This week in area high school football history: 1941, ’69, ’96 and 2012

Leavitt’s Levi Morin tackles Gardiner’s Steve Sirois behind the line of scrimmage during a muddy game in Gardiner on Oct. 19, 2012. This photo appeared in the Sun Journal the following day.

Leavitt’s Connor O’Malley sacks Gardiner quarterback Dennis Meehan during the first half of a game in Gardiner on Oct. 19, 2012. O’Malley scored the only touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter. This photo appeared in the Sun Journal the following day.

11 YEARS AGO …
Leavitt scored a late touchdown to get past Gardiner 6-0 on a soaked Hoch Field in Gardiner on Oct. 19, 2012. With the game being played on what the Sun Journal’s Randy Whitehouse described as a “bottomless quagmire,” neither team had scored until deep into the fourth quarter. Finally, the Hornets broke through. With three minutes left, Connor O’Malley ran up the middle and all the way to the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown, the contest’s only score. That same night in Auburn, Cameron Cormier kicked a 26-yard field goal late with about four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, giving Edward Little a 9-6 victory over Oxford Hills. Also, Tyler Sturtevant and Everett Brown combined for three long TD runs for Poland in its 27-8 victory over Maranacook in Readfield.

27 YEARS AGO …
Dustin Ireland threw for 276 yards and four touchdowns in Mt. Blue’s 43-0 rout of Cony on Oct. 18, 1996. During a postgame interview, Ireland, who went on to win the Fitzpatrick Trophy, had a handwritten note of teammates he wanted to make sure received acknowledgement: “Jon Karkos, Jon Alexander, Craig Coolidge, Matt Jacobs, Jamie McCabe and Morgan Albert,” Ireland said to Kalle Oakes of the Sun Journal. “A lot of the (success) is centered around the backs. We get most of the credit. But we wouldn’t be anything without those six guys.” The following day, sophomore Mickey Lafrance ran for 306 yards in his second varsity start to lead Lewiston to a 21-7 win over Westbrook. Also, the hard running of Miguel Gonzalez, Dana Hodgdon and Jason Edward helped Oxford Hills upset Bangor 21-14.

54 YEARS AGO …
Norm Parent, one of the stars of the 1941 Lewiston team (see below), coached the Blue Devils to their sixth straight victory, 34-12 at Bangor, on Oct. 18, 1969. Lewiston, which went on to win the Class A state title, scored three touchdowns in a four-plus-minute stretch that spanned the first and second quarters, and the Blue Devils led 27-0 at halftime. Ken Foisy scored three Lewiston touchdowns, while Roger Arsenault and Mike Goding had one TD each. That same day, Mexico remained unbeaten (with two ties) by defeating Jay 20-6, and Hebron lost to Brewster Free Academy 87-34 — the Lewiston Daily Sun wondered if the 121 total points was a state high school record.

This photo appeared in the Oct. 20, 1941, edition of the Lewiston Daily Sun.

82 YEARS AGO …
Lewiston and Edward Little kept their unbeaten records intact with road victories on Oct. 18, 1941. The Blue Devils defeated Stephens 16-13 in Rumford. Lewiston’s Chick Leahy ran for a touchdown and Harkins (not all first names were used in newspaper article) returned an interception 35 yards for another score. The Panthers scored both of their TDs on special teams. The first was a blocked kick by Longway that he picked up and took to the end zone. The second was on a kickoff return: J. Gauthier received the kick and lateraled to J. Brennick, who took the ball to the end zone. Edward Little defeated Biddeford 21-7. Leclair ran in a TD after a pass interference call, and later threw a touchdown pass to Henault. Freeman scored the Red Eddies’ final TD.

Editor’s note: The years were selected using an online random number generator.