It’s going to be loud. A late arriving fan may find himself peering over a crowd four-deep along the fence.

For the first time since 2007, Bangor (8-2) and Lawrence (10-0) play at Fairfield’s Keyes Field for the Pine Tree Conference Class A championship.

Bangor High School football coach Mark Hackett can’t wait.

“It’s a lot of fun, I can tell you that,” Hackett said. “Other than Bangor, there’s no other place I’d rather play. It reminds me of a basketball game. It’s loud, the fans are right on top of you. It’s great. It’s a great atmosphere.”

The winner of tonight’s game will face the winner of Saturday’s Western Class A final between Thornton Academy (9-1) and Cheverus (10-0) in the Class A state championship game, Nov. 19 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. Since 2006, Lawrence and Bangor have each won two PTC A titles.

“It’s always exciting, this time of year, to play Bangor. We played them Week 2 and had a great game against them,” Lawrence coach John Hersom said.

Lawrence beat Bangor 32-25 on Sept. 10, in Bangor. A lot has changed since then, most notably at quarterback for the Bulldogs. Alex Leathers took over after a shoulder injury sidelined Spencer Carey. Leathers has played well, and Carey is now a weapon as a utility player in the Lawrence offense.

“We think (Leathers is) very good. It’s different, but still very good. They each present their own problems,” Hackett said. “I think they’re a much better team than they were, just like we are.”

Lawrence halfback Shaun Carroll, Jr. led the conference in rushing for much of the season, but was slowed by a groin injury over the second half. Carroll looked as strong as he has in weeks in a semifinal win over Messalonskee, running for 192 yards.

“We seem to be executing at a very high level offensively, even though we’ve had some injuries to deal with,” Hersom said. “The kids have bought into the philosophy that this is a great team game. There’s no better team game out there.”

Bangor is coming off what’s arguably its best game of the season, a 42-14 win over Brunswick in the conference semifinals. Cody Chapman returned the opening kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown, and the Rams rolled.

“Brunswick was the best team we’ve beaten to that point. It was just one of those nights where it happened right. We’ve done it before, and we’ve had it happen to us. Once it starts going, you can’t stop it,” Hackett said.

In Chapman and Zeb Tuell, the Rams have a pair of strong running backs. Tight end Ellis Throckmorton has emerged as a dangerous receiver, along with wideout Nick Sherwood, and quarterback Carl Farnham has played well all season. Most importantly for the Rams, they aren’t turning the ball over. Bangor is plus-22 in turnover margin.

“We’ll have to play great defense,” Hersom said. “They’re not going to help us or provide us with an opportunity with a turnover or have multiple penalties.”

The strength of the Lawrence defense is up front. End Bryant Wade and defensive tackle Eriq Stewart are two of the top pass rushers in the league, and the Bulldogs have been strong against the run all season.

Chapman, a linebacker, leads the Bangor defense.

Like Hackett, Hersom expects a large, boisterous crowd.

“We definitely want to enjoy the atmosphere. We want to enjoy all the hype that goes into it, but we’ve got to be a smart football team,” Hersom said. “We do have to execute well. We have to take care of the ball and play great defense.”

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

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