- It feels like Midnight Madness was an event that just happened shortly ago. And here we are staring down the midway point of the season. As more games get played, the potential for wild swings in the standings increases based on the wins and losses of others on the schedule.

- Our one and only game on Thursday was a bit of a back-and-forth affair between John Bapst and Old Town. Before going out with an injury, Old Town’s JP Reinzo had a first half that most folks dream about. He gained 123 yards on just nine attempts while scoring two touchdowns as the Coyotes seized a 24-0 lead on the wet artificial turf of Pottle Field in Hermon. John Bapst would rally with a late first half touchdown, followed by two more scores to get within a field goal going into the fourth quarter. The two teams exchanged touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Ethan Closson scored on a kickoff return for Old Town and Aiden Ouellette ran in a touchdown, before the Coyotes’ Ben King put the game out of reach with a touchdown run. Those scores, combined with Old Town going perfect on their five two-point conversions, was too much for John Bapst to overcome.

- Friday’s anticipated showdown of the top two teams in Northern Class A was nothing less than a rout as Portland seized a 50-0 halftime lead en route to a 56-0 victory over Lewiston. The win for the Bulldogs stood in start contrast to their 14-8 loss the prior week to Bonny Eagle. In this game it was clear from the start that Portland was seeking to quickly eliminate any doubts of how talented they are. Portland scored on every first half possession. Lewiston twice turned over the ball. Portland ran seemingly at will across the field. Lewiston struggled to gain even a few yards. There was a 376-yard discrepancy between Portland’s 358 yards and Lewiston’s –18 yards. Quarterback Louis Thurston, Aidan McGowan, and Cordell Jones each recorded mult-touchdown games. The result flips the standings as Portland leapfrogs into first and Lewiston slides back into second.

- What was a 14-7 lead in the final minute of the first half of South Portland’s game against Windham quickly broke open into an unassailable lead as Easton Healy’s 47-yard touchdown pass to Alex Horton. This started a 20-point run in the fourth quarter. While the Eagles would score twice in the fourth quarter, it was too little – too late as the Red Riots celebrated the 41-20 victory. While Noble defeated Marshwood 35-7, there was enough of a fluctuation in the Crabtree rankings to elevate South Portland into first.

- Falmouth hosted a surprise battle of the unbeaten on Friday as they hosted Southern Class C leader Fryeburg Academy. What was a very even first half (7-7 tie) saw Fryeburg Academy take a third-quarter lead on a Malik Sow touchdown run. The Navigators have in all honesty been surprising folks across the state since game one. So it should come as no surprise that they won this in a surprising finish. The events were set into motion when the Raider’s Jagger Helwig picked off a Falmouth pass on the Fryeburg Academy 2 yard line. They lost a yard, gained 13 yards, lost a yard, and then a shotgun snapped rolled into the end zone where the Raiders’ fell on the ball. The play narrowed Fryeburg Academy’s lead to 14-9 and forced them to free kick the ball to Falmouth. On the opening play Abram Wintersteen hauled in a deep-ball pass from Tres Walker and ran it the rest of the way for a 52-yard touchdown and a 15-14 lead. Falmouth’s defense then did what they have done best the rest of the way and held back a determined opponent from the end zone to preserve the comeback victory.

- After last week’s heartbreaking last-minute 10-7 loss to Lewiston, Bangor’s fortunes were revitalized following a 33-24 victory over longtime Pine Tree Conference rival Lawrence on Friday. It was one of those games, those battles of attrition, that Bangor just did what needed to be done to win. The game was much closer at the half as the Rams held a 14-12 advantage before securing putting the game out of reach. The win is the second in as many years between the two teams. It also pushed Bangor up into third place of Northern Class A.

- Another Friday night battle of unbeaten teams occurred in Waterboro as the Ronco Field artificial turf was the scene as Massabesic hosted Southern Class B-leading Deering. For the Rams it was a game of two halves and two different performances. In the first half they were held to a meager touchdown. They doubled that production in the second half. They gained only 75 yards against a stout Massabesic defense in the first half. In the second half they tripled that number (228). The Mustangs almost lost control of the game, were it not for Massabesic’s Kyle Abbott literally taking the ball out of the hands of Deering’s Tavian Lauture. However, the Mustangs were unable to finish on their scoring opportunities as their final two possessions resulted in turnovers on downs. That allowed the Rams to end the game with a 21-14 win.

