Regional football titles to be decided Saturday Ponies to host Bucks; Belfast to battle Leavitt

Regional pride is on the line, as well as the chance to make a new addition to the school trophy case, as the high school football season winds down to the last two weeks.

This week, action shifts exclusively to Saturday as Eastern and Western Maine hold regional/conference championship games in all three classes with the winners moving on to the state finals.

No. 3 Bucksport (7-3) at No. 1 Foxcroft Academy (10-0), Oakes Field, 1 p.m. Saturday: The host Ponies came away with a 32-20 win over the Golden Bucks five weeks ago, but this rematch of the 2001 LTC Class C championship game looms as a potential nail-biter as both teams feature diverse offenses and plenty of playoff experience.

“We’ve been waiting for this day since around this time last year, when we lost to Bucksport, so it’s good to be able to play them again for the Eastern Maine championship,” said FA quarterback Josh Withee.

The Bucks will have to find a way to avoid having its defense get worn down by a big, bruising FA offensive line and contend with the Ponies’ diverse rushing attack with halfbacks Danny White (76 carries, 669 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Josh Sands (102, 483, 11) plus fullbacks Lincoln Robinson (70, 387, 4) and sophomore rookie Bobby Gilbert, who had almost as many carries and yards (13 for 93) last week as he had during the regular season (16, 172).

Bucksport’s offense features balance between a passing attack led by Dow Cain, who finished third among LTC Class C passers in the regular season and comes into the game with a whopping 1,035 yards and 14 touchdowns on 55-for-131 passing. Cain’s favorite targets are John Harvey (23 catches, 463 yards, six TDs) and Joey Carmichael (17, 370).

Chris Woodman leads Bucks runners with 701 yards and 10 TDs on 115 carries.

“They take care of all three phases of the game, so other than turnovers, field position is going to be a big factor because Dover is a big-play team,” said Bucks coach Joel Sankey.

Having kickoff/placekicker Trevor Lalonde back should help the Bucks keep the Ponies from starting much beyond their 20-yard line.

Foxcroft’s veteran, linebacker-led defense is ranked No. 1 in the LTC and has given up just 693 rushing yards this season and 1,425 overall. Bucksport’s third-ranked defense is led by linebackers Paul Mitchell and Marcus Boober along with end John Harvey.

No. 3 Leavitt (7-3) at No. 1 Belfast (10-0), 1 p.m. Saturday: The host Lions are two wins away from their first state Class B title in three years while Leavitt of Turner is gunning for its first since 1998, only this time the Hornets find themselves representing Eastern – not Western – Maine.

Belfast tailback Jeff Parenteau has led the LTC in rushing the last two seasons and has been even more impressive this year with 1,509 yards and 24 touchdowns on 187 carries. Quarterback John Lear makes it very difficult for teams to zone in exclusively on Parenteau. When Brewer tried to shut down Parenteau, Lear rushed for 123 yards and whenever Morse of Bath ganged up on the tailback, Lear (745 yards) got free en route to a 151-yard rushing day.

“I’ll tell you this, I thought we matched up very well with them, but it’s going to be tough for anyone to beat Belfast,” said Morse coach Greg Nadeau. “That’s a well-coached, talented, and solid team that executes very well.”

Another Belfast weapon is a huge and experienced offensive line.

Leavitt is led by quarterback Ben Berube, fullback Chad Dyer, and halfback Chad Schrepper.

No. 6 Lewiston (7-3) at No. 5 Edward Little (6-4), Walton Field, Auburn, 1 p.m. Saturday: As if this Pine Tree Conference title game needed any more intensity, these former Southern Maine Athletic Assocation and Western Maine teams are also each other’s biggest rivals. Two of the newest PTC members meet for the title in just their second year in the conference. The host Red Eddies beat the Blue Devils 17-13 three weeks ago.