The Bucksport and Fort Kent High School girls soccer teams met in the Class C North championship game three consecutive seasons between 2021-23.
The Bucks won the first two games 1-0 and 4-2, respectively, before the Warriors triumphed 1-0 in 2023.
But they hadn’t met during the regular season.
The two teams will be playing a pair of regular season games this season because they are now in the same conference after the Penobscot Valley Conference approved Fort Kent’s inclusion last spring.
The Warriors’ cross country, track and wrestling teams have already been competing with PVC schools.
Fort Kent athletic director Josh Nichols said he was pleased to be in the PVC and the primary reason the school wanted to join the league was for scheduling purposes.
“This will give us a more competitive schedule,” explained Nichols, noting that they are now able to replace the handful of games they had against Class D teams in Aroostook County with games against quality PVC opponents, most of which are in Class C.
The games against the County’s D schools were often lopsided victories for Fort Kent and ended early due to the mercy rule.
“Those games weren’t good for our opponents or for us,” said Nichols.
In addition to the home-and-home games against Bucksport, the Fort Kent girls will also play two games apiece against other PVC schools Orono and Penobscot Valley of Howland.
It is the second year that the Warriors will face Penobscot Valley. They split last season with each winning at home.
PVHS is the defending two-time state champ in Class D but plays primarily a C schedule.
The boys soccer team will play two games each against PVC teams Orono, Central of Corinth, the George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill/Deer Isle Stonington cooperative team and Washington Academy of East Machias.
Nichols said this will be their third season playing Washington Academy.
The Bucksport boys soccer team is transitioning to eight-player soccer and that’s why it won’t be playing 11-player Fort Kent.
The new schedule will add more travel miles but Nichols said it will actually reduce the amount of class time that the boys and girls soccer players will miss. That’s because all but one of the seven road games against the PVC schools will be played during the potato harvest break when they aren’t in school.
The break is from Sept. 19 to Oct. 6.
An Oct. 10 boys road game against the GSA/Deer Isle Stonington team is the only one that won’t be played during the harvest break.
Bucksport girls coach Mike Garcelon and PVHS coach Jeremy Durost said despite the long travel distance — it is 202 miles one way from Bucksport to Fort Kent and 154 miles from Howland — the trip to Fort Kent is well worth it.
“We have a very challenging schedule and it helps get us ready for the playoffs,” said Durost.
“It’s good for us. It’s great competition,” said Garcelon. “It will make us a better team.”
Garcelon also likes the fact it gives them two games against a team they could face in the playoffs. He said it is valuable to learn about them and their tendencies.
He explained that you can scout Fort Kent’s games in person or watch their games on video “but it’s not as good as playing them.”
Garcelon said his players are looking forward to the trip and traveling a long distance is good for “team bonding.”
Bucksport High athletic director Daniel Magas said another benefit is the Heal Points value.
Wins over good teams are worth more points for the Heal Points standings.
“It’s good to play those top teams,” Magas said.
