Weekend Blitz, Week 3: Leavitt and Poland finally get to play

Dirigo (0-2) at Maranacook (0-0)
Friday, 7 p.m.
The Cougars have two weeks of getting accustomed to eight-man football under their belt, while the Black Bears, one of the top teams in the inaugural eight-man season two years ago, have yet to play a regular-season game this year. Dirigo showed some flashes of a solid passing game against Spruce Mountain last week.

Edward Little (0-2) at Sanford (0-2)
Friday, 7 p.m.
Two Class A teams desperate for their first win of the season, and for the Red Eddies their first victory since 2018. The Spartans started the season against two Class A contenders, Thornton Academy and Oxford Hills, and were outscored by a combined 90-7.

Gray-New Gloucester (1-1) at Mt. Ararat/Hyde (2-0)
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
The Patriots got a feel-good win last week, finding a lot of success on the ground in a decisive victory over Sacopee Valley. Now Gray-NG take on the defending (from 2019) eight-man champion Eagles, who still look like the team to beat. The Eagles outscored Spruce Mountain and Mountain Valley 78-12.

Leavitt (0-0) at Wells (1-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
The Hornets finally get onto the field for a regular-season game, and it is against old rival Wells, which already suffered a rare loss last week against Westbrook. The Hornets don’t have many of the key players from their 2019 title team, but much-heralded Hunter Hayes will lead them at quarterback and they seemingly always have solid line play and a plethora of skill-position players.

Belfast (1-1) at Poland (0-0)
Friday, 6 p.m.
The Knights are another team that hasn’t played a regular-season contest, thanks to a Week 1 bye and then to an opponent with a COVID-19 situation. They called an audible this week by scheduling the Lions for a rare meeting after Poland’s original opponent, Madison/Carrabec/Valley, ran into COVID issues of its own.

Oxford Hills (2-0) at Skowhegan (0-2)
Friday, 7 p.m.
The Vikings have routed their first two opponents to the tune of 97-0. The River Hawks, meanwhile, are still in search of their first win after close losses to Cony and Lawrence that were by a combined eight points. Skowhegan will give Oxford Hills a different look, with a potent passing game much like its own.

Spruce Mountain (1-1) at Yarmouth (1-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
A matchup of two teams that feel better about themselves after Week 2 (blowout wins) than they did after Week 1 (blowout losses). The Phoenix got starting quarterback Camden Phillips back last week and that seemed to jumpstart their offense. The Clippers ran the ball with authority in their win over Traip Academy.

Telstar (2-0) at Old Orchard Beach (2-0)
Friday, 7 p.m.
An early matchup of Eight-Man Small School division contenders. The Rebels have scored in bunches, led by the Will Doyle-to-Miles Lilly passing connection. The Seagulls have received the only true test so far, a 34-30 victory over Lake Region last week.

Lewiston (0-2) at Thornton Academy (0-2)
Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
The Blue Devils head out on the road again but will travel south this week instead of North. They’ll face a dominant Trojans team while trying to get their season on track after dealing with COVID issues, key injuries and growing pains so far.

Oak Hill (0-1) at Lisbon (0-1)
Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
One of the better rivalries in the area will give one team its first win of the season. The Raiders led early last week before falling to Foxcroft Academy, while the Greyhounds were left without a game because of an opponent’s COVID issues. They faced Foxcroft two weeks ago in their only regular-season game of the season so far.

Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale (1-0) at John Bapst (0-1)
Saturday, 3 p.m. (at Hermon)
After opening the season with a big win over Bucksport, the Ramblers had a scheduled bye last week. The Crusaders, whose Week 1 game against Oak Hill was canceled due to COVID issues, finally got on the field last week, falling on the road to Freeport.