LISBON — Few saw it coming.

Friday’s shocking 25-15 Class D South Regional Final victory by Lisbon/St. Dom’s over top-ranked Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale on Don Roux Field in Lewiston was met with surprise by many.

Not that the Greyhounds were not deserving of this win. Far from it!

Lisbon/St. Dom’s came into Friday’s tilt riding a three-game winning streak, including a key regular-season closing 16-13 victory over rival Oak Hill, giving the ’Hounds the No. 2 seed in Class D South and a bye.

Two weeks later, Lisbon controlled both sides of the ball in a 48-20 win over the Raiders, setting up the regional final showdown with the Ramblers, who had humbled the Greyhounds at Thompson Field, 49-14, on Sept. 28.

Instead of hanging their heads after the lopsided defeat, the Greyhounds went back to basics. A road win over unbeaten to that point Spruce Mountain, 35-21, followed. Then came a visit to Class C South power York, which played in Friday’s Class C Regional Final. With the leaves changing and temperatures beginning to cool on this Oct. 11 night, the Greyhounds found their game, battling the Wildcats tooth and nail in a 42-33 setback.

Despite the loss, Lisbon came away with a belief that it was able to play with anyone.

“They started believing in themselves after the York game, and even though we lost, they played well and left everything on the field,” said Lisbon coach Chris Kates, whose first two playoff wins have come this season after his squads fell in back-to-back years in the quarterfinals at home. “We simplified our game, started doing the things that we knew that we could do well. Those young guys up front gained experience, and there is a major difference in our front seven from the first half of the season to now.”

Against Oak Hill in the D South semifinals, the running attack was the key. So on Friday night, the Ramblers jammed the box, putting eight, nine or even 10 defenders near the line of scrimmage, looking to take away the Lisbon run game.

But the Greyhounds showed a different side to their game, with quarterback Seth Leeman slinging passes to Robbie Dick and Riley Quatrano, forcing Winthrop to back off the line of scrimmage and defend the solid Lisbon passing attack.

Lisbon enters the state title game with a 7-3 record, outscoring its opponents 272-198.

Bucksport

The next test for Lisbon — and the “biggest” challenge to date — comes Saturday in the State Class D title game against Class D North champion and undefeated Bucksport (2:30 p.m. at Portland’s Fitzpatrick Stadium).

The Golden Bucks, quite frankly, are big, strong, and play a smash-mouth style of football that will certainly challenge the Greyhounds.

“Bucksport is a team that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” said Kates of the Golden Bucks, who defeated Dexter, 46-8, in the Class D North Regional Final at Hampden Academy. “They run power formations behind an experienced offensive line, and on defense they are very good. The are well-coached, well-drilled, and they stick with their plan.”

The only near hiccup in Bucksport’s season came on Oct. 11. On the same night Lisbon took on York, the Golden Bucks trailed Oak Hill, 14-0, in the fourth quarter. However, Bucksport rallied, scoring 21 unanswered points for a 21-14 come-fr0m-behind victory.

“They showed resiliency against Oak Hill, and just kept fighting to the end,” Kates said.

Bucksport (9-0) employs a three-running back attack. Following the veteran offensive line of Dawson Eaton,

Gavin Billings, Kayden Foster, Owen Gaudreau and Julian Shook, along with tight end David Gross, freshman running back Jaxon Gross and sophomore runner Josh Miller both finished with more than 1,000 yards this season. Ty Giberson chipped in over 500 yards and provided solid lead blocks, opening big holes for his teammates.

The Golden Bucks cruised through their Class D North schedule. Following a 35-6 season-0pening win over Mattanawcook Academy, Bucksport routed Dexter (43-7), Washington Academy (60-0), Mount View (47-0) and Hermon (28-0) before the Oak Hill contest. The regular season ended with a 53-0 besting of rival Foxcroft Academy, followed by a semifinal 49-12 win over the Ponies.

Against Dexter in the regional final, Jaxon Gross rushed for 224 yards and three scores. In all, the Golden Bucks have outscored their opponents 382-47, and return to the state final for the first time since 2013, a 42-35 loss to Oak Hill. Bucksport’s last state title came in Class C back in 2004 when the Golden Bucks defeated Jay, 42-20.

Advice

Kates has been to state finals, both as a Lisbon quarterback and as a coach under Mynahan. He told his team that there will be distractions this week, with media buzzing around the practice field and the hype that goes with Maine’s version of “Super Saturday.”

The is the first state final appearance for the Greyhounds since 2016, a gut-wrenching 20-14 loss to Maine Central Institute in the Class D title contest. MCI turned a potential game-winning field goal into a last-second touchdown to pull out the victory in longtime coach Dick Mynahan’s last game on the Lisbon sideline.

“I got a lot from coaching in that game,” said Kates, whose Greyhounds are practicing on Bowdoin College’s Whittier Field turf this week. “It is a whirlwind all week, with media and everything else. We will do our best to work on our plan and stick to what we do well.

“The seniors this year were freshman in 2016, so they saw many of the things that went into preparing for the challenge. I think that will help.”

The Greyhounds won the State Class C championship in both 2005 and 2006, defeating Foxcroft Academy on both occasions.

 

 

 

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