The game times are set for the three state championship games at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland on Saturday.
The day begins with the Class A final between Windham and Thornton Academy at 11:06 a.m. At 2:36 p.m., Oak Hill will face Maine Central Institute in the Class D final. The last game of the day will be the Class B championship between Brunswick and Marshwood, and will kick off at 6:06 p.m.
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Regional Finals Honor Roll
• Jacob Trask of Winslow caught two 30-yard touchdown passes in a 29-12 win over Waterville in the Eastern Class C championship game.
• Winslow quarterback Bobby Chenard threw three touchdown passes in the Black Raiders win over Waterville in the Eastern Class C championship game.
• Winslow defensive lineman Nat Beckwith had two sacks in the Eastern Class C final.
• Jonthan Santiago of MCI ran for 126 yards a two touchdowns in the Huskies’ 21-7 win over Bucksport in the Little Ten Conference championship game. • MCI’s Eric Hathaway caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Greg Vigue, and helped lead a defense that held Bucksport to 62 yards in the second half of the LTC championship game.
• Austin Tolman, Braden Monteryo and Brandon McKenna each had an interception for MCI in Saturday’s LTC championship game win.
• Lawrence’s Dustin Simpson-Bragg caught touchdown passes of 75 and 31 yards in the Bulldogs loss to Brunswick in the Pine Tree Conference Class B final.
• Waterville quarterback AJ Godin ran for a touchdown and threw for another in the Panthers’ loss to Winslow.
The Class C championship game between Leavitt and Winslow is Friday at 7:06 p.m. at the University of Maine’s Alfond Stadium in Orono.
Ticket prices for the state championship games are $8 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens. One ticket is good for all three games at Fitzpatrick Stadium, but if you leave, you must buy a new ticket to reenter the facility.
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With many lopsided wins in the regular season, Maine Central Institute did not face many gut checks in the second halves of games. When they did, however, particularly in both the regular season win over Bucksport and the Little Ten Conference championship victory over the Golden Bucks on Saturday night, the Huskies excelled.
Trailing 7-0 at the half on Saturday, MCI scored 21 unanswered points to take a 21-7 win and thier first conference title since 2000.
“Our maturity certainly showed this week,” MCI coach Tom Bertrand said. “We weren’t upset or wound up because we knew we hadn’t played good football yet. Our kids just responded real well.”
The LTC final was almost a mirror image of MCI’s regular season win over Bucksport on Sept. 19. With the game tied 14-14 at halftime, the Huskies outscored the Golden Bucks 21-6 in the second half to take a 35-20 win. In two second halves this season, MCI outscored Bucksport 42-6.
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When they posed for pictures with the Eastern Maine Class C championship trophy after Saturday’s 29-12 win over Waterville, Winslow players made sure to include C.J. Kelley’s No. 50 jersey. A senior linebacker/guard, Kelley suffered a shoulder injury in the game and had been taken for treatment. Holding his jersey in the photo was his teammates way of letting Kelley know they were thinking of him.
Winslow coach Mike Siviski said he’s not sure if Kelley will be able to play in the state championship game Friday night against Leavitt.
“It’s up in the air,” Siviski said.
The Class C state championship game between Leavitt and Winslow is the only rematch of a 2013 game. Last season, Leavitt pulled away late to take a 47-18 win.
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There will be no first time state champion this season. Each of the eight schools playing in a title game this weekend has at least one football belt to its credit, although for a couple of them, it was won so long ago, hoisting a Gold Ball will seem like a new experience.
Brunswick last won a football crown in 1963. That season, the Dragons shared the Class B title with Madison. Marshwood, Brunswick’s opponent in the Class B final, has not won a state championship since taking the Class A win in 1989.
For MCI, the title drought goes back 40 years. The Huskies won the Class D state championship in 1974.
While playing in the last two Class C state championship games, Winslow’s last title came in 2001, when it won the Class B championship for the second consecutive season.
The other four schools playing this weekend have each won a title within the last five years. Windham was Class A champ in 2009, while its opponent on Saturday, Thornton Academy, won the title in 2012. Leavitt and Oak Hill are defending state champs in Class C and Class D, respectively, and are hoping to repeat.
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On Saturday, Husson University clinched its first Eastern Collegiate Football Conference title with a win at Mt. Ida, and with it, the Eagles (8-1) earned a spot in the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Eagles host New England Football Conference winner MIT (9-0) on Saturday at noon in the first round.
A handful of central Maine athletes have been key contributors to Husson’s successful season.
Mt. Blue graduate Matt Archer starts at left tackle on Husson’s offensive line, and is a key member of the unit that led the conference in yards per game, 366.1.
Lawrence grad Bryant Wade, a linebacker, is third on the team in tackles, with 42, and leads Husson with three fumble recoveries. Cony grad Rick Orio, a defensive back, has 34 tackles and three interceptions.
Oak Hill grad Luke Washburn won the Gaziano Award as the top high school defensive lineman in the state last season. Washburn has 31 tackles, including eight for a loss.
Defensive back Alonzo Connor, a Gardiner grad, has 19 tackles for the Eagles. Maranacook’s Ian Palmer has 19 stops from his defensive line position.
If Husson wins, it will face either Wesley, the No. 4 team in the nation in the latest D3football.com poll, or Hampden-Sydney, in the second round.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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