The Belfast Lions will trek to Winslow on Saturday for one of Week 10’s Eastern Maine high school football semifinals, seeking not only to defeat the reigning regional champion, but an opponent who defeated them 62-6 earlier this fall.
Even under the best conditions the challenge would be formidable.
But coach Chris Bartlett’s club will face that task with a short week of practice after school was canceled Monday and Tuesday after a heavy snowstorm brought trees and power lines down throughout the midcoast last Sunday.
“We had no practices or team meetings for two days,” said Bartlett, whose home in Searsmont was without power from 11 a.m. Sunday to 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. “I sent emails and text messages to the captains and got on Facebook to tell the kids to watch as much game film as they could, and the coaching staff got together Tuesday, but other than that we couldn’t do much.”
School resumed for Belfast on Wednesday, but finding an outdoor place to practice was another issue — snow still blanketed the school’s football field as of midweek.
“It’s hard to go into a gym, line up and go through things like you do outdoors,” Bartlett said. “We’re just going to do the best we can to iron things out before the game.”
Class A
No. 4 Bangor (6-3) at No. 1 Cheverus (7-1), 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Portland: These teams met in a semifinal last year with Cheverus achieving a 37-0 victory, but their Week 6 face-off this season produced a more competitive encounter before Cheverus gained a 28-14 win.
“We played them pretty evenly in the second half,” Bangor coach Mark Hackett, whose team trailed 21-7 at intermission, said. “We played pretty well, especially on defense.”
Bangor’s defense, which sparked a 24-7 quarterfinal victory over Oxford Hills of South Paris, will be tasked with containing Eastern A’s top rusher in senior halfback Joe Fitzpatrick, who has 1,608 yards and 23 rushing touchdowns.
Bangor boasts the league’s second-leading rusher in junior Dane Johnson, who has 1,386 yards and 20 touchdowns, but also passing had success last week, with junior quarterback Jeff Lewis completing 6 of 12 attempts for 122 yards and a touchdown.
The Bangor-Cheverus winner will advance to the regional final against Friday’s winner between No. 2 Windham (7-1) and No. 3 Portland (6-3).
Class C
No. 4 Belfast Lions (6-3) at No. 1 Winslow Black Raiders (8-0), 1 p.m. Saturday: Belfast showed off its defensive side during a 20-12 quarterfinal win over Madison-Carrabec, allowing just one touchdown until the game’s final play.
Now they must slow a Winslow team averaging 47.5 points per contest.
“Obviously we’ve got to contain [Dylan] Hapworth, he’s a very good running back,” Bartlett said.
Winslow has its own defensive challenge to contend with in Belfast senior Stephen Davis, who has rushed for 777 yards and eight touchdowns in the last two weeks and is approaching 2,000 yards for the season.
“He’s been flying a little under the radar,” Bartlett said. “But he’s a talented kid.”
Winslow defeated Belfast 39-14 in last year’s semifinals on the Black Raiders’ home field.
Foxcroft Academy Ponies (7-2) at Waterville Purple Panthers (7-1), 1 p.m. Saturday: These teams last met in Week 1 with Waterville securing a 36-14 victory.
Foxcroft has won seven of eight games since, the exception a 26-25 loss to Winslow. Waterville’s lone setback also came against the Black Raiders, after a 34-7 loss in Week 7.
Waterville features a deep rushing attack led by Cam Thomas and Daniel Pooler, while Foxcroft’s tandem of Peter Boyer and Hunter Smith have run for more than 2,000 yards since Smith moved to quarterback in Week 3.
Class D
No. 4 Mattanawcook Academy Lynx (5-3) vs. No. 1 Maine Central Institute Huskies (8-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Colby College in Waterville: These teams meet in the semifinals for the second straight year after Mattanawcook upended MCI 34-6 to reach last year’s Little Ten Conference final.
Both teams have coped with key injuries, with MCI playing much of the season without starting backs Jonathan Santiago and Eric Hathaway, while MA halfback Scott Jipson has been in and out of the lineup for several weeks.
MCI scored a 25-15 victory in their Week 6 meeting at Lincoln, rallying with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. The 25 points were the fewest in a game this fall for the Huskies, who average 48.6 points per outing.
No. 3 John Bapst Crusaders (6-2) vs. No. 2 Bucksport Golden Bucks (7-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine: Bucksport continues its quest for a second straight LTC title against a John Bapst team riding some momentum after a win-or-go-home 28-22 victory over Orono in its regular-season finale.
John Bapst trailed 22-7 at halftime but outscored Orono 21-0 over the final two periods, with a 9-yard keeper by quarterback Spencer Baron with 2:26 remaining providing the winning margin.
Bucksport has won six straight since its only loss at MCI in Week 2. The Golden Bucks‘ defense has not allowed a point in its last nine quarters, including back-to-back shutouts of Stearns of Millinocket and Dexter.
Bucksport defeated John Bapst 20-7 on Oct. 3 as Jack Cyr rushed for 122 yards on 24 carries en route to a 1,000-yard season. Jackson Leonard, another 1,000-yard rusher, paced John Bapst with 89 yards on 21 rushes.
