Quest for gold balls concludes today Six teams seeking coveted state titles

The pre-game interviews and pep rallies are over, as are the extra weeks of practice that separate them from the other 61 high school football teams that played their first games in early September.

For the six survivors still with a chance to win a state championship, it’s game day.

Three games are set for Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland, starting at 11 a.m. with Lawrence of Fairfield and Gorham in the Class A final. The Class C game between Foxcroft Academy and Lisbon follows at 2:30 p.m., with Winslow and Mountain Valley of Rumford in the Class B final at 6 p.m.

Class A: This matches a Lawrence team in the state final for the first time since 1996 against a Gorham program that didn’t exist a decade ago.

But Gorham has made great strides in its eight years under coach Dave Kilborn. The Rams reached the Class B state final in 2003, and are back in the state game in just their second year competing in Class A.

Gorham (10-1) uses a double-wing offense with a huge line clearing lanes for speedy junior Justin Villacci (1,655 yards, 20 TDs) and fullback Ben Mitchell.

“Offensively they’re pretty big up front,” said Lawrence coach John Hersom. “They’ve got a pretty versatile backfield, with two or three kids they can go to. They’ve got a pretty balanced attack.”

The double-wing typically is a tough offense to prepare for defensively, but Lawrence already has played four times against teams that use the formation (Messalonskee of Oakland twice, Skowhegan, and Cony of Augusta for part of a game).

“We’ve seen it enough,” said Hersom. “But with the success they’ve had running it and the years they’ve been running it, it looks like they run it pretty effectively.”

Led by linebackers David Wallace and Jon Doyon, Lawrence’s defense has allowed more than one TD in a game just once this fall.

Offensively the Bulldogs have a deep contingent of running backs working behind quarterback Jack Hersom led by senior Aaron Champagne, who broke open last week’s 19-5 win over Bangor in the Eastern A final with a 67-yard TD run in the third quarter. Champagne’s brother, Shawn, and Corey Church add to the attack.

Class B: Winslow and Mountain Valley will meet for the second time in three years, with the Western Maine champs a 21-7 winner in 2004.

This game features the state’s two most prolific offenses, with 10-1 Winslow averaging 43.1 points per game and 11-0 Mountain Valley scoring 40.1 points per outing.

Winslow boasts a talented group of seniors that played key roles in the Black Raiders’ 2004 run. Tailback Justin Lindie (1,497 rushing yards, 28 total TDs) and fullback John Goulette (768 yards, 10 TDs) pace the ground game, while QB Stephen Siviski (59 of 96 passing, 977 yards, 16 TDs, 2 INT) has been an efficient passer.

Senior end Kevin McCabe (27 catches, 368 yards) is the top receiving threat, as well as the team’s defensive leader at middle linebacker with 156 tackles and seven quarterback sacks.

Winslow will be challenged by a Mountain Valley defense that has seven shutouts and allowed just 26 points.

“We’re going to see how we can move the ball offensively,” said Winslow coach Mike Siviski. “Their defense is outstanding. They’ve got a great bunch of hitters, we’ve got a good bunch of hitters, too.”

Mountain Valley’s offense is led by 6-foot-4 senior quarterback Andy Shorey, a 1,000-yard passer. The Falcons have another major playmaker sophomore Justin Staires, who already has scored eight TDs in two playoff games.

Class C: Foxcroft and Lisbon, both 11-0, will meet for the third time in four years and the fourth time in the last 10 championship games. Lisbon won the most recent clash, a 12-7 decision last fall preserved by a last-minute goal-line stand.

For coaches Paul Withee of Foxcroft and Dick Mynahan of Lisbon, there are likely few football secrets.

“I told Dick [Monday] that it wouldn’t be any fun if I went to a state championship and didn’t play Lisbon,” Withee said. “There was sarcasm in my voice, obviously, but they pose problems for us in the sense that we haven’t played a team like them with team speed like ours. I think we’ve got very good team speed, and I think it’s going to be an exciting game.”

Both defenses feature aggressive line play and big hitters at linebacker. Lisbon has Dan Willis, Jesse Moan and Ryan Guisto at linebacker, while Foxcroft counters with a four-man set of Shaw Weeks, Ian Imbert, Jerod Rideout and Mike Winkler.

Lisbon has allowed just 39 points this fall, while Foxcroft’s first-team defense has yielded only seven touchdowns.

“They’re well coached, they’re fast, they’re quick, they’re athletic,” said Withee. “They like to hit. They remind me a lot of Lawrence … they don’t give up much yardage and they don’t give up many scores.”

Foxcroft’s offense relies primarily on the run with a stable of backs led by seniors Brad Bellemare and David Frasz.

Willis rushed for more than 1,200 yards for Lisbon.

Lisbon brings a 20-game win streak into the contest, while Foxcroft is 19-1 during that same span.