EM football unbeatens face key tests Bangor, Brewer, Belfast head on road hoping to improve records to 4-0

Week 4 of the high school football season marks the first games of autumn, and 14 of the state’s 66 varsity teams remain unbeaten as the leaves begin to change color.

Many of those teams, including Bangor in Class A and Belfast and Brewer in Class B, will have to win on the road if they are to keep their records unblemished for another week.

Bangor Rams (3-0) at Skowhegan Indians (1-2), 7 p.m. Friday: Bangor enters this contest coming off its least productive offensive outing of the season in a 3-0 victory over Mt. Blue of Farmington.

But the Rams feature a potent ground game that is averaging nearly 250 yards per game, with Nick Payson (292 yards, 6 TDs) and Aaron Gallant (172 yards, 2 TDs) leading the way.

Skowhegan enters this contest coming off its most productive offensive outing of the season. After managing just one touchdown in losses to Cony of Augusta and Bonny Eagle of Buxton, the Indians erupted for a 56-7 win over Waterville to give Mike Marston his first victory as the Indians’ head coach.

In that game, Skowhegan did not attempt a pass, but the Indians ground out 371 rushing yards from its double-wing formation. Junior Aaron Chambers amassed 229 yards and four TDs, while senior Jason Lisherness rushed for 95 yards.

Their skill kids are big,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett. “They’re a talented football team, and now they’re getting some experience under their belts and getting used to their system. They’re scary.”

Given both teams’ propensity to run the football a smash-mouth battle is likely, though Bangor does boast a quality passing combination in senior quarterback Brian Hackett (20 of 32, 211 yards) and senior wideout Anthony DeRosa (12 catches, 121 yards).

“We know what they’re going to do, we just have to stop it, just like teams know what we want to do and have to stop it,” coach Hackett said. “We have to stop their running game.”

Brewer Witches (3-0) vs. Morse Shipbuilders (0-3), 7 p.m. Friday at Bath: Brewer is riding high through three weeks, outscoring Old Town, Hampden Academy and Oak Hill of Sabattus by a combined 127-6.

It’s a run that has fueled optimism within the Witches’ camp, optimism that has replaced any uncertainty that existed during preseason when the team looked to re-establish itself after graduating 21 seniors from the 2003 squad.

“Instead of wondering, the kids now see that they can win, and that old word confidence has shown up,” said Brewer coach Ed Ortego.

The Witches are coming off a 32-6 win against Oak Hill in which they asserted themselves after intermission, gaining 300 yards of offense in the second half. Quarterback Ricky Porter has been a multidimensional threat running the option, and combined with Kevin McAvoy, Zack Wilson and Matt Littlefield to gain nearly 900 rushing yards.

“I’d definitely rather have what we have than just one decent player,” Ortego said. “The variety really helps us create space on the field.”

Morse has struggled offensively, scoring just one touchdown in three games, but coach Greg Nadeau’s Shipbuilders were able to establish a rushing attack in a 21-0 loss at Winslow last Saturday. Shawn Perkins rushed for 90 yards on 18 carries and Jared Dunn added 75 yards on 10 rushes.

“Morse is real physical, it’s Homecoming for Morse, and it’s our first long trip of the season,” said Ortego. “We need to be physical. We think of it as a pre-playoff game in terms of the physical nature of it. Morse is a tough team.”

Belfast Lions (3-0) at York Wildcats (3-0), 5 p.m. Saturday: Belfast faces a test in this interconference game against unbeaten York – a contest that marks the start of a challenging three-week stretch for the Lions.

After York comes a home game next Friday night against Brewer, followed by an Oct. 9 rematch of the 2003 Eastern B final at Winslow – not to mention the Black Raiders’ Homecoming game.

York, Brewer and Winslow sport a combined 8-1 record.

“The next three weeks will tell us if we’re a team that hopes to sneak into the playoffs, or a pretty solid team going in,” said Butch Arthers, co-coach at Belfast along with Butch Richards.

Belfast is coming off a 42-22 victory over Hampden Academy, a game in which senior tailback Josh Aldus exploded for 441 total yards (226 rushing yards, 215 return yards) and five touchdowns. Aldus and fullback Garren Horne are ranked 1/3 in PTC Class B rushing with a combined 915 yards and 13 touchdowns.

York already has matched its 2003 win total, thanks to a veteran team with 16 seniors and 18 returning starters. Among its victories is an opening-week 14-6 decision against Mountain Valley of Rumford, which last weekend upended defending Western B champion Gorham 24-14.

Senior Erik Rostard is a highly touted quarterback for the Wildcats, which also boasts solid line play featuring senior offensive guard-defensive tackle Chris Jones.

Stacy Bradburn, a senior fullback and linebacker, anchors the York defense.

“Their entire front line is seniors, and they have a senior quarterback who’s a very good player,” said Arthers. “He likes to control the game, and he runs the ball a lot.”

“They have some young skill-position people, but the core of the team, the quarterback and line, are seniors.”