Bangor, Brewer await 94th gridiron clash

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Thirteen years later, Steve Bazinet still hears the razzing.

His Brewer High School Witches were deadlocked in a 14-14 tie with archrival Bangor High. It was midway through the final quarter with the Witches facing a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

In the huddle, Bazinet heard his number called. A sweep left. He got the ball and saw the goal line in all its horizontal, white-painted glory. He lowered his head, ready to score, to be the hero in what was the game of 1980.

Suddenly, there was Bangor’s Stu Gerow, who met Bazinet head-on at the goal line. The force of the collision knocked the ball out of Bazinet’s hands and Bangor recovered. The Rams went on to win the game 20-14 in overtime.

“I’ve heard that so much this week,” said Bazinet, now an assistant coach for Brewer. “It’s almost a classic around here now. It’s something I’ve got a lot of razzing over. It was (13) years ago and they still talk about it. But that’s the kind of thing that Bangor-Brewer football is all about.”

Friday night at 7, at Doyle Field in Brewer, the Witches and Rams get together on the gridiron for the 94th time since 1903.

The names have changed over the years. Some things, however, always remain the same when it comes to this rivarly – the emotion, the pride, the true meaning of Bangor vs. Brewer.

All the players who ever took part in this special cross-river rivalry know the feeling. They will all someday recall that fluttering in their stomachs as the sun goes down and the lights brighten up their 50-by-120-yard stage.

In the record book, it means nothing. It is an exhibition game which will not count in any standings.

Bangor Coach Gabby Price must think of his team’s Sept. 3 Class A season-opener against Lewiston. First-year Brewer Coach Don Farnham, meanwhile, is looking to rebuild the Brewer program. This “exhibition” is just one stepping stone toward his overall goal.

To the players, though, it means a lot.

They’re playing against history, playing for all the students who ever graced their school’s halls. They will be strapping on the pads with the ghosts of former players watching over them.

The upcoming start of school is one of the furthest things from their minds. The summer vacation is water under the bridge. Girlfriends? For three hours on Friday night, they simply will not exist.

There will be only Bangor, Brewer, and one football.

“It’s the fact of beating those guys across the river,” said Chris Horr, a Brewer tri-captain.

“It’s everything,” Steve Bazinet added. “It’s passed down from generation to generation, something you get up for because people who played before you tell you what it means.”

“I was also from Bangor and, while it isn’t the same as a coach, as a former player, it really was something special,” Price said.

Bangor currently leads the series 66-19-8. The Rams have won nine of the last 10 games, but the senior classes of both schools have split the last two games.

Last year, Bangor beat Brewer 26-7. Two years ago, Brewer won 22-7.

“It was very disappointing,” Bangor tri-captain Matt Nye recalled of the Rams’ loss two years ago. “We really want to beat Brewer bad. Every year, everybody thinks about it. It’s what the city wants to see.”

For Steve Bazinet, this year’s game will also be a family affair. Chad Bazinet is a junior tailback for Bangor. Like his older brother, Chad is wearing No. 22 – only for the Rams.

“My brother dislikes Brewer. I used to have those same feelings about Bangor,” Steve Bazinet said with a laugh. “It’s all about competition.”

It’s all about Bangor vs. Brewer.

Some of the other exhibition games scheduled for this weekend include Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield at Hampden Academy (Friday, 7 p.m.) and Belfast at Dexter (Saturday, 1 p.m.) High School

Bangor-Brewer history

1992 – Bangor 26, Brewer 7check score 1991 – Brewer 22, Bangor 7 1990 – Bangor 18, Brewer 6 8 in a row 1989 – Bangor 32, Brewer 13 1988 – Bangor 28, Brewer 22 1987 – Bangor 43, Brewer 12 1980 – Bangor 20, Brewer 14 (OT)

Bangor 7, Brewer 6 (OT) 1979 – Bangor 28, Brewer 18 1978 – Bangor 20, Brewer 9 1977 – Brewer 30, Bangor 0 1976 – Bangor 14, Brewer 7 1975 – Bangor 36, Brewer 15 1974 – Brewer 14, Bangor 6 1973 – Bangor 44, Brewer 7 1972 – Bangor 44, Brewer 2 1971 – Brewer 22, Bangor 8 1970 – Brewer 38, Bangor 2 1969 – Brewer 20, Bangor 0 1968 – Brewer 18, Bangor 13 1967 – Bangor 27, Brewer 7 1966 – Brewer 9, Bangor 3 1965 – Bangor 19, Brewer 7 1964 – Bangor 7, Brewer 0 1963 – Bangor 19, Brewer 2 1962 – Bangor 20, Brewer 0 1961 – Bangor 28, Brewer 13 1960 – Bangor 33, Brewer 0 1959 – Bangor 33, Brewer 6 1958 – Bangor 25, Brewer 9 1957 – Brewer 14, Bangor 7 1956 – Brewer 38, Bangor 7 1955 – Bangor 13, Brewer 0 1954 – Bangor 41, Brewer 6 1953 – Brewer 14, Bangor 7 1952 – Bangor 25, Brewer 20 1951 – Bangor 20, Brewer 6 1950 – Bangor 32, Brewer 0 1949 – Bangor 27, Brewer 6 1948 – Bangor 32, Brewer 7 1947 – Bangor 26, Brewer 20 1946 – Bangor 20, Brewer 0 1945 – Bangor 26, Brewer 6 1944 – Bangor 33, Brewer 0 1943 – Bangor 47, Brewer 0

Bangor 38, Brewer 0 1942 – Bangor 13, Brewer 6

Bangor 26, Brewer 0 1941 – Bangor 18, Brewer 12

Bangor 20, Brewer 0 1940 – Bangor 7, Brewer 0

Bangor 31, Brewer 0 1939 – Bangor 6, Brewer 0

Brewer 7, Bangor 0 1938 – Brewer 6, Bangor 0

Brewer 6, Bangor 0 1937 – Bangor 14, Brewer 6

Bangor 13, Brewer 0 1936 – Bangor 6, Brewer 0

Bangor 0, Brewer 0 (tie) 1935 – Bangor 6, Brewer 0 1934 – Bangor 6, Brewer 6 (tie) 1933 – Bangor 13, Brewer 0

Bangor 0, Brewer 0 (tie) 1932 – Brewer 12, Bangor 0

Bangor 14, Brewer 6 1931 – Bangor 19, Brewer 0*

Brewer 18, Bangor 0 1930 – Brewer 7, Bangor 6

Bangor 7, Brewer 0 1929 – Bangor 33, Brewer 0

Bangor 0, Brewer 0 (tie) 1928 – Bangor 13, Brewer 6

Brewer 7, Bangor 0 1927 – Bangor 13, Brewer 0

Bangor 0, Brewer 0 (tie) 1926 – Bangor 6, Brewer 0

Bangor 0, Brewer 0 (tie) 1925 – Bangor 0, Brewer 0 (tie) 1924 – Bangor 6, Brewer 0 1923 – Bangor 0, Brewer 0 (tie) 1922 – Bangor 6, Brewer 0

Bangor 12, Brewer 7 1921 – Bangor 19, Brewer 0

Bangor 28, Brewer 0 1916 – Bangor 44, Brewer 0 1913 – Bangor 48, Brewer 0 1911 – Bangor 11, Brewer 0 1908 – Bangor 36, Brewer 0 1907 – Bangor 6, Brewer 0 1903 – Bangor 6, Brewer 0

Bangor 18, Brewer 11

Brewer 7, Bangor 0

(*-Bangor forfeited. Brewer won 1-0)