Massabesic senior Owen Roberts has missed some games because of injury, but he’ll be healthy for Friday’s Class B South quarterfinal against Cheverus. Roberts rushed for 168 yards in a win over South Portland earlier this season. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
Massabesic’s football team has already shed two undesirable streaks.
The Mustangs are in the playoffs for the first time since 2009, and hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2007.
“The other day a parent of one of our seniors pointed out these seniors were in kindergarten the last time we hosted a playoff game,” said second-year coach Eric Ouellette.
Now the job is to claim their first playoff win since the 2005 team reached the Western A regional final, losing to eventual state champ Bonny Eagle.
No. 3 Massabesic (6-2) hosts No. 6 Cheverus (4-4) at 7 p.m. Friday, one of the highlights in the first weekend of postseason play for football teams in Classes B, C, D and the new eight-man league.
Massabesic (6-2) has taken advantage of its drop from Class A to Class B. After winning four games over four seasons, the Mustangs appealed their placement in Class A last spring. When the appeal was granted by the MPA, it contributed to a chain reaction. A total of six traditional Class A programs (including Cheverus) moved to B, leaving Class A with eight teams.
Does that move demean what Massabesic has done this season?
“That’s a good question and something we haven’t really talked about much but I have thought about it,” Ouellette said. “But a lot of the teams we played this year, we played last year and at one point, when I was in high school (at Biddeford), almost all of these B teams were in Class A.”
Massabesic went 3-0 against its fellow former Class A squads.
Massabesic was 3-21 in three seasons under Bruce Bowen from 2015-17. Ouellette’s first year didn’t look much different. The Mustangs were 1-6, with a game canceled because of an outbreak of a hand, foot and mouth virus at the school. They were the lone Class A South team to not qualify for the playoffs last fall.
Those struggles helped harden a senior class led by quarterback Nick Roberge, who has rushed for over 700 yards and also thrown the ball well.
“We have been talking the last couple of years about changing the culture and they’re the first group to embrace that and they do care, they do try their hardest,” Ouellette said.
Senior back Owen Roberts, who missed some games with injury, is healthy for Friday. Roberts has had big games, notably 149 yards last week in a win against Portland and 168 in a win against South Portland.
Ouellette said his offensive line of seniors Hunter Monahan and Jacob Breton and juniors Ben Carroll, Pierce Beaulieu and Tyler Ayers “have really been the difference makers for us.”
Cheverus’ Sean Tompkins will be a focus for the Massabesic defense. One of the fastest players in the state, Tompkins has scored at least one touchdown in every game, with eight TDs covering 57 or more yards.
South Portland quarterback Anthony Poole looks for an open receiver last week against Sanford. Poole had 44 carries for 234 yards in a 27-21 win over the Spartans. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer Buy this Photo
SOUTH PORTLAND (6-2) also has benefited from its move to Class B and the exploits of a determined senior quarterback. Anthony Poole had 44 carries for 234 yards in last week’s 27-21 win over Class A Sanford. The No. 5 Red Riots are at No. 4 Biddeford (5-3).
South Portland has not won a playoff game since 2011. Last season the Red Riots opted to not play in the playoffs after qualifying as the sixth seed.
MISMATCHES ARE unavoidable in the quarterfinals as long as eight teams are qualifying for regional playoffs in divisions that range from 8 to 11 teams. The number of playoff teams is decided by each league’s athletic directors, after the MPA sets the classes.
In Class B North, No. 8 Brewer (2-6), which narrowly beat two teams that didn’t make the playoffs, will be at No. 1 Brunswick (8-0). The teams met two weeks ago and Brunswick won 56-18.
In the nine-team Class C South, No. 8 Lake Region has three wins but they came against Dirigo, which folded its Class D varsity team days later, ninth-place Morse and Class D Camden Hills. The Lakers will be at unbeaten Leavitt. No. 7 Poland’s one win was against Lake Region. Poland is at No. 2 York (7-1). York beat Poland 47-16 in the regular season and is coming off a nearly 400-yard passing day in its 48-27 win against Wells.
Medomak Valley, the only team Morse beat this season, is the eighth seed in C North. The Panthers will take on No. 1 Winslow (7-1). Winslow has scored a state-leading 423 points and beat Medomak, 76-6.
No. 8 Gorham (3-5) at No. 1 Marshwood (7-1) is another mismatch. Marshwood, winners of four of the past five Class B titles, beat Gorham 52-0 on Sept. 27. Since then, the Hawks have beaten No. 4 Biddeford, 56-7, and No. 2 Kennebunk, 48-14.
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