Bangor beats Lawrence and other week 4 football highlights

The Bangor Rams football team got its first win of the season on Friday, defeating Lawrence in a back-and-forth battle on the road, 33-24. The defending B North champion Bulldogs couldn’t slow down Bangor’s rushing attack, which compiled north of 300 yards and five touchdowns.

Elsewhere, Hermon and Nokomis’ Class C North matchup went into double overtime, and Stearns/Schenck earned a statement win over rival Orono. Here’s everything you need to know about week 4 of the high school football season.

Bangor beats Lawrence 33-24 away

Bangor (1-3) and Lawrence (2-2) was a great matchup of two solid ground games which did not fail to disappoint. The Bulldogs received the opening kickoff and scored two first half touchdowns, but the Rams kept pace with two junior Kyle Johnson rushing TDs and a strip of star Lawrence running back Colton Carter by junior Zac Cota.

The key momentum swing came right before the fourth quarter, with the Rams up 20-18 and facing a 3rd-and-six in the Lawrence red zone. Johnson handed off a draw to co-captain Cota, who muscled through multiple tacklers and emerged from a traffic jam for a crucial 15-yard touchdown.

A few minutes later, Bangor senior nose guard Jake Biberstein would jump on a bad Lawrence snap and recover the ball for the Rams, who then converted on fourth down and would seal it with Cota’s second rushing touchdown of the game. Cota, Johnson and senior running back Mason Knights each finished with north of 100 yards on the ground.

Moving forward, Bangor will play an underrated Windham (0-4) team away this Saturday at noon, and Lawrence will look to bounce back versus rival Messalonskee (2-2) on the road this Friday at 7 p.m.

Hermon beats Nokomis 28-26 at home

For the third week in a row, the Hermon Hawks had a football game come down to a 2-point conversion. In overtime tied at 14-14, both Hermon and Nokomis scored rushing touchdowns but failed on their 2-point conversions. Nokomis deferred possession to Hermon again in double overtime, but star power back Seth Bowden was stopped just short of the goal line by the Hawks’ defense.

Last week, Hermon successfully went for two versus Hampden Academy (2-2) to jump back in front 22-21 late in the fourth quarter. Two weeks ago, Messalonskee stopped Hermon in overtime, as the Hawks fell 35-34.

“Our guys were able to stuff the best running back in our league, hats off to them. We’re an inch or two away from 4-0, so I’m very happy,” Hermon head coach Kyle Gallant said. “I would like for us to put a game away one week, but I’m proud of them.”

Four different Hermon Hawks scored rushing touchdowns versus Nokomis: sophomore Sam Hopkins and junior Justin Largay in regulation, and then seniors Bruce Coulter and Sam Hopkins in first and second overtime, respectively. It was Hermon’s Homecoming game.

Hermon (3-1) now tops the Class C North Crabtree standings, right in front of Oceanside (3-1). The two sides are undefeated in conference play, and will face off in Hermon on Oct. 18. In the meantime, the Hawks will host D North powerhouse Foxcroft Academy (4-0) this upcoming Friday at 7 p.m., and Nokomis (1-3) will host Hampden on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Portland beats Lewiston 56-0 at home

The Portland Bulldogs (3-1) convincingly reclaimed first place in the Class A North Crabtree standings on Friday, blowing out the Blue Devils (2-1) at home.

Portland was coming off a frustrating 14-8 loss to Bonny Eagle — a team Lewiston had beaten by nine in week one — but made the correction and then some, jumping out to a 50-0 halftime lead over Lewiston. The Bulldogs rallied behind their overwhelming line corps, forcing three first half turnovers and scoring a balanced mix of passing and rushing touchdowns.

The Bulldogs’ reserves continued to shut out Lewiston in the second half, and scored on a passing touchdown in the fourth quarter. The reigning regional champions now have a 3-0 record against Class A North opposition, and will play Edward Little (1-2) then Bangor in the next two weeks. Lewiston will try to rebound versus Oxford Hills (1-3) at home this Friday at 7 p.m.