Defense key for Bangor Rams, Bulldogs meet in ‘A’ final

The Bangor High School football team has fielded one of Eastern Maine Class A’s top offenses this fall – with one notable exception.

That came in Week 6, when the Rams dropped a 3-0 decision to Lawrence of Fairfield.

The shutout victory ultimately provided the top-ranked Bulldogs home-field advantage for the rematch, Friday night’s Eastern A championship game to be played at Keyes Field in Fairfield.

“It’s a special environment over there, and a great opportunity for us,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett.

And defense is expected to be at the forefront again, for both teams.

Second-seeded Bangor (8-1) is averaging 28.9 points per game this fall, but managed just 137 total yards against Lawrence when the teams met on Oct. 6 and was unable to advance inside the Bulldogs’ 39-yard line.

“We like to think we can score on anybody, but we didn’t score the last time we played them,” Hackett said. “They were more physical than we were, they were more fired up and they hit harder than we did, and we take that personal.

“We’re three points from being undefeated, but they’re undefeated.”

Lawrence’s 9-0 record has been built largely on a defense that not only was stout against Bangor but also against the rest of the league. The Bulldogs’ first-team defense yielded just three touchdowns during the regular season, and is allowing an average of 4.5 points per game.

“We haven’t made a lot of changes,” said Lawrence coach John Hersom. “Our key players have remained healthy and are still doing a great job, so we haven’t had to tweak too much.

“The kids are playing with a lot of confidence. We respect every opponent, but we haven’t had a letdown in any game I can remember.”

Bangor is coming off a 14-7 semifinal victory over No. 3 Lewiston that featured strong play by the Rams’ defense, as they limited the explosive Blue Devils to just one big play, a 70-yard scoring run by Fitzpatrick Trophy candidate Jared Turcotte.

Bangor also stopped Lewiston on downs on four different occasions in Rams’ territory.

“Coming off the Lewiston game should be good preparation for a tough football game against Lawrence,” said Hackett, whose team is looking for its second Eastern Maine title in three years and fourth in the last seven years. “We had to play four quarters, and hopefully that will help us be ready for Friday night.”

“Defensively Bangor has been playing well, and they played well against us,” added Hersom. “Coming off their game last week when they were able to control Lewiston is another big sign to us that they’re going to be tough.”

For Lawrence, in search of its first regional title since 1996, this year’s undefeated run marks the most impressive step in a three-year progression for the 18 seniors on the roster.

Many of them started as sophomores for the Bulldogs, then they broke through to earn a playoff berth last fall after the program had endured several rough seasons.

Now, as seniors, they have yet to taste defeat.

“Sometimes you get so busy just getting ready for the next week that time flies by and you don’t take time to appreciate how well these kids have done this year,” Hersom said. “We’re trying not to let that happen, because it’s been a great season.”

Lawrence advanced to the EM final with a 29-7 victory over Messalonskee of Oakland, the Bulldogs’ second win over the Eagles in as many weeks.

The Lawrence-Bangor winner will advance to the Class A state final at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland on Saturday, Nov. 18, against the winner of Saturday’s Western A final between No. 3 Gorham (9-1) and No. 4 Deering of Portland (8-2).