If Cheverus placekicker Patrick Mourmouras gets a chance to line up for an extra point or field goal in the Class A state championship on Saturday ”“ which is good bet considering the Stags’ high-powered offense ”“ he said he has trust in the teammate who will be holding that ball for him.

That trust was built well before the two years that Mourmouras has been on the team, as the junior and fellow classmate Liam LaFountain grew up together in Biddeford.

“I’ve known him since kindergarten, so we have great chemistry,” said Mourmouras.

LaFountain has been the reliable holder as Mourmouras has converted on 58 of his 61 extra-point attempts. Eight of those kicks came after LaFountain scored a touchdown for the Stags.

LaFountain is just one of many dangerous weapons on the Cheverus offense, with the junior part of a stable of capable running backs, along with Joe Fitzpatrick, Will Hilton and others. The Stags averaged nearly 53 points per game during the regular season, with most of the scores coming via the ground game.

“It’s a lot of fun to be on an offense like that,” said LaFountain. “Everyone deserves some credit.”

LaFountain made sure to credit the offensive line that has created some rather large holes for him and his fellow backs. It’s a similar group to the one that has given Mourmouras plenty of time to split the uprights on extra-point attempts.

“The blockers in front of me, they make it so easy for me,” said Mourmouras.

Mourmouras said that he and LaFountain will be fulfilling a dream on Saturday that they talked about back when they were classmates at St. James School in Biddeford.

“When we were younger, we always wanted to play in a state championship together, and now, we have that chance, and it’s awesome,” he said.

It’s a journey that has taken some twists and turns along the way. LaFountain said that he didn’t make the decision to attend Cheverus until late in his eighth-grade year, with Mourmouras knowing well before then.

Mourmouras also didn’t join the football team until last season, when he split duties between that sport and the Cheverus varsity boys soccer team. But this season, he has focused solely on football, saying he got his fill of soccer playing with the Portland Phoenix premier team during the offseason.

LaFountain said there were times that he thought that dream that he talked about with Mourmouras wouldn’t come true, “but we’re lucky it is,” he said.

Joining the two longtime friends on the turf at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland on Saturday will be senior wide receiver Noah Stebbins, another Biddeford native.

“It’s very cool. It’s nice for us to represent the city,” said LaFountain, noting that he knew Stebbins pretty well before he arrived at Cheverus.

Another local product, Cody O’Brien from Wells, is a senior captain for the Stags. LaFountain credited him with being an important emotional leader in getting the Stags back to the state title game, where they last were two years ago.

“He’s a very good leader. He gets us going before the games, at halftime, and makes sure our heads are in it,” said LaFountain. “He’s a good guy to have around.”

Mourmouras can say the same thing about LaFountain as a holder. If Saturday’s state final against Bonny Eagle comes down to a big kick, Mourmouras won’t have to worry about whether the ball will be in position for him, even if he’d rather not find himself in that situation.

“I hope it doesn’t come down to that. But that would be unreal,” said Mourmouras.

The Stags face off against the Scots in the first championship matchup of the day on Saturday, with kickoff slated for 11:06 a.m.

— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.