Mark Hackett had a football coach’s dream Saturday — the chance to watch four possible playoff opponents in person.

After defeating Mt. Blue in an Eastern Class A semifinal Friday night, Hackett and his staff were able to watch Deering meet Bonny Eagle at 1 p.m. in Standish, then travel to Lewiston to watch the Blue Devils play Brunswick at 6.

The Brunswick-Lewiston game had been postponed from Friday night because of field conditions.

Bangor will be home against Lewiston in the Eastern Maine final tonight and if his team wins, Hackett plans to be at the Cheverus-Deering game for the Western Class A title Saturday.

Conversely, should Lewiston win, you can bet Coach Bill County and his staff will be at the Cheverus-Deering game.

“The more times you see a team, the better prepared you are to play them,” said Hackett.

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Teams might not scout opponents in person as much as in past years because film exchanges are used for game preparation. But Hackett said there’s nothing like being there.

Hackett, who has an 83-22 record in 10 seasons at Bangor, coached the Rams to the state title in 2001. Bangor lost to Bonny Eagle in 2004, then last year to Windham, in its last two trips to the state final.

THE WAY the schedule has worked out, Saturday will be Cheverus’ fifth straight home game, which has been a nice revenue boost. In playoff games, gate receipts are split with opponents after expenses.

Cheverus’ final two regular-season games were home against Bonny Eagle and Deering, both attracting large crowds.

The Stags will play Deering again at 12:30 p.m. Saturday for the Western Class A title.

“I can’t think of another school that’s had five straight home games,” said Cheverus Athletic Director Gary Hoyt. “It’s a first for us. It’s been good to see the tradition of Saturday afternoon football be revived. The weather has been reasonable, and it looks good for this Saturday, too.

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“Last year our final two regular-season games were on the road. It’s just the way the schedule worked out.”

After beating Deering in the regular-season finale to earn the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, Cheverus beat Windham in the quarterfinals and Scarborough in the semifinals.

Of those last four games, Hoyt said Bonny Eagle drew the largest crowd, followed by Scarborough. He anticipates a big crowd Saturday.

“I would expect a lot of casual fans will attend because it’s a Western Maine final,” said Hoyt.

The school has limited parking, but parking is available at St. Pius Church on Ocean Avenue across from Payson Park.

Cheverus provides a shuttle bus from the church to the field, less than a half-mile away. There is some parking on the streets near Cheverus, but there could be restrictions.

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As for field conditions for Saturday’s game, Hoyt said: “We project the field to be in very good shape. The game officials told me last week that they thought it was the best grass field they’ve seen.”

YARMOUTH WILL be playing in its second straight Western Class C final, but the difference this year, said Coach Jim Hartman, is “we’re a lot more mature this time and playing at home really helps.

“Last year we played three road games and were beat.”

As the No. 1 seed, the Clippers haven’t had to leave home for the playoffs.

Hartman called Lisbon — the Clippers’ opponent at 1 p.m. Saturday — “a very strong opponent.”

The Greyhounds may be banged up, but they still managed to pull out an overtime victory against Winthrop in the semifinals. And the Clippers only beat Lisbon 16-14 in Week 5 of the regular season.

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WELLS COACH Tim Roche likes the atmosphere of Mountain Valley’s Hosmer Field.

“It’s where high school football is meant to be played,” said Roche.

“I don’t like the ride, but once I’m there, I enjoy the atmosphere. Mountain Valley always has a big crowd, but I think a lot of our fans will be there to support us. This is a fun time for Wells football. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at:

tchard@pressherald.com

 


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