On the same day the school’s administration assured coaches and players that – barring any further player losses – John Bapst’s football team would be back on the playing field Friday night, that game and the rest of this season are in serious jeopardy.

Monday afternoon, less than four days after forfeiting a game to Stearns of Millinocket due to safety concerns, the 1-4 Crusaders lost two more players from their steadily dwindling roster.

With only 23 players on the varsity squad (as of Tuesday night), John Bapst planned to forfeit the rest of its season unless the two players who quit the team Monday afternoon have a change of heart by this afternoon.

“Yeah, that’s where we are. Bottom line is if those two don’t come back, that’s it for us the rest of the season,” said head coach Bruce Pratt, whose first season as a varsity coach has been a nightmare.

Two weeks ago, two underclassmen on the team quit for no compelling reason, according to Pratt. Last week, four more players were suspended from the team for the rest of the season for violating the school’s athletic code – prompting school principal Joe Sekera to forfeit the Stearns game due to safety concerns with only 25 players.

Monday afternoon, three players announced their plans to quit before the team’s practice, but one quickly reversed his decision. The other two said they were quitting because their heads weren’t in it anymore, according to Pratt.

“They gave the typical response: `My heart’s not in it anymore,’… you know. One was a captain and a four-year player,” said Pratt. “Now my total number is 23… But that 23 includes two first-year juniors, nine freshmen, and two first-year seniors.”

Now Pratt and the rest of the remaining team will have to wait and hope the players come back.

“The guys said they knew if they didn’t come back, the season was over for them, and they said they voted to do whatever it took to get those kids back so as not to ruin it for the younger players,” Pratt said. “So that’s where we are.”

Pratt said he has no plans to talk to the two kids until Wednesday. He said the most devastating thing is the potential loss of the season for the remaining seniors who have put in a lot of hard work for the last four years.

“Now it’s all been pulled out from under them,” he said.

The most recent losses hurt Pratt more than the four player suspensions.

“I’m disappointed in the four kids who were suspended, but that is beyond their control now,” he said. “I’m really disgusted with the two we just lost because they have a choice and they know the consequences of their actions.”

Both Sekera and school athletic director Bob Cimbollek told Pratt these setacks – regardless of this week’s outcome – shouldn’t cut short the Crusaders’ long football history.

“We’re going to have football at John Bapst next year. I have solid assurances from Bob Cimbollek and Joe Sekera that that will happen,” he said. “We’ve been playing football here 69 years at the Class A, B and C levels. We’ve won state championships, league titles, and plenty of great seasons… and we’ll have more.”

Bangor High School football captain Hampton Clarkson has taken to his new position like a tailback let loose in the open field.

Since swapping starting offensive positions with former tailback Willie Kane after the first game of the season, the former fullback has rushed for 14 touchdowns and 1,035 yards on 169 carries.

Clarkson, the first running back to top the 1,000-yard mark in the Pine Tree Conference and only the second in Eastern Maine – Messalonskee’s Tony Harmon is the other – to do it this early, is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and one touchdown every 12 carries.

The 6-foot, 195-pound Clarkson also plays linebacker, where he has been able to wreak havoc on the opposition’s backfield.

Despite an average load of 36.2 carries a game, Clarkson is among the PTC’s top defenders with 48.5 tackles (33 solo), one sack, and one fumble recovery.