Pivotal games with playoff implications are on the schedule this weekend.
Edward Little at Bangor
Edward Little is heading north for a crucial Class A football matchup with the Bangor Rams.
The Red Eddies won two of their first three games against Messalonskee and Brewer before losing three in a row heading into Friday night’s game with the Rams. The losing streak started against Bonny Eagle, a game in which Edward Little held a 40-14 lead in the third quarter before falling by a score of 52-48. In the last two games, Edward Little has scored just 20 total points against Sanford and Skowhegan.
Bangor is 0-6 on the season. Last Friday, the Rams lost to Scarborough 51-24. The 24-point output was the second-highest scoring total Bangor’s had behind its 50-33 loss to Lewiston in week two.
The Rams will lean on quarterback Jack Schutt, who threw three second-half touchdowns last week against the Red Storm.
On the other side, Tate Morse will look to lead the Red Eddies to a win and help the Red Eddies out of the bottom-half of the Class A standings with three weeks left in the regular season.
Messalonskee at Brewer
After Brewer gave up three touchdowns to Falmouth in the third quarter a week ago in a 30-7 loss, the Witches will try to bounce back against Messalonskee.
The Eagles have lost four games in a row and their head coach, Walter Polky, left the program before its Week 5 game against Mt. Blue, leaving athletic director Chad Foye to help the assistant coaches in place to lead the team.
Brewer (1-5) was stopped three times in the red zone last week at home against Falmouth and those chances will need to be capitalized on come Saturday.
Quarterback Ryder Goodwin and running back Cameron Hughes moved the ball well against Falmouth and will need to turn their long drives into points for the Witches on Saturday, who sit in eighth place in Class B North. Messalonskee is in ninth (1-5).
Winslow at Hermon
This might be the area’s best game, and it’ll take place Saturday night at Hermon High School.
The Hawks (4-2) are sitting in second place in Class B North, ahead of Winslow (3-3) in fourth.
Hermon beat Oak Hill last Friday, 18-0. Hermon’s coach, Kyle Gallant, acknowledged the Raiders’ growing ability on defense, but the Hawks were able to shut out Oak Hill in its first of the season. Gallant also said turnovers left a lot of points on the field and that he wants his team to clean up the interceptions and fumbles.
The week prior, Hermon beat Hampden 59-12. The Hawks have won two in a row and their defense is playing the best it has all season.
On the Winslow side, the Raiders have lost two in a row to Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale (35-7) and Cheverus (28-13). Before that, Winslow had defeated Belfast and Mt. Blue. Winslow quarterback Jared Newgard, who ran for three scores against Mt. Blue, will have his hands full against Hermon’s defensive line that includes 6-foot-7 defensive tackle Jaykob Dow.
If Winslow can move the ball the Black Raiders will have a chance at the win and accruing crucial Crabtree points.
Old Town at Belfast
Old Town is coming off its first win of the year against Madison and coach Charles Beale is excited for the final weeks of the regular season but said there’s still work to do.
After a big week throwing the ball by quarterback Jordan Kraft, Kraft and the Coyotes will have to duplicate the performance against Belfast, which is last in the C North standings, one spot behind Old Town in the eighth and final playoff spot.
Belfast has been shut out three times this season, most recently last week against Maine Central Institute, 36-0. The team’s highest scoring output was in a 28-27 loss to Winslow in week three.