- After the Medomak Valley Panthers lost a close-fought 14-8 game to regional rival Hermon, it showed that the Panthers were not the chopped liver in what has been a competitive Northern Class C. After beating Nokomis and Brewer in the past two weeks, the Panthers increased their run to three straight victories with an 18-0 shutout win against Hampden Academy. Jaydiin Ruiz put on a showcase as he ran for 188 yards and a touchdown while creating two turnovers on defense. It is worth noted that Medomak Valley leads all of Class C and is sixth in the state in fewest points allowed.

- The win was more difficult than one would envision at the kickoff, but it was Hermon that outlasted Nokomis 14-12 in double overtime to take a 28-26 victory on Friday. The difference making was a Hawks defense that prevented the Warriors from twice scoring on their two-point conversions, while Max Hopkins scored his two-point conversion attempt in the second overtime that clinched the victory. The win is Hermon’s fourth victory against Nokomis, dating back to the Warriors last win that came in the 2018 Northern Class C regional finals.

- Wells played their second game of shutout football this year with a 47-0 road victory at Rumford against Mountain Valley. The Warriors did most of the damage on the ground as they gained 287 of their 360 total yards via the run. They also scored twice through the air as Cal Moody connected with Riley Murphy for touchdowns. Riley also forced a fumble on defense. The game was the first in six years between the two former Western Class B rivals. The Warriors have won the last ten games against the Falcons. The Falcons last victory against Wells was in the 2010 Western Class B regional final, an 18-0 win.

- Shortly beneath Southern Class D leaders Wells and Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale, it is the regional newcomers Maranacook and Dirigo in third and fourth place. Both teams won their Friday games by convincing scores. The Black Bears shut down Poland 41-13 behind 286 combined yards and five touchdowns from running backs Parker Rand and Jack Crosby. The Cougars meanwhile took to the air as Hudson Lufkin threw two touchdowns each to Trevor Cosby and Nathanial Wainwright. Wainwright also scored on two two-point conversions from Lufkin. The two teams will meet in two weeks at the Ricky Gibson Field of Dreams in Readfield.

- With Friday night wins by Greely, Lake Region, and Mount Desert Island, the top half of the 8 man large school class is a very congested and just as competitive one. Just 6.25 Crabtree points currently separate the three teams. That is a very narrow margin. The three teams have also allowed just double-digit points, well below the 8 man average of 126.2 points against.

- The Stearns 2022 and 2023 seasons all ended with the same abrupt reason – an Orono regional finals loss. These sort of things carry with a player. And when the opportunity is there you know it will get seized. That is just what the Minutemen did as they dominated Orono in the second half en route to a 34-8 on Friday. And it wasn’t that much of a thumping. The Red Riots held an 8-6 lead at the half and found ways to slow down a normally potent Stearns offense. That changed in the second half. For Stearns, who lost in the second half to Greely last week, the Minutemen owned the final 24 minutes. Quarterback Cameron Atkinson threw two touchdown passes to Gavin Gagnon while also running in a third-quarter touchdown. This was part of half where Stearns outgained Orono 405-80. The Stearns puts them into second place in the 8 man small school North. Orono meanwhile holds onto third ahead of 3-1 Ellsworth by virtue of 3.125 Crabtree points.

- The 2024 Houlton Shiretowners continue to paddle further and further into uncharted waters. Their 60-6 win over 3-0 Ellsworth put Houlton sole possession of the North. The win was their eighth in nine games, dating back to a 51-0 victory against Valley in the fifth week of the 2023 season. The 4-0 start remains the best beginning to a season in the 11-year MPA history of the program. They will have an opportunity to record a program-best fifth consecutive victory when they travel to Millinockett to play Stearns.

- The start to the season has been a rough one for Oxford Hills. The Vikings came into the game Saturday winless in 2024 and riding their longest losing streak since going 0-4 in 2015/2016. They put that drought to bed Saturday with a 40-0 win against Scarborough. When the Vikings weren’t using the aerial connection of quarterback Carter Wyman to Brayden Murch (167 yards on 8 completions), they went with a ground game by committee where Wyman, Cameron Roy, Malaki Sparks, and Jackson Stack combined for 226 yards and six touchdowns on 26 runs. Defensively Oxford Hills held Scarborough to –14 rushing yards and a 2-for-11 conversion rate on third down. 

