One significant offshoot of the recent reclassification in Maine high school football will be the return of the Bangor-Brewer football rivalry this year.
Class A Bangor will host Class B Brewer in their mutual regular-season opener the weekend of Sept. 6-7 at Cameron Stadium.
It will mark the first regular-season meeting between the schools since 2010, when Class A Bangor defeated Class B Brewer 13-0.
“It’s a close rivalry, and this is a good chance to bring back a game that means so much to these two communities,” Bangor athletic administrator Steve Vanidestine said. “To open the season with Brewer should bring some added excitement, and both teams will play hard.”
Recently, the cross-river rivals have played several times during the preseason. Brewer has won the past four meetings, including a 26-12 victory last year at Doyle Field in Brewer.
“I think playing a regular-season game will mean a lot to both communities, both schools and both sets of alumni,” Brewer athletic administrator Dave Utterback said. “We’ve been doing the preseason games, and people get excited about that, but this will add an extra layer to it.
“It’s a good matchup for Maine high school football.”
This will be the 108th football meeting between the schools in a series that began in 1903. Bangor leads the rivalry 73-26-8, but this regular-season contest comes as both programs are in a rebuilding mode.
Bangor went 1-8, falling to Cheverus of Portland in the Class A North quarterfinals. Brewer went 2-7, losing to Brunswick in the Class B North quarters.
Bangor and Brewer have played regular contests against each other at the younger levels.
“These age groups have played each other at the middle-school level and in the fifth and sixth grades,” Utterback said. “There’s a lot of familiarity through the ranks as these kids have played against each other for a while, so it makes sense for them to be able to play a regular-season game at the high school level.”
The restoration of the Bangor-Brewer game, at least for the 2019 season, resulted in great part from the recent reduction of Class A football from 14 schools in two divisions to a single, eight-school statewide division of Maine’s largest schools.
That move eliminated one round of postseason play for the Class A schools because there will be no regional championship games before the state final Nov. 17 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.
That leaves the Class A schools to play a nine-game regular season — Classes B, C and D play eight regular-season games — with seven games against the other Class A foes and two games against Class B programs.
Eight schools from Class B North and eight from Class B South each will play one Class A opponent to help fill out the large-school schedule. The crossover games were developed in a tiered fashion like that used in high school hockey to create the most competitive matchups possible.
As one example, defending Class A state champion Thornton Academy will play one crossover game against two-time defending Class B state champion Marshwood of South Berwick. TA’s other crossover will be at Windham, one of the six schools dropping from Class A to Class B.
Bangor’s other Class B crossover game will be a Week 5 matchup at Skowhegan. The Indians were the top seed in Class B North last fall with a 5-3 record and advanced to the regional semifinals, one year after winning the 2017 Class B North championship.
“Skowhegan’s been a very good opponent for us over the years,” Vanidestine said. “Down the road I think there will be times when we’ll possibly play [Class B] Hampden or someone else, but we thought given the situation right now it would be best if we played Brewer and Skowhegan, and try this for a year or two and then see if people want to redo the crossovers.”
Bangor will play five home games and four road contests in 2019. After the Brewer game the Rams’ matchups are at Lewiston, home against Scarborough and Thornton Academy, at Skowhegan and Edward Little of Auburn, home against Sanford, at Bonny Eagle of Standish, and home against Oxford Hills.
The Rams visit Hampden Academy for a controlled scrimmage either Aug. 23 or 26 and travel to Class B Lawrence of Fairfield for an exhibition game the weekend of Aug. 30-31.
“There are some games where we really can compete, and some games where we’re going to have to measure ourselves and find out where we are according to the best, but to be the best we need to be able to learn where we are from year to year,” Vanidestine said.
Brewer’s schedule also will see some changes. Biddeford, Cony of Augusta and Skowhegan have been replaced by Bangor, Gardiner and Windham. The Witches host Skowhegan in their controlled scrimmage then visit perennial Class D contender Bucksport for an exhibition game.
Brewer travels to Gardiner in Week 2 of the regular season, followed by games at Mt. Blue of Farmington, home against Windham and Falmouth-Greely, at Lawrence and Brunswick, and home against Hampden.
