After some surprising results in Week 1, Week 2 was particularly informative about where Maine high school football teams actually stand. Here are three important results from the weekend.
Hampden Academy beats Brewer at home, 28-0
In a battle between two rebuilding teams, Hampden showed how much further it has come along this offseason by shutting out Brewer on Friday night.
“Our guys did a great job tackling and swarming to the ball. We had at least five guys to the ball on any given possession,” Hampden head coach Robenson Saintard said. “They were big up front so we used a variety of blitzes to help overcome that and put our guys in the best position to make a play.”
Hampden allowed only 137 total yards, ran back an interception for a TD and logged five tackles for losses. Hampden junior defensive end Kaysen Wildman had three solo tackles, two tackles for losses, a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries.
On offense, junior quarterback Nick Johnston threw for 79 yards on nine attempts, and ran for 50 yards on three carries. Senior Tyler Coffin added 44 yards on seven carries, including a touchdown.
It was coach Saintard’s first win with Hampden, after last week’s 36-22 loss to Medomak Valley away. He was hired this offseason to re-energize the program and its players following two sub-par seasons in which the Broncos tallied only two total wins.
“[The win] feels good. The guys are happy, the community is excited,” Saintard said.
“The coaches bring a lot of good energy for us, which we haven’t really had these last couple years,” Coffin said.
Coffin scored on the first drive of the second half to make it 12-0, and senior Brycen Scales sealed it for Hampden with his fourth quarter pick-six.
Facing a blitz, Brewer quarterback Ethan Leavitt had his throwing motion disrupted from behind, and Scales caught the errant pass in stride, racing down the visitors’ sideline 90 yards for the touchdown.
Next up, Hampden will face a tough 2-0 Oceanside team away, while Brewer will try to capture its first win of the season at home against reigning Class C North champs, 2-0 Medomak Valley.
“[Oceanside] is a great team and seems to be well-coached, but with this momentum we have I’m excited to see our guys play them,” Saintard said.
Oxford Hills beats Thornton Academy at home, 21-14
During a rematch of the last two championship games, Oxford Hills outlasted its rivals from Saco on Friday, keyed by a clutch fourth quarter from the Vikings.
After giving up a 14-0 lead in the third, Oxford Hills bore down and rattled off a 72-yard, 10-play scoring drive at the start of the fourth to retake a 21-14 lead. On the ensuing drive, the Vikings’ defense did their part, forcing a Thornton Academy fumble and recovering it.
“I told them this was an opportunity to define who they are as a team,” head coach Mark Soehren said. “We could let this one slip away, or we could go out and send a message that we never stop playing no matter the circumstances. The kids made the choice to play with great effort, and I’m very proud of them.”
It was a statement win for the program, which graduated four of its best players this offseason, including 2021 Maine Gatorade Football Player of the Year quarterback Eli Soehren and 2022 Gaziano Defensive Lineman of the Year Zach Louvat.
Soehren and Louvat led Oxford Hills to its first state title in school history last year, after falling to Thornton in the 2021 state championship game.
Taking the reins at quarterback this year is senior Brady Truman, who stepped in midseason last year to preserve Oxford Hills’ undefeated run after Soehren went down. Truman threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns on Friday, on 19-for-28 passing.
Complementing Truman’s performance were seniors Nick Binette and Jake Carson. Binette caught an 80-yard touchdown and then a 41-yard screen pass in the first quarter alone, while Carson tallied 133 total yards from scrimmage on Friday and “has led our defense,” Soehren said.
With the win, Oxford Hills improved to 2-0 on the season, while Thornton fell to an uncharacteristic 0-2. The 2019 and 2021 state champs will play 2-0 Bonny Eagle next week, while the Vikings will host 0-2 Scarborough.
Windham beats Bangor at home, 35-6
Both Windham and Bangor were coming off big wins in Week 1, but Windham showed which Class A North team was boss by building a 28-6 lead at half.
Bangor had an emphatic 21-6 win over the Lawrence Bulldogs last week, tying their win column from 2022 one Friday into the season. But the Rams were brought back down to earth by the Eagles and their star running back Marcus Tillery, who beat reigning Class B state champions Skowhegan 35-0 week one.
Tillery danced and dashed past the Rams’ defense for three touchdowns Friday night, from 1 yard, 25 yards and 68 yards out. The senior cut back and juked two different Bangor defensive backs before turning on the afterburners and speeding past a third en route to his 68-yard touchdown run.
Tillery also forced a fumble on defense, which Windham recovered.
“We played hard, but not consistently,” Bangor head coach Dave Morris said. “They played consistently.”
The second half was suspended on Friday due to lightning, and was completed Saturday afternoon. On Saturday, senior Windham running back Erik Bowen put the final touches on the 35-6 win, punching it in from 10 yards out.
Next up, Windham will look to stay undefeated against Edward Little at home, while the Rams will try to bounce back against Skowhegan in Bangor.