- The frantic finish to the Maine high school football season is rapidly approaching. This past weekend we had eight regional finals and two state championships. We watched our last Friday night football of 2024. And everything set the stage for the last four Gold Balls to be issued next week. This is a tough time as we eye down the end of the regular season. Bittersweet that it is ending. That is the cruel nature of football though.

- At the beginning of last week we published a series of polls asking you to pick the teams that you felt would win their games. Here was the vote totals;
Class A North – Portland (249) over Bangor (68)
Class A South – Noble (510) over Thornton Academy (312)
Class B North – Lawrence (219) over Falmouth (171)
Class B South – Kennebunk (208) over Deering (39)
Class C North – Hermon (336) over Medomak Valley (136)
Class C South – Fryeburg Academy (186) over Leavitt (65)
Class D North – Winslow (282) over Foxcroft Academy (228)
Class D South – Wells (221) over Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale (78)
8 Man Large – Mt. Ararat (246) over Greely (119)
8 Man Small – Old Orchard Beach (234) over Stearns (207)

- Of the many, many comments we saw over weekend (yes, we read them all), one happened to be a reference towards the number of lopsided scores this weekend. We pondered that over and realized that not all games were that out of reach at times. Here is a quick rundown of the halftime score listing for all ten games:
Portland 27 – Bangor 7
Falmouth 14 – Lawrence 0
Kennebunk 14 – Deering 14
Fryeburg Academy 24 – Leavitt 0
Wells 7 – Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale 7
Thornton Academy 36 – Noble 14
Hermon 12 – Medomak Valley 0
Foxcroft Academy 7 – Winslow 0
Greely 36 – Mt. Ararat 6
Old Orchard Beach 22 – Stearns 14

In the case of Thornton Academy and Noble, that was a 14-14 tied game at the end of the first quarter. And if you read the stories of those close games there was a catalyst by the eventual winning team, some spark that resulted in them taking command of the game. Whether it was an Anthony Tavares sack for Portland that caused a fumble, a Moose Keyes 67-yard run for Kennebunk that set up the go-ahead touchdown, a Landon Smith 40-yard touchdown run for Foxcroft Academy following a Winslow fumble recover for a score, a Cal Moody 41-yard touchdown pass to Riley Murphy, or a Riley Provencher 75-yard kickoff return to start the second half for Old Orchard Beach. We will invoke the Randy “Macho Man Savage” Poffo quote that “… the cream will rise to the top”.

- The first game we will look at was the Northern Class A regional final between Portland and Bangor. Portland is no stranger to regional finals as of late. Since 2013 and the move to four classes, Portland has appeared in seven of eight Northern Class A regional finals. Bangor meanwhile made their first regional final trip in 13 years. This game started off like one would expect. Portland immediately struck, while Bangor did what they could at first to control the clock. That was 7-7. The momentum changer was when Portland’s Louis Thurston had the ball knocked out of his possession. The advantage to Bangor was extremely short-lived however. Bangor’s Kyle Johnson would eventually get sacked by Anthony Tavares, with Carter Lucca recovering. Flash forward to the end of the half with Portland scoring three touchdowns along the way for the 27-7 halftime head. In the second half Aidan McGowan and Cordell Jones each scored two touchdowns that helped add even more to their lead to the eventual 54-14 win. While Portland seemingly scored at will, Bangor was held in check during most of the game. The Rams only achieved 145 yards of offense, quarterback Johnson was sacked nine different times. Four of those sacks were by Portland’s Lisandro Rodrigues. They also turned over the ball twice.

- Of the eight teams in the state championships, none have suffered quite like Portland. Five state trips, all at their home field of Fitzpatrick Stadium we might add, that have unfortunately yielded zero state championships. The Bulldogs are seeking their first state championship since a 41-6 victory over Edward Little in the 2002 Class A championship. The year prior, Portland fell to Bangor 20-14 at state.

- Fuller Field, on the Cony High School campus, was the neutral site host of the Northern Class B regional final between undefeated Falmouth and defending regional champion Lawrence. For Falmouth, like last week, they did no let a slow start deter them. After playing to a scoreless tie, The Navigators scored twice in quick success in the final five minutes of the first half. Owen Ross’ touchdown was the first score of the game, and Tres Walker found Logan McVeigh for the last touchdown of the half. Things momentarily looked up for Lawrence as they forced a fumble on Falmouth’s opening drive of the second half. The Bulldogs narrowed the deficit to a single touchdown when Michael Hamlin connected with Preston Roy. However, much like Falmouth has done all season like they scored quickly and they scored often. Walker threw two more touchdown passes to further the Navigators lead. Then, in the fourth quarter, Joey Guerrette picked off a Hamlin pass and returned it 76 yards for a touchdown. That would be the eventual final points of the game as Falmouth won 35-7. While the touchdowns and the scoring got the attention, the story very easily could have been a Falmouth defense that earned a reputation of being difficult to move against. Lawrence’s running game, their bread-and-butter for years, was held in check almost all night long. The Bulldogs only ran for 100 yards, averaging 2.5 yards per gain. They also turned over the ball four separate times.

