The Mt. Blue Cougars have had bigger games against the Skowhegan Indians on Caldwell Field in their history. The 2005 Pine Tree Conference final, which Mt. Blue won, 26-24, comes to mind first.

But history isn’t much of a concern in Farmington this week. The Cougars are only looking to the future.

With a win over Skowhegan Friday night, Mt. Blue can leap-frog Mt. Ararat for the eighth and final slot in the Pine Tree Conference playoffs, but only if Brunswick also knocks off Mt. Ararat. 

Mt. Blue coach knows his team can’t control what happens down on the coast, but he’s glad that he finally has a full complement of weapons to take on a much-improved Skowhegan team.

“The last couple of weeks, we’ve probably been as healthy as we’ve been all year,” Parlin said.

Three recent additions from the injured list helped the Cougars put up a season-high 40 points against Brewer to earn their second win of the year. Running back Izaiha Tracy had 92 yards on 13 carries in his second game back last week. Brandon Cochran, a two-way tackle, has been back two games and made a major impact in the trenches. Cornerback/inside receiver/kick returner Jake Malone, who has also been back the last two weeks, has made plays in all three facets of the game.

“All three of those guys didn’t really practice for the Cony game (a 26-22 loss on Oct. 9). I think they got in our pregame practice just the day before when they got cleared, so having them for their second week of practice is really big,” Parlin said. 

Tracy’s return bolsters a running game that up to that point has been led by QB Ryan Backus and fullback Alec Wallace, but the Cougar Gun still thrives on the pass. Backus, the PTC’s leading passer, surpassed the 1,000-yard mark last week and has nine touchdown passes on the season.  Cam Sennick and A.J. Larrabee are the conference’s two leading receivers, having each eclipsed the 20-reception plateau.

The Indians have also hit their stride recently, winning three of their last four, including a 14-8 upset over Messalonskee last week. Quarterback Jordan McGowan leads a contingent of walking wounded who have returned to provide a boost for the stretch drive.

“They’re playing the best that they have all year. They’ve settled in,” Parlin said. “They’re like us. They had injuries early and I know they’ve gotten a couple of guys back. A couple of guys were out for the season, but with that, the guys that replaced them now have two or three games under their belt. They looked really good against Messalonskee last week.”

Bulldogs bounced

One thing the Cougars probably won’t have to worry about if they do make the playoffs is facing unbeaten Lawrence in the first round for the second straight year. Last week, Bangor handed the Bulldogs their first regular-season loss since 2005,  a string of 36 straight games, with a 28-21 decision in Bangor. The Cougars gave the unbeaten Rams a bit of a scare back on Oct. 2, taking a 20-13 lead into halftime before Lonnie Hackett exploded for four touchdowns in the second half for a 44-26 win.

Battle of the Bridge moved

A reminder that the annual “Battle of the Bridge” between Lewiston and Edward Little has been moved to 7 p.m. Friday night at Walton Field. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but both schools agreed to move the game up with rain in the forecast.