PORTLAND — Dirigo High School was Western Class C’s 2009 favorite pretty much from the moment Winthrop locked the 2008 trophy in its case. Certainly no later than the first slants and bombs of the summer 7-and-7 league.

No sooner did the Cougars start wearing that status on their dark blue sleeves than did their fans and vanquished foes start daydreaming about how ridiculously fast Dirigo might look on FieldTurf, the synthetic sod of choice for Saturday’s Class C state championship.

Forbidden from stepping onto the Fitzpatrick Stadium surface until roughly an hour before today’s 2:30 p.m. kickoff, Dirigo followed Route 2 across the state Wednesday to Hampden Academy, the closest comparable site that would teach them what recycled tires felt like underneath their feet.

And the verdict?

“They fell in love with it. They think we should get some as soon as possible,” said Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert. “(Quarterback) Nic Crutchfield said he even felt fast.”

Dirigo has defined quick-strike with its offense, defense and special teams all season, frequently bunching together three or four touchdowns in a matter of minutes and turning tight first-half battles into halftime blowouts.

Neither cold nor rain nor the weather-beaten natural grass of November have slowed the Cougars in the playoffs, where they rolled through three regional rounds by a 109-15 margin. 

And now Dirigo turns to one of football’s great late-season equalizers in pursuit of its first state title since 1975, against the closest thing there is to a Class C dynasty.

“I love it,” Dirigo running back and kick returner Spencer Ross said of the carpet. “It makes my cuts so much quicker.”

Both undefeated teams are predicated upon speed from a cadre of experienced, two-way starters.

Foxcroft (11-0) enters the championship game for the sixth time in eight years after setting a Little Ten Conference scoring record, averaging 45 points per contest while allowing only 42 total points during the regular season.

The Ponies dodged two bullets in the Eastern Maine playoffs, trailing Stearns midway through the third quarter before hammering out a 28-8 semifinal victory, and watching a John Bapst extra-point try sail wide in the final minute to escape with a 14-13 win last week.

Seniors Ryan Stroud (QB), Ian Champeon (RB) and flanker Josiah Richard fuel Foxcroft’s attack.

Asked to compare Foxcroft to a rival from the Campbell Conference, Gilbert settled on Oak Hill.

“(Stroud) is comparable to (Brett) Turcotte with the way he can throw the ball,” Gilbert said. “They have a decent running back in Champeon who reminds me a little bit of Josh Allen, only I don’t think he’s as fast as Allen. And they have a fairly decent receiver who is little bit like (Ben) Foss, maybe not as tall. They don’t do anything we haven’t seen.”

If those sound like veiled compliments to start with, now consider that Oak Hill was the No. 6 seed in Western Maine, finishing 4-5. Then again, Oak Hill’s 21-0 loss at Dixfield was the closest margin of victory the Cougars celebrated all season.

It’s easy to understand the Cougars’ confidence, though. They’ve scored at will in the playoffs, employing a variety of options. Crutchfield led the league in passing yardage and touchdowns, utilizing deep threat Alex Miele, third-down chain-mover Kyle Hutchinson, or Ross and Tyler Chiasson out of the backfield.

Chiasson, Ross and Crutchfield have headlined a balanced running game behind an athletic offensive line acnhored by Mason Cote, Jake Dowland and Arik Fenstermacher, all on the south side of 200 pounds.

LTC foes had similar problems stopping Foxcroft’s play-action passing game. Robbie Harmon gives Stroud an additional threat on the flanks.

“As long as our cornerbacks stay disciplined, we should be fine,” Gilbert said.

Miele leads that secondary. Hutchinson, Cote, Dowland and David Guildford have been the big hitters defensively for the Cougars.

Foxcroft has employed a 4-4 defense, again with jaw-dropping statistical success. Crutchfield faces a group that intercepted 19 passes this season while allowing only 26 completions and under 300 total yards through the air.

Brad Dow and Brandon Erickson start at tackle for the Ponies. Mitchell Fadley and D.J. Clukey are the ends. Champeon links up with Ryan Olmsted, Dylan Andrews and Jarrod Boone in the linebacking corps. 

Richard leads Foxcroft with seven interceptions. Chase Hutchinson, Harmon and Stroud join him in the secondary.

Dirigo seeks its fifth state championship. The Cougars also shared the Class D state championship with Boothbay in 1975 and won consecutive crowns from 1962 to ’64.

While the Cougars sat out the entire decade of the 1990s as a football program, Foxcroft built its reputation as one of the most consistent powers in the state, regardless of class. Foxcroft hoisted the Gold Ball in 1996, 2003 and 2007.

Gilbert believes the Cougars’ senior class can counter with more big-game experience in all sports.

“They played for a state championship in basketball last year. All the wrestlers have known is first or second in the state their entire career,” said Gilbert, who also coaches the wrestling team. “The baseball team played for an MVC championship. I don’t think the playoffs bother them. They learned their lesson last year when they beat Lisbon rather easily in the regular season and then got knocked off in the semifinals. You don’t take anyone lightly.”

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