Fitzpatrick winner signs with UMaine Bears get record-setter St. Hilaire

Lee St. Hilaire, who last fall became the all-time leading passer in Maine schoolboy football history, will continue his career at the University of Maine.

The Winthrop High School star, who recently earned the James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy as the state’s best senior football player, signed his National Letter of Intent Thursday indicating his desire to play for the Black Bears.

After two years of recruiting, hype and expectations, St. Hilaire opted for UMaine after making a campus visit last weekend.

“Just going up there, the players, all the coaches, they made me feel so welcome. They made me feel like they were going to take care of you,” St. Hilaire said Thursday.

Ultimately, the choice came down to signing with the Bears or playing a year of prep football at Bridgton Academy. With the preferred aid package he received, St. Hilaire saw no reason to delay.

“It’s perfect timing for me going in there. It will be a great opportunity for me,” St. Hilaire said. “I’d like to be a part of the Black Bear tradition.”

St. Hilaire, a 5-foot-10, 185-pounder, is one of two quarterbacks to sign with UMaine. Last season, he completed 140 of 205 passes for 2,382 yards and 21 touchdowns with only three interceptions.

St. Hilaire finished his career having completed 63 percent of his passes good for 8,272 yards. Both rank him among the best in U.S. schoolboy football history.

Last month, St. Hilaire became the first non-Class A player to win the Fitzpatrick Trophy. He also was named Maine’s Gatorade Circle of Champions Player of the Year.

Even with all his accomplishments and notoriety, St. Hilaire knows the transition will be tough.

“I’ve definitely got to get bigger and faster. Those are my biggest challenges right now,” he said.

“I know the speed of the game is going to be totally out of the league I’ve been playing in,” St. Hilaire added. “I’m going to work my tail off and try to make it happen.”

St. Hilaire, who also plays hockey for Winthrop-Hall Dale, will learn the ropes of Division I-AA football along with Winthrop teammate Clyde Moody, a defensive back who signed with UMaine on Wednesday.

“It definitely will be great being able to play football with him for four or five more years,” St. Hilaire said. “We’ll be on different sides of the ball, so we’ll be going after each other, but it will make it easier to know I have a friend to hang out with.”

UMaine also received a letter from Nicholas Rawls, an offensive lineman from Wantagh, N.Y. The 6-2, 260-pounder was an all-league selection and finished as the runner-up for Offensive Lineman of the Year in Nassau County.

The signings bring to 21 the number of players who have committed to UMaine for next season. The NLI signing period runs through April 1.

Bears look to get back on track

The UMaine women’s basketball team has gone into a bid of a skid recently, losing three of its last four games.

Coach Sharon Versyp’s Black Bears are 11-9 overall, but have slipped into a tie for sixth place with Hartford in the America East standings with a 4-5 league record.

The most recent setback was Tuesday night’s 76-65 loss at Boston University. The Bears are 1-4 in America East road games.

UMaine’s defense, which had been among the best in the conference, has been less effective of late. The Bears have surrendered an average of 81 points per game in three of its last four outings after holding opponents to 62 points or less (52.3 ppg) in the previous seven contests.

“People just need to be responsible for what they’re capable of doing,” Versyp said. “We just need to do the basics – rotate, box out, contest shots.”

The Bears still rank third in field-goal percentage defense at .373 and are fifth in scoring defense at 63.3 points per game. UMaine continues to set the pace in America East with a plus-5.0 rebounding margin.

UMaine, laden with underclassmen in starting and key reserve roles, continues to search for consistency at both ends of the court.

“We’re playing like individuals. There’s no team concept out there,” Versyp said. “People are trying to do too much and they’re not playing their roles.”

The Bears are preparing for Saturday’s 1 p.m. league home game against former UMaine coach Trish Roberts and Stony Brook.