Brett Turcotte’s huge first half at Maranacook last Saturday transported Oak Hill coach Bruce Nicholas back to the year 2000 for a minute or two.

“We used to have that kind of passing game,” Nicholas said. “When David Chase was our quarterback, we used to throw the ball many, many times. But we’ve got some good athletes on the perimeter now, and when we give Brett a little time, he’s got a good arm.”

Chase was a four-year starter for the Raiders before helping launch the program at Husson University. It’s been a while, but the Raiders are starting to enjoy the air up there once again.

Turcotte shared the starting job with Josh Sirois as a sophomore and throughout his junior preseason before Nicholas finally solved a gnawing but happy problem. He moved Sirois, a senior, to flanker, and anointed Turcotte the Raiders’ lone starting signal-caller. That hunch has been rewarded twofold, so far, with Turcotte’s arm and Sirois’ speed and hands playing an integral role in both Oak Hill victories.

In last week’s 18-14 win at Maranacook, Turcotte found Ben Rines with a 74-yard touchdown pass to put Oak Hill on the scoreboard in the second quarter. Turcotte finished the day 9-of-14 for 214 yards.

“We want to do that,” Nicholas said. “Get Rines the ball, get Sirois the ball, get (Ben) Foss the ball.”

Oak Hill (2-4) finishes the toughest schedule in Eastern Class B with a trip to Hampden tonight and then a home game against Morse next Saturday. The Raiders have lost to the top four teams in the league – Gardiner, Leavitt, Mount Desert Island and Winslow.

Even if the Raiders don’t win again, they’re probably locked into the eight-team playoffs.

“Our Crabtree points are so high that we can actually with two wins go ahead of teams with three wins,” Nicholas said. “Barring a Belfast knocking off both Leavitt and MDI, we’re in.”

Wishing he had the keys

Who says Division I athletes get too big or too preoccupied to worry about what their alma mater is up to?

Troy Barnies is preparing for his sophomore basketball season at the University of Maine, but Maine’s former Mr. Basketball was also an all-Pine Tree Conference quarterback his senior year at Edward Little. And Barnies can’t help but notice that the Eddies’ offense today is just a tad more QB-friendly.

“Why couldn’t they have done that when I was there?” Barnies said with a shake of the head and a smile, referring to the spread offense that has triggered EL’s resurgence to a 5-1 start after a 1-7 season in 2007.

Barnies admitted keeping an eye on the PTC statistical leaders, where his successor, Cody Goddard, continues to stand alone with 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Not to say that EL has abandoned the running game by any stretch of the imagination. Buddy Foss (657 yards, 7 TDs) celebrated a breakout game in the Eddies’ 36-27 victory over Messalonskee.

“I love sharing carries with Dylon Therrien,” Foss said. “It’s been that way since seventh or eighth grade. It means that other teams have to be ready for everything, because we have so many athletes.”