The rivalry between Bangor and Lewiston goes back about as far as high school football in Maine. Friday night’s Pine Tree conference championship game is the first time two of the state’s largest schools will meet in a league’s post-season championship game.

The rivalry went on hiatus in the late 1980s when Class A was broken up into East and West and the Blue Devils went west. Lewiston joined the Pine Tree Conference in 2001 and the two schools made up for lost time, meeting in the playoffs five times in the first eight years.

Bangor won the first four games. Lewiston emerged victorious in the most recent, 34-26 in the 2008 quarterfinals. The scores of the last decade have run the gamut, from a 13-6 Bangor triumph in 2001 to a 56-35 shootout won by the Rams in 2007.

“It’s always been a knock-down, drag-out fight,” Bangor coach Mark Hackett said. “It’s been a great rivalry over the years.”

“Whatever flavor the game takes, I know it’s going to be a battle,” he said.

The two teams met in their only preseason game, with Bangor pulling away late for the win. More relevant has been their performance the last two weeks.

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The second-ranked Rams (9-1), the defending PTC champions, shut out No. 7 Edward Little in the quarterfinals, then rallied in the fourth quarter last week to knock No. 3 Mt. Blue out of the semifinals.

Seeking its first regional title since 1987, fourth-seeded Lewiston crushed No. 5 Messalonskee, 42-13, in the quarterfinals, then blitzed No. 8 Brunswick, 20-7, last week.

This week’s matchup is a contrast in appearance if not style. The Rams are big, from 6-foot-6 senior quarterback Joe Seccareccia and 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior tailback Josiah Hartley to their typically prodigious offensive line.

“The success we’ve had with them in the past is we tend to be a little more athletic. They tend to be a little bit bigger,” County said. “The best word I can use for them is methodical. They’re just good at what they do. They just kind of lean on you and use that power.”

Lewiston counters with speed, tenacity and what County said is a bit of a nasty streak. The Rams’ size advantage doesn’t necessarily mean they will out-hit the Devils.

 “We’re certainly not intimidated,” County said.

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 Hackett doesn’t expect the Devils to flinch.

 “I know they’ve got real good running backs. I know they’re physical. I know they’ve got a hard-nosed defense,” he said.

Lewiston’s running game has been dominant in its two wins, churning out 350 yards in the quarterfinals and 254 yards against Brunswick. Tailbacks Jeff Turcotte and Jeff Keene alternated big games against Messalonskee and Brunswick, respectively, but fullback Joe McKinnon has been the leading rusher overall (192 yards).

While the running game has been impressive, the passing game led by junior QB Chris Madden has been efficient. Madden has completed five of seven pass attempts in the playoffs for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Cody Dussault, McKinnon and Keene are his favorite targets.

“We just have to play balanced, and they make you play balanced,” Hackett said. “We can’t hide anybody. We all have to play well. They’re going to make it so your whole defense has to play well.”

Seccareccia, a safety who is Bangor’s leading tackler, leads the defense. He didn’t play defense in the quarterfinals due to a shoulder injury but returned last week and was a key to the Rams’ run and pass defense. Defensive linemen John Kelley and Tyler Shanklin help form a stout front line.

Seccareccia led the PTC with 11 touchdown passes during the regular season and had another score last week, but the Rams won on the legs of Hartley, who carried the ball 34 times for 204 yards, with 90 of those yards coming in the fourth quarter.

Led by linebacker Ben Wigant and defensive end Ryan Dubois, Lewiston was able to essentially shut down Brunswick’s most physical runners last week, but getting to Hartley may be a more difficult task.

“He’s big. He’s got long strides. He’s 230 pounds, so he runs down hill,” County said. “We’ve had running backs like that here, like Jared (Turcotte), where you just give them the ball. They can control the tempo of  a game.”

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