Bangor takes on Eagles with home field on line Brewer faces Leavitt, seeks to remain unbeaten

Week 8 of the high school football season is Week Last in Class A, where the top eight teams in Eastern and Western Maine will advance to postseason play.

Which teams will advance and which will earn home-field advantage for next week’s regional quarterfinals remains largely a mystery in Eastern A because five teams, including Bangor, enter the final weekend with 6-1 records while Brunswick is 5-2.

“This league is so balanced,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett, “that if you got to pick who you wanted to play, I don’t know who you’d want to pick.”

Two weeks remain in the regular season for Classes B and C, with Brewer and Bucksport looking to solidify their status atop their respective divisions and a number of rivals still vying for playoff positioning.

Messalonskee Eagles (6-1) vs. Bangor Rams (6-1), 7 p.m. Friday, Cameron Stadium, Bangor: The winner likely earns a first-round home game in the playoffs. For the loser, the road awaits.

Bangor enters Homecoming weekend riding a three-game win streak after last Friday’s 14-0 victory at Cony of Augusta. The Rams’ offense features tailback Nick Payson, wingback T.J. Vanidestine and fullback Ricky Dexter running behind a big, physical line, and the dangerous passing combination of quarterback Brian Hackett and wideout Anthony DeRosa.

Messalonskee features 5-foot-8, 160-pound senior tailback Chris Duffy, who leads all Pine Tree Conference rushers with more than 1,300 yards, and quarterback Ted Fabian.

“Duffy is legitimate,” said Hackett. “He is for them what [2,000-yard rusher Mike] Prentiss was for us last year.”

Messalonskee has played competitive games against Bangor in recent years, but getting over the top remains an unachieved challenge.

“For these kids, they’ve always played Bangor tough but have never come out with the win,” Littlefield said. “Going to Bangor and playing at Cameron Stadium can be intimidating at times, and it’s Homecoming for them, but if we can come up there and play the power football we like to play, we can come out with a win.”

Leavitt Hornets (5-2) vs. Brewer Witches (7-0), 7 p.m. Friday, Doyle Field, Brewer: The unbeaten Witches begin a challenging two-game end to their regular season against Leavitt, then follow that on Oct. 30 against the other team tied for second in the PTC Class B ranks, Winslow.

“I see it as a great advantage,” said Brewer coach Ed Ortego. “You have to be ready to play unbelievably hard in the playoffs or your not going to be going on, so these are two big games for us.”

Brewer boasts four of the league’s top 11 rushers in quarterback Ricky Porter, Kevin McAvoy, Zack Wilson and Matt Littlefield – a quartet that has combined for 1,961 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns. Leavitt’s offense features backs Broc Hardacker (587 rushing yards) and Anthony Witham (392 yards) and quarterback Matt Cote (45 of 86 passing for 759 yards).

Leavitt runs a spread offense from a shotgun formation, something unique in the conference. “Right off the bat that’s a difference, because you have to spend extra time preparing for it,” Ortego said. “They like to spread you out and try to overload you, and we have to be ready for that.”

This game also matches the conference’s top two scoring defenses, with Brewer allowing 5.6 ppg and Leavitt next at 10.6 ppg.

Belfast Lions (4-3) vs. Morse Shipbuilders (3-4), 7 p.m. Friday, McCann Field, Bath: This game matches two teams battling for a PTC Class B playoff berth. Belfast currently is fourth in the division, while Morse is fifth.

Belfast senior tailback Josh Aldus surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight year during a 50-12 win against Old Town last weekend and leads the PTC with 1,205 yards and 18 touchdowns. Senior Garren Horne ranks third with 587 rushing yards.

Morse, coming off a 16-6 loss at Leavitt, features the conference’s second-leading rusher in Shawn Perkins (606 yards).

Bucksport Golden Bucks (7-0) vs. Mattanawcook Academy Lynx (5-2), 7 p.m. Friday, Alumni Field, Lincoln: Bucksport continues its quest for the top seed in the LTC Class C against a Mattanawcook team coming off a 30-29 loss at Orono last Friday night.

Both teams have been hurt by injuries in recent weeks, Bucksport along the line of scrimmage and Mattanawcook in its backfield.

Bucksport has the league’s top ground-gainer in 1,524-yard rusher Nick Tymoczko – who has gained more than 200 yards in each of his last six games – and versatile fullback John Harvey. Mattanawcook, which is playing without injured tailbacks Duncan Markie and Jason Murchison, still has plenty of firepower including fullback Mackenzie Haines, tight end Isaac Young and quarterback Dylan Hanscom along with an experienced line.