Key matchups looming as season opens tonight Nokomis, Mount View making varsity debuts

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The 2007 high school football season has arrived.

Three new teams statewide will make their debuts during Week 1, Class B Nokomis of Newport and Class C Mount View of Thorndike in the East and Class C Yarmouth in the West. That brings the total of varsity programs statewide to 70, 34 in the East and 36 in the West.

There are newly revised playoff formats in Eastern A and B, with Eastern A expanding from four teams to eight and Eastern B switching to a single-division format to determine its eight postseason qualifiers.

And gone are the crossover games matching teams in Eastern and Western C. The additions of Mount View and Yarmouth bring each division to 10 teams and enable each to create nine-game regular-season schedules without outside help.

But despite all that is new or different, one thing hasn’t changed – there’s little time to ease into the season because a win or loss is just as important in Week 1 as it is in Week 8 or 9.

Messalonskee Eagles vs. Bangor Rams, 7 p.m. Friday, Cameron Stadium, Bangor: This game matches two of last year’s four Eastern Maine Class A playoff participants.

Bangor, which lost to eventual state champion Lawrence of Fairfield in the regional final, has turned to the Wing-T in an effort to maximize the considerable potential of quarterback Ian Edwards, tailback Shane Walton, fullback Kyle Vanidestine and tight end Ryan Weston, all seniors and third-year starters.

Messalonskee, which lost to Lawrence in the semifinals, graduated most of its skill-position people, but returning fullback David Hash figures to be one of the Eagles’ primary offensive threats out of the team’s double-wing set.

Bangor drove 71 yards in the game’s final 3:19 to earn a 22-15 win over Messalonskee at Oakland last year, with Edwards scoring the winning TD on a 7-yard run with 30 seconds left.

Brewer Witches vs. Skowhegan Indians, 7 p.m. Friday, Reggie Clark Memorial Field, Skowhegan: A new era begins at Brewer, which returns to the Class A ranks for the first time since 1998.

Coach Don Farnham’s Witches are young, with just 11 seniors on the roster. Junior Coby Hutchins takes over at quarterback, running an offense that will seek to spread the field. Mike Campbell and Ralph Cammack will lead the offensive line as well as play key roles on defense.

Skowhegan was young last year when it finished 2-6, but coach Mike Marston’s Indians return 21 seniors and 19 juniors, most of whom got considerable experience in 2006.

Skowhegan has had success in recent years running the double-wing offense, with Eric Thistle handling the quarterback duties for the second straight season.

Belfast Lions at Hampden Academy Broncos, 7 p.m. Friday: These teams met twice last year, with both games producing narrow victories for Hampden. Ryan Lindemann’s field goal gave the Broncos a 31-28 regular-season win, and Hampden then scored a 30-24 overtime victory in their Eastern B quarterfinal – the program’s first home playoff game since 1998.

Both teams have returning quarterbacks in Hampden junior Shawn Smith and Belfast senior Jake Arthers. But both signalcallers will be developing new supporting casts around them.

John Bapst Crusaders vs. Foxcroft Academy Ponies, 7 p.m. Friday, Oakes Field, Dover-Foxcroft: Foxcroft swept two games from John Bapst in 2006 en route to its fourth Eastern Maine Class C championship in the last five years, winning 26-6 during the regular season and 36-7 in a regional semifinal.

The Ponies’ graduating class included 2006 LTC player of the year Brad Bellemare and several linemen, but coach Paul Withee’s club remains deep at the skill positions, with junior Jamie Nason stepping in at quarterback and Jon Geiger and Evan Worthing an imposing pair of defensive ends.

Foxcroft also hasn’t lost at Oakes Field since Oct. 5, 2001, a span of 33 games.

John Bapst earned its first postseason berth since 1997 last fall, and with 17 starters returning – eight on offense and nine on defense – coach Dan O’Connell’s club hopes to advance even further this fall. The Crusaders will be led offensively by senior tailback Nick Smith, a 1,000-yard rusher last fall.

Rockland Tigers vs. Mattanawcook Academy Lynx, 7 p.m. Friday, Curry Field, Lincoln: Two more teams that figure to be in the LTC playoff hunt face off in a Week 1 game requiring Week 9 intensity.

One of Rockland’s primary challenges will be to contain junior tailback Brady Vose, who rushed for 228 yards on 32 carries in Mattanawcook’s 28-16 victory over the Tigers last year. Vose will be working behind an experienced front line that graduated just one starter from last year’s team that reached the EM Class C final.

Rockland features the Brothers Weiss, senior quarterback-safety Andrew Weiss and sophomore tailback-linebacker Sam Weiss.

Andrew Weiss enters his final season with the Tigers having already amassed more than 4,000 career total yards. Sam, a sophomore, was one of the team’s leading tacklers a year ago and will take on a more prominent offensive role this fall for first-year Rockland head coach Woody Moore.

Orono Red Riots vs. Maine Central Institute Huskies, 7 p.m. Friday, at Pittsfield: This game is representative of several matchups featuring teams that missed the playoffs last fall but hope a Week 1 victory will be the springboard for season-long success in 2007.

Orono actually began such a surge late last fall, splitting its last four games after a 1-4 start – a run that included a 42-8 win over MCI.

The Red Riots return a more experienced team this season, including its starting quarterback (Kash Keezer), leading receiver (Seth Dwyer) and second-leading rusher (Colin Bates) from a year ago.

MCI, which outlasted Stearns of Millinocket in its 2006 opener, hopes for a similar quick start this fall.

The Huskies are led by Zach Doiron, a returning starter at quarterback who passed for 572 yards and four TDs a year ago.