At high school football practices around Class C North it’s known as “Winslow Week.”
And while no one has been able to come up with the magic game plan to defeat the two-time defending state champions since 2013, the challenge coach Mike Siviski’s club presents its divisional brethren is nevertheless an anticipated part of the season for the Black Raiders’ more competitive rivals.
Mount Desert Island, like Winslow 2-0 to start the campaign, gets the chance to test itself Saturday in a Week 3 test against the Class C gold standard. Game time is 1 p.m. at Gerry Poulin Memorial Field in Winslow.
“Our kids are excited for the opportunity,” said veteran MDI head coach Mark Shields. “Winslow’s the two-time defending state champion, they have a lot of tradition and they’re well coached, everything you’d want in a football team.
“We want to go down there and have a good showing, and we’re going to give them everything we’ve got.”
MDI gave Winslow two of its tougher games last season, but the Black Raiders won both en route to their second straight 11-0 season.
The Trojans led at halftime of their regular-season meeting on the island before Winslow rallied for a 35-20 victory. They met again in the Class C North semifinals where Winslow’s defense scored a 21-0 shutout.
Both teams are rebuilding along the line of scrimmage but have been impressive so far, MDI in victories over Foxcroft Academy (28-20) and Belfast (37-0) and Winslow against Belfast (59-0) and John Bapst of Bangor (56-6).
MDI hopes to use a rushing attack featuring Colby Lee and Croix Albee to keep the ball away from a Winslow team that will seek to extend its 24-game winning streak.
“Our offense is designed to try to take time off the clock and move the chains and try to keep offenses off the field,” said Shields. “Sometimes we call it our best defense because we’re trying to control the clock, but against Winslow there are going to be some plays we’re not going to do well on but we’ve just got to get back in the huddle and get ready for the next play and keep playing hard.”
Winslow features the high-octane rushing duo of halfback Nate St. Amand and fullback Kenny Rickard. Ryan Gagnon is a first-year starter at quarterback but Dylan Hutchinson is a veteran receiving threat.
“They’re very balanced in what they do and they don’t have a lot of tendencies so to play with a team like Winslow you have to be fundamentally sound at your position, do what you’re taught, play hard and see what happens,” Shields said.
Brewer Witches (2-0) at Gardiner Tigers (0-2), 7 p.m. Friday: A young Gardiner team got its fill of Air McSweeney last weekend as Skowhegan quarterback Garrett McSweeney passed for 303 yards during a 40-12 win over the Tigers. This week coach Joe White’s club must face Brewer’s ground-and-pounders, who racked up 320 rushing yards in their 33-2 win over Mt. Blue of Farmington. Trey Wood leads the way for Brewer with nearly 300 rushing yards and six touchdowns in two games. By the way, 2-0 Skowhegan visits Brewer next week in a rematch of their epic 2015 Class B North semifinal won by the Witches in the final seconds.
Old Town Coyotes (1-1) at Hermon Hawks (2-0), 7 p.m. Friday: Excitement is building at Hermon where the Hawks are 2-0 after wins against John Bapst of Bangor and Waterville. But Old Town, smarting from a 36-14 home-field loss to Oceanside of Rockland-Thomaston, could present Hermon its toughest test to date. Brad Deuring’s club then begins a five-week stretch that includes games against the other remaining undefeated teams in Class C North — MDI, Winslow and Madison-Carrabec.
Bucksport Golden Bucks (1-1) at Dexter Tigers (2-0), 1 p.m. Saturday: Dexter put together a three-game winning streak midway through the 2015 season thanks in part to a victory against Bucksport. Now the Tigers — 2-0 for the first time since 1999 — will try for a second three-game win streak in as many years at the Golden Bucks’ expense and keep pace atop Class D North with Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield and Orono. Dexter boasts the league’s top scoring defense through two weeks, allowing just six points per game in wins over Houlton and Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln. Bucksport fell behind 34-0 against MCI last week but showed considerable gumption in closing the final spread to 41-21.
Mattanawcook Academy Lynx (1-1) vs. Mount View Mustangs (1-1), 1 p.m. Saturday: These are two of the seven teams in Class D North with at least one victory through two weeks of play — and only four will qualify for postseason play, heightening the importance of this battle. Mattanawcook will attempt to rebound from a home loss to Dexter, while Mount View bounced back from its opening-week loss to Orono with a win over Stearns of Millinocket behind a three-touchdown performance from Darrin Cook.
