Pelletier: You know, Mr. Football, even I in my scant 15 years on the job here have been to every field in our coverage area at least once to cover a game. I fact, I might have even been to almost all of them twice or more. I know that pales in comparison to your 15 or 20 trips each in your decades of service to the Sun Journal, but hey, I’m catching up. So, let’s have some fun with this. If next week was going to be your last week ever doing this, and you got to cover one more game, at which field would you choose to roam the sidelines? The only restriction here is that there are no restrictions. Assume every one of our teams is home, and assume every game means the team in question either makes or misses the playoffs. I’ll even make it easy on you and give you my 3, 4 and 5 picks to get things going.

Until they debut that new look of theirs, I am taking the Lisbon Greyhounds’ home at Thompson Field. Good food, a great atmosphere on the side of that hill, the bowl in which September afternoons feel like you’ve time-traveled back to July. All great stuff.

My No. 4 field is Walton Field in Auburn, home of the Red Eddies, and one of the most classic fields remaining in Maine football. Also one of the few fields to which the home team still takes a bus.

And my No. 3 field for this exercise, Leavitt Area High School. Part of this is probably because they haven’t been anything but good in my tenure here, so the Hornets draw well. What say you, scribe?

Oakes: Hmmm, one if not both of us should be frightened, because: a) So far I agree with you, even on the order and the fine print; and b) I have a feeling we are thinking alike on the top two.

And since you did leave me the top two, I am going to take that “no restrictions” thing seriously (although that “pretend this is the last is your last week ever doing this” is a little daunting … something you wanna tell me?) and say for the purposes of convenience that it’s a Friday night-Saturday afternoon doubleheader.

I’ll choose to play the Friday night game at my No. 2 venue: Maxwell Field in Winthrop. Now, back in my day (grumble, grumble, walked to school, uphill, both ways, before electricity, etc.) the Ramblers’ bowl didn’t have lights, so it was tempting to make this a Saturday matinee. All I know is that Maxwell has the total package: The one-of-a-kind configuration of a field that is a down in a valley, so home fans may park their cars or lawn chairs and overlook the proceedings; the wafting smell of burgers and fries from the Lions Club concessions cart; trucks and cars screaming down adjacent Route 202 behind the trees, most of that flora turning vibrant shades of red and orange; and a home team that’s almost always in the playoff picture.

No. 1? I’m a little biased, because I grew up watching every home game there, but cleats-down it’s Griffin Field in Livermore Falls, now home of the Spruce Mountain Phoenix. It has the walk-up charm of Walton. It has a small piece of that Winthrop balcony; i.e., the hill on the north side which the team and the best marching band in the area descend together. It has Leavitt’s concessions quality and Lisbon’s small-community charm and distinct home-field advantage. As luck would have it, my next game is there this week. I’d like to think it isn’t my last.

While we’re on the subject, rookie, let’s step outside our tri-county comfort zone. What are two or three of your favorite football sites elsewhere in this fine state?

Pelletier: This is where you get me on this one, old man. For the record, I cannot believe we agreed five through one on the local list. Maybe you can stay on after this week after all… I mean… 

Statewide is where you’ve got me, since most years, once we get to key long-distance matchups for our local teams, you and the red-headed curmudgeon would always take the best games. One place I did have an affinity for in my lone visit was Madison. That field’s cozy confines reminded me a lot of Griffin, save for the hill. I’ve heard many a tale of the allure of Lawrence’s home turf, yet have never experienced it myself. And, of course, the history at the home of the Biddeford Tigers, to which I have traveled a handful of times for the Lobster Bowl, makes that a solid choice. Now, I really hope we differ a bit on this one. Otherwise, I’m going to purchase a lottery ticket, post haste.

Oakes: Keyes Field at Pete Cooper Stadium in Fairfield it is, oh sheltered one. You don’t have to stand on the other side of a synthetic, eight-lane track with binoculars in order to enjoy the game, unlike too many other Class A facilities that shall (cough) remain (Lewiston) nameless (cough). The crowd is pretty much inches away from the field, which yes, has its good and bad points. If an errant pass sails through the end zone, it might break a windshield. The place has personality, which the ones in our local top five boast in abundance.

Poulin Field in Winslow has that Walton/Griffin feel, stuck smack-dab in the middle of a neighborhood. I hope they never add lights. It’s a beautiful place for a Saturday afternoon game. I’ve even covered many a state final there. Because I’m old. Did you mention that?

Pelletier: I did, Mr. Football. Wow, you’re getting forgetful, too?

Thanks to everyone for following along. Join us next week when we try to disagree again. This whole ‘Kumbaya, everybody agrees’ business is for the birds.