READFIELD — The first shutout came before the leaves changed. So did the second one.

There hasn’t been a third yet, but the Maranacook Community High School football team was well on its way to establishing what few thought was possible this fall: A defense that statistically would rank among the state’s elite.

That’s right, the Maranacook defense — which allows just 6.8 points per game — is tied for second in the state behind Yarmouth (5.8). Cheverus, the defending Class A state champion, also averages 6.8 points a game.

So, did the Black Bears (8-1) expect to field such a stingy defense?

“No,” Maranacook senior captain defensive end Luke Emery said. “I thought we’d be average. I never thought we’d be like No. 3 in the state.”

There’s not been anything average about this defense, which Emery and senior middle linebacker Ian Palmer lead.

The numbers are staggering.

Maranacook, which plays at Traip Academy (7-2) in a Western C semifinal game at 1 p.m. Saturday, has held opponents to six or fewer points in seven of its nine games.

The Black Bears have two shutouts and have allowed no more than 16 points in a game.

“It’s not perfect, but we take great pride in it,” Palmer said. “We’re smash-mouth. We love playing defense. We look forward to it.”

Added defensive tackle George Bragdon: “We’re fearless. We play with a lot of pride.”

The third-seeded Black Bears have won six straight heading into their showdown in Kittery against No. 2 Traip.

Maranacook edged Traip 22-6 in the regular-season opener. Joe Emery, who is in his third season as Maranacook coach, said Traip has improved dramatically since the teams squared off Sept. 2 in Readfield.

But so, too, have the Bears and their aggressive, ball-hawking defense.

“We just have a bunch of kids who like to go out and hit people,” Joe Emery said. “We’re really aggressive. We fly around. This year, we really started steamrolling and got one shutout after another. We can get it done.”

The defense that takes the field Saturday is vastly different than the unit that opened the season.

Maranacook has lost several players to injury throughout the season, including tackle Chris Pettengill (foot), defensive end Andrew Lachance (foot), cornerback Seth Miller (collarbone) and defensive end Dan Giguere (knee).

All four played big roles on the defense early, but all four will be sidelined this weekend.

No matter, says Joe Emery, the defense has overcome adversity all season.

“We’ve needed other guys to step up,” he said. “We’ll come off the bus Saturday pretty jacked. We’ll be ready. We have guys who can get it done.”

Eben Ballard, a newcomer to the team this season, is shifting from nose guard to defensive end. Jimmy Cumming is the new starting nose guard. Gabe Giguere and Cody Hinkley-Roy, who leads the team with seven interceptions, anchor the secondary.

Palmer, Evans and Zach Bessette start as linebackers, while Jalen Thompson (tackle) and George Bragdon (tackle) help lead the surge up front.

“We’re ruthless,” Ballard said.

Added Cumming: “We’re not huge, but we can play.”

Joe Emery says the strength of the defense is its ability to “get after the ball.”

“Everyone is moving,” he said. “We always get four or five guys to the ball. We’re pretty relentless.”

Palmer agreed, saying the defense “never stops.”

“We go until the whistle,” he said. “We are always shooting for shutouts. We’ve opened some eyes this season.”

Count Traip coach Ron Ross among the believers.

“They have everything on defense you could want,” he said. “They have cover guys, an excellent middle linebacker who you can’t get a blocker on, and then you have Emery coming off the end. He’s always somewhere. They can play some defense.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

bstewart@centralmaine.com

 

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