Oceanside-Hermon showdown is among weekend’s top high school football games
The jockeying for position in the Crabtree points standings will continue this weekend and headlining the weekend's games will be a battle between teams vying for the top spot in Class C North.
Here are four games to keep an eye on this weekend
Oceanside (4-2) at Hermon (4-2), 7 p.m. Friday
These are two of the three teams at 4-2 in C North along with Medomak Valley of Waldoboro.
The past three games between the two have been high-scoring affairs.
Defending C North champ Oceanside won at Hermon last season 34-28, and the Hawks triumphed in Rockland the previous year 38-36.
The teams also met in the C North semifinals two years ago with second-seed Hermon topping No. 3 Oceanside 49-28.
Hermon had a nice bounceback win over Brewer, 42-0, after being shut out by D North leader Foxcroft Academy 17-0 the previous week.
Oceanside has been hurt by the injury bug, which has claimed its two leading rushers in Zeb Foster (broken hand) and Robert Blair (sprained ankle). Foster has 1,086 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.
Their availability is up in the air.
Matthew Bodman, hampered by a broken thumb early in the season, rushed for 187 yards on 27 carries in a 31-18 loss to Hampden Academy last weekend.
Oceanside has scored at least 28 points in a game four times but has allowed 30 or more four times.
Brothers Max and Sam Hopkins are among the catalysts for the Hawks.
Bucksport (3-3) at Ellsworth/Sumner (5-1), 7 p.m. Friday
The Bucks have won three of their last four in Eight-Man Small North and will be looking for their second straight win at Ellsworth after last year's 48-34 triumph.
Bucksport also bested Ellsworth/Summer 60-6 in the quarterfinals.
Both are coming off comfortable wins as Ellsworth/Sumner beat Dexter/Piscataquis 50-8 and Bucksport topped Madawaska/Fort Kent/Wisdom 44-0.
The game features the third and fourth leading rushers in the division in Ellsworth's Ripley Strout (58 carries, 798 yards, 10 touchdowns) and Bucksport's Nick Debeck (105 carries, 595 yards, 7 TDs).
Bucksport's Ronan Maguire has carried the ball 50 times for 271 yards and three TDs.
Both quarterbacks have also been productive.
Bucksport's Haven Kennedy has completed 55 of 93 passes for 752 yards and 12 TDs, and his leading receivers have been Eli Bennett (31 catches, 471 yards, 9 TDs) and Alden Debeck (15-161, 3 TDs).
Ellsworth's Thomas Jude has completed 32 of 60 passes for 586 yards and nine TDs. Cameron Conners has been his favorite target, snaring 11 passes for 236 yards and three TDs).
Alden Debeck and Ellsworth's Dan Carter have been their team's top tacklers with 39 and 38, respectively. Twenty-nine of Carter's tackles have been solo.
Brewer (1-5) at Hampden Academy (3-3), 7 p.m. Friday
Hampden Academy's win over Oceanside snapped the Broncos' three-game losing streak.
Running back Aiden Kochendoerfer scored three TDs for the Broncos, rushing for two and catching a TD pass from Gavin Monyok. He rushed for 177 yards on just seven carries.
Monyok completed eight of 14 passes for 65 yards and two TDs with the other TD reception being made by Andy Henaghen.
Andrew Cote caught three passes for 51 yards and Henaghen hauled in two for 36.
Brewer had broken into the win column two weeks ago against Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield, 34-0.
Running back Morgan Judkins and quarterback Ethan Leavitt have been Brewer's primary offensive threats.
Hampden Academy bested the Witches 28-0 last season.
Bangor (1-5) at Winnacunnet N.H. (4-2), 6 p.m. Friday
Bangor beat Winnacunnet 28-7 in Bangor a year ago, but quarterback Jack Schuck, who threw for 137 yards and two TDs in that win, has graduated and the Rams are more run-oriented this season.
Winnacunnet's only two losses have come at the hands of a pair of 6-0 teams, Exeter (38-12) and Nashua South (43-8).
Bangor is coming off a 35-7 loss to A North leader Portland.
It was the fourth time the Rams had given up 34 or more points in a game.
Hard-running quarterback Kyle Johnson has been their top offensive weapon.