- Falmouth is one of two teams making their inaugural state championship debut. It has been a long road for them since their first MPA-year in 2003. They qualified for their first playoff appearance in 2008 but did not win their first playoff game until 2014, a 48-6 victory against Morse. They went to regional finals in 2015, 2017, and 2022. The first two times they were defeated by Marshwood, while the most 2022 game resulted in a loss to Skowhegan. It is interesting to note that those three regional finals losses came against the eventual Class B state championships in those years. There was the much-discussed 2023 season that saw them forfeit a game to Portland due to low numbers and becoming playoff-ineligible, before longtime coach John Fitzsimmons stepped down. And finally for Falmouth, after 196 football games over their 22-year run, they will play in their first football state championship game. Good luck Navs!

- Friday was a Battle of the Rams as defending Class B champion Kennebunk met the challenger Deering in the Southern Class B regional final. As we mentioned shortly ago, this was one of those finals that was close at the half. Both sides went on field-long, time-chewing drives as they exchanged touchdowns going into the half. That was where the game stopped being close, where Kennebunk put their opposition away on offense and defense. Deering gained only 71 yards in the second half, less than half of what they got in the first half. Deering first drive of the second half started out with excellent field position after recovering a Kennebunk onside kick. However, Tavian Lauture’s 36-yard field goal attempt was no good. Then on their next opposite Deering turned the ball over on downs. These were sandwiched between Kennebunk touchdowns by Brady Stone, Moose Keys, and Austin West. The West touchdown would be the last points of the night as Kennebunk celebrated the 35-14 win.

- The Kennebunk Rams take the state’s longest active winning streak into their second consecutive state championship. This will be the first time in Kennebunk’s long history that they have gone to back-to-back state football championship games. It might surprise you to know that Kennebunk is only playing their fourth game against Falmouth. They last played in 2018 in a regular season game that Kennebunk won 25-7. They played twice in 2017. Kennebunk won the regular season game 51-34, while Falmouth won the regional semifinal game 32-20.

- There were two regional finals rematches during the weekend. Both were on Friday. The first to kickoff was the Wells and Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale game for the Southern Class D regional final. With the game tied 7-7, the second half were dominated in large part by the duo of Eli Potter and Dom Buxton. Potter gained 135 of his 214 rushing yards in the pivotal second half, along with three touchdowns. Buxton picked off Rambler’s quarterback Braden Branagan twice. Potter’s touchdowns came after Cal Moody completed a 41-yard touchdown pass to Riley Murphy. Buxton and the defense were part of an effort that held the Ramblers running back duo of Cody Cobb and Carter Rivers to only 51 rushing yards. This all led to the eventual 35-7 Wells victory.

- Of the eight teams going to the state championships, none have the streak that Wells has. The Warriors are unbeaten in their last six state title games. This covers wins over Belfast, Leavitt, Mount Desert Island, and Foxcroft Academy. Last year the Warriors had their closest margin of victory at state, a one-point win that came by way of a Conner Whitten two-point conversion pass he caught from Brooks Fox.

- The other regional finals re-match was between Fryeburg Academy and Leavitt for the Southern Class C regional final. There were several differences from 2023 to 2024. This time around the game was held at Fryeburg Academy’s Atwood Stadium and its artificial turf. Another different was a score that was not close at all. Of the three touchdowns, the 24-0 lead, in the first half, only one was scored by a team’s offense. Malik Sow’s goal line touchdown came between two interceptions for touchdowns by Michael Malia and Ty Boone. In the second half Fryeburg added to their lead with rushing touchdowns by Jagger Helwig and Daniel Ruiz for what would be the final score of 38-0.

- When Fryeburg Academy went to the 2018 Class C state championship, it was their first opportunity for a title in 53 years. This went back to 1965, a time when championships were given to the top team in the region. Long before the time when state championship games were even a thing. The Raiders will go into the state championship with the momentum of back-to-back shutouts, something no other team playing this Saturday can boast.

- The first of two 11 am games started out with Foxcroft Academy playing Winslow in the Class D North regional final at Hampden Academy. It was a slow start that saw the two teams combine for a single touchdown in the first half – a Finn Holmes touchdown for Foxcroft Academy. The most unlikely of starts to the second half began when Winslow’s Alyx Hardy recovered a Foxcroft Academy fumble on the opening kickoff return, himself returning it for a touchdown. At that point the score was tied 7-7. However, instead of falling to the moment, the Ponies did what the Ponies always seem to do and that is to rally back. It was a little under two and a half minutes later when Landon Smith broke open a 40-yard run for a touchdown. Following a defensive stand against Winslow, Foxcroft Academy got the ball back and put together another drive that ended with a touchdown. This time it was a Griffin Caruso touchdown pass to Silas Topolski on fourth down that went for 30 yards. Winslow just was not able to get any offense going the rest of the way while Foxcroft Academy put any lingering curiosities of the game being close with Holmes’ second touchdown, the last of the game, for the final score of 27-7.

