Football season kicks off tonight Bangor, Brewer playing at home

It has only been two weeks and five days since players and coaches first met on the practice field.

Some coaches still aren’t sure about which players are best for which positions, which areas need shoring up, or how strong they are in others, but none of that matters.

The Maine high school football season starts for real Friday night and Saturday afternoon, ready or not.

Skowhegan at Bangor, 7 p.m. Friday, Cameron Stadium: The first Class A defending state champion to come out of the East in 20 years faces a tough test right out of the chute as the Rams take on the team they beat in the Pine Tree Conference championship game to get to states.

Both these teams have big holes to fill in skill position areas as the Indians replace one of the PTC’s top passers in quarterback B.J. Dunlap with senior Brandon Hamilton and the Rams replace PTC leading rusher Buddy Nickerson with senior tailback Ryan Largay.

With 16 starters back, Bangor is again the PTC’s team to beat, and even though the Indians return only eight starters, they also look to be a solid playoff contender.

Mattanawcook Academy at Brewer, 7 p.m. Friday, Doyle Field: The Witches of Wilson Street will try to become the first Brewer team to play back-to-back playoff seasons in almost two decades. Both the Witches and Lynx of Lincoln are coming off playoff seasons, but the Lynx have a slightly different look with a change in the coaching staff as rookie head coach and former assistant Mike Carney replaced MA alumnus Tom Whitney just before preseason.

The Witches should be well-suited to run with the return of 860-yard halfback Seth Emerson and 13 other starters who are eager to improve on last season’s 7-3 mark.

John Bapst at Mount Desert Island, 7 p.m. Friday: The Crusaders have plenty of starters and experienced players back from last season under new coach Rob Zartarian, who is anxious to deep-six talk of an ongoing 31-game losing streak early. The best way to do that is with a win, but even though the host Trojans return just a handful of starters from a 1-8 team, they are no slouch, especially with the return of fullback John Lewis, who gained 600 yards in four games before missing the rest of the season with an injury, and halfback David Zabala, who also battled his share of injuries.

Bucksport at Belfast, 7 p.m. Friday: One of several early season marquee matchup crossover games as the defending Eastern Maine Class C champs meet perennial power and East Class B runner-up Belfast.

The host Lions bring back a slew of speed and one of the toughest tailbacks to tackle, senior Jeff Parenteau, who gained almost 1,300 yards last year while spinning, stutter-stepping, churning and simply slipping his way through tackles. Despite heavy graduation losses (17 seniors), the Bucks shape up as another well-balanced offensive threat with plenty of speed and augmented themselves up front with Edward Little transfer center Clay Burgess.

Foxcroft Academy at Hampden Academy, 7 p.m. Friday: The Ponies appear to have all the horsepower they need for a stampede to the Class C state championship game, but opening the season against the Broncos and another Class B opponent next week will provide a good measuring stick.

The Broncos are young and deep, but that depth will already be tested as Hampden has lost starting tight end and noseguard Ramsey Lafayette for at least two weeks after he tore a medial collateral ligament while being tackled in an exhibition game Saturday night. The results of a Friday magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test will determine when Lafayette, who could miss at least six weeks and possibly the rest of the season if a torn anterior cruciate ligament is found, comes back.

Orono at Old Town, Victory Field, 7 p.m. Friday: A traditional regular-season finale moved to season opener when Orono dropped from the B to C ranks. Although both programs have been down recently, the intensity hasn’t, as it’s still a traditional rivalry.