Statistics are a key part of high school football success, particularly the points and yards a team scores — and doesn’t give up.
But momentum is another key indication of growing success as the start of the new campaign evolves into the midseason grind.
That’s the case for football teams around the state that have begun to establish their identities but are still looking to build upon their early outings as summer soon gives way to autumn.
Mount Desert Island Trojans (1-1) at Bucksport Golden Bucks (1-1), 7 p.m. Friday: The BDN Game of the Week, live streaming at www.bangordailynews.com, features two Hancock County teams that bounced back from Week 1 losses with healthy offensive efforts in Week 2. Class C MDI defeated Old Town 41-14 and Class D Bucksport outlasted Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln 48-42 in three overtimes. Defending Class C North champion MDI had its ground game going against Old Town, with Colby Lee rushing for 114 yards and two touchdowns and Elijah Joyce adding two rushing scores. Bucksport overcame six turnovers to edge the Lynx, with senior quarterback Chase Carmichael running for two touchdowns and passing for a third while Lucas Wardwell and Carter Tolmasoff also rushed for two TDs apiece. This is Bucksport’s home opener.
Oxford Hills-Buckfield Vikings (1-1) at Bangor Rams (0-2), 7 p.m. Friday: Bangor returns to Cameron Stadium seeking to score its first points of the year after losses to Edward Little of Auburn and Cheverus of Portland. The Rams face an Oxford Hills of South Paris team that epitomizes the unpredictability of Class A North early this season. The Vikings scored a Week 1 upset victory over two-time defending regional champion Portland, only to be upset themselves a week later in a 10-0 loss to Lewiston that left the Blue Devils and neighboring Edward Little as the only unbeatens left in the division. Bangor has been hampered by injuries, though the Rams hope to have senior quarterback Luke Tuell available for the first time this season.
Brewer Witches (1-1) vs. Mt. Blue Cougars (1-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Farmington: Brewer faces its second straight road trip after a 25-22 loss at Westbrook last Friday night. The Witches encounters a Mt. Blue team home for the second straight weekend after scoring a 34-0 win over Hampden Academy. Both teams rely heavily on the run game, with Mt. Blue amassing 319 yards on 37 rushes last week, including third-quarter touchdown runs of 24, 25 and 60 yards by senior Abram Meader that extended a 7-0 halftime lead.
Hermon Hawks (2-0) at Ellsworth-Sumner Eagles (0-2), 7 p.m. Friday: Hermon hopes to build on its fast start that includes an offensive-minded 59-34 win over Old Town and a 27-0 victory over John Bapst highlighted by the Hawks’ defense. But with games looming the next two weekends against Class C powers MDI and Winslow, coach Kyle Gallant’s club can’t afford to look past a Class D Ellsworth-Sumner team that has been competitive in its early games, both on the road. The Eagles boast a major offensive weapon in junior Javon Williams, who had seven pass receptions for 231 yards and four TDs during an overtime loss at Mount View of Thorndike last Saturday.
Oceanside Mariners (1-1) vs. Nokomis Warriors (1-1), 1 p.m. Saturday at Newport: This could be an early Class C crossroads game, with an Oceanside of Rockland-Thomaston team that averaged 34 points in its first two outings facing a Nokomis team that limited opponents to 10 points per game during its .500 start. Nokomis will be playing its first home game of the season against an Oceanside team that traveled across the state last Friday to play Mountain Valley of Rumford and rallied from a 30-14 deficit to forge a 30-30 tie on an 80-yard run by Michael Norton Jr. before the host Falcons’ countered with the game’s final two scores.
Mattanawcook Academy Lynx (1-1) at Houlton-Hodgdon-Greater Houlton Christian Shiretowners (2-0), 7 p.m. Friday: This should be a good measuring stick of where these teams stand within the LTC Class D hierarchy. Mattanawcook has split two tight games, a two-point win over Class C John Bapst and a three-overtime loss to Bucksport. MA showed plenty of offense in that loss, with quarterback Dominic Libbey rushing for one touchdown and passing for scores to Alex Brown and Cayden Spencer-Thompson. Matt Young added three rushing touchdowns for the Lynx. Houlton, with shutout victories over Stearns-Schenck and Orono, counters with a productive front line and a top running back in Seth Holston.
