other during the regular season.
It would save the schools money if they were to play each other twice, but the desire to put together a competitive and fair schedule superseded the financial savings, according to athletic directors Steve Vanidestine of Bangor and Dave Utterback of Brewer.
It was the same with Brewer and Hampden Academy, as the Witches and Broncos play each other just once in each sport.
All schedules are approved by the athletic directors at the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference and Eastern Maine Class A schools.
There are 13 teams in EM Class A (KVAC). They play 14 regular-season games in soccer, so each team plays every other team once and two teams twice.
The schedule goes in two-year cycles and this is the second year of the current cycle.
Bangor plays Hampden and a competitive Messalonskee team twice in boys and girls soccer. The Messalonskee boys won the regional title in 2011 and Hampden did so last year.
The Bangor girls have won four consecutive EM Class A titles, while Brewer went 2-25-2 in the previous two seasons. The Hampden Academy girls were 22-9-2 during 2012 and 2013 and were the regional runner-up in 2012.
Hampden plays perennial title contender Brunswick twice in addition to Bangor.
The Bangor boys were a combined 20-7-4 in 2012 and 2013, while Messalonskee was the Eastern Maine champ in 2012 and Hampden Academy captured the crown last year.
A year ago, the Brewer boys were 4-10.
Utterback acknowledged Brewer’s soccer programs have not been competitive with Bangor and Hampden in recent years, so scheduling two games with the Rams and Broncos would have been counterproductive.
“I know times are tough [financially], but we wanted a schedule that was beneficial for everybody. We want a schedule which creates some matchups which would also be beneficial to us,” Utterback said. “We want to build our soccer programs to where Bangor and Hampden are.”
Brewer’s teams are more competitive this season and are making positive strides. Both gave Bangor competitive games despite losing.
“I will definitely try to schedule two games with Bangor and Hampden for the next two years,” Utterback said.
Bangor, Hampden and Brewer play each other twice in boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball.
Utterback explained it is because the Witches have been more competitive in those sports and there are more games scheduled in each.
Baseball and softball teams play 16 regular-season games, and the basketball teams play 18-game schedules.
“And in basketball, it has been good for the gate. The fans flock to those games,” Utterback said.
Scheduling can be complicated for the athletic directors, since they also have to consider travel costs.
“The bottom line is that all of us [athletic directors] want to do what is right for our kids. We want to put them in position to be successful and safe,” said Utterback. “Then we want to decide what is best for the whole league.”
Vanidestine agreed with Utterback.
“There are some teams you should schedule twice and some teams [you should schedule just once]. You want to eliminate bad games,” said Vanidestine.
For example, Bangor has been a perennial cellar dweller in field hockey and Skowhegan has won 12 of the last 13 state Class A championships, so Bangor schedules only one game against Skowhegan.
Vanidestine also pointed out that schools want to avoid scheduling teams in contact sports that are far superior or inferior, because it jeopardizes the health of the players.
Bangor and Brewer are only going to play each other once in ice hockey this season instead of the usual two times, at Utterback’s request.
“Safety does become a factor,” said Utterback. “We’re going to have a fairly young team in hockey this year, and we’ll be going up against a veteran Bangor team.”
Bangor is in Class A in hockey, while Brewer is in B, and it’s the same in field hockey. They don’t play in field hockey.
Vanidestine said yet another aspect of effective scheduling is making sure that it is conducive to rewarding the team in the Heal Point standings “if they win enough [regular-season] games.”
Vanidestine and Utterback both said the league committees that compile the schedules are safety-conscious when it comes to travel.
“When possible, the games where we have to travel the furthest have been scheduled for Saturdays,” said Utterback.
Vanidestine said one of its longest trips is on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, which is a day off from school.
He explained that winter travel can be treacherous, so athletic directors try to lay out the schedules with safety in mind.