Messalonskee’s Sam Dube (5) rushes for a touchdown against Cony during a Sept. 15 football game in Oakland. Morning Sentinel file photo
FAIRFIELD — There’s only one team above Lawrence in the Class B North football standings — and you don’t have to remind John Hersom who’s coaching it.
Before Hersom began his 18-year tenure as head coach of the Bulldogs, he enjoyed success in the same role 9 miles away at Messalonskee. Of all the eras in the Eagles’ history, the 1990s were among the best, and quarterback Blair Doucette was one reason why.
“He’s pretty cerebral when it comes to football, and he always was,” Hersom said of Doucette. “He’s a good, hard-working man, and he was a pleasure to coach. I knew when they announced he was going to take the job that it was going to be a good move for (Messalonskee).”
“The job” in question is the head-coaching position at Messalonskee, where Doucette has guided the Eagles to a 6-0 start in his first year at the helm. To keep that unbeaten start going, he’ll have to take down his former mentor when Messalonskee meets Lawrence at 7 p.m. Friday at Keyes Field.
Doucette is no stranger to success on the gridiron at Messalonskee, where Hersom coached from 1992-2002. As starting quarterback for the Eagles for part of 1994 and all of 1995, he led the team to back-to-back Little Ten Conference semifinal appearances. Messalonskee went 7-3 in 1994 and 8-2 in ’95.
“Those days were some of my best memories,” Doucette said. “I had a really good time being coached by Coach Hersom. He’s always been a role model of mine, and he’s someone that I’ve looked up to, even today. … When I applied for this job, he’s the one that wrote my letter of recommendation.”
Now, it’s Doucette’s son, Tatum (48 of 96, 1,026 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, three interceptions), making waves at the quarterback position. With a receiving corps of Cash Bizier, Brady and Drake Brunelle and Garrett Card and Sam Dube (back-to-back 200-yard games) at running back, the Eagles are averaging 41.2 points per game.
Messalonskee is no slouch defensively, either, giving up just 9.2 points per game. Drake Brunelle (nine interceptions) just keeps tormenting opposing quarterbacks in the secondary, and with Mitch Marquis (11 1/2 tackles per game) and Dawson Dingus (eight tackles per game) at linebacker, it’s hard to move the ball on the Eagles.
First-year Messalonskee football head coach Blair Doucette watches a drill during an Oct. 4 football practice in Oakland. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
“They have a lot of athletes, and I think that’s going to be the biggest challenge,” said Lawrence quarterback Michael Hamlin. “(Drake Brunelle) is a great athlete, and it’s not easy to throw on them. … That option offense is also tough to stop, but if we can stop that, I think we’ll be all set.”
Lawrence (4-2) might be the only team in Class B North with an offense that can match Messalonskee’s. Since a 21-6 loss to Bangor to open the season, the Bulldogs have averaged 36 points per game. They also scored 32 points in a loss to juggernaut Leavitt two weeks ago, the most the Hornets have allowed since 2017.
Although Hamlin is capable of slinging the ball, Lawrence’s true strength comes in the run game. Between Hamlin, Colton Carter, Gaige Martin and Gavin Wilson, the Bulldogs have a strong rushing attack, one that ran for a program-record 483 yards in Week 4 against Cony.
“(The biggest challenge for us) is going to be that run game,” Doucette said. “They have a strong, fast, athletic line, and they have some really capable runners that can run behind it. We’re really hoping that we can play tough up front and get the linebackers going to where the ball is.”
The last meeting between the teams came in Week 8 last year as the one-win Eagles stunned the playoff-bound Bulldogs 38-36. That matchup, Tatum Doucette said, is something Lawrence’s returning players will surely remember when they take the field Friday night.
Lawrence’s Colton Carter gains yardage with the ball during a Sept. 29 in Fairfield. David Leaming photo
Messalonskee’s standout quarterback is also fully aware of what this game means to his father. Add in the prospect of spoiling Lawrence’s homecoming in a No. 1-vs.-No. 2 showdown, and there’s no doubt in the young Doucette’s mind as to the importance of this Pine Tree Conference tilt.
“My dad’s excited, I’m excited, and the whole coaching staff and our team is excited,” Tatum Doucette said. “We know Lawrence definitely wants payback on us for last year. We have to stay focused, know the game plan and stick to that game plan because it’s going to be a tough game.”
For Lawrence, it’s a chance to make a statement. Although the Bulldogs have played solid football since the season-opening loss to Bangor, they’re still looking for a key win on their résumé. Taking down the unbeaten Eagles with the playoffs looming would be nothing short of one.
Earning a win on Keyes Field, Blair Doucette said, would be just as meaningful for Messalonskee. Although his goal is to go into every game with the same mentality, he’d be lying if the matchup against his mentor isn’t on his mind — and for Hersom, facing an old student is a sign of how long he’s been around.
“If you do this long enough, you run into that a little bit with former players, and it’s something that you have to chuckle about and then move on,” Hersom said. “He does have a special group this year, and they’re going to test us.”
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