New rule greets teams Practices follow two-week break

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In the sun, it was definitely warm. But standing in the shade during Monday afternoon’s practice sessions at Bangor High School, with a stiff breeze blowing, you could almost feel a chill in the air as the Ram football, boys soccer, fall cheerleading, and cross country teams stretched, ran drills, and took instruction from coaches.

High schools across the state started fall practice and tryouts Monday, with boys and girls soccer, football, cross country, golf, field hockey, volleyball and fall cheerleading all getting under way.

Most of the Aroostook County schools have already been at it for about two weeks, and several soccer teams have played their first games of the season. Those schools start early and close for a few weeks in the fall to accommodate the potato harvest.

For the rest of the state, Monday was a day to get back into the fall routine.

That was a bit different this year for Bangor football head coach Mark Hackett. This was the first summer of a so-called hands-off period in which coaches were not allowed to have contact with their players for two weeks prior to the start of the season. This year, coaches and players could not have contact from Aug. 4-17.

The rule was initiated by the Maine Principals’ Association in order to give athletes a break before the start of the fall season.

Hackett said he likes the concept of giving athletes a two-week break before practice, but it did change things a bit this year.

“We slowed it down a little, instructed them a little more about where they were going to be for this afternoon and tomorrow,” Hackett said Monday afternoon of that morning’s first practice.

“We’re not behind but you have to tweak it a little because you don’t have a camp. The staff is getting used to not being where you’d normally be. It’s not the players’ fault.”

One field over, Ram boys soccer coach Adam Leach said he also likes the hands-off concept, but can see where it would hurt smaller schools.

“You’d have basketball, baseball, soccer all competing for those same six weeks where you kind of need everybody,” said Leach, who is a graduate of Class D Ashland and has taught and coached at almost every enrollment classification.

“But it worked out great for us,” Leach added. “These guys played men’s league, Union Street league, all summer long. They got in a lot of soccer all summer, and I think the rest is really good for them.”

The Aroostook County schools that start early are exempt from the hands-off rule.

Both Hackett and Leach said their freshman turnout Monday was a bit bigger than normal. There were 47 freshmen who took out football equipment, Hackett said, and this year Leach’s program will have its first freshman boys team with 28 in tryouts.

“It’s something we’ve needed for a while,” he said.

Foxcroft AD, coach positions filled

New Foxcroft Academy athletic director Tim Smith has made the move back to his hometown.

And Bob Hartford, a longtime Dover-Foxcroft resident, now has his first varsity head coaching job.

Smith, a 1987 Foxcroft graduate, was hired for the AD post earlier this summer. Hartford was also tabbed for the girls basketball job during summer vacation.

Hartford has served for several years as the assistant basketball coach and is currently an assistant football coach. He takes over for Charlie Wing, who coached the Ponies for two years.

Smith spent nine years as an assistant athletic director at the University of Southern Maine. He also coached several levels of basketball at Cheverus of Portland and in the Scarborough school system.

“I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to come home and to be able to take this position,” Smith said.

Smith, who will likely teach a physical education class or two, replaces longtime athletic director Dave Clement.

Clement retired after about 30 years as a teacher, coach and AD at Foxcroft.

Northstars shine at Penn State

A girls basketball team made up of local high school standouts held their own at the recent Penn State/USA Invitational at State College, Penn.

The Maine Northstars picked up four wins and two losses in a tourney that included more than 200 teams. And of course there were plenty of college scouts.

The team members were Lawrence of Fairfield’s Holly Noyes, Maranacook of Readfield’s Toby Martin, Amanda Davis of Wiscasset, Lee’s Shelby Pickering, Amanda Byrne and Sarah Roderigue of Winslow, Cony of Augusta’s Natalie Nimon, Briiana Rende and Katie Rollins, and Ashley Ames (who did not travel with the team to Penn State).

Bill Libby of Orono coached the squad.

The Northstars beat the Long Island Renegades, Team Massachusetts, the WBA Lady Knicks, and the New Jersey Shorestars. The losses came against the Maryland Wave and the Potomac Vogues, a team based in the Washington, D.C. area.

Three of the wins came on last second shots by Martin, Davis and Rollins.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.