Yarmouth High’s Michael McGonagle has rushed for 2,364 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer
LARGE SCHOOL DIVISION
Who: Yarmouth (9-1) vs Waterville (6-3)
When: 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: Cony High School, Augusta
Outlook: Waterville is back in the state championship game for the second straight year, after finishing runner-up to Cheverus last season. Waterville’s last state title came in 1974 in Class A. … Yarmouth is playing in its first eight-man championship game, and first state final of any kind since finishing as Class C runner-up in 2015. The Clippers won back-to-back Class C state championships in 2010 and 2011. … Yarmouth relies on a power running game, led by backs Michael McGonagle and Spencer LaBrecque. McGonagle has 2,364 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, while LaBrecque has 660 yards and 18 touchdowns. … Waterville is more apt to throw the ball. The Purple Panthers use two quarterbacks: Wyatt Gradie, who threw for 155 yards in the first half of last week’s regional final win over Mt. Desert Island, and Dunstan Hunter, who ran for 95 yards in the second half. … Yarmouth leads the eight-man Large School division in scoring, averaging just under 42 points per game. … Hunter has 565 yards rushing. Dawson Harrison is another running threat for Waterville, with 612 yards and nine touchdowns.
Old Orchard Beach senior Brady Croteau has 23 catches for 445 yards and eight touchdowns as a receiver and also handles kicking duties for the Seagulls. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
SMALL SCHOOL DIVISION
Who: Orono (7-3) vs. Old Orchard Beach (8-2)
When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Cony High School, Augusta
Outlook: It’s been a complete reversal of fortune this season for Orono, which entered the season on a 25-game losing streak that dated back to the 2016 season. … Old Orchard Beach played in the first eight-man state championship game in 2019, losing to Large School winner Mt. Ararat when there was just one state championship in the eight-man division. The Seagulls’ last state title came in 1993 in Class C. … Orono’s last state championship was in 1994 in Class B. … Orono quarterback Jack Brewer threw for four touchdowns in the Red Riots’ 57-36 win at Stearns in last week’s North final. Brewer will throw to Will Francis and Pierce Walston. Ben Francis is Orono’s top rushing threat. He ran for 149 yards and three scores in last week’s win. … Sophomore quarterback Brady Plante, the son of OOB Coach Dean Plante, has had a breakout season, completing 59% of his passes for 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Seagulls’ top receivers are Riley Provencher (33 catches, 651 yards, eight TDs) and Brady Croteau (23 catches, 445 yards, eight TDs). … Over its last five games, all wins, Orono has averaged just under 55 points per game. … Over its current six-game winning streak, Old Orchard Beach’s defense has allowed 20 points just once.
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