Witches to get test vs. Panthers Foxcroft, Livermore O-lines square off

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The defending Class B state champion Brewer Witches face a tough test in their home opener to highlight the Week 2 high school football schedule.

Waterville (1-0) vs. Brewer (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday, Doyle Field, Brewer: Waterville was one of just two teams to defeat Brewer last season, earning a 26-20 win over the Witches in the Elm City.

Both teams got off to winning starts last week, Brewer with a 20-8 victory at Morse of Bath.

The Witches had their ground game working, as James Butts gained 103 yards on 12 carries and Delray Meeker added 74 yards on 17 carries with two TDs.

Senior QB Rick Adams complemented that rushing attack by completing 4-of-9 passes for 101 yards.

“The kids played hard, and we had some real good improvement from our exhibition game against Bucksport,” said Brewer coach Don Farnham, who also cited the play of linemen Devin Fitzpatrick, Mike Campbell, Scott Helmke and Matt Wilson.

Waterville raced out to a 36-0 lead against Hampden Academy en route to a 50-22 victory.

The Purple Panthers ground out more than 350 rushing yards, including 77 yards and two TDs from Mike Barnhardt.

“They’re well coached, and they’re not going to make mistakes,” said Farnham. “They’ve got some pretty big kids up front, they’re physical, and they’ve got some good, strong runners who run well within their system.”

Foxcroft Academy (1-0) at Livermore Falls (0-1), 7 p.m. Friday: A week after falling 12-7 to defending Class C state champion Lisbon, Livermore Falls gets to face the reigning Eastern C champs.

And Foxcroft is coming off an impressive victory over Rockland, avenging its only 2005 regular-season loss in emphatic 42-14 fashion.

Their motivation in this crossover game will come from last year’s meeting, when the Ponies got off to a slow start before outscoring Livermore Falls 33-0 in the second half to earn a 40-14 win.

Foxcroft’s veteran line dominated up front against Rockland, enabling the Ponies to rush for 396 yards.

Livermore Falls boasts one of the bigger lines in Western C, which paved the way for Mark O’Shea to rush for more than 100 yards against Lisbon.

Bangor (1-0) vs. Mount Ararat (0-1), 1 p.m. Saturday at Topsham: Bangor will seek to build on its season-opening 42-35 victory over Lewiston against a Mount Ararat team it whipped 49-0 a year ago.

But the Eagles have a new head coach in Bob Farrell, and despite having just four seniors on the roster were quite competitive in their opener, a 16-14 overtime loss to Messalonskee of Oakland.

Bangor will have to make sure not to let down after its emotional opening-night win, but seemingly has the diversity of talent on both sides of the line of scrimmage to do so.

Belfast (0-1) vs. Winslow (1-0), 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Poulin Field, Winslow: This game renews Class B’s top rivalry of recent vintage.

Since 1991 these teams have met 24 times, with Winslow holding a 13-11 advantage. Last year the Black Raiders reached the Eastern B final before falling to Brewer, marking the first time since 1998 that either Winslow or Belfast did not win the regional crown.

Winslow rolled to a 44-8 victory over Leavitt at Turner Center last week. Justin Lindie rushed for 142 yards in limited duty, while QB Stephen Siviski hit 3 of 4 passed for 94 yards and two-TDs.

Belfast rallied to force overtime at Gardiner last week before falling 35-34. Travis Lee led a potent ground game with 126 yards on 28 carries, while QB Jake Arthers (19-97) and Jon Walsh (9-90) also approached the 100-yard mark. The Lions would like to use similar ball control Saturday in an effort to keep the ball away from the explosive Winslow offense.

Mount Desert Island (1-0) vs. Oak Hill (1-0), 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Wales: MDI seeks a 2-0 start for the second straight year when it makes the long trip to Oak Hill.

The Trojans are coming off a 42-13 victory over Maranacook, as Sean Parady passed for two TDs and rushed for 89 yards, while Collin Walton caught two TD passes and Jon Hall rushed for 116 yards on 15 carries.

Oak Hill topped Old Town 41-17 last week, as Adam Tremblay rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns and QB Josh Jillson passed for one TD and rushed for a second.

MDI edged Oak Hill 6-0 a year ago and finished the season with more Crabtree points than the Radiers, but it was Oak Hill that earned a PTC Class B playoff berth. That’s because MDI finished fifth in the northern division while Oak Hill finished fourth in the south, and under league rules the top four teams in each division qualified for postseason play.

Bucksport (0-1) vs. John Bapst (1-0), 7 p.m. Saturday, Cameron Stadium, Bangor: These teams played a nail-biter at Bucksport last year, with John Bapst scoring in the final seconds but coming up short on a two-point conversion try as Bucksport gained a 14-12 win.

John Bapst defeated Dexter 51-14 in its opener behind four touchdowns from junior Nick Smith and three more scores from classmate Kyle Gallant, as both benefited from strong play along the line of scrimmage.

Bucksport is looking to bounce back from its crossover game against Western C representative Jay, when the Golden Bucks managed just 100 total yards in a 28-12 loss.