This week marks the final game of the regular season for eight-player football, while the other divisions make a final push to improve their Crabtree standings. These are my predictions for this weekend’s games.
Edward Little at Bangor
Prediction: Edward Little 34, Bangor 26
Edward Little is on a losing streak, but can play with the big teams of Class A as shown in its close loss to Bonny Eagle. While Bangor’s biggest scoring output of the season was against Lewiston, and I’d say there are similarities between the Red Eddies and Blue Devils, I think Edward Little wins this one on the road.
Old Town at Belfast
Prediction: Old Town 24, Belfast 12
Coming off its first win of the season, Old Town needs to beat Belfast to stay in the playoff chase in Class C North. The Coyotes are in eighth and Belfast ninth, making this game a must-win for Charles Beale’s team that is said to have playoff aspirations. Quarterback Jordan Kraft will be important.
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Winslow at Hermon
Prediction: Hermon 36, Winslow 22
Hermon will look to show that it’s the better team in this Saturday night matchup. Winslow is on a two-game losing streak while Hermon changed up its defensive alignment and has had back-to-back victories. I think Hermon’s defense will be too much for the Black Raiders.
Messalonskee at Brewer
Prediction: Brewer 24, Messalonskee 20
This will be a close game. Brewer showed last Friday that it can move the ball well and can get into the red zone, but needs to capitalize on those chances against a frisky Messalonskee team that stays in a lot of games. Brewer running back Cameron Hughes should have a big game against this Messalonskee defense.
John Bapst at Hampden
Prediction: John Bapst 36, Hampden 6
John Bapst has had an extra week of preparation to get ready for Hampden after a lopsided loss to Foxcroft Academy. In its wins, John Bapst scores 35.6 points per game, while Hampden has scored 10 points per game in the Broncos’ current three-game losing streak.
Bucksport at Dexter
Prediction: Dexter 48, Bucksport 12
I think Dexter will run away with this one. After taking care of Stearns in week six in the battle of the unbeatens, Dexter will have all the confidence in the world and will finish the eight-person regular season on a high note.
Thornton Academy at Skowhegan
Prediction: Skowhegan 34, Thornton Academy 31
Brenden Dunlap has come into the Skowhegan lineup at quarterback for the last few weeks, and I think he will lead the team to the team’s biggest win yet over Thornton Academy. However, the Trojans are the Class A champions for a reason, so expect this game to be close.
