November 07, 2024
CLASS B FOOTBALL

Brewer visits Leavitt in PTC ‘B’ semifinal Winslow hosts Waterville on Saturday

The four teams that advanced to this weekend’s Eastern Maine Class B football semifinals showed off their offensive might in their quarterfinal victories.

Brewer, Leavitt of Turner Center, Waterville and Winslow each scored more than 40 points, and each won its game by at least 20.

But as the list of championship contenders grows shorter, expect that offensive firepower to share the stage with the will of the defenses, and some closer encounters will ensue.

No. 3 Brewer Witches (7-2) vs. No. 2 Leavitt Hornets (8-1), 7 p.m. Friday, at Turner Center: These teams did not meet during the regular season, but both have players scattered among the Pine Tree Conference leaders at most offensive positions.

Brewer, coming off a first-half offensive clinic in its 42-13 quarterfinal win against Gardiner in which it averaged eight yards per snap of the football, boasts three rushers with a combined 2,420 yards in seniors Ricky Porter (921), Zach Wilson (794) and Ben Caldwell (705).

Porter, a quarterback who also has seen considerable time at wingback with the emergence of junior quarterback Ricky Adams, is the Witches’ primary speed threat, while Wilson combines speed and strength and Caldwell is a bullish runner from the fullback position.

“They line Porter up in quite a few different spots and are finding different ways to get him the ball,” said Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway. “But you can’t focus on one thing, because they also have Caldwell and Wilson who can make plays, and Adams has been playing well for them lately.

“You’ve got to be solid defensively and try to limit their big plays, because they’ve had a lot of big plays.”

Leavitt, undefeated since a Week 1 loss at Winslow, counters with a diverse offense featuring senior quarterback Tyler Angell. Angell, who completed 18 of 23 passes for 240 yards in the Hornets’ 46-21 quarterfinal win against Hampden Academy, has rushed for 959 yards and passed for 1,176.

“Our quarterback play has been pretty strong this year,” said Hathaway. “Tyler’s been a double threat for us. He’s a pretty instinctive guy, and we need that because we run a lot of option and a lot of our passing game out of the option.”

Tailback Chris Brewer has more than 600 rushing yards for Leavitt despite missing two games due to injury, while wideout Corey Witham and tight end Ben Boulay tied for second among PTC receivers during the regular season with 22 catches each.

“It’s difficult to tell where the play is going,” said Brewer coach Ed Ortego. “The way they run their option, the quarterback can go in one direction and the running back can be going in the other direction, so you’ve just got to defend both sides of the field.”

Leavitt also boasts the league’s largest line, averaging 243 pounds per player along the offensive front, and a defense keyed by linebacker Mike Austin, tackle Shane Pearl and Angell at strong safety.

Brewer’s leading tacklers are Caldwell and Wilson at inside linebacker, while defensive back Phil Turmelle has three interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries.

No. 5 Waterville Purple Panthers (6-3) vs. No. 1 Winslow Black Raiders (9-0), 1 p.m. Saturday, at Winslow: These rivals hadn’t met in a countable game in 15 years, and now they’re squaring off in a game with meaning for the second time in three weeks.

Defending Eastern B champion Winslow won the regular-season finale at Waterville, scoring twice in the final 45 seconds to pull away to a 36-15 victory.

Coach Mike Siviski’s Black Raiders have been the league’s most consistent team throughout the season, rallying from a halftime deficit against Leavitt in their opener and rarely trailing ever since behind the play of junior quarterback-linebacker Stephen Siviski, running backs Justin Lindie, John Goulette and Jared Maroon, inside linebacker Brandon Bellows and wideout-defensive end Kevin McCabe.

The Black Raiders rolled to a 54-8 quarterfinal victory over No. 8 Oak Hill of Sabattus last Saturday.

Waterville scored the only quarterfinal upset according to the seedings with a 40-20 victory over Belfast. That game marked the return to action of sophomore quarterback Dan Hussey. Hussey, who had been sidelined for two weeks – including the first Winslow game – with a shoulder injury, completed 8 of 10 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for an additional 19 yards and a score.


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