Hartford Indian Football 2011

Hartford (3-0) @ Bangor (0-3)

Game Time: 7:00 PM; Friday, September 16, 2011

Game Location: Viking Stadium

Head-to-Head: Hartford leads 27-8

By Web Staff
September 16, 2011

   For the fourth straight year, the Hartford Indians are 3-0 to start a season.
   For Bangor, they are still looking to taste the feeling of victory.
   Either Hartford will score a 4-0 record in the non-conference and non-divisional schedule or Bangor will taste victory for the first time in 2011 when the two rivals, separated by a six-mile span, face off this Friday in Bangor, with kickoff set for 7:00 PM.

TEAMS AT A GLANCE

Record:	3-0	0-3
Win %:	1.000	.000
Scored:	150	27
Allowed:	62	97
Streak:	Won 3	Lost 3

The Indians come into the game at 3-0 following a dramatic and momentum-changing 41-34 overtime victory over Bloomingdale last Friday. The Indians scored six rushing touchdown with three different players. David Mireles had two touchdowns and led with 111 yards rushing, Gareth MacMillan added 101 yards on nine carries and three touchdowns and Sergio Perez added 98 yards and a touchdown. Both Mireles and MacMillan are over 300 yards rushing in 2011, MacMillan with 360 and Mireles with 330.
The Indian defense was pretty solid, led by Tony Kucharski and his

fourteen tackles, while Noey Lopez and Jared Meachum also were in double digits in tackles, Lopez with twelve and Meachum with ten. Kucharski's 29 tackles make him the team leader by a large margin.
   The Indians next opponent comes in rival Bangor, who has started the season 0-3 after making the playoffs with a 6-3 record last season. Second year coach Ron Markel's club is coming in off a 22-8 loss to Decatur last Friday. Even though their record doesn't show it, the Vikings have some real talent on both sides of the ball.
   The Vikings are led by quarterback Nik Abbott, who is just 13-of-34 passing with 117 yards and three interceptions. The Vikings receiving core is led by Nick Watkins, who is the leading receiver with five catches for 49 yards this season. Charles Cox (three receptions, 39 yards) and Andrew Johnson (three receptions, nine yards) are two other targets for Abbott.
   The Vikings rushing game is led by Zach Birkhead, who is the only rusher over 100 yards, having carried the ball 48 times for 181 yards and a touchdown this season. Scott Thorbjornsen (ten carries, 48 yards on the season) is coming off his best game of the season, scoring the lone Viking touchdown last week.
   The Indians are only six miles away this week, so we expect the visitor side of Viking Stadium to be packed this week. Come on out and support the Indians this Friday night!

NOTES: The Indian Junior Varsity team is home once again this week on Thursday night against Bangor with kickoff set for 6:00 PM. The Indians are 3-0 after scoring a 50-14 victory over Bloomingdale last Thursday. The Indians led 28-8 at halftime in that game. Bangor made the playoffs for the first time since 2000 last season, going 6-3, but losing to Montague in round one. Hartford and Bangor have not played since 2008, when they played in week nine; Hartford won the game, 35-0. The Indians have won the last two in the series head-to-head. The weather forecast for Friday looks spectacular; perfect weather for a fall football game, but quite chilly. Temperatures will be around fifty at game time, with temperatures in the upper forties at the end of the game. Clear skies and light winds are expected and the chance of rain is very low this week.