Chris Binder solidifies kicking game for Bears

ORONO – Last year, Chris Binder walked on as a placekicker for the University of Maine football team. Last Saturday, he walked onto Alumni Field and made a successful collegiate debut.

Binder, a 1993 Bangor High School graduate, was perfect. The freshman converted on one PAT kick and nailed a 25-yard field goal, earning the job in the process.

Binder, who redshirted in ’93, got the call against Boston University after junior Tom Dadmun missed two short field goals against Rhode Island a week earlier.

“I had to do something after last week,” said Maine coach Jack Cosgrove. “I know (Binder) was probably real nervous, but I thought it helped our kicking game. He did that and Tommy Dadmun gave us a super job with the kickoffs.

Placekicking has been a glaring weakness for the Black Bears during the last two seasons. Dadmun struggled a year ago, making 13 of 18 of his PATs and converting on only seven of 15 field-goal attempts.

Two of the missed field goals would have won games for Maine.

Binder, a 5-foot-8, 178-pounder, is the first Bangor High product to play at Maine since Daryl Fort played at linebacker and on special teams in 1992. Binder also is Maine’s backup punter.

Injuries continue to take a toll on the Bears, who have already lost for the season freshman defensive back Jamie Brown with knee surgery, sophomore guard Brendon Parker with a compressed vertebra, soph offensive tackle Dave Rilatt with a broken ankle, and soph linebacker Shawn Stephenson with a broken leg.

Starting defensive end George McDonald went down with a knee injury last week. It is expected to sideline him for at least four to six weeks.

Sophomore defensive end Jason Agren is recuperating from a fractured collarbone; freshman DE Jon Gautier is bothered by residual effects of a broken kneecap suffered in high school; and junior linebacker Al Hall has been out since undergoing knee surgery last fall.

Also, frosh safety Lateef O’Connor is on the mend from a broken jaw; soph LB Peter Poirier continues to recover from a broken ankle sustained during preseason; junior Aaron Terry hasn’t been able to overcome a knee injury suffered two years ago; and freshman Scott Tracey remains hobbled by a preseason knee injury.

Junior middle linebacker Ross Fichthorn has played all season with a bandaged, broken left hand, while freshman lineman Luke Porter has played with a broken right hand.

Sophomore offensive tackle Mike Flynn, who had been working his way back from knee surgery last fall, was pressed into service against BU and played well. Flynn held his own in his first significant action since last season.

“We lost some key people during the week, and I asked guys to find a little bit more within themselves,” Cosgrove said. “I believe Mike Flynn played the whole football game at right tackle. We had some things we had to overcome.”

The second Bill Swift Golf Classic and the University of Maine’s baseball alumni all-star game are scheduled for Oct. 7-8 in Orono.

The Swift golf tournament, a scramble with a shotgun start, is slated for Oct. 7 at 10:30 a.m. at Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono. Swift, a starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, will be joined by Oakland Athletics infielder Mike Bordick and other former UMaine stars.

The event costs $125, which includes greens fee, cart, dinner, autographed baseballs and baseball cards of Swift and Bordick, and other goodies. Registration for the tournament will run from 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

Entry forms should be returned by Sept. 22 to Mike Coutts, 5747 Mahaney Clubhouse, Orono, ME 04469-5747. For more information, call 581-1045.

On Oct. 8 at noon, Mahaney Diamond will be the site of an all-star game featuring numerous Black Bear standouts playing for either the American or National squad, depending on their own affiliation.

Potential players include Swift, Bordick, Mark Sweeney, Chad White, and Mike D’Andrea, among many others. The Friends of Maine Baseball will have a barbecue after the game. The cost is $6.50 for non-members of the group.