Rams hoping for treats as PTC playoffs begin No. 1 Bangor hosts No. 8 Lewiston tonight

Halloween marks the beginning of postseason play in the Pine Tree Conference Class A football ranks.

The trick for those involved is to survive and advance, for the ultimate treat is still three weeks away – the Nov. 22 state championship game at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

“This is what the kids play for, these type of games,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett, whose top-seeded Rams (7-1) host No. 8 Lewiston (3-5) in a PTC quarterfinal Friday night. “There’s a lot of emotion, a lot of tension, a lot of anxiety, and all of these things just make it more exciting to be a part of.”

In other quarterfinals Friday night, No. 7 Cony (3-5) visits Brunswick, No. 6 Oxford Hills (5-3) is at No. 3 Gardiner (7-1) and No. 5 Skowhegan (5-3) is at No. 4 Mt. Blue (6-2).

Bangor and Lewiston met during the preseason, with Bangor earning a 28-6 victory.

But that was two long months ago.

“We’ve really downplayed that,” said Hackett.

Bangor enters the playoffs riding a six-game winning streak, and has outscored its last four opponents by a combined 139-14.

Leading just 6-0 at halftime last Friday night, the Rams pulled away from Messalonskee of Oakland for a 33-7 win.

But that was the regular season. Now it’s different.

“The kids from Bangor seem to understand the importance and the finality of a playoff game,” said Hackett. “It’s not something that we as coaches talk about a lot, but the community, the school and the players from a very young age seem to acknowledge that, and they expect to win.”

Bangor features senior tailback Mike Prentiss, who scored three touchdowns against Messalonskee finished the regular season as the PTC’s leading rusher with 1,484 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on 177 carries.

“When we played Bangor the first time, Prentiss had a great game even though he wasn’t being touted as their premier back at that point,” said Lewiston coach Bill County. “When we left the field that night, we came out thinking he was definitely the kid who was going to get the ball.”

Bangor also boasts a stingy defense that has yielded just 41 points this season. Leading tacklers are the brotherly linebacker combination of Nick (65 tackles) and Ben Payson (49 tackles), fellow backer Ben Lever (46) and cornerback Aaron Gallant (41).

Lewiston is coming off a 19-7 victory over Edward Little of Auburn. In that game, senior tailback James Spaulding rushed 46 times for 233 yards and three touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback Chris Ford directed the Blue Devils to nearly 400 yards of total offense.

“They’re very aggressive, very strong,” said Hackett. “They’ve got a young quarterback who’s good, a good backfield and a good line. They’re very similar to us, they run the I with two tight ends and a flanker, and they want to run the ball between the tackles.”

Lewiston suffered its five losses consecutively – to Noble, Gardiner, Oxford Hills, Brunswick and Mt. Blue, playoff-bound teams with a combined 31-9 record.

The losses to Gardiner and Oxford Hills were especially excruciating. Both came in overtime after the Blue Devils held fourth-quarter leads.

“Both games were so winnable,” said County. “It was hard on the kids to lose those games after leading them late, and it took more of a toll on the kids than I anticipated.”

Bangor enters the contest as a heavy favorite based on the seedings and regular-season performance. But the Rams were one of three higher-seeded teams to lose in the first round of last year’s playoffs, so both teams see an opportunity to advance.

“I think we need to be able to stop their power game, but at the same time not commit so much to their power game that we’re vulnerable to the counter they run with [senior wingback Tyler] Heber,” County said. “Bangor’s also got very good special teams. They’re patient offensively because they know their kicking game will give them good field position.”