- Judging by the comments, and there are certainly plenty of them, regarding the third quarter strip that led to a 99-yard Brennan Tabor touchdown, the one thing that hasn’t been debated is it being the turning point of the 35-12 Thornton Academy victory against Bonny Eagle. Prior to the play, Bonny Eagle was down 14-6 and methodically moving downfield on the opening play of the second half. Bonny Eagle’s next drive ended in a turnover on downs and was as close as the Scots would get in this one. Wyatt Benoit and Mauricio Sunderland scored touchdowns on the ground to put the game out of reach for a home Golden Trojans win.

- Three Saturday games were incredibly close-fought to the wire. Oak Hill came within a point as Braden Dubuc connected with Kaiden Delano for a 21-yard touchdown with 13 seconds in the game, only to see the PAT kick go wide and the on-side kick attempt end up in the hands of the Ramblers player that gave Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale a 22-21 victory. Cony overcame a 28-7 deficit to Leavitt and scored three touchdowns to come within 3 points. Unfortunately they would get flagged on the on-side kick attempt for illegal touching of the ball and Leavitt would run out the clock for a 28-25 win. Brunswick’s Cam Beal found Liam School in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown pass with seconds for the go-ahead score and the 24-20 victory over York.

- The traditional opinion of 8 man football is likened to its indoor relative – all offense and little defense. That is definitely not how Camden Hills plays. Last year the Windjammers led the 8 man large school class in fewest points with 80. In five of nine games they surrendered single digit points. Only Old Orchard Beach had a defensive more smothering than that. So far in 2024 Camden Hills has allowed the fewest points of any Maine 8 man team – 25. They have allowed single digit points in three of their four games. This includes the 25-11 win against Gray-New Gloucester. They have won 12 consecutive regular season games.

- Last week we looked at who had the toughest schedules and who had the not-so-tough schedules. This time around we are looking at who might be in for a tougher second half of the season as well as who is in for a slightly easier second half. We do this be comparing the two different methods of looking at Crabtree rankings. The Crabtree Weekly is a measure of past opponents. If you take that away from the Crabtree Classic number who can get an idea of what sort of opposition is in store for the second half.

Class A
The first half of the season has been a very different comparison between the North and South. The numbers say that Northern teams are in for an easier schedule in the second half than their Southern peers. The one exception is Portland with a +18.096 number. This is carried by their final three opponents – Thornton Academy (3-1), Exeter of New Hampshire (4-0), and South Portland (4-0). Oxford Hills, Lewiston, and especially Windham should have an easier go in the second half. This appears to be true specifically for Windham. Their –27.000 is the lowest of any team in Maine as their five opponents have a total of 7 wins amongst them. In the South the path for South Portland and Noble will get much more difficult. Their +22.500 and +24.107 is the second and third highest numbers in the state.

Class B
There is not much fluctuation in this class with the exception of three teams. The path for two teams looks to be tougher. Defending Class B champion Kennebunk will see a vastly tougher second half schedule with their +21.875. Deering (4-0), Cheverus (2-2), and Massabesic (3-1) will lock horns with the Rams in the next three weeks. Mt. Blue’s path in the next four weeks will not be easy based on their +15.625. They have Falmouth (4-4), Lawrence (2-2), Messalonskee (2-2), and Cony (2-2). Marshwood on the other hand could get a breather in the second half, as they are –15.625. They will need to make the most of their chances against four opponents that have 7 total wins.

Class C
Like Class B, this class has even less of drastic changes. The largest change is Oceanside with a +9.375. Regional rivals Medomak Valley (3-1), Hampden Academy (2-2), and Hermon (3-1) makes for a local gauntlet in the next three weeks. On the other side is Leavitt who sport a –15.625 change. Sure they have regional leader Fryeburg Academy next. But if you remove thet, their final three opponents have four total wins.

