Western Class B quarterfinal
No. 7 Kennebunk (2-6)
at No. 2 York (7-1)
7 p.m. at York High School
This is a Class B York County rivalry that goes back quite a ways, and was at one time one of Maine’s best as the teams regularly met twice a year ”“ once during the regular season, and once again in the playoffs. But due to Kennebunk’s time in Class A from 2003-2012, the pair haven’t met in the postseason since 1999, when the Rams came out on top in the Western B final.
That all changes tonight, though, as the schools will renew acquaintances in the playoffs for the first time this century, a turn of events that has longtime Kennebunk coach Joe Rafferty feeling nostalgic.
“(York head coach) Randy Small has been there for a long time and we go way back. We had a huge game back in ’99,” Rafferty said. “To me it’s nice to play some of the teams locally and York is right down the street. Our conference is wide open in terms of geography, but this one is a close-to-home, good solid rivalry.”
On paper, it looks to be a mismatch as Kennebunk enters having won just two games, only one of them against a fellow playoff team (a 28-21 win against Morse). York, meanwhile, is 7-1 ”“ including 4-0 at home ”“ and has won its games by an average of 22.9 points a game.
However, that average is brought down significantly by a razor-thin 14-12 victory in Kennebunk back on Sept. 12, when the Wildcats’ Keelan Hynes knocked down a two-point conversion pass with 35.3 seconds after a late Rams drive had brought it to the brink of forcing overtime. The loss was even more impressive considering the injury-plagued Rams were without several key offensive components in that contest.
In fact, Kennebunk has been banged up for most of this season and will be playing its third-string quarterback ”“ sophomore Justin Wiggins ”“ tonight. But unlike most of the season, the Rams will have nearly its entire complement of offensive weapons healthy ”“ including running backs Harrison Vosburgh, Sean Brannen, Liam Studley and Pat Saunders and recievers Evan Warren and Don Dubois, many of who have missed at least some time this season.
On the other side, as he has been for most of the season, tailback Cullen McCarty was the Wildcats’ battering ram in the win against Kennebunk, gaining 177 yards on 33 carries to set up two short runs by quarterback Cole Merritt.
It wasn’t the last time the Rams would be gashed by a feature back ”“ Marshwood’s Brett Gerry gained 289 yards and scored five times on Sept. 26, while Westbrook’s Maurice Johnson ran for 265 and five TD’s on Oct. 17.
McCarty had racked up 1,391 yards in York’s first seven games before being virtually shut down in a 41-12 loss to top-ranked Marshwood last week. That was a heavy defeat in a much-hyped game between two undefeated rivals, the kind of battering that could carry over and one the Wildcats could still be smarting from this week, one consideration that could play a factor in any possible upset.
Kennebunk, on the other hand, played one of its better games of the season in its regular-season finale this past Saturday, a 41-26 defeat to Eastern Class B-leading Brunswick in a game that was a one-possession contest entering the fourth quarter.
“I thought we played very well as a team against Brunswick, who’s a lot like York in terms of they’ve got a very good running game and they’re very physical on defense,” Rafferty said. “The biggest thing for us is just being mentally ready to play. When we haven’t been, it’s been pretty evident early.”
The Rams also have plenty of good memories of the field at York High School. Last season, Kennebunk went on the road and hit the turbo button from the very first play ”“ a long kickoff return for a score ”“ and never looked back, pasting the Wildcats 38-14 in the first of several impressive performances on the way to a regional title.
That game, though, involved two very different teams from the ones that will take the field tonight. This year, the Rams will enter as the heavy underdogs, with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“We’re definitely the underdog, no doubt about it. Going in as the seventh-seed, who wouldn’t be?” Rafferty said. “But I think physically we match up with them pretty well. We talked during the regular season about just getting to the playoffs, and then playing well when we get there. We’ll see.”
— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or cdunbar@journaltribune.com.
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