Two of the games were close. One wasn’t.
All three winners can thank their victory for the fact that they’re hosting the rematch.
To the locals, Friday and Saturday’s Western Maine high school football semifinals represent a second chance (Winthrop and Oak Hill) or an opportunity to back up what already is an impressive body of work (Lisbon and Mountain Valley).
Here’s a closer look at the matchups:
Western Class C
#3-Winthrop (7-2) at #2-Lisbon (8-1)
12:30 p.m., Saturday
Welcome to the annual, almost-immediate rematch between two proud programs whose rivalry dates back to the days of the original Mountain Valley Conference.
The Ramblers and Greyhounds meet each year in the final week of the regular season and customarily collide in the playoffs, too. Winthrop swept the series last year, capped by a 13-12 verdict in the quarterfinals.
This time around, each enjoyed a one-sided tune-up after Lisbon’s 14-6 victory in Week 8. That result sealed the Greyhounds’ right to host the semifinal at Thompson Field.
“They’re a good team, a strong team, a physical team and a well-coached team,” said Lisbon coach Dick Mynahan. “It’s always tough to beat a team like that twice.”
“They’ve really turned into the rivalry for my era coaching the team,” Winthrop coach Joel Stoneton said. “For a lot of years it was Boothbay and for a lot of years it was Jay, but now it’s Lisbon. Dick’s always got something up his sleeve for us. You have to go over all the old film and hope you don’t miss anything.”
Defense ruled round one. That’s a credit to the Greyhounds, because not many teams were able to slow down the Ramblers.
Ryan Conant has rushed for 1,400 yards to lead Winthrop. Anyone who thinks they’ve shut him down must deal with Derek Pamphrey, the second half of the Ramblers’ senior tailback tandem.
Keep both of them to a dull roar, and senior quarterback Travis Luce (12 touchdown passes) and favorite targets Joey Brennan and Colby Laflamme often collect the toll.
“We’ve been pretty balanced all year,” Stoneton said. “The problem is you can’t come out throwing the ball when you’re inside your own 20-yard line. The first time, Lisbon pinned us pretty good.”
Lisbon churned out a scoring drive on its first possession that day.
Then the Greyhounds settled into a nickel-and-dime approach, struggling to move the chains but using backs Tobey Harrington and Josh Pomerleau and punters Mike McNamara and Zack Greene to win the ongoing battle of field position.
It paid off when McNamara recovered an errant option pitch on the Winthrop 7-yard line with three minutes remaining in regulation. Lisbon cashed in with a short scoring run and a two-point conversion pass to break a long-standing deadlock.
“I think we might have to switch that around this time,” Mynahan said. “We’ll probably have to try and keep it close for the first half and then find some places to attack in the second half.”
Lisbon will be short-handed for the game, with at least one two-way lineman and one member of its starting backfield sidelined due to academic probation.
The Greyhounds also could be without two-way standout Tobey Harrington for a different reason. Harrington sprained his left ankle on his last carry against Winthrop. He was limited to kickoff duty in last week’s 28-6 win over Jay.
“Tobey badly wants to play, but he certainly isn’t going to be 100 percent,” Mynahan said Wednesday night. “It has been a slow process, and I don’t expect any miracles the next two days.”
#5-Oak Hill (5-4) at #1-Yarmouth (9-0)
7 p.m., Friday
Records and point totals might tell you this one’s a mismatch. A closer look at schedules and recent history scream toss-up.
The Raiders are one of the few teams able to hang with the Clippers the last two years. Oak Hill handed Yarmouth its last regular-season loss, on the road in Week 2 of the 2009 season.
This year’s encounter in Wales saw Yarmouth jump out to a quick lead and fight off the Raiders’ furious charge for a 20-15 victory.
It was one of only two games in which the Clippers didn’t score at least 54 points and one of two in which they surrendered more than a single touchdown. They’ve topped 60 points four times.
Oak Hill has celebrated four of its five wins against fellow playoff teams, including a 25-13 verdict at Traip last Saturday.
“We didn’t off to a good start, and they controlled the ball in the first half,” Oak Hill coach Dave Wing said of the Raiders’ first encounter with the top seed. “The second half, we controlled the ball. They had a sack, we fumbled, and they caught the ball in midair and ran for a touchdown.”
In addition to their closeness on the scoreboard, the teams are mirror images when they line up, Wing noted. Both present a Wing-T offense and a 5-2 defense.
One distinct difference is in how the teams unleash that offense. Yarmouth tends to split its carries evenly between Nick Proscia, Nate Pingitore and Anders Overhaug.
Oak Hill also has multiple options, but the Raiders lean more heavily on Josh Allen. The senior fullback has rushed for more than 1,150 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The Raiders’ passing game has roared to life in recent weeks.
Senior Cam Morin engineered a fourth-quarter comeback against Livermore Falls to start Oak Hill’s current three-game winning streak.
At Traip, he threw for one score and ran for another. Cody Provost is a primary target.
“At this time of year, I think you’re probably going to have to be able to throw,” Wing said.
Thursday and Friday’s forecast rain won’t affect the game. Yarmouth’s field is artificial turf.
“That’s big for them. We did play on it last year,” said Wing. “I feel like that’s part of the deal when you earn home-field advantage.”
Western Class B
#4-Falmouth (6-3) at #1-Mtn. Valley (9-0)
7 p.m., Friday
Last Saturday’s three-team coin flip harbored good news and bad news for Falmouth.
Good luck shined upon the Yachtsmen, giving them one of the two available semifinal berths. But the subsequent tiebreaker rewarded them with the worst-case scenario: A long journey to Rumford to meet the undefeated, top-seeded Falcons.
Falmouth was one of Mountain Valley’s six shutout victims during the regular season, 38-0, three weeks ago.
Mountain Valley caught a break when Josh Allen recovered a Falcons fumble and ran 37 yards to break a scoreless tie midway through the first quarter.
“Then we started playing well all of a sudden,” said Mountain Valley coach Jim Aylward. “We’re never going to dazzle anyone. We’re a lot better defensive team than we are an offensive team. I have no shame in admitting that.”
Still, the 38 points the Falcons put up the first time against the Yachtsmen matched their season average.
Taylor Bradley (820 yards, 12 touchdowns) is the featured back, but Allen, Tyler Mason and Izaak Mills have combined for 859 yards and 13 TDs in their supporting role. QB Cam Kaubris has thrown for seven scores and rushed for six more.
“Our stats don’t really jump out at you . There’s no name ‘Staires’ in front of any of them,” Aylward said, referring to 2008 Fitzpatrick Trophy finalist Justin Staires. “I don’t think there’s that kid on any team in our league this year.”
Aylward acknowledged that Falmouth receiver Jack Cooleen might be the closest thing.
Cooleen has been the Yachtsmen’s biggest offensive weapon all year. No contribution was bigger than his two-point conversion catch from Zach Alexander to seal a 15-14 win against Greely last week, forcing the three-way tie for third place with the Rangers and Cape Elizabeth.
Kaubris, who has eight interceptions and two TD returns, matched up with Cooleen most often during the previous meeting, although Aylward is confident that Bradley also can hold his own in one-on-one coverage with Falmouth’s 6-foot-6 flanker.
Christian Durland (nine sacks) leads the Mountain Valley pass rush.
“We usually have years where either the expectations are incredibly high or it feels like a grind. It hasn’t been like that. It’s been fun,” Aylward said. “Knock on wood, they gave us a schedule and we went through it. We hope that’s not all we have to look back on this year.”
koakes@sunjournal.com
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