Bangor, Brewer seek title Archrivals’ intensity tempered by respect

David Morris perhaps epitomizes the state of the Bangor-Brewer high school baseball rivalry.

Morris was the starting catcher on the last Bangor team to go undefeated – in 1985 – but these days he is entrenched as the 10th-year head coach of the Brewer Witches.

And he counts among his good friends Bangor head coach Jeff Fahey, who preceded him on the Bangor baseball roster by a couple of years.

“There’s definitely a respect and an imbedded understanding of the rivalry,” said Morris, whose sixth-ranked Witches will face top-ranked Bangor in Wednesday’s 5 p.m. Eastern Maine Class A championship game at Morton Field in Augusta. “Jeff’s a good friend of mine, and the kids have played against each other so much in Legion and high school or middle school or Junior League, a lot of them know each other.

“I really just think Bangor has a classy program, and I hope and think we run a first-rate operation. I think you have the two best teams and the two classiest teams in this game.”

In fact, while there are deep emotions to be found within the history of this cross-river rivalry, its modern incarnation on the baseball diamond probably is steeped more in mutual admiration.

“The Bangor-Brewer rivalry really isn’t what it was even 15 or 20 years ago, and I don’t think it’s close,” said Fahey. “David Morris and I are such good friends that it takes some of the sting out of it.

“It’s going to be intense, though. David’s kids will be prepared, as they always are. I think he prepares his kids as well as anyone does, and they’ve got two or three good pitchers so it should be a good game on Wednesday.”

No. 1 Bangor enters the game having defeated Brewer twice this spring, 8-7 at Mansfield Stadium on April 21 and 7-0 at Heddericg Field in Brewer on May 11.

The reigning state champions (18-0) also are bidding for their first undefeated season since Morris’s playing days. The Rams hold a 29-game winning streak overall, having not lost since a 2-1 decision at home on May 9, 2006 – to Brewer.

The sixth-seeded Witches (13-6) are riding quite a high of their own, having won 11 of their last 14 games, including postseason road victories at No. 3 Oxford Hills of South Paris and No. 2 Gardiner, the latter win last Saturday ending that team’s 16-game winning streak.

“It’s cool because we all heard in BP [batting practice] that Brewer had won, and they’re a longtime rival of us and it’s always a good game so everyone’s excited for it,” said Bangor junior shortstop John Cox.

Brewer’s win at Gardiner also produced a smattering of applause from Bangor fans when some of the Witches arrived at Mansfield Stadium later that afternoon to watch Bangor edge No. 4 Old Town 8-6 in its semifinal.

But it wasn’t all applause. This is a rivalry, after all.

“There were some claps for us, there were a couple of boos, too, but we don’t really pay attention to all that,” said Brewer senior catcher Tim Bush. “I think it’s a really good rivalry. I’ve played Bangor a lot in my career in middle school and up … and it sure would be great to knock them off and be the one to end that winning streak.”

Both teams have plenty of pitching choices, the three days of rest since Saturday’s semifinal enabling all pitchers on both teams to be eligible.

Bangor has been led by junior righthander Ian Edwards, the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A North Player of the Year who is 7-0 after his postseason win over Old Town. Sophomore righthander Jordan Clarke also is 7-0, while the Rams also hope senior righty Alex Gallant (3-0, 1 save) will be able to contribute on the mound despite nursing a sore arm in recent weeks.

Brewer’s pitching staff features senior lefthander Jim Nicknair (2-2), who has allowed just two runs in 13 innings of postseason pitching this spring, and junior righthander Greg Higgins (3-2), who pitched a five-hitter in the Witches’ 5-2 quarterfinal win at Oxford Hills.

First baseman Brad Brown has led the Witches offensively throughout the season, batting well in excess of .400. Senior second baseman Rick Adams and freshman left fielder Eric White have been catalysts at the top of the order, while junior outfielder Prentiss Swett is a power threat in the cleanup slot and Higgins has come up big offensively in recent games.