Saturday’s 32-6 win over Houlton was a confidence boost for Mount View. The Mustangs entered the season expecting to be contend for one of the Little Ten Conference’s six playoff spots, but after back-to-back lopsided losses to Foxcroft and Mattanawcook to open the season, the Mustangs needed a win.
“This was a game we needed for confidence,” Mount View coach Rick Leary said.
Leary said a big improvement he saw came in pass coverage. Foxcroft and Mattanawcook were able to beat the Mustangs on some deep balls, and coverage was a point of emphasis in the week of practice leading up to the Houlton game.
“We put a lot of work in the secondary, and they did a nice job,” Leary said. “We were ready in the MA (Mattanawcook) game. We were two or three plays away.”
On paper, the Mustangs have already played the toughest part of their schedule. Mount View doesn’t play Bucksport, considered a top contender for the league title along with Foxcroft. None of the five teams left on Mount View’s schedule had a winning season in 2017, although Ellsworth, Dexter, and Washington Academy each went 4-4 in the regular season last year.
“Hopefully we got some confidence Saturday and keep it going,” Leary said.
• • •
The University of Maine football team had a bye this past weekend, giving the newest member of the team time to get acquainted with his teammates. Former Maine Central Institute standout Adam Bertrand was added to the Black Bears roster last week.
“I decided before the end of the school year, I was coming here,” Bertrand, a freshman, said. “Since I was coming here, I figured I might as well give (football) a try. Shoot my shot at it. I’ve been looking forward to this.”
Bertrand earned his spot by performing well at an open tryout of around 10 players. The players were asked to take part in football drills measuring quickness and agility. Afterward, he met with head coach Joe Harasymiak, who told Bertrand he had made the team.
As a running back/linebacker, Bertrand was a key player on MCI’s back-to-back state championship teams of the past two seasons. The Huskies won the Class D title in 2016, before moving up to Class C and winning the gold ball last season.
Bertrand is listed as a 6-foot, 197-pound running back on the Maine roster, but said he has been practicing at linebacker. Bertrand will redshirt this season, meaning he will practice, but will not be allowed to dress for games.
Maine will play at Football Bowl Subdivision Central Michigan Saturday at 3 p.m. The Black Bears defeated FBS Western Kentucky, 31-28, on Sept. 8.
• • •
It’s a statistical anomaly, but one MCI is glad to be on the right side of the last two weeks. Each of the Huskies’ first three games was a shutout.
After losing at Leavitt in the season opener, 28-0, MCI rebounded with a pair of shutout wins of its own. In week two, the Huskies beat Medomak Valley, 63-0. This past week, MCI won at Mt. Desert Island, 28-0, in a rematch of last season’s conference championship game.
If MCI extends its shutout streak to three games, it will come against one of the teams expected to challenge the Huskies for the regional title. MCI hosts Hermon (3-0) Friday. The Hawks are coming off a strong 25-7 win over Nokomis.
• • •
As expected, the Pine Tree Conference Class B division is the tightest in the state. Skowhegan’s 14-13 win at Cony Friday left no undefeated teams in the conference. Skowhegan, Cony, Brunswick, and Mt. Blue each sit at 2-1.
A few games in the next two weeks will help form the playoff run into shape. First, Cony plays at Lawrence (1-2) Friday. After a pair of lopsided losses to open the season, Lawrence earned a big win over Brewer, 46-8, last week.
On Sept. 28, Mt. Blue plays at Brunswick. Mt. Blue will be coming off a conference game against Brewer, while the Dragons will face Kennebunk in a tough non-conference game before hosting the Cougars.
• • •
Around the state: The game of the week is in Class D North, Foxcroft at Bucksport. Both teams are 3-0, and it’s not too early to say the winner has the inside track at the number one seed in the regional playoffs… Like the PTC B, the PTC A (Class A North) also has no unbeaten teams. Oxford Hills, Portland, Cheverus, and Edward Little are all 2-1, and are set for an interesting race for playoff seeding… No team scored 70 points in week three, snapping a two-week streak of at least one team hitting the 70-point mark. Thornton Academy, which put up 70 points in week one, scored 63 points in a win over Massabesic.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
Send questions/comments to the editors.