- The win will put Foxcroft Academy into their 13th state championship game since 2000. No other team in Maine comes close to that number in that span. In fact, if you combine all their other rivals in Northern Class D they have 18 title appearances. This would be the first time Foxcroft Academy has appeared in four consecutive state championships. The would put them alongside Lawrence Maine Central Institute, Marshwood, Orono, Stearns, Thornton Academy, and Winslow for teams that went to four straight state championship games.

- The other 11 am game was the 8 Man Large School championship between Greely and Mt. Ararat. Both Greely and Mt. Ararat exchanged touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game. Ben McCarrons’s reception from Andrew Padgett for Greely, and Dash Farrell’s 44-yard touchdown run, started the fireworks off early. However, while Mt. Ararat struggled to pick up much in the way of yardage on the ground, Greely marched upfield at will. Greely added to their lead with a touchdown reception from Luke Piper, a run from Noah Allen, and a run from Padgett. Defensively, Greely forced Mt. Ararat to punt while McCarron intercepted two passes. The second interception was returned for a touchdown. At the half Greely held an overwhelming 36-6 lead. Farrell would score a second touchdown for Farrell to try and cut down the Rangers lead. The two teams exchanged touchdowns later in the second quarter with a Benjamin Kyles touchdown for Greely and Farrell’s third touchdown of the game for a 44-20 score. Mt. Ararat was able to recover their onside kick. However, they were unable to convert on a fourth and one which resulted in the turnover on downs at their own 46. Padgett would score another touchdown on the ground, while McCarron picked off his third pass of the game and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. That would be the final points as Greely celebrated the 58-20 win.

- Saturday brought to a close a crazy seven-year run for the Greely football program. Due to lack of numbers, the football program was forced to dissolve with the remaining players cooping with Falmouth. This ran from 2019 to 2021. During the off-season a grass roots student campaign got underway to re-start the Greely Rangers program. The students eventually got the support of the school, with Caleb King getting hired as their coach. The Rangers joined the 8 man ranks in the large school class. The first year in 2022 featured plenty of growing pains as they went 0-7 and missed the playoffs. In 2023, although a slow 2-2 start, the Rangers reeled off five straight wins to make a run to the state championships. The feel-good story at the time was unfortunately dashed by a determined Mount Desert Island opponent who shut them out 28-0. That brought us to this season, a season where Greely went 7-1 and made it to state. The rest, they will say for years to come, is history.

- The 1 pm game featured a showdown in Saco between Thornton Academy and Noble in the Southern Class A regional final. The question coming into the game was whether this game would meet the intensity of their week five battle that ended in a 33-26 Thornton Academy victory. Folks appeared to be in for an impressive show that saw each team score twice in the opening quarter. Noble’s Jamier Rose saw his touchdowns matched by scores from Brennan Tabor and Mauricio Sunderland. The rest of the way Thornton Academy took full advantage of every opportunity that they got. Whether it was another Tabor touchdown run, a Jackson Paradis punter return for a touchdown, two Mauricio Sunderland touchdown runs in the second and third quarter, a Paradis touchdown catch, and a Connor Ayoob touchdown run. Noble was able to get two touchdowns in the second half, Rose threw scoring strikes to Taivian Brown and Logan Duquette, that got no close as Thornton Academy celebrated the 57-29 win.

- The win puts Thornton Academy in the unprecedented position of playing in their sixth consecutive state championship. Prior to this, the longest run of title appearances was Stearns going to five Class C state championship games from 1991 through 1995. The Golden Trojans will hope to buck the trend of alternating state championship wins and losses. In 2018 they defeated Portland 49-14. In 2019 they lost to Bonny Eagle 34-21. In 2021 they defeated Oxford Hills 42-27. In 2022 they lost to Oxford Hills 21-7. Finally, in 2023 they defeated Portland 24-14.

- The second half of the regional finals at Hampden Academy saw Hermon and Medomak Valley square up for the Northern Class C final. Hermon was hoping that the fourth final was the charm, while Medomak Valley was seeking to return to state after falling to Oceanside in the 2023 regional final. The game seemed to be going in favor of Hermon as Max Hopkins scored three straight touchdowns to give the Hawks an 18-0 lead. Medomak Valley would rally in the third quarter as Gabe Lash and Jaydiin Ruiz each scored a touchdown. Ruiz’s touchdown occurred following a Hermon fumble that was recovered by the Panthers Porter Gahagan. That made the game 18-14. However, Hermon went on a length fourth quarter drive, one that lasted a little over eight minutes later, which ended in Hopkins’ fourth and final touchdown of the day. The score would put the game out of reach for the Hawks 24-14 victory.

