Eight-player football large and small began their postseasons last week, and Classes B, C and D will join them this Friday. As all Mainers know, anything can happen in tournament time, and here are four northern Maine playoff games in which the unexpected could ensue.
No. 5 Nokomis at No. 4 Hampden Academy, Friday at 7 p.m.
This Class C North quarterfinal in Hampden is a bona fide toss-up. Hampden, 4-4, has a better record than 3-5 Nokomis; however, the Broncos did fall to the Warriors 26-18 in Newport earlier this month.
On that slippery Saturday afternoon of Oct. 7, Nokomis unexpectedly debuted a new wing-T offense, and abruptly snapped Hampden’s three-game winning streak. Power backs Seth Bowden and Ryan Robichaud overwhelmed a young Bronco defense, who were playing without upperclassmen Aiden Koechendoerfer, Andrew Cote and Tyler Coffin.
This upcoming Friday, though, Hampden will have home field advantage, and Cote and Coffin will be back in action. With a victory, the Broncos could get their first playoff win since 2011, and they will be fighting hard to take advantage of this opportunity.
“The Hampden community has been through a lot of tough years when it comes to football,” first-year head coach Robenson Saintard said. “A win would mean a lot for sure.”
The determining factors on Friday will be what Nokomis can do to catch Hampden off-guard again, and if Hampden’s passing game can bounce back with some drier weather.
No. 6 Brewer at No. 3 Hermon, Friday at 7 p.m.
Brewer at Hermon is the other Class C North quarterfinal happening on Friday night, featuring two young teams ready and eager for a big win. In Week 1, the Hawks bested the Witches 54-12 in Brewer, but the result could easily be different this time around.
On the Hermon sideline, star running backs Alec Smith and Max Hopkins will be out, and over on the Brewer sideline the Witches will be playing with a newfound confidence after dispatching Nokomis 19-8 on an emotional Senior Night two weeks ago. The Witches broke their defeated streak with an inspired second-half push against the Warriors, getting a win in honor of their late teammate Bryce Basso.
Because Brewer just joined Class C this offseason, these Bangor area neighbors are relatively unfamiliar with one another, and could produce a rather unpredictable result compared with Week 1.
No. 4 Houlton/Hodgdon at No. 1 Orono, Friday at 7 p.m.
The juggernaut Orono Red Riots have their first playoff game of the season this Friday, against the upstart Shires from Houlton.
Houlton locked down its first ever playoff win last weekend, beating Dexter/Piscataquis 26-22 in a dogfight at home. Up 26-16 at half, the Shires defense bore down and withstood a fierce comeback bid from Dexter. On offense, Houlton’s star junior quarterback Isaiah Ervin showed off his tenacity with three rushing touchdowns, from 52, 7 and 3 yards out.
“Houlton’s quarterback is a nightmare to contain,” Orono head coach Bob Sinclair said. “He can hurt you running the ball and he can also throw deep.”
Unfortunately for Ervin and company, Houlton will have a tough test this Friday in eight-player small North’s best defense (11.1 points allowed per game) and conference-leading offense (52.1 points scored per game). Two years out from a winless 2021 campaign, the Red Riots are a perfect 7-0, and have their eyes locked on a gold ball.
But the Shires are feeling pretty good right now. Houlton has won four games in a row, and will bring out all the tricks against Orono this weekend.
No. 3 Stearns/Schenck at No. 2 Bucksport, Friday at 7 p.m.
The other regional semifinal happening in eight-player small North is between the red hot Millinocket co-op team and an equally as scary Bucksport squad.
After losing its first two games of the season to No. 1 Orono and No. 2 Bucksport, Stearns/Schenck has roared back to life by crushing everyone else in the conference, riding a six-game win streak headed into Friday. Millinocket has averaged 58 points scored in these wins, and 100 percent means business.
The Golden Bucks, meanwhile, also have a 6-2 record and just beat Ellsworth 60-6 in the regional quarterfinal this past weekend. Led by a synergistic corps of seniors, including dynamic quarterback Ayden Maguire, the Bucks’ offense is equally as capable as Millinocket’s, and will fight fire with fire this Friday at home.
