Bangor facing big test Belfast, York meet in ‘B’ showdown

There’s no shortage of captivating contests in the third week of the high school football season.

In the Pine Tree Conference, Mt. Blue of Farmington visits fellow unbeaten Bangor for a game that could determine the PTC’s Northeast Division champion. Want a potential gold ball game preview? Check out a Saturday game sending defending West Class B champ York against East powerhouse Belfast. And then there are the numerous games that will help separate postseason pretenders from actual contenders.

Mt. Blue (2-0) at Bangor (2-0), 7 p.m., Cameron Stadium: The Rams face their first stiff challenge in Mt. Blue.

The Cougars have never been shy about passing and feature the PTC’s top passing combo again with quarterback Foster Oakley (25 completions in 40 attempts for 390 yards and three touchdowns) and receiver Cole Parlin (14 catches for 267 yards and three TDs). The Cougars have also been successful on the ground as senior back Matt Waite is averaging 10.3 yards per carry with 164 yards in 16 carries for the PTC’s top-ranked offense.

Bangor isn’t far behind in the statistics column with a well-balanced offense keyed by quarterback Chris Bombardier (201 yards and three TDs on 15-for-29 passing), tailback Buddy Nickerson (296 yards, 3 TDs on 47 carries) and receiver Mike Prentiss (73 yards and two TDs on five catches).

Bangor’s tough defense is No.3 in the PTC with 163 total yards allowed per game while Mt. Blue’s is ranked sixth (211.0).

Bangor suffered a big loss as fullback-nose guard D.J. Johnson is out for the season with a knee injury. Stepping in for him are junior John Huhn on offense and senior Corey Mayhew, a returning starter coming back from injury.

Orono (2-0) at Foxcroft (1-1), 7 p.m., Oakes Field: The Red Riots will find out just how much improvement they’ve made since last year as they take on one of the LTC’s regional title favorites in the Ponies. Although Foxcroft is 1-1 and Orono is unbeaten, the Ponies have spent the first two weeks playing Class B teams (Hampden and Winslow) while Orono knocked off Class B Old Town and Class C John Bapst.

Bucksport (1-1) at Stearns (0-2), 7 p.m., Alumni Field, Millinocket: The 40th meeting between these two LTC stalwarts comes at a time when the Golden Bucks are on an upswing and the Minutemen, who lead the series 21-18, are reeling. The Bucks have key weapons in speedy tailback Warren Chase and placekicker Trevor LaLonde, who has a 35-yard field goal to his credit.

John Bapst (0-2) at Maine Central Institute (0-2), 7 p.m., Pittsfield: These teams have plenty in common (winless records) despite different backgrounds: Bapst is trying to snap a 12-game losing streak and the Huskies are defending Eastern Class C champions.

Brewer (2-0) at Fryeburg (0-2), 1 p.m. Saturday: The young Witches are 2-0 for the first time since who knows when and confident to boot, but still haven’t begun the conference portion of their schedule as they take on Western Maine Class B foe Fryeburg after two Class C opponents.

Mattanawcook (1-1) at Dexter (2-0), 1 p.m. Saturday: One of the longer-running LTC rivalries gives the edge to Dexter, which is 26-21 lifetime against the Lynx of Lincoln. It’s a big game for both teams as a win for Dexter would make it the Class C East frontrunner and a win for the Lynx would get their Class C schedule off to a great start.

Mountain Valley (1-1) at Winslow, Poulin Field, 1 p.m. Saturday: The host Black Raiders will try to extend the state’s longest football win streak to 14 games with a win over another perennial Class B contender, the Falcons of Rumford.

York (2-0) at Belfast (2-0), 1:30 p.m. Saturday: Although this game won’t have much of an impact in terms of conference standing, this game is huge for both as these are the two favorites to face off for the gold ball in November. The Lions have speed to spare with tailback Jeff Parenteau (317 yards, 39 carries) and receivers Adam Gregory Chris Duval. Senior wingback-flanker Colby Horne returns to action after suffering a shoulder injury early in the season-opener. York features offensive balance and a veteran lineup.