Mt. Ararat Goes Large

The 8-Man Large School class was shaping up to be an epic bracket, with all 4 teams in the semifinals (or, more accurately, the Regional Final, which is what we're calling the semifinals in this 1 Region class) have more or less an equal shot at winning. On paper, it should produce three great games.

So of course it didn't.

Camden entered the game as the 1 seed, but without Hollis Schwalm, their QB1 who is out for the remainder of the season with an injury

With Schwalm under center, the regular season matchup was a classic.

Without him it was a different story.

Mt. Ararat took control early, scoring on the first possession. They were up 12-0 when Camden caught a break. A fantastic punt pinned Mt. Ararat deep in their own territory and they quickly fumbled, leading to this:

Camden recovered the onside kick, but the next drive resulted in an interception and on 4th and Goal, Mt. Ararat barely got in the end zone to make it 18-6. Things spiraled from there and we finished with running time. Mt. Ararat advanced to the Gold Ball game with a 48-12 win. They'll face Greely. The Rangers blew out Lake Region 40-6.

In the Game of the Day, Noble out-lasted Bonny Eagle, getting revenge for a loss on October 25th.

Cooper had a great first half against Army before cramping up in the second half (also it was a blowout)

Ellsworth's Grace Jaffray went off for 39 points in her collegiate debut.

A Timelord 3?

On a personal note, earlier this week my Uncle Dale McNelly passed away after a long illness. Older readers may remember Dale as a key member of the legendary 1963 Morse team that battled Stearns. The Bangor Daily News named him a second team All-State selection that season and he was a first team All-State the following season.

He used to tell a story from Morse's epic '63 run. As he tells it, their practice at the Boston Garden was scheduled right after a Celtics' practice so naturally they showed up early to watch. Bob Cousy invited them down at the end of practice and Dale somehow found himself in a game of HORSE with Bill Russell--a game of HORSE he claimed to have won ("Russell couldn't shoot from outside").

I have a distinct memory of my Grandmother showing me a Parade Magazine with Lew Alcindor on the cover and a picture of my Uncle Dale inside. For the life of me, I can't find any evidence it actually exists, but it's a nice memory.

He will be missed.

Game of the Day

It's a Gold Ball Saturday for soccer and field hockey, so there's no shortage of great matchups.

Belfast and Yarmouth will square off in a field hockey title game for the ages between the teams ranked 3rd and 5th overall. Or, you can go to the Class C game between #6 and #8 overall. Those will all be at Edward Little.

In soccer, Scarborough has a double-header in Bath, starting with Camden at 10am. Or you can check out the B and C state games at Cameron in Bangor. Greely also has a double-header. The girls game against Hermon appears to be the one to watch.

There's even a couple of football games.

So get out and see a game! Because winter is coming.

The Model's picks for all of today's games are after the jump.