It’s been a record-setting regular season for Bucksport High tailback Nick Tymoczko.

The Golden Bucks’ senior set new LTC Class C single-season standards for rushing yards (2,071) and touchdowns (33) while leading coach Joel Sankey’s club to a 9-0 record and the top seed for the conference playoffs that begin Friday night.

His rushing record eclipsed the 20-year-old regular-season record of 1,830 yards set by Dexter’s Mark Haines in 1984 – the oldest individual record on the LTC books. Tymozcko’s touchdown record was one better than the 32 touchdowns scored by Justin Cummings of Stearns of Millinocket in 2000.

“He’s a heck of an athlete,” said Sankey, who has had the good fortune not to have to devise defensive schemes to stop his top back. “He’s fast, he’s quick, and he’s strong, and he’s got a good fullback [John Harvey] to block for him, a good quarterback [Joey Carmichael] to hand him the ball, and the offensive line has been very, very good.”

Perhaps most impressive about Tymoczko’s performance to date this season has been his consistency. His lowest output in a game was a 142-yard, two TD effort in the Golden Bucks’ season-opening 62-6 victory at Maranacook of Readfield – a game in which he and the rest of the Bucksport starters played just in the first half.

That was one of three games in which Tymoczko finished with fewer that 200 rushing yards, and the only game in which he scored fewer than three touchdowns.

His biggest statistical night so far came in the regular-season finale when he gained a career-high 362 yards on 35 carries and scored six touchdowns as Bucksport defeated Orono to secure its first undefeated regular season since 1983.

Another top performance came in Week 3 against reigning Class C state champion Foxcroft Academy, when Tymoczko rushed for 271 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries – his first two carries accounting for 135 yards and two touchdowns to propel Bucksport to a 34-21 victory.

Tymoczko has amassed these numbers despite the fact the Bucksport offensive line has had to overcome season-ending injuries to starting tackles David Harvey and Rick Spohrer. But Travis Tolman, Cody Wilson, and Chris Gray have led a revamped offensive front that has enabled Tymoczko to become the LTC’s first 2,000-yard regular-season rusher.

Bucksport opens postseason play at home Friday against No. 4 Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln (6-3), a team the Golden Bucks defeated 28-0 in Week 7. Friday’s other LTC semifinal has No. 3 Orono (7-2) against No. 2 Foxcroft Academy (8-1) at Oakes Field in Dover-Foxcroft.

Rockland stars set LTC marks

Two Rockland High standouts also established LTC regular-season records during the recently completed campaign.

Senior Wade Oliver amassed 879 receiving yards, eclipsing the record of 695 receiving yards set by John Carney of Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln in 2002.

Freshman quarterback Andrew Weiss set regular-season records for passing yards (1,507) and touchdown passes (16). Those records broke the marks of 1,354 passing yards and 14 touchdown passes set by Dustin Hanscom of Mattanawcook Academy during the 2002 regular season.

Raiders rise to occasion

Nobody really expected the Winslow football team to fall far from the top of the Pine Tree Conference Class B football standings this fall, even if returning veterans were few on the Black Raiders’ roster.

But the level of growth during the past nine weeks may have exceeded even coach Mike Siviski’s expectations, given that 7-2 Winslow enters postseason play riding a four-game winning streak and as the conference’s No. 2 seed.

“The last three or four weeks there’s been weekly improvement,” said Siviski, who has guided the Black Raiders for the last 19 years. “One thing about football is that you never stay the same, you either get better or you get worse, and I think we’ve gotten better for four or five weeks in a row.”

That improvement was perhaps best reflected in Winslow’s most recent outing, a 20-14 win against top-seeded Brewer at Poulin Field last Saturday, a victory that knocked the 8-1 Witches – a team that similarly had few returning veterans this year – from the unbeaten ranks.

“The fantastic thing for myself and [Brewer coach Ed Ortego] is that it’s been like a total rebuild for both of us and both teams are playing quality football,” said Siviski.

The Black Raiders haven’t lost since a 14-11 Week 5 home game against No. 4 Leavitt of Turner Center – Brewer’s playoff opponent Friday night. The win streak includes a 43-28 victory against defending state champion Belfast, Winslow’s opponent Saturday in a regional semifinal that doubles as a rematch of the 2003 Eastern B title game.

“This team’s come a long ways since the beginning of the season,” said running back-linebacker Ryan Lindie, one of 13 seniors on the Winslow roster. “Nobody expected a lot, so if we made the playoffs, that would be a great success for us. But we thought maybe we could make something happen a little quietly here.”

And just as nobody really expected the Black Raiders to fall far from the top of the standings, the future looks even brighter. Winslow is relying heavily on its underclassmen, including a 17-player sophomore contingent led by starting quarterback Steven Siviski and tailback Justin Lindie, the Black Raiders’ leading rusher.

Eastern C champ gets home nod

The Eastern Maine champion will be the home team for the 2004 Class C state championship football game to be played Nov. 20 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

The Eastern A and B representatives have been designated as visiting teams for the three-game day, according to a news release from the Maine Principals’ Association.

Game times are 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m., and 6 p.m. Games will be matched to those times on Nov. 15 depending on how far the teams involved in the state final have to travel.