When Windham High football coach Matt Perkins assesses this week’s opponent, he sees a familiar image.
“It’s almost like holding up a mirror,” Perkins said of Portland High. “Not in terms of our schemes but it’s very similar in that we both have a lot of very good skill guys.”
PRESS HERALD/ FIFTH QUARTER POLL
Here are the top 10 football teams in Maine, based on voting from Press Herald Staff Writer Steve Craig, Lee Goldberg of WCSH-6 and two coaches from each of the four classes.
(With total points, and first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Thornton Acad. (8) 98
2. Bonny Eagle (2) 88
3. Windham 64
4. Brunswick 56
5. Biddeford 31
6. Brewer 26
7. Falmouth 23
8. Portland 22
9. Messalonskee 17
10. Wells 14
“He’s right,” said Portland Coach Jim Hartman. “Our strengths are pretty much his and his weaknesses are pretty much ours.”
Portland (1-1) travels to Windham (2-0) for a 7:30 p.m. game Friday. It’s a rematch of last season’s Class A North final won by Portland, 24-7. With Cheverus limping due to illness and injury, the Portland-Windham winner will have a significant edge in the race for the division’s top seed.
Windham has outscored opponents 78-8, including a 37-0 win at Bangor last Friday. The Eagles opened at home with a 41-8 win over Lewiston.
Portland has had the tougher schedule. The Bulldogs lost their opener at home to Scarborough, 14-13, before bouncing back with a 40-14 win at Edward Little last Friday.
Portland also scrimmaged top Class A South contender Bonny Eagle and perennial Eastern Massachusetts power Everett in the preseason.
“We’ve been hit and we’ve learned to play at that intense level,” Hartman said.
Perkins acknowledged Windham has yet to face a team of Portland’s caliber but downplayed the significance of the schedule disparity.
“We played Scarborough in the preseason and they’re a very good team,” Perkins said. “With Lewiston, they gave us a bunch of crazy looks defensively and that was good for us. And Bangor was a big, physical team.”
Portland has multiple options on offense and added another with the return of running back/wide receiver Terion Moss, who has been out due to illness. Quarterback Issiah Bachelder also can look to favored receivers Jake Knop, Griffin Foley and Ethan Hoyt, his 6-foot-3, 252-pound tight end. Backs Nick Archambault and Dylan Bolduc are also threats.
Windham also has an experienced senior quarterback in Desmond Leslie.
“He’s done a really good job spreading the ball around,” Perkins said. “Last week it was Nazari Henderson and Griffin Hebert, and Week 1 it was Hebert and Grant Jacobson, the tight end.”
The Eagles are mixing in five running backs – including senior Kyle Houser and his brother, Blake, a sophomore – behind a new offensive line.
THE TOP GAME in Class B South on Friday sends high-scoring Falmouth (2-0) to Biddeford (2-0). The Tigers knocked off last year’s state champ, Marshwood, in their home opener. Falmouth was the top seed in the South last season, reaching the regional final. The Yachtsmen totaled 93 points in their two wins this fall.
“It’s been awhile since we’ve been in games that have really meant a lot and let’s be honest, this is a big one,” Biddeford Coach Brian Curit said.
BONNY EAGLE will be without a key two-way starter for the immediate future. Nick Thorne, a powerful 5-10, 220-pound junior running back/outside linebacker, injured his left elbow in Friday’s 21-7 win at Scarborough while fighting for extra yardage.
“Nick will be out for a couple of weeks but fortunately we do expect to get him back before the end of the season,” said Coach Kevin Cooper.
Thorne’s injury increased the workload for junior Alex Sprague, who burst on the scene in Week 1 with three kickoff return touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in limited touches against South Portland. Against Scarborough, Sprague had 22 carries (17 after Thorne’s injury) for 157 yards with a score and one lost fumble. Sprague’s speed and quick cuts gives him big-play potential. Cooper liked the way Sprague attacked a strong, fast Scarborough defense.
“I thought he ran really hard, which is different for Alex,” Cooper said. “Coming up, especially last year (at the junior varsity level), he had a lot of open holes. He didn’t really have to be rugged running the ball. I thought he was pretty rugged and then he always has that chance to go at any time, which is pretty exciting.”
OLD ORCHARD BEACH senior running back/defensive back Dylan Creswell will return Friday after a scary incident last weekend.
In the second half of a 26-14 loss at three-time Class D champ Oak Hill on Saturday, Creswell suffered an apparent back injury while making a tackle. He was taken from the field on a backboard and transported to a hospital. After a full battery of tests, Creswell was cleared completely, said Coach Dean Plante.
“We err on the side of caution now. It was handled well,” Plante said.
The Seagulls (0-1) will host Traip (0-1) in a Class D South matchup at 7 p.m.
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