Bangor, Brewer collide> Football rivals in 96th meeting

With all the history and hoopla surrounding tonight’s 96th Bangor-Brewer football game, it’s not surprising that Richie Day recalls attending the annual clash as a little kid.

It wasn’t until later years that Bangor High School’s three-year starter actually watched the games.

“I remember playing pick-up ball behind the stadium,” Day recalled. “I never watched the game, I’d always be playing ball underneath the bleachers with all the other little kids.

“And I’d come home, my pants were all grass-stained and beat up, and I’d get into a couple of fights with Brewer kids,” the senior quarterback continued. “Now it’s for real.”

Day will make his first Rams-Witches’ start tonight at 7:30 on Doyle Field in Brewer. The rivalry began in 1903 and Bangor holds a 68-19-8 record.

The Witches have been held scoreless in the last two meetings, losing to the Rams 34-0 last year, and 35-0 in 1993. Bangor has won nine of the last 10 meetings between the cross-river rivals.

Not that the coaches would make too big of a deal about it, since they play in different classes and conferences.

“Really, the game is part of all the preseason,” said Bangor coach Gabby Price. “This just culminates the two-a-days (practices). Football’s a tough game and a game makes it a lot more fun.”

Brewer, which has been laying in a new look in hopes of turning the 2-7 tide and in preparation for Coach Don Farnham’s third year at the wheel, is playing a similar tune.

“Bangor has had some great teams in the past three years, and although there hasn’t been a whole lot of press on this year’s team, Gabby’s going to have a good team,” Farnham said. “We’ve watched a lot of tapes in the past two days, and we’ve watched us make a lot of mistakes, and when we didn’t make mistakes, we weren’t playing that bad.

“What’s going to be the key is the first eight mintues of the ball game,” he continued. “Every year in the last two years, they score on the first play. Gabby pulled a trick play (two years ago), and then the next year, they ran a couple options where they got 50-60 yards a pop.

“If we can keep our heads and not get too emotional about what we’re doing and lose our heads, I think you’ll see a pretty good game,” he said.

Bangor, which finished 7-3 a year ago with a Pine Tree Conference semifinal loss to Oxford Hills, holds an edge in depth and size, with 81 players suiting up, compared to Brewer’s 45 players, 19 of whom are seniors.

“This is certainly a test, and being Brewer, that only heightens it, because they’re rivals, and the kids know each other,” Price said, summing up the rivalry in its current exhibition state.

But it still comes down to the same kids who used to play under the bleachers.

“A lot of them were (there),” Day recalled, glancing over his shoulder at the uniformed horde waiting for one last preseason practice to begin. “I remember it wasn’t usually 11 guys. It was usually about 30 or 40. (And) when we lost the ball over the fence, that’s when (the game) stopped.”

In other preseason action tonight, Bucksport will take on Hampden Academy on the artificial turf of Maine Maritime Academy in Castine at 7 p.m.

Saturday will feature four exhibition games, including Jay at Mt. Blue of Farmington, Messalonskee of Oakland at Cony of Augusta, and Old Town at Lawrence of Fairfield, all at 7 p.m. Cross-river rivals Winslow and Waterville will take a crack at each other at 1 p.m. on Waterville’s Drummond Field.

Livermore Falls is hosting a Football Jamboree, which will include teams from Madison, Winthrop, Oak Hill of Sabattus and other schools, beginning at 9:30 a.m.