A pair of unbeaten Class C South football teams clash when Leavitt travels to face Wells on Friday.
The Hornets (3-0), ranked second in the state in latest Varsity Maine poll, are coming off a 53-21 victory over Class A Lewiston last Saturday at home.
In that game, five Leavitt players — Noah Carpenter, Brett Coburn, Will Keach, Maddox Demers and Keegan Reny — scored touchdowns.
Leavitt’s Brett Coburn, right, is tackled by Lewiston’s Farid Muhammed-Aceto during a football game in Turner on Saturday. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Wells coach Tim Roche said the Warriors’ game plan is focused on slowing down Leavitt’s many athletes.
“We know what they’re going to do and they know what we’re going to do,” Roche said. “We’re finding ways to stop their athletes because they have a lot of them. They have some guys that are fast, athletic and we’re trying to find ways to stop them. … Carpenter played against us last year and he’s an outstanding athlete. You pinpoint who their good athletes are and try to stop them. He’s the real deal.”
Last year, Leavitt beat Wells 41-0 in the 2021 regular season and 46-12 in the Class C South semifinal, before losing to Cape Elizabeth in the regional final.
The Warriors, ranked ninth in this week’s Varsity Maine poll, also are 3-0 this season with a win over the Capers on their resume. Wells has started slow in each of their games but has come back to win each one.
“It’s our resilience and our heart,” Roche said. “I love it. It’s hard to pinpoint what it is about these kids, and they just have a little something to them. Every game we have fallen behind at the beginning of the game, and for whatever reason they just figure it out. There were no coaching adjustments, they just figure it out, and they’re good. I enjoy them. They get it.
“But Leavitt is going to be tough. We’ll see if we can figure them out, and if not, we move on.”
Roche points to Mike Lewinski and Griffin Brickett as a couple of standout players, but said it’s been a team effort for Wells this season.
Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway has similar things to say about the Hornets. Many players have stepped up and made big plays this season, but the group effort of the offensive line has Leavitt the most fired up.
“The obvious player is Beau Mayo, who is one of the top lineman around, hands down,” Hathaway said. “He’s been great for us and has taken over as a leader, and has kind of taken charge, with Jace Negley, on that offensive line. Those two on the right side have given us a side we can run behind, and they both can pull the other way.
“The leadership of those guys has set the tone for the other guys. Mason Twitchell, Parker Gilbert, Logan Levesque, those guys have all been in the program a long time and they know what’s going on and now they’re picking up the little things.”
Leavitt has run and thrown well behind that offensive line to the tune of 48.3 points per game. Before beating Class A Lewiston, the Hornets earned a 50-0 win over York, which has since defeated Class B Biddeford and Westbrook, and decisively beat Class B Portland 42-8 in Portland. The Hornets defense is giving up less than 10 points per game.
Wells is averaging 32.7 points while allowing 20.7 in its wins over Westrook, Cape Elizabeth and Freeport.
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