BANGOR, Maine — The Bangor High School football team is in perfect position midway through its season — undefeated and ready to host Windham on Friday night with first place at stake in Eastern Maine Class A.
“We’re going to have to play with a lot of emotion and we’re going to need some breaks,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett. “We’re going to have to play the best game we’ve played this year to beat them.”
That both Bangor and Windham will bring 4-0 records into the game couldn’t have been anticipated at about 8:30 last Friday night.
The Rams were trailing Portland 21-0 early in the third quarter, while Windham was awaiting a Saturday afternoon game against a Cheverus of Portland program that not only had whipped the Eagles 57-0 last year but hadn’t suffered a regular-season loss since 2009, a streak covering 36 games.
Less than 24 hours later, that world was a markedly different place.
Bangor rallied for one of its most noteworthy regular-season victories in recent years, winning 28-27 in overtime, while Windham spotted Cheverus a 7-0 lead before scoring on five straight possessions en route to a 35-7 vanquishing of the Stags.
“I know they’re always a hard-nosed team, they’re tough, big kids and they like football just like us,” Bangor senior end Jordan Ayer said of Windham.
Bangor’s comeback began when senior back Nick Graham, seemingly tackled for a loss, arose from Fitzpatrick Stadium’s artificial turf for a 34-yard touchdown run that not only got the Rams on the scoreboard but provided the motivation they needed.
“I ran outside a little more than I wanted to, and I got wrapped up and started to go down but I put my hand on the ground and the next thing I know I didn’t feel any more weight on my back,” said Graham. “So I stood up and looked and there was a hole and I just bolted. I didn’t hear a whistle so I just went right to the end zone.”
Bangor’s defense and a punishing ground game led by junior halfback Dane Johnson (197 yards, 3 TDs) did the rest, punching across two more touchdowns and tiring out the Portland defensive front while sending the game into overtime.
“We were definitely wearing them down,” said Graham, “and all the running we do in practice definitely benefits us in the games, especially in the fourth quarter, because that’s the most important quarter because if you’re tired the other team can come back like we did.”
Then when Portland missed the extra point after scoring on its overtime possession, Johnson powered into the end zone from 10 yards out and Graham split the uprights with his extra-point kick to give Bangor a stunning victory.
“We’re down 21-0, but Nick made a big play and we got on a roll and stayed on a roll,” said Ayer. “It looked bad, for sure, but it’s football. It doesn’t matter what the score is or what quarter it is, you just want to keep playing because one big play can change the whole game.”
Windham’s victory over Cheverus lacked the same drama, though the Stags did jump out to a 7-0 lead.
But with quarterback Desmond Leslie passing for 185 yards and junior Dylan Koza rushing for 125 yards and two touchdowns, coach Matt Perkins’ Windham team moved out to a 14-7 halftime lead and then scored 21 unanswered points after intermission for a victory that was shocking to many football fans but not to Hackett.
“I saw film of them because we had common opponents and I thought they were by far the best team,” he said. “Am I surprised they went in there and handled Cheverus like that? A little bit, because Cheverus isn’t used to getting handled like that.”
Now comes the week after — for both teams — with those memories still lingering but a big step in the battle for home-field advantage come playoff time suddenly at stake.
“I think everyone who knows anything about football in this region would say that Windham just waxed Cheverus, they’re 4-0, and they’ve got the edge because we struggled to beat Portland, which is a good football team but Cheverus beat them easily,” Hackett said.
“But I don’t want to take anything away from this team, either. It’s a special team. I wouldn’t want to play us right now.”
