Bangor-Brewer game more than an exhibition

With less than two weeks of practice under their belts, Bangor and Brewer will go through their final preseason football tuneup in most formal fashion Friday night.

The Rams and the Witches will celebrate the 93rd renewal of their cross-river schoolboy football rivalry Friday when they clash at Cameron Stadium in Bangor. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

As always, a large crowd is expected and the recent warm weather should bring out thousands of gridiron fans. , so be sure to arrive early.

For the second straight season, the Brewer-Bangor game will be an exhibition contest. The game does not count in Maine Principals’ Association (formerly the Maine Secondary School Principals’ Association) play, since the two teams play in different classifications.

Bangor is a member of the Class A Pine Tree Conference, while Brewer belongs to the LTC’s Class B division.

Yes, it’s an exhibition game, but once the players, coaches, and fans get caught up in the tradition and excitement, its importance is greatly magnified. In terms of Maine high school sports rivalries, few can match this battle for bragging rights.

Brewer’s 22-7 victory over the Rams last year likely will have the Witches fired up to make it two in a row. Coach Dan O’Connell and his squad built on that success, going on to post a 5-4 record and earn a spot in the LTC playoffs last fall.

Bangor will play its first Bangor-Brewer game under Coach Gabby Price since 1980, when the Rams won twice, both times in overtime. Price, who has returned to coach Bangor after a seven-year absence, guided the Rams to five victories in their six meetings during his first stint there.

Bangor has dominated the series, which began in 1903, winning 65 and losing 19. The teams have tied eight times. – – –

Chris Kempton, who spent the last four seasons as the Old Town High School line coach, has been hired as the head football coach at Winthrop High School.

The 25-year-old Kempton returns to his alma mater as the Ramblers head coach just seven years after graduating from Winthrop. The likeable Kempton replaces Gene Keene, who stepped down after leading Winthrop to an 8-8 mark over the last two seasons.

The change came relatively late for Kempton, who had applied for a teaching position at Old Town only to have it cut at the last minute. Then, Keene stepped down suddenly to take an assistant coaching post at Lewiston, which is closer to his home and his work.

Kempton, who served as a volunteer assistant at Winthrop for two years, joined Coach Jim Walsh’s staff while attending the University of Maine, where he earned a degree in physical education and health.

It was the third time Kempton had applied for the Winthrop job. He had been bypassed when veteran coach Tom Tucker retired prior to the 1989 season and then in 1990, after Brad Bishop moved on to Morse High in Bath. – – –

Just a reminder that the NEWS’ roster/schedule forms for football, soccer, and field hockey have been sent to head coaches and long since should have arrived at their respective high schools.

This information enables us to provide our readers with the most accurate and comprehensive information possible as we begin coverage of the busy fall sports season. If you did not receive a form, please call the NEWS sports desk at 1-800-310-8600 and we’ll be glad to send you one.

Thanks for your help.