So far, I am on record making predictions for the 2018 high school football championship pairings in Classes A, B, C and D on a couple of forums, WMTW’s always insightful Blitz 8 Preview Show (still available to stream online) and Varsity Maine’s season preview.
I’m going to make predictions again in this space because a) it’s my column and I can write whatever I want, and b) I have the space to explain them. So as not to be accused of excessive CYA, I will attempt to duplicate the picks I have already made publicly. But I may forget one or two. If I do, blame the Red Sox bullpen. It has me on edge.
Here we go:
Class A: Bonny Eagle over Portland.
Portland doesn’t have Terion Moss around to bail it out at quarterback this time. But coach Jim Hartman has a lot of varsity veterans, especially up front, and a workhorse back in Zack Elowitch. That combination usually works out in Portland’s favor. Oxford Hills, Lewiston and Windham will press the Bulldogs, but their pedigree is too good to overlook when backed up by this much experience.
A Portland/Thornton Academy state final felt too boilerplate. The Golden Trojans are the favorites in the South, and defending champion Scarborough has legitimate reason to feel slighted by anyone not picking them. Bonny Eagle has to replace a bushel of talent on both sides of the ball. But there’s something about a Kevin Cooper team flying under the radar for most of the season, then peaking in November, that appeals to my old-school sensibilities.
Class B: Marshwood over Skowhegan
Marshwood is so loaded it’s scary, especially on defense. Forget hanging an L, any team that hangs six points on the Hawks’ varsity defense will have cause for celebration. Kennebunk is their primary threat, but I think we’ll be wishing the Hawks had a few Class A teams on the schedule to test them before the season is over.
The North, as usual, is where the intrigue lies. Defending champion Skowhegan has prolific QB Marcus Christopher back, but all of his top weapons have graduated. My hunch is the Indians will be improved enough on defense to make up for that gap and emerge from a rumble that will also see Brunswick, Cony and Lawrence connecting on a few haymakers. If you’re a free agent fan looking for one conference to follow this fall, this is the one.
Class C: Leavitt over Winslow
This was the easiest prediction for me, not because the Hornets and Black Raiders are overwhelming favorites (they’re not) but purely for sentimental reasons. The two schools have a contentious history. They split back-to-back state championship meetings in 2013 and 2014 (with undercurrents of cheap shots and the winner running it up in each). They were conference rivals as recently as 2010. I’m not sure the coaching staffs or players liked each other at any point.
Both teams will be very good this season and playing with a chip on their respective shoulders after they suffered one-point losses in the regional semifinals last year. With that said, Cape Elizabeth, Gardiner and MCI are the best bets to spoil my dream Super Saturday matchup. Like they need any more motivation.
Class D: Wells over Foxcroft
On the eve of terrorizing Class D for a second year, Wells’ Wing T seems to be a snowball rolling down Sugarloaf. The Warriors have the pedigree, depth, tradition and coaching to withstand any graduation losses and come back as good, if not better, than the year before. We won’t have to wait long to find out just how good they are this year. They host Cape Elizabeth in Week 2. Last year, they beat the Capers, who went on to win C South, 14-7.
Lisbon seems the most logical choice to challenge Wells with 2017 Sun Journal Player of the Year Lucas Francis and a number of other talented players returning. Mountain Valley, Spruce Mountain and Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale can all make a case that they’ve improved, too. But the gap between Wells and the rest of the region is still yawning.
Speaking of yawning, I’ll wrap this up so you can stop yours. Foxcroft may be an even bigger favorite in the North than Wells is in the South.
Good luck to all of the teams this season. And to all of those who feel slighted by my picks, I will leave you with this quote from Principal Skinner of “The Simpsons”:
Prove me wrong kids. Prove. Me. Wrong.
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