Week 5 of the Maine high school football season featured plenty of interesting matchups in northern Maine. Here is a recap of the biggest games from this past weekend.
Bangor beats Winnacunnet (New Hampshire) at home, 28-7
Maine and New Hampshire’s largest high school football teams began competing against each other last year, and Bangor played its first team from the Granite State this past Saturday afternoon, in the Winnacunnet Warriors from Hampton.
The Warriors proved to be no match for the Rams, who improved to 3-2 on the season and bounced back from a tight 21-14 loss to Lewiston a week prior.
“We had a good game in all three phases,” Bangor head coach Dave Morris said. “The offensive line blocked well, and special teams kept kickoff returns inside the 30-yard line. Good team win.”
On offense, the Rams ran for more than 200 yards, with powerful sophomore running back Kyle Johnson racking up 171 yards, including a 1-yard score on fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter to make it 21-7.
In the air, senior quarterback Jack Schuck threw for 120 yards, including a 32-yard play action pass to senior wide out Daemon Maskala for Bangor’s first touchdown, and a 44-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to junior Jackson Varney from the slot.
On defense, Xavier Pike, Jake Biberstein, Jackson Varney, Zac Cota and Theo Blanke all had multiple tackles, as Bangor held the 2021 New Hampshire Division I state champs to only one touchdown.
“We are growing and all our guys are gaining more confidence,” Morris said. “Coaches did an excellent job preparing our players.”
Orono beats Dexter/Piscataquis away, 55-14
The Orono Red Riots kept their undefeated season going through five games on Saturday, as they built a 33-0 lead at half and secured a 55-14 win over the Tigers in Dexter.
It was another statement victory for Orono, which lost to No. 1-seed Dexter last year in the regular season before catching fire and knocking them off 61-22 in the second round of the playoffs. Stretching back to the middle of last year, Orono has won 10 of its 11 last games played by an average of 32.2 points.
Orono finished with 473 total yards on offense, with junior quarterback Jack Brewer throwing for 259 yards and five touchdowns on 13-for-20 passing. Brewer connected with juniors Kase Walston (four receptions, 42 yards) and Will Francis (five receptions, 100 yards) for two scores each.
On the ground, senior Ben Francis, junior Logan Williams and sophomore Kason Bagley all had touchdowns as well. Bagley had 69 yards on four carries, and Francis had 48 yards on five carries.
On defense, 6-foot-4 senior defensive end Brady Grant, junior defensive back Brady Maheu and defensive back Will Francis “all turned in solid games for Orono’s league-leading defense,” head coach Bob Sinclair said. Orono’s defense has drastically improved this season, allowing only nine points per game compared with 30.6 last year.
“We respect Dexter a lot, they are well coached and very physical,” Sinclair said. “We were very happy with our ability to throw as well as run the ball. Defensively our kids are recognizing formations and checking into the appropriate defensive scheme we want.”
Moving forward, Orono’s final two games of the regular season will be Madawaska away and then Mattanawcook at home. Orono is the only undefeated team in eight-player small North, and is on track to clinch home field advantage in the playoffs.
Foxcroft Academy beats Medomak Valley away, 35-0
The Foxcroft Ponies continued their unfathomable run this Friday, with an incredible win over the undefeated Medomak Panthers, the reigning Class C North champions.
On track for a third straight Class D state championship, the Ponies’ stalwart defense held Medomak’s patented running game, and star senior Aaron Reed, scoreless despite three trips to the red zone.
“Credit to Foxcroft for buckling down and keeping us out of the end zone,” Medomak Valley head coach Ryan Snell said. “They scored just before halftime to go up two scores, then forced a turnover to start the second half and scored on [a] short field to basically put it away.”
Foxcroft has conceded only six points all season, while scoring a whopping 50.6 points per game. The Ponies and their stacked class of 2024 have not lost a game since mid-September of last year.
Next up, Foxcroft will play Maine Central Institute away, and Medomak will travel to Cape Elizabeth.
