Windham and Cheverus have developed quite a rivalry in Class A football.
Last year they played for the regional championship at Cheverus with Windham winning 21-20 by blocking a point-after attempt in overtime. On Sept. 27, 2014, the Eagles snapped Cheverus’ 36-game, regular-season win streak with a 35-7 victory in Portland.
Two weeks ago they met at Windham to close the regular season. The Eagles also won that one, 19-15.
“We both bring out the best in each other,” said Windham Coach Matt Perkins after that game. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other in the playoffs.”
Indeed they will. Second-seeded Windham (6-2) will host No. 3 Cheverus (6-3) in a Class A North semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday.
“It’s been a good rivalry,” Perkins said. “Our kids and coaches respect their program and I’m sure Cheverus feels the same about us. Whenever we play Cheverus we have to raise our level of play. They know they have to do the same.”
The rivalry is not new. In 2009 the Eagles beat Cheverus 7-6 in rain and mud at Windham to win the regional title en route to a state championship.
The next year the teams met in the regional quarterfinals at Cheverus.
“We were the seventh seed and they were No. 2,” said Perkins. “We were up at halftime and they scored late to beat us.”
Tyrell Gullatt, a senior co-captain, has been a two-way starter on Windham’s line for three seasons. He said playing Cheverus elevates everyone’s play.
“Cheverus has always been a good team and you want to have competition like that,” he said. “When you play a team like that, you’re always thinking a few more steps ahead.”
FEW RIVALRIES can compare to the one Bonny Eagle and Deering forged from 2004-11. They played each other 14 times in eight seasons – including playoff matchups in all but two of those years.
They’ll meet again Friday night when No. 2 Deering (6-2) hosts No. 3 Bonny Eagle (6-3) in a Class A South semifinal.
“It was one heck of a rivalry,” said Bonny Eagle Coach Kevin Cooper. “I can’t speak for Deering but we certainly viewed them as our main rivals during that period.”
Deering was coming off a state championship in 2003 when the schools met in the regional semifinals in 2004. The Rams had graduated some talented players and Bonny Eagle was an emerging power. Deering’s quarterback in 2003 and 2004 was Ryan Flaherty, now an infielder for the Baltimore Orioles. The Scots won, 40-7.
“We played great that day and quarterback Matt O’Donnell was just unreal. That was the first time I really had confidence that we could win the state championship,” Cooper said.
The Scots did and repeated in 2005. Bonny Eagle added back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008 and a fifth in 2013.
In six playoff meetings, Deering and Bonny Eagle are 3-3. All but one of the postseason meetings have been in the semifinals.
Cooper said the 2008 game at Deering before a huge crowd was the peak of the rivalry.
“We both had great teams,” said Cooper. “We had Nate Doehler, Josh Spearin and Travis Dunn, and they had Jack Heary and Jamie Ross. Deering beat us in the regular season 29-28 on a couple of late touchdowns and we won the playoff game, 26-14. That was an absolutely great win for us that day. It was definitely one of the best moments in my coaching career.”
Deering has won the last two playoff games with the Scots – 28-6 in 2010 and 35-28 in overtime the next season.
Bonny Eagle, despite being the lower seed, should be the favorite Friday. On Oct. 2, the Scots beat Deering, 42-7. Trailing 7-6 at halftime, Bonny Eagle outscored the Rams 36-0 in the second half.
SOPHOMORE NICK Gauvin has emerged as a solid quarterback for Greely.
In last Friday’s Class B South quarterfinal at Leavitt, Gauvin ran for two touchdowns, passed for two more and threw a 2-point conversion pass in a 34-26 victory. It was Greely’s first playoff win in 13 seasons of football. The seventh-seeded Rangers will be at No. 3 Marshwood in a semifinal Friday night.
Last year, Gauvin was inserted at quarterback after starter Matt Pisini got hurt and missed the first two games.
Gauvin was moved back to wide receiver when Pisini returned. When Pisini injured his knee in the first scrimmage of this season and was lost for the year, the Rangers tried a player they had been grooming for quarterback. Then they went to running back Sam Peck and tried a little Wildcat offense.
“We had to reinvent ourselves,” said Coach Dave Higgins. “When we realized we didn’t have a quarterback who could run the triple-option, we went to the I.”
Gauvin returned as the quarterback this fall in Week 3.
“Nick has come along and gotten better and better,” said Higgins. “He has embraced the situation.”
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