The Bangor High School Rams, the Camden Hills Windjammers from Rockport, Foxcroft Academy Ponies from Dover-Foxcroft and the Stearns/Schenck Minutemen from Millinocket and East Millinocket area all picked up noteworthy football wins over the weekend.
Bangor shuts out Edward Little 35-0
Junior quarterback Kyle Johnson ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass to Trey Tennett as the 3-5 Rams made it two wins in a row and kept their Class A North playoff hopes alive.
The Rams are in a three-way battle with Oxford Hills-Buckfield and Windham for the final two playoff spots and the three teams are separated by less than two Crabtree Index points heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
Bangor controls its own destiny because it hosts 4-4 Oxford Hills-Buckfield on Friday night with the winner clinching a playoff spot. Windham, 3-5, hosts A South power Bonny Eagle of Buxton, which is 6-2.
Johnson threw for 50 yards and outside linebacker Nevin Howell returned a fumble for a touchdown and also had an interception.
“We played very well, defensively,” said Bangor coach David Morris.
Linebackers Theo Blanke and Howell, ends Johnson and Will Houghton and defensive lineman Griffin Faulkner were among the standouts who keyed the shutout performance according to Morris.
Camden Hills edges Houlton/Hodgdon/Southern Aroostook/GHCA 24-22
Back-up quarterback Ryder Lombardo threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Braden Beveridge with 12.9 seconds left to give Camden Hills the thrilling win in a game between Eight-Person Large School Windjammers and Eight-Man Small School North Shires.
Lombardo, filling in for the injured Hollis Schwalm, set up the winning TD with a 35-yard pass to Justin Batty.
Camden Hills is now 7-1 while the Shires are 6-2.
Isaac Dutille rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown and Vincent Mainella had 86 yards on the ground and a TD.
Beveridge caught a TD pass in the first half from Schwalm before Schwalm got hurt.
Isaiah Ervin rushed for 239 yards and all three touchdowns for the visitors.
Foxcroft Academy upends John Bapst 42-20
John Bapst . Smith rushed for three touchdowns to help the Ponies defeat John Bapst 42-20. Credit: Stuart Hedstrom / Piscataquis Observer
The Ponies wrapped up their second straight undefeated regular season with their triumph over John Bapst/Bangor Christian/Central at Cameron Stadium in Bangor.
Landon Smith rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries and Finn Holmes added 77 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown.
Griffin Caruso completed 9 of 12 passes for 91 yards including a TD pass to Aiden Sickler.
Silas Topolski had four receptions for 51 yards, Lucas Sands had two for 21 yards and Sickler had a pair for 19 yards.
Foxcroft Academy concluded the regular season at 8-0 while John Bapst heads into the playoffs at 4-4.
Stearns/Schenck bests Ellsworth/Sumner 60-6
Quarterback Cameron Atkinson threw four touchdown passes and ran 52 yards for another as Stearns/Schenck won its fifth straight game to wind up the regular season at 7-1 and atop the Eight-Man Small North Crabtree Index standings.
The two teams will meet again in the playoff semifinals this weekend.
Two of Atkinson’s touchdown passes went to Gavin Gagnon, a 15-yarder and a 20-yarder.
Cohen Raymond rushed for 232 yards and three TDs and Lucas Pelkey had a TD run.
Clark Sullivan paced Ellsworth with 88 rushing yards and the lone TD.
Ellsworth/Sumner will go into the playoffs with a 6-2 record, its best in program history.
The high-powered Minutemen have averaged 60 ½ points in their last four victories.