Class D
The North is fairly similar between its eight teams. Things get crazy in the South though. The second half of the season looks to be much tougher for Maranacook (+17.857) and Well (+15.625). The Black Bears will see Dirigo (3-1) and Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale (4-0) on the schedule. The Warriors finish the season at Fryeburg Academy (3-1) and home against Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale (4-0).

8 Man Large School
The fluctuations here got crazy. The leaders of the class and the ones with the largest number of any team in Maine are Camden Hills at +28.125. Their next four games are against Mt. Ararat (4-0), Lake Region (3-1), Mount Desert Island (3-1), and Houlton (4-0). Not too far back with the also-mentioned Mount Desert Island (+21.875) and Mt. Ararat (+15.625). You may recognize those teams are being amongst the top teams in the class. The next three occupy the bottom three places of the class. Morse (-21.875), Waterville (-15.625), and Yarmouth (-15.625) have identical 0-4 records. All three have sported some of the relatively toughest schedules of any team in the state. And even in the second half of the season it isn’t exactly going to be easy compared to others.

8 Man Small School
It only stands to reason that a region should have the largest fluctuations in each direction. The South has biggest plus in Sacopee Valley (+15.625). The second place team gets to take on Old Orchard Beach (4-0), Lake Region (3-1), and Spruce Mountain (3-1) to close out the regular season. Traip Academy meanwhile is at the other end of the spectrum (-15.625). Of their next four opponents, two have five combined wins while two others have just a combined one win. In the North it is Houlton that is going to have to weather the storm as they play Stearns (3-1), Orono (2-2), and Camden Hills (4-0).

- Out of state tracker
Bedford defeated Goffstown 35-14 on Friday. The 4-0 Bulldogs will host 2-2 Merrimack on Friday.
Dover defeated Timberland 35-28 on Saturday. The 1-3 Green Wave will host 0-4 Portsmouth-Oyster River on Friday.
Exeter beat Winnacunnet 38-12 on Friday. The 4-0 Blue Hawks will host 1-3 Spaulding on Saturday.
Hillsboro-Deering lost to Mascoma Valley 48-14 on Saturday. The 2-2 HillCats will host 1-3 Bishop Brady on Saturday
Portsmouth-Oyster River lost to Manchester Memorial 33-17 on Friday. The 0-4 ClipperCats will traver to 1-3 Dover on Friday.
Salem had a bye. The 2-1 Witches will host 2-1 Gloucester on Friday.
Spaulding beat Edward Little 41-12 on Friday. The 1-3 Red Raiders will travel to 1-3 Exeter on Saturday.
Winnacunnet lost to Exeter 38-12 on Friday. The 3-1 Warrriors will host 0-4 Timberland on Friday.

- Quote of the week
"We thought he was in, and if he wasn’t in, his forward progress was stopped, but that’s not how the officials called it. The call’s not going to change. We have to live with the call. I wish we had handled that adverse situation a little better. We kind of let that get to us, I think, and all of a sudden TA’s up by multiple scores now, when it looked like we had a chance to tie the game."
Kevin Cooper, Bonny Eagle head coach

- Streak tracker
There are 12 unbeaten teams in Maine, down from 17 last week
No team had their winning streak of 4 or more games snapped
The longest active winning streaks belong to Kennebunk (8), Wells (7), and Falmouth (5)
5 teams ended their losing streaks of 4 or more games: Boothbay (6), Bangor (5), Gorham (5), Skowhegan (5), Oxford Hills (4)
The longest active losing streaks belong to Valley (18), Mount View (17), Poland (9), Brewer (6), Morse (6), Windham (6)

- First place teams after week four
Class A North – Portland (change from last week)
Class A South – South Portland (change from last week)
Class B North – Falmouth (no change)
Class B South – Deering (no change)
Class C North – Oceanside (no change)
Class C South – Fryeburg Academy (no change)
Class D North – Foxcroft Academy (no change)
Class D South – Wells (no change)
8 Man Large School – Camden Hills (no change) 
8 Man Small School North – Houlton (no change)
8 Man Small School South – Old Orchard Beach (change from last week)

- Five games of interest to us in week five
Thornton Academy at Noble 
Foxcroft Academy at Hermon
Mt. Ararat at Camden Hills
Houlton at Stearns
Deering at Kennebunk

What are your thoughts on the weekend?