Bangor’s St. Pierre out with broken leg> Football team loses second senior captain

The Bangor High School football team has lost another of its four captains to a season-ending injury.

Split end-cornerback Jason St. Pierre suffered a hairline fracture in his lower right leg right in the first period of Friday night’s 41-0 win over Skowhegan. Defensive end-center Jeff Guerrette was lost for the season last month with a broken leg.

St. Pierre, who will be sidelined from four to six weeks, said the injury occurred when he tried to make a diving tackle “and somebody rolled over my ankle.

“It’s very frustrating,” said St. Pierre Monday night. “We finished the season off with a big win and we’re going to the playoffs. But I’ll only be able to watch from the sidelines. It’s going to be tough to watch from the sidelines. I wish I could contribute all the way through.”

Bangor, the second seed in the Pine Tree Conference, will host No. 3 Mt. Blue of Farmington in a Friday night semifinal.

On a positive note, St. Pierre said he should miss only a week of basketball practice. The sharp-shooting guard was a third-team Bangor Daily News All-Maine selection a year ago as he helped lead the Rams to their second consecutive state Class A basketball title.

Ram basketball coach Roger Reed said, “To be honest, things haven’t gone too well for the football or basketball teams. Losing Jeff is a big loss for the football team and for us. We hope to get him back in January.

“I feel bad for the football team,” added Reed. “Jeff was the heart and soul of that team and Jason is a great wide receiver. They put their hearts and souls into reaching the states. I don’t think in terms of basketball right. I just feel bad for the kids.”

Reed also said basketball player Mike Arsenault had recent arthroscopic surgery on his knee but he should be OK by the start of practice.

With the exception of Class B, the sites of Saturday’s state championships for soccer and field hockey were set Monday.

The Maine Principals’ Association’s first choice for a Class B site was Cony High’s Alumni Field in Augusta. However, the school was not able to offer its field as it in rough shape after a wet football season, according to Hampden Academy Athletic Director Bill Connors, the MPA Soccer Committee chair.

The MPA’s assistant executive director, Larry LaBrie, needed to look at one particular second site before making a decision on where the games might be held.

The Class A boys and girls championships will be played at Gorham High School. The Brunswick girls play Western Maine champ Cape Elizabeth at 10 a.m., followed by the Brunswick boys’ game against defending state titlist Cape Elizabeth at 1 p.m.

Hall-Dale High School of Hallowell is the host school for the Class C boys game between two-time Eastern Maine champ George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill and Falmouth at 1 p.m.

Schenck of East Millinocket will be the site of the 10 a.m. Class C girls game between Madawaska and Dirigo of Dixfield and the 1 p.m. Class D boys matchup between Van Buren and Monmouth Academy.

The Class D girls contest involving Ashland and Waynflete of Portland will be held at Orono High School at 1 p.m.

Field hockey’s state championship games will be played at Lewiston High School.

EM Class B champ Hampden Academy takes on Leavitt of Turner at 10 a.m. EM Class C titlist Hall-Dale plays Telstar at noon, and the Class A matchup between EM champ Messalonskee of Oakland and South Portland is at 2 p.m.

Non-binding resolutions endorsing a 35-second shot clock and a 40-minute game came out of Saturday’s Maine Association of Basketball Coaches meeting.

Both proposals were made by John Bapst basketball coach Bob Cimbollek, and were voted on by the 55-60 high school coaches at the association’s annual business meeting.

Neither amendment sparked much discussion, Cimbollek said.

The 40-minute game could work two ways with either 10-minute quarters or two 20-minute halves, similar to the college game.

Those recommendations now will go to the Maine Basketball Commission and the Maine Principals’ Association basketball committee for review.

Girls sports registered the biggest participation increases in 1995-96, according to data from 51 state high school athletic/activity associations and the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Fast-pitch softball gained 26,882 participants from the 1994-95 season, and the sport ranks fourth among girls athletic programs in terms of participants and school sponsorship. Basketball, outdoor track and field, soccer and volleyball all attracted more than 17,000 additional athletes.

Basketball remains the most popular girls sport with 445,869 participants and football the most popular among the boys with 957,573.

The increases, which totaled nearly 225,500, pushed the overall participation rate to more than 6 million.