Rams face unbeaten Lewiston Foxcroft looks to extend home win streak vs. Golden Bucks

The Bangor High School football team has faced undefeated opponents in two of the last three Friday nights, falling to defending Class A state champion Lawrence at Fairfield in Week 3 and knocking off Skowhegan at Cameron Stadium last Friday night.

Week 6 of the schedule matches coach Mark Hackett’s club against yet another unbeaten foe as the Rams trek to Lewiston to face the Blue Devils in a rematch of a 2006 Eastern Maine Class A semifinal.

“This schedule has been very easy coaching-wise,” said Hackett. “We haven’t had to worry about getting the kids up for these games.”

Bangor Rams (4-1) vs. Lewiston Blue Devils (5-0), 7 p.m. Friday, Don Roux Field, Lewiston: Bangor defeated Lewiston twice last year, outscoring the Blue Devils 42-35 on the opening weekend of the season and then outlasting Lewiston and 2006 Fitzpatrick Trophy winner Jared Turcotte 14-7 in the opening round of the Pine Tree Conference playoffs.

Both of those games were at Bangor, but the Blue Devils defeated the Rams in their last game at Lewiston in 2005, and Friday’s game is part of that school’s homecoming weekend.

Each team has a potent offense – Bangor averages 39.6 points per game, while Lewiston is at 36.2 ppg.

Bangor is led by the 1-2 rushing punch of seniors Kyle Vanidestine and Shane Walton, who have combined for nearly 900 yards and 14 rushing TDs.

Lewiston counters with the graduated Turcotte’s replacement, junior Wes Myers, who topped 1,000 rushing yards for the season during last week’s 34-13 victory over Mount Ararat of Topsham.

“We’ve had a couple of good practices this week,” said Hackett, “but as difficult as it may be for teams to simulate our offense in practice, it’s hard for us to simulate probably the quickest back in the league.”

Fullback Matt Letourneau and wide receiver Alfonzo Brooks are other weapons for quarterback Mason Giroux, who has passed for six TDs.

“They can put up a lot of points in a hurry,” said Hackett.

Bucksport Golden Bucks (3-2) vs. Foxcroft Academy Ponies (5-0), 7 p.m. Friday, Oakes Field, Dover-Foxcroft: Not since these teams met at Oakes Field on Oct. 5, 2001, has Foxcroft lost on its home field, a streak of 35 consecutive home victories for the Ponies since their 24-14 loss to the Golden Bucks exactly six years ago.

This year’s clash matches two of the top defenses in the LTC, with Foxcroft first in fewest points allowed (5.0 ppg) and second in average yards allowed (141.4 per game) while Bucksport is fourth both in fewest points (16.0) and yardage allowed (246.2) per game.

Bucksport has the LTC’s top rusher in junior Nate Warren, who has 917 yards and 13 TDs while averaging 10.8 yards per carry. Foxcroft counters with a philosophy of running back by committee led by sophomore Ian Champeon (42-274).

Foxcroft has outscored its last four foes – Stearns of Millinocket, Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, Orono and Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield – by a combined 126-13.

Bucksport has alternated wins and losses this fall as it competes for one of the LTC’s four playoff berths. The losses have come against rivals for playoff position in 3-2 Mattanawcook and 4-1 Orono, and coach Joel Sankey’s club still has games left against 4-1 John Bapst and 3-2 Rockland.

Rockland Tigers (3-2) vs. Orono Red Riots (4-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Orono: Orono rebounded from its Week 4 loss at Foxcroft with a win over Mount View of Thorndike and can take a huge step toward securing a playoff berth with a win against another contender, the Tigers.

Both teams face rugged late-season stretches. After hosting Rockland, Orono faces 1-4 Dexter before ending the season at 3-2 Mattanawcook and at home against 4-1 John Bapst.

Rockland hopes to rebound from a 39-0 loss to John Bapst that dropped the Tigers into a fourth-place tie with Mattanawcook and Bucksport. The Tigers visit 1-4 Stearns next week before ending against 5-0 Foxcroft and 3-2 Bucksport, so a win against Orono is critical to their playoff hopes.

These teams have split their last four meetings but have not had a close encounter since Rockland’s 32-28 victory in 2003. Rockland whipped the Red Riots 36-0 last fall, while Orono defeated the Tigers 56-14 in 2005 and 43-20 in 2004.

A high-scoring game may be in the offing again this year. Orono boasts the LTC’s second-leading offense in total yardage (327.4 yards per game), while Rockland is third (322.3).

The Red Riots are led by running back Collin Bates (570 rushing yards, 7 TDs) and quarterback Kash Keezer (418 passing yards, 229 rushing yards). Rockland features quarterback Andrew Weiss (280 rushing yards, 226 passing yards) and running back Sam Weiss (570 rushing yards, 10 TDs).

Gardiner Tigers (5-0) vs. Winslow Black Raiders (5-0), 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Poulin Field, Winslow: This midseason showdown is a rematch of last year’s Eastern Maine Class B championship game, when Winslow defeated Gardiner 21-3 to avenge a 20-14 regular-season loss at Gardiner.

Like last year, the winner of this game figures to have the home-field advantage throughout this year’s Eastern B playoffs.

Gardiner, led by senior quarterback Kyle Stilphen (20 of 39 passing, 305 yards, 7 TDs) and senior running back Bass Chadwick (798 rushing yards), leads the Pine Tree Conference Class B in total points scored (237) and fewest points allowed (36). Winslow, featuring versatile quarterback James Wood and a pair of top linemen in Corey Gay and Don Clark, is second in both categories, outscoring its opposition by a combined 211-50.