Bangor football team to resume playing night home games

BANGOR, Maine Work is continuing on upgrades to Cameron Stadium, home of the Bangor High School football team and numerous other local athletic entities.

After playing all their home games on Saturday afternoons last season while the stadiums electrical and lighting system was being upgraded, the Rams will play all home games under the lights this fall, beginning with the September 12 contest against Scarborough.

The new lighting was turned on for the first time last spring and is ready to go, said Bangor High School athletic administrator Steve Vanidestine. With the stadiums electrical needs now linked to the adjacent William S. Cohen School rather than connected to the power grid separately like the previous light system, the school department that operates the facility will save an estimated $20,000 per year in demand fees.

Vanidestine said the return to Friday night home games would be beneficial on several fronts, among them the fact that the high school team wont have to compete for fans on Saturday afternoons with University of Maine and Husson University home games, and it will allow players to have some additional weekend rest on both Saturdays and Sundays after Friday night home games rather than playing those games on Saturdays.

Bangor is scheduled to play just one Saturday afternoon regular-season game this season, that on Oct. 18 at Cheverus of Portland.

Coach Mark Hacketts Rams, who finished 5-5 and reached the Eastern Maine Class A semifinals last fall in the first season of the Maine Principals Associations new four-class format, open their 2014 campaign at Edward Little of Auburn on Sept. 5. After hosting Scarborough the following week, Bangor faces back-to-back road trips to Portland for games Sept. 19 at Deering and Sept. 26 at Portland High School.

Bangor then plays three of its final four regular-season contests in the Queen City, beginning with home dates against Windham on Oct. 3 and Lewiston on Oct. 10.

After traveling to Cheverus, the Rams will conclude the regular season with their homecoming game against Oxford Hills of South Paris on Oct. 24.

By the time Bangor hosts Windham, new restroom facilities should be completed and operational just behind the year-old main grandstand at the stadium.

Vanidestine said all the preparation work involving plumbing, wiring and electricity has been completed, with the end of September serving as the target date for completion of the building.

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Bangor football team to resume playing night home games