Archrivals Bangor, Brewer clash for 101st time tonight

Week 8 of the high school football season marks the end of the regular season throughout Eastern Maine and features the 101st edition of the rivalry between Bangor and Brewer as well as several other contests that will determine playoff seedings or sheer survival.

Brewer Witches (3-4) at Bangor Rams (2-5), 7 p.m. Friday, Cameron Stadium: Bangor holds a 72-20-8 lead in the series that began in 1903 and has won the last eight meetings since Brewer earned a 22-7 victory in 1991.

Bangor won 63-6 last year in the most lopsided game of the rivalry, but while last year’s game featured a Bangor team headed for the Eastern Maine Class A final against a struggling Brewer team newly reclassified back to the big-school ranks, this year’s matchup has a different feel.

Bangor is ranked eighth in the latest Pine Tree Conference Class A Crabtree points despite losing its last three games, a ranking attributed to having the toughest schedule (along with Mt. Blue of Farmington) in the conference. Through seven weeks, the Rams’ opponents have compiled a 35-14 record, good for a .714 winning percentage.

Coach Mark Hackett’s club likely will return to postseason play win or lose Friday night. The only scenario that could keep the Rams out includes a Bangor loss to Brewer and a win by No. 9 Mount Ararat of Topsham over No. 5 Brunswick.

“We control our destiny,” said Hackett. “The kids are excited about playing Brewer.”

For Brewer, this game probably represents its playoff, as the Witches are unlikely to qualify for the eight-team playoffs due to a weak strength of schedule. The Witches currently are ranked 10th in the Crabtree points.

Yet coach Don Farnham’s club has made considerable strides from a year ago, as evidenced by its opportunity to finish with a .500 record.

“They’re the most aggressive team I’ve seen on defense,” said Hackett. “Their power-I out of the double-wing offense has been effective for them and they’ve got the best punt game in the league.

“They’ve also got some athletes who have played in [baseball] state championship games, and this game is their season. There’s something to be said for that, too.”

Mount Desert Island Trojans (6-1) at Belfast Lions (1-6), 7 p.m. Friday: MDI will attempt to cap off what is believed to be the most successful regular season in the program’s history.

Coach Mark Shields’ club has won six consecutive games, most recently a 28-14 exhibition victory over fledgling Camden Hills of Rockport last weekend, and currently sits third in the PTC Class B Crabtree points.

The Trojans could move up to second place with a win over the Lions, depending on the outcome of Friday night’s game between the top two teams in the division, Gardiner and Leavitt of Turner Center.

Orono Red Riots (4-3) at Bucksport Golden Bucks (7-0), 7 p.m. Friday, Carmichael Field: Bucksport has clinched the No. 1 seed for the LTC playoffs and this week is in pursuit of its first undefeated regular season since its state championship run in 2004.

Orono, one of five LTC teams at 4-3, also is guaranteed a playoff berth but is almost certain to face a road game in the opening round of postseason play next weekend.

Mattanawcook Academy Lynx (4-3) at Rockland Tigers (2-5), 7 p.m. Friday, Wasgatt Field: Mattanawcook is rated fourth – ahead of fifth-place Calais-Woodland – in the LTC Crabtree points, and a win would ensure the Lynx home-field advantage in the regional quarterfinals.

Rockland, ranked ninth, has played the toughest schedule in the conference, with its opponents amassing a combined record of 30-19, good for a .612 winning percentage. The Tigers have absorbed several narrow losses this season, but there are scenarios in which the Tigers can battle their way into the playoffs with a victory.

Stearns Minutemen (4-3) vs. Maine Central Institute Huskies (4-3), 7 p.m. Friday at Pittsfield: MCI and Stearns currently hold down the final two LTC playoff berths, with MCI seventh and Stearns eighth. A win here would add another high note to the comeback seasons being experienced by both schools as well as ensure a trip to the playoffs, while the loser also is situated to earn a postseason berth in many scenarios.

Old Town Coyotes (1-6) vs. Calais-Woodland Silverados (4-3), 1 p.m. Saturday at Calais: Calais-Woodland already has had one of the most successful seasons of any first-year varsity football program in Maine. The Silverados are likely to finish fifth in the LTC standings, but there are scenarios in which coach Ian Pratt’s club could move up to fourth and earn a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

Foxcroft Academy Ponies (5-2) vs. John Bapst Crusaders (6-1), 7 p.m. Saturday, Cameron Stadium, Bangor: This is a rematch of the 2007 Eastern C final won by Foxcroft to earn the Ponies their third consecutive regional title.

John Bapst has won six straight games since opening its season with an overtime loss to Bucksport. The Crusaders will finish second in the LTC standings win or lose against Foxcroft, because even with a loss the two teams would have the same winning percentage, and Bapst would have a stronger strength of schedule.

The Ponies, winners of four straight, will finish third with a win and no worse than fourth with a loss – guaranteeing them a home game in the Eastern C quarterfinals next week.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045