- Since a 17-0 loss on October 4th, Hermon has reeled off five straight wins while outscoring the opposition 168 to 32. Like the aforementioned Falmouth, Hermon is another team making their first state championship game appearance. They will be playing Fryeburg Academy for the first time in their program’s history.

- The other championship game, and the other 2:30 pm game, matched up Old Orchard Beach and Stearns in the 8 Man Small School state championship. After a Stearns punt on the opening drive of the game, Old Orchard Beach got onto the scoreboard almost three minutes later as Trot Moody caught the first of four touchdown passes from Brady Plante. The final minute of the first quarter featured a crazy series of plays where Old Orchard Beach’s Riley Provencher intercepted Stearns’ Cam Atkinson. On the ensuing play Stearns’ David McGreevy recovered an Old Orchard Beach fumble for first and goal. A few players later Moody picked off an Atkinson pass in the end zone to complete three turnovers of the ball. Just a minute into the second quarter, Stearns made Old Orchard Beach pay for a fumble that was recovered by Lucas Pelkey as Gavin Gagnon corralled Atkinson’s high pass for a touchdown. Atkinson then intercepted Plante on the next series. However, Moody would deflect an Atkinson pass on fourth down to force a turnover on downs. Old Orchard Beach increased their lead as Wesley Gallant’s goal line touchdown put the Seagulls up 14-6. Going into the half Sam Jacobs and Riley Provencher each caught touchdown passes from Atkinson and Plante to put the score at 22-14. The final two plays of the first half would feature turnovers. The first being an Atkinson fumble, the other being a Plante interception by Jacobs. There were seven turnovers in the first half. 

- A sign of what was to come happening right away on the opening kickoff as Provencher returned the Stearns kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown and a 30-14 lead. Old Orchard Beach then benefits from three Stearns turnovers and touchdowns from Gallant, twice by Provencher, and Brady to score 38 consecutive points in the third quarter for the Seagulls. Old Orchard Beach recovered their seventh and final Stearns turnover when Cooper Gervais blocked a punt. Without Old Orchard Beach freely substituting players in and out of the roster at this point, Stearns did get a stop their own eight yard line for a turnover on downs. It turned out to be the most significant event of the second half for Stearns as the Seagulls celebrated the 60-14 victory.

- Counting the Cooper Gervais blocked punt, the game featured 11 turnovers. Old Orchard Beach has now played in four of the five 8 man football seasons since it became a class in 2019. The title for the Seagulls is the first time that they finished a season undefeated. Stearns on the other hand will still seek out their first title since 1998.

- We will be waiting for the MPA to make its official announcement on Monday regarding the times for the classes A, B, C and D state championships. Classes A and B will play at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. Classes C and D will play at Don Roux Field in Lewiston. Game times will be at 11 am and 2:30 pm respectively. And no, the games will not be broadcasted on TV.

- State championship game records for the eight teams involved
Portland: 2-6 (titles in 1982, 2002)
Thornton Academy: 8-3 (titles in 1986, 1988, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2023)
Falmouth: 0-0
Kennebunk: 2-3 (titles in 1991, 2023)
Hermon: 0-0
Fryeburg Academy: 0-1
Foxcroft Academy: 7-10 (titles in 1983, 1996, 2003, 2007, 2012, 2021, 2022)
Wells: 6-3 (titles in 1997, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023)

- Quote of the week #1
"Everybody just did their job. We were just resilient, and we wanted to win. We’re just being dogs. We wanted to go 1-0 on every play."
Lisandro Rodrigues, Portland defensive lineman

- Quote of the week #2
“We just have that mentality where the most important play is the next play. Good plays are going to happen, and bad plays are going to happen, but the most important thing is that you keep climbing. These kids really embody that, and they were able to respond."
Spencer Emerson, Falmouth head coach

- Quote of the week #3
"Those juniors and seniors were 100 percent committed to getting back here and finishing the job this year. They didn’t talk about it. They did things to show it. The training. The diet regimen. The captains’ practices in the summer. It made my life easy."
Dean Plante, Old Orchard Beach head coach

- Streak tracker
There are 5 unbeaten teams in Maine, which is unchanged from last week
5 teams had their winning streaks of 4 or more games snapped: Stearns (7), Bangor (4), Deering (4), Medomak Valley (4), Winslow (4)
The longest active winning streaks belong to Kennebunk (14), Wells (13), Falmouth (11), Foxcroft Academy (11), and Old Orchard Beach (11)

What are your thoughts on the weekend?