Who might be Cinderella, and other Week 9 high school football storylines
[
**Our Communities. Our Teams. Our Future.
**We’re proud to make high school sports coverage free for everyone, because these moments matter. At Maine State Credit Union, we’re here for the people and places that make Maine strong. Let’s go! Learn more at mainestatecu.org.
For teams in four Maine high school football classes, the regular season is done; for two other classes, this is the final weekend. With so much football behind us, we mostly know which teams are contenders and which are not.
Yet every once in a while, a team that has flown under the radar makes a deep run in November. Could that happen this year? Let’s examine that and more in this week’s look at the state’s biggest storylines.
Who might make an unexpected playoff run?
In Class B North, Fryeburg Academy (4-4) nearly beat Cony to start the season before giving Lawrence a fight in Week 2. Fresh off an impressive win over Skowhegan, the fourth-seeded Raiders, who host No. 5 Messalonskee (4-4) in the quarterfinals, could have a run in them.
Class B South looks wide open, so don’t count any out, including the bottom three seeds: No. 4 Falmouth, No. 5 Westbrook and No. 6 Cheverus. Falmouth, which host Westbrook, nearly knocked off Class C contender Greely, but don’t forget that Westbrook is the reigning state champ. Cheverus, meanwhile, travels back to No. 3 Biddeford (5-3), one week after trouncing the Tigers, 44-8.
Class C looks top-heavy between Leavitt, Greely and Hermon. But Nokomis has been on the cusp of a breakthrough all season, and after the Warriors (3-5) outgained Wells 333-136 in a victory Saturday, Class C foes should not overlook them. Nokomis closes the regular season at Oceanside (5-3) on Friday.
In Class D, don’t sleep on John Bapst (4-4). The third-seeded Crusaders, who were competitive against Winthrop last week, host No. 6 Oak Hill (1-7) in the North quarterfinals and would face No. 2 Maine Central Institute (6-2) in the semifinals. The North title game is at Cameron Stadium, where Bapst plays its home games.
Advertisement
Winslow, Winthrop and Class D déjà vu
The road to the Class D North title, though, goes through Winslow. The Black Raiders (7-1) went 5-0 in the regular season against D North opponents, winning by an average of 33.6 points, to easily claim the No. 1 seed.
One has to wonder, then: Might we see a Winslow-Winthrop Class D title game for a second straight year? Others will have a say, but there are plenty of similarities between the Black Raiders and Ramblers — both with one another and in comparison to last year.
Winslow quarterback Jace Poulin pitches the ball to Isaac Bulger during a 38-6 win over Maine Central Institute on Oct. 9 in Pittsfield. The Black Raiders enter the playoffs on a seven-game winning streak. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
Since a 14-13 Week 1 loss at Wells that coach Wes Littlefield said “really bothered” the Black Raiders, Winslow has rolled, holding its next six opponents to six points or fewer. That streak ended in a 50-18 win over Madison on Saturday. Among the Black Raiders’ other wins are victories over John Bapst, Freeport, MCI and Morse.
“I think they really took it to heart losing that game down at Wells,” Littlefield said. “Really, they’ve been pretty focused (ever since) losing states last year. … Guys like Michael Loubier and Isaac Bulger got a taste of it, and they were not happy with how they finished the end of the year. They’d like to get back there.”
Like Winslow, Winthrop (7-1) suffered an early one-point loss, 29-28 at Freeport in Week 2. The Ramblers, also like the Black Raiders did, then held six straight opponents to one score or fewer.
To win D South, the No. 2 Ramblers might have to avenge the loss to No. 1 Freeport (6-2). Therein lies another similarity to Winslow, which lost to John Bapst in Week 4 last year before beating the Crusaders in the North final.
Advertisement
On the outside looking in
It seems as if more teams than ever make the playoffs in the modern era. Still, there are some teams that feel as if they should still be playing — or will have that feeling after this weekend.
Either Noble (3-5) or South Portland (4-4) will miss out in A South. If the Red Riots beat Portland (6-2) or if Noble falls to Scarborough (0-8), South Portland qualifies as the No. 4 seed. A Knights win and a Red Riots loss, though? That changes things, and the final spot comes down to how two games in New Hampshire unfold.
There’s always plenty on the line when Edward Little and Lewiston meet. Yet while the Red Eddies (3-4) have had their moments this year, they cannot mathematically catch Windham or Bangor in A North. Thus, their season will conclude Saturday, win or lose.
In B North, Mt. Blue must feel unlucky despite a 2-6 finish. The Cougars nearly beat Fryeburg in Week 7 and came close against Skowhegan in Week 1. The team that beat out Mt. Blue for the final playoff spot? Brunswick, which lost 39-6 to the Cougars in Week 5.
Eight-man Large South was a gauntlet, and one of the odd teams out is Lake Region (2-6). The Lakers’ losses this year were to Yarmouth, Spruce Mountain, Stearns, Gray-New Gloucester, Old Town and Cape Elizabeth — teams that were a combined 40-7.
Copy the Story Link
Tagged: cheverus stags, edward little red eddies, falmouth navigators, freeport falcons, fryeburg raiders, lake region lakers, Mt. Blue Cougars, noble knights, nokomis warriors, south portland red riots, westbrook blue blazes, Winslow Black Raiders, winthrop ramblers
Mike Mandell came to the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel in April 2022 after spending five and a half years with The Ellsworth American in Hancock County, Maine. He came to Maine out of college after. More by Mike Mandell
