Bookmark & share:

E-mail this page E-mail a letter to the editor Reader Comments (below)

BY BILL STEWART
Staff Writer 10/10/2008

Staff Writer

Last season, Jake Wright soaked in the atmosphere of a Gardiner-Winslow football game from the parking lot and stands.

"We actually tailgated at Winslow last year," said Wright, a senior wide receiver for the Tigers. "It was a lot more chill to be a fan."

The only chill about this year's rivalry game, at least for Wright, will be in the air.

"Yeah, it's all business now," added Wright, who missed the last two seasons recovering from a torn labrum in his left shoulder suffered during his freshmen year. "Now, everybody is out there rooting for you and there isn't as much fun pre-game. It's all business now, which in itself can be a lot of fun."

Gardiner (4-0) hosts Winslow (4-1) tonight in a rematch of last season's Pine Tree Conference Class B championship game. Gardiner won that game 37-0 before beating Mountain Valley in the Class B state championship game.

For Wright, it's been a long road back to the Tiger sideline.

"Last year, I just wasn't ready, which I regret after they won states," he said. "I had wanted to lift before I played and had a busy summer, and I didn't get into the swing of it early enough. I was probably one of their biggest fans as a student. I didn't miss a game."

When Wright steps on to Hoch Field tonight, he'll be greeted by a Black Raiders team that hasn't forgotten last year's two-game sweep to the Tigers, in which they were outscored 79-20, including 37-0 in the PTC B final.

"We're taking motivation from last year," Winslow senior quarterback Scott Siviski said. "We want to come out and get fired up. We're ready to take them on."

Added Wright, who has made a big impact on special teams as well: "This has been circled on the calendar since August. It's homecoming, and we'd like to give a big show."

Both teams enter the game near the top of the PTC B with Leavitt (5-0) and Mt. Desert Island (4-1). And both coaches -- Jim Palmer of Gardiner and Mike Siviski of Winslow -- said this week they tinkered their offensive playbooks a bit.

"We have some things we haven't shown yet," Mike Siviski said.

Added Palmer: "We've added a few things offensively off the stuff we already run. We are always adding stuff to the playbook. Any time we play Winslow there is a lot hitting going on and a lot of cat-and-mouse games going on trying to find strengths."

Mike Siviski said the Raiders give up a lot of size on the line but will have to find a way to slow Gardiner tailback Forrest Chadwick.

"He does a lot for them," he said. "He runs, he receives and he does a variety of things. We have to step it up and try and stay in the game and see what happens."

The Tigers, Palmer said, will need to prevent Scott Siviski from making the big play.

"They have some athletes who play hard and can break a play," he said. "Siviski can break a long one at any time. We have to tackle and we have to wrap them up."

Bill Stewart -- 623-3811, ext. 515

bstewart@centralmaine.com

Bookmark and share this story: