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Midseason showdowns with postseason ramifications highlight week four of the high school football schedule.
Skowhegan Indians (3-0) vs. Bangor Rams (2-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Cameron Stadium:
Skowhegan has been an offensive machine in its three wins this season, averaging 38.3 points per game. Fullback Jared Walker and tailback Zach Davis lead a punishing ground game that thrives behind a big offensive line.
“Their two running backs are very good,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett. “They run the wing-T to the nth degree. They don’t just run the wing-T, but they use screens, throwbacks, three ways of blocking, all kinds of variations.”
Bangor also features its running game, led by tailback Mike Prentiss. Prentiss ripped through the Mt. Blue defense for 326 yards and four touchdowns during the Rams’ 29-7 victory at Farmington last Friday night.
Like Walker and Davis, Prentiss has benefited from strong play along the line of scrimmage.
“With the style of offense Bangor runs, a basic I-offense power game, it’s important to them to be able to control the line of scrimmage,” said Skowhegan coach Bob LeCours, whose program is 17-2 in its last 19 games since getting off to a 1-4 start in 2000.
When Bangor was outsized at the line of scrimmage two weeks ago, it suffered its only loss in a 6-0 decision at Cheverus of Portland.
“That time we were coming off a big game against Edward Little, so we weren’t looking to change things up,” said Hackett. “We’re making some adjustments this week.”
Skowhegan will be without offensive tackle and nose guard Craig Lowell, who suffered a knee injury in last week’s 46-14 win at Waterville. LeCours said he does not know when Lowell will be able to return to the lineup.
“I certainly think line play will play a key,” LeCours said. “We may have the size advantage, but at the varsity level size only goes so far. The ability to move your feet and quickness and athleticism are just as important.”
“This should be a great game,” added Hackett. “I think this game will come down to the kick game, one or two mistakes or one or two big plays.”
Bucksport Golden Bucks (2-1) vs. Stearns Minutemen (3-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Millinocket: For Bucksport, this represents the chance to bounce back from last weekend’s 35-0 loss at Foxcroft Academy.
“We were disappointed, and our kids were disappointed,” said Bucksport coach Joel Sankey. “But don’t take anything away from Foxcroft, I really think they’re better than last year.”
This game represents the stiffest test to date for Stearns, which has defeated Rockland, Dexter and Orono en route to its fast start.
“So far so good,” said Stearns coach Chris Preble. “”But there’s always room for improvement. I don’t think we’re complacent or satisfied.”
Stearns, 0-3 a year ago at this time, is led by a defense that has allowed less than 40 yards of total offense in each of the last two weeks, and an offense that featured balance in last week’s 27-0 win at Orono. Quarterback Derek DiFrederico passed for 185 yards against the Red Riots, while Matt Barnett rushed for 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“”They have a lot of senior leadership,” said Sankey. “Their quarterback is really good, their fullback is good, their tailback is good and their split end is good. On defense, they just fly to the ball. They’re very aggressive, and they’re playing with some confidence.”
Bucksport managed just 92 yards of total offense against Foxcroft, but has explosive offensive potential in quarterback Joey Carmichael and tailback Chris Woodman.
“The first thing about Bucksport is they’re capable of throwing the football,” Preble said. “Carmichael has had some big games, and we’ve got to take care of that. They also show you a lot of different defensive fronts, and we need to be able to recognize them and adjust.”
“And when we get good field position, we can’t get penalties, and we’ve got to take advantage of our opportunities.”
Brewer Witches (1-1) vs. Oak Hill Raiders (2-0), 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Wales: Brewer is coming off a 53-0 win over rebuilding Mount Desert Island in its home opener last Friday, and now the Witches find themselves back on the road for the third time in four weeks (including a week two exhibition win at Gorham).
The Witches rushed for 472 yards on just 23 carries against MDI, with senior captain Court Rancourt scoring three touchdowns to pace the attack. Defensively Brewer limited MDI to 63 total yards.
Rancourt shares the quarterbacking duties with classmate Danny Fox in Brewer’s option attack, and so far it’s a combination that’s worked well, according to Brewer coach Ed Ortego.
“Offensively we’ve been able to play two complete backfields, and we’ve done a good job with our misdirection,” he said. “We’ve played better each week.”
Oak Hill is coming off a bye week. The Raiders, new to the PTC Class B this year after reaching the Western C semifinals in 2001 and 2002, pulled out a 15-14 win over Leavitt of Turner Center in Week 2 after winning at Fryeburg Academy 26-7 in their season opener.
Oak Hill is led by senior quarterback and free safety Adam Labbe, the conference’s player of the week after kicking the game-winning field goal, throwing a touchdown pass, blocking a punt and recovering a fumble against Leavitt.
“We think this is a really big game,” said Ortego. “Oak Hill is undefeated, and we’re looking at playing them and Belfast the next two weeks. We’re getting into the crunch part of our schedule, but we think we’re in pretty good position. We just have to keep executing, and keep up the intensity.”
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