Week 10 featured a lot of firsts for several teams around the state. The first ever regional final berth for Oceanside, the first regional final berth for John Bapst since 2012, and the first time all year Orono came remotely close to losing a football game.
All of northern Maine’s playoff games have been rather dramatic, and here’s a recap of this past weekend’s action.
No. 3 Mount Desert Island beats No. 1 Camden Hills away, 26-6
The MDI Trojans avenged their Week 3 loss to the undefeated Windjammers on Saturday, silencing Camden Hills on the road and vaulting themselves to their first state championship appearance since 2016.
MDI came up just short as the No. 1 seed last year, losing to No. 3 Waterville in the eight-player large North regional semifinal, 22-12.
This Saturday, the Trojans were led by senior quarterback Spencer Laurendeau, who carried the ball 44 times for 172 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, MDI intercepted Camden Hills quarterback William Haslam three times, with junior Cal Hodgdon picking the senior off twice. MDI totaled 273 yards of offense to Camden Hills’ 123.
Next up, MDI will play the No. 2 Greely Rangers from southern Maine in the eight-player large state championship. MDI head coach Mark Shields says the Rangers have a great offensive front, and have been able to control possession all year.
“Greely is a ground control team overall,” Shields said. “They have some strong TEs that block well and catch the ball, and a big, strong offensive line.”
The Trojans will take on Greely at Cameron Stadium in Bangor, this Saturday at 11 a.m.
No. 2 Medomak Valley beats No. 3 Hermon at home, 18-6
The 6-2 Panthers and 6-3 Hawks faced off in Waldoboro on Saturday afternoon, for a rematch of last year’s Class C North regional championship in which Medomak advanced 40-20.
Medomak once again came out on top this weekend, dispatching a small, speedy Hermon team that was riding an impressive five-game winning streak without star running backs Alec Smith and Max Hopkins.
The second quarter was where the Panthers really got things started, punching in a 2-yard touchdown from senior quarterback Chase Peaslee, and then picking off Hermon’s Bruce Coulter in the red zone and returning it 94 yards to the Hawks’ 5-yard line.
In the fourth quarter, Hermon cut Medomak’s lead to 12-6, but senior every-down back Aaron Reed retaliated with a 21-yard touchdown on third down to keep the Hawks out of striking distance. Later on in the frame, Medomak picked off a desperation bomb from Coulter, and then converted on third and long to seal it.
“We made a couple mistakes that swayed the scoreboard, but I am super proud of how much fight the guys had in them from the first whistle to the last,” Hermon head coach Kyle Gallant said. “They guys battled all game. We’re excited for the 2024 season.”
Medomak, meanwhile, will try to get its star-studded senior class back to the Class C championship game two weekends from now. First, the Panthers will have to beat the undefeated Oceanside Mariners in the regional final at Hampden Academy on Saturday at 3 p.m.
No. 1 Oceanside beats No. 5 Nokomis at home, 52-14
The other Class C North regional semifinal that took place this weekend was waged between undefeated Oceanside and hardy Nokomis in Rockland, with the Mariners improving to 9-0 and qualifying for their first regional championship game in school history.
Oceanside was led by usual suspects Cohen Galley and Aiden Sergent, who combined for 227 yards and four touchdowns on only 17 carries. Galley also threw for 109 yards and two scores on 5-for-11 passing, hitting junior Zeb Foster twice for both touchdowns.
“Our key to the game was to get up fast and we were able to accomplish that,” Oceanside’s second-year head coach Sam Weiss said. “Once we were up we knew we’d be okay. It was that 16-0 start that really put us in the driver’s seat.”
Weiss has totally rejuvenated Oceanside’s offense and developed its star skill players in reigning Big 11 Conference Player of the Year Sergent, as well as the Galley twins. Just two years ago, Oceanside was averaging only 10.6 points scored per game — this year the Mariners are averaging 46.8.
In the Class C North regional final this Saturday, the Mariners will take on the 7-2 Medomak Panthers, who they edged out 36-30 in their regular season finale.
“Medomak certainly kept it close late last time,” Weiss said. “We gave up a two-score lead [to them] last year, and almost did it again this year. We really just need to play our game and not let them dictate the pace.”
