Members of the Waterville football run during practice earlier this month in Waterville. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
WATERVILLE — It’s a matchup his team has been on the winning side of thus far — but that doesn’t mean Isaac LeBlanc finds playing the Mount Desert Island Trojans easy.
Since moving to the eight-man football ranks in 2021, Waterville has beaten MDI in both the regular season and playoffs twice. All four games have been tight with the Purple Panthers never beating the Trojans by more than 10 points.
“Every time we play MDI, I feel like I lose five years off my life,” said LeBlanc, Waterville’s third-year head coach. “They’ve got athletes, they’ve got football players, and they’re well-coached. Every time, we know it’s going to take everything we’ve got.”
That will be the case Friday night as Waterville travels to Bar Harbor to renew its intense series with MDI. It’s a game with major implications for the Panthers and Trojans. Both are looking to recover from their first losses of the season in Week 3 and get back on track in Large School North.
Both of Waterville’s back-to-back Large School titles have required it to go through MDI. The Panthers needed overtime to beat the Trojans in the regular season two years ago before prevailing 50-40 in the playoffs; last year, Waterville won the regular season matchup 26-20 and the regional championship game 22-12.
“We’ve played them four times in the past two years, and they’ve beaten us every time,” said MDI head coach Mark Shields, now in his second year back leading the Trojans after his previous stint from 2003-17. “They’ve all been good games. We’re two good football teams with hard-working kids.”
The early results this year suggest Waterville and MDI are in for the same this time. The Panthers have been menacing defensively with just 16 points allowed in three games. The Trojans (2-1) have been equally solid, impressing in wins over Mountain Valley and Gray-New Gloucester and even in a loss to Camden Hills.
Waterville football coach Isaac LeBlanc, center, instructs the team during practice on Sept. 12 in Waterville. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
In addition to its stout defense, much of the intrigue surrounding Waterville (2-1) early on has been at the quarterback position. Although Wyatt Gradie started the year under center for the Panthers, Ben Foster has gradually moved into the role and is now taking the majority of the snaps with Gradie moving to receiver.
“I feel like I’m stepping up to a bigger position with a lot of shoes to fill, but I like it,” said Foster, also one of Waterville’s top tacklers on defense. “(Wyatt and I) have played together a long time, and the mesh is there, especially from last game, so if this is what the game plan is, I’m going to roll with it.”
The quarterback position might be one of MDI’s strongest attributes. The Trojans have one of the most experienced signal-callers in eight-man football in Spencer Laurendeau, a three-year starter at the position. The senior has always been a good runner, but this year, his passing mechanics have greatly improved.
“Laureandeau’s a heck of a player; he can run, he can throw, and he can improvise,” LeBlanc said of Laurendeau. “Offensively, they’re going to spread you out, and defensively, they’re tough and know their assignments. Talk about teams that are just well-rounded, MDI is definitely one of those teams.”
Shields said the same of Waterville. The Trojans, after all, have thrown everything they’ve had at the Panthers over the past two years but have yet to come away with a victory. It will take a similar effort if MDI wants to end the hex against a Waterville team that is once again regional title-caliber.
Waterville’s Ben Foster (28) intercepts a pass intended for Morse receiver Braylon Williams during a Sept. 15 game at Drummond Field in Waterville. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
“They’re a high-energy team that’s very-well coached,” Shields said. “”They have some good-sized kids on the line and skill kids that complement that strength. They can run and throw the ball with those skill kids and their nice running backs. It’s not easy to move the ball against that strong defense, either.”
Waterville knows what it’s like to battle opponents that have come up just short against it over the past two years. Just like MDI, Morse had also lost some hard-fought battles against the Panthers in the 2021 and 2022 regular season playoffs. Last week, the Shipbuilders finally got over the hump, beating Waterville 16-14.
LeBlanc, then, is well aware of what his team is up against this week. Unlike last Friday’s afternoon home game, Waterville will be on the road at night against MDI. The atmosphere at a dark Alumni Field is always rowdy — not that the Panthers or their coach want anything less.
“Our guys love that atmosphere,” LeBlanc said. “We know what type of opponent we’re going to be facing, and we know we’re going to have to bring our very best. Our guys are mentally locking in for that type of atmosphere because you better show up if you want to beat MDI.”
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