Week 4 has officially come and gone, and various teams pulled off some big wins to end the first half of the regular season on a strong note. Here are the key victories from Friday and Saturday.
Lewiston beats Bangor at home, 21-14
The most recent installment of the Bangor-Lewiston rivalry game ended in the Blue Devils’ favor Friday, with Lewiston overcoming a 14-7 third quarter deficit to secure the win.
Bangor took the lead with 47 seconds to go in the third, when junior Parker Small converted on a 1-yard rushing touchdown. But the Rams’ lead didn’t last long.
Twenty-three seconds later, Lewiston tied it back up at 14-14 on a 55-yard bomb from junior quarterback Lonnie Thomas Jr. to junior wide out Michael Caron, who also kicked the extra point.
Thomas and Caron linked up again with 8:35 remaining in the fourth, as Caron hustled for another long touchdown of 51 yards. Ultimately, Lewiston’s defense held strong, led by six tackles for losses (including two from junior defensive end Joseph Dube), and Bangor was unable to tie it.
“Good, hard fought game from both teams,” Bangor head coach Dave Morris said. “Our guys played hard; just a few more mistakes than the other team.”
Bangor sophomore running back Kyle Johnson punched in Bangor’s first touchdown, which knotted the game at 7-7 in the second quarter.
The loss pulled Bangor back to 2-2, while propelling Lewiston up to .500. It was a much-needed win for Lewiston, who had to face Class A favorites Oxford Hills and Portland earlier this season.
“Great team win,” Lewiston head coach Jason Versey said. “Our players made some big plays, in key situations, on both sides of the ball. My offensive and defensive coordinators had our guys dialed in and prepared for a very good Bangor football team.”
Next up, Bangor will welcome the Winnacunnet Warriors from Hampton, New Hampshire, to Cameron Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Lewiston will travel to Scarborough to play the Red Storm.
Medomak Valley beats Hermon away, 32-14
Saturday night’s game between the Panthers and the Hawks was a rematch of last year’s Class C North championship game, which Medomak Valley won 40-20.
Trying to snap a two-game losing streak, Hermon and its dynamic running game was unable to outlast Medomak at home, ultimately sliding to 1-3. Medomak stymied junior quarterback Bruce Coulter, senior running back Alec Smith and company by forcing four Hermon turnovers.
“On defense we wanted to contain Coulter as much as possible, but easier said than done,” Medomak Valley head coach Ryan Snell said. “He’s one of the top weapons in the league for a reason.”
The speedy Coulter had two touchdowns, but was also picked off by Medomak senior Aaron Reed, senior Chase Peaslee and sophomore Josh Blake. Meanwhile, the Panthers flexed their high-powered ground game of their own, paced by senior Aaron Reed and junior Porter Gahagan.
Reed finished with 206 yards on 26 carries for the Panthers, including three touchdowns and two two-point conversions. Gahagan tacked on another 40 yards on 10 carries, plus a touchdown and two two-point conversions. Medomak scored an even eight points per quarter.
Still undefeated this season, Medomak Valley has the tall task of hosting the Foxcroft Academy Ponies on Friday. The Ponies have obliterated everyone in their path, and have a +260 point differential through four games.
“We need to improve on finishing off drives consistently,” Snell said. “We need to fix up a couple things to give us better opportunities to finish those out.”
Hermon will look to get back on the right foot against Maine Central Institute away on Saturday. MCI is 1-3 this season.
Leavitt beats Oxford Hills at home, 21-14
Maine’s biggest game of the weekend took place in Turner on Saturday, between reigning Class A champs Oxford Hills and reigning Class C champs Leavitt.
Both sides boasted undefeated streaks going back to the beginning of last season, and the most recent winners of Maine Gatorade Football Player of the Year in quarterback Eli Soehren of the Oxford Hills class of 2022 and quarterback Noah Carpenter, of the Leavitt class of 2024.
Carpenter showed off for the homecoming crowd with two first half touchdowns, including a 55-yard touchdown run on the third play from scrimmage, and a 29-yard touchdown pass to senior Aiden Turcotte with 8.3 seconds left in the half to make it 21-7 Leavitt.
Leavitt’s third scoring drive lasted only 29 seconds, right after senior Oxford Hills quarterback Brady Truman hit senior Nick Binette for a 6-yard touchdown.
Despite shutting down Carpenter in the second half, the 14-point lead was enough for Carpenter and the Hornets to outlast Soehren’s successor Truman and the Vikings. Oxford Hills only allowed 50 yards of total offense after halftime but couldn’t orchestrate a third scoring drive to tie it.
“We weren’t ready to play the first couple of drives,” Oxford Hills head coach Mark Soehren said. “We did a great job defensively in the second half, but couldn’t put together mistake-free offensive drives.”
Truman finished with 180 yards and two touchdowns on 17-for-26 passing, but also threw three picks, including one to Carpenter playing safety. Oxford Hills also fumbled the ball four times, all of which they recovered.
“We had more total yards, first downs and third down conversions,” Soehren said. “But they made plays when they had to, and we didn’t.”
