Measures to create more competitive games in Maine’s high school football ranks appears to be producing results through the first two weeks of the season.
Of 78 games contested under the new format implemented this year by conferences around the state that features the tiering of schedules and the addition of crossover games for each program in Classes B, C and D, 23 have been decided by 30 points or more — compared to 34 of 74 games played during the first two weeks of the 2016 season.
That’s a 16 percent drop.
And of this year’s 23 lopsided contests, eight have come in Class A where the master schedule involved the least amount of change — no crossover games against different classes, only between the North and South regions.
Only 15 of the 64 games played by teams in Classes B, C and D so far this season have been decided by 30 points or more, compared to 26 of 58 games at the same point in 2016 (a 22 percent decrease).
Early blowouts include just two B-C-D contests matching crossover opponents by either geographic region within a class or between teams from different classes, the extreme example being Class C South Leavitt of Turner Center’s 73-0 victory over Class C North Belfast last weekend.
Another emerging trend so far is the South’s dominance of the North in early crossover games. The South is 11-1 against the North, including 5-0 in Class B and 3-0 in Class D.
The North’s lone victory came during Week 1 in Class A when Lewiston defeated South Portland 34-21.
Tiered scheduling within conferences and in crossover play has produced a different look near the top of the standings throughout the North.
Six North teams remain undefeated through Week 2 — Edward Little of Auburn and Lewiston in Class A, Hermon and Waterville in Class C and Houlton-Hodgdon-Greater Houlton Christian Academy and Washington Academy of East Machias in Class D.
Those teams finished the 2016 season with a combined 10-42 record, with Waterville and Washington Academy both going winless.
That shuffle may be credited not only to improvement among the cast of unbeatens, but to the tiered scheduling designed to provide not only more competitive matchups for those teams but tougher crossover games for some preseason favorites.
In Class D, traditional North contenders Foxcroft Academy of Dover-Foxcroft and Bucksport both lost to Class D South foes in Week 1.
“I don’t know how strong we are,” said Houlton head coach Brian Reynolds, whose 2-0 Shiretowners have not allowed a point in victories over LTC rivals Stearns-Schenck of Millinocket and Orono.
The latter was a 20-0 win ended by mutual consent at the end of the first quarter last Friday night due to poor weather conditions and safety concerns.
“I know that we have a veteran line, we’re big and we seem to be able to run straight at people. We have probably one of the best running backs in the LTC (senior Seth Holston), but we also have four sophomores starting and one’s the quarterback,” Reynolds added.
Houlton (3-6 last season) won’t play Foxcroft, Bucksport or Mount View of Thorndike this fall under the LTC’s tiered schedule.
“When we got the schedule, for a fourth-year varsity team we were happy with what we got,” said Reynolds, whose program is privately funded. “We’ve got Dexter, which has become a pretty good rival to us, and we’ve got (Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln) and, of course, that’s just down the road so that makes sense to be who we play in the upper tier this year and give our guys a chance to develop more.”
That’s not always the case with some of the nouveau frontrunners.
Hermon is 2-0 for the second straight year after following up a 59-34 victory at Old Town with a 27-0 shutout of John Bapst of Bangor in a Class C North battle that began last Friday night and was completed Saturday after inclement weather forced suspension of the contest.
“We didn’t play as well Saturday night as we did last week,” said first-year Hawks head coach Kyle Gallant. “I think the delay from Friday to Saturday kind of put our kids in a funk, but we’ll take a win when a win is presented and we’re glad to be 2-0.”
Hermon treks to 0-2 Class D North entry Ellsworth-Sumner on Friday before back-to-back games against last year’s Class C North championship game participants, Mount Desert Island of Bar Harbor and Winslow.
“I know the kids are taking it day by day so there’s no looking beyond Ellsworth whatsoever,” said Gallant, whose roster numbers a healthy 55 players. “We’ve got to make sure we take care of business every week we play, so nothing’s changing. We’re game prepping for Ellsworth. We’re going to try to know everything they do in preparation for what we want to do against them, and I know the kids are champing at the bit to get another shot at MDI and Winslow those following two weeks.”
