Small-school football in Eastern Maine is not without its challenges, particularly maintaining adequate numbers in an era of declining enrollments.

But Sunday night’s 34th annual James J. Fitzpatrick Award Dinner suggested that the dreams shared by young football players in Maine are not limited by geographic or population considerations.

Of the 10 semifinalists for this year’s Fitzpatrick Trophy, four came from non-Class A schools, with three representing Class C programs – all schools with 430 or fewer students. And, for the first time since players from Classes B and C have been considered for the award symbolic of Maine’s top high school senior football player beginning in 1996, two of the three finalists were from Class C schools – Fitzy winner Nick Tymoczko of Class C state champion Bucksport and Bobby Gilbert of Foxcroft Academy.

“I’ve coached in Bangor, and numbers make a difference,” said Bucksport coach Joel Sankey after the dinner. “But there are some kids in Class C football in the state of Maine who can play for anybody. Bobby’s an example of that. Nick’s an example of that, and we’ve got a whole table of kids from Bucksport here that are examples of that.”

Tymoczko represents a perfect example of seeing the possibilities and pursuing them. Blessed with sprinter’s speed and a dedicated work ethic, he spent his junior season splitting time at tailback and wide receiver. Then he competed on Bucksport’s state championship track team last spring, and from there his mind turned back to football, armed with the knowledge that the Golden Bucks were in position to challenge for a state title.

“We all went in the weight room and worked very hard,” said Tymoczko, who amassed 2,741 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns in leading Bucksport to a 12-0 season. “We knew we were going to have a great season. We didn’t know to what magnitude it would be, but we kept the ball on the ground, [coach Sankey] gave me a lot of opportunities to carry the ball, and we had a great season.”

Ironically, Tymoczko received the Fitzy from the last player north of Greater Waterville to win the award, 1979 recipient Pat Philippon of Bangor High.

“I wasn’t surprised,” said Sankey of Tymoczko winning the award, “except that over the years this has been primarily a Class A award.”

Gilbert’s rise to Fitzy finalist was even more improbable. He grew up in the Greenville school system, which hasn’t fielded a football team in more than three decades.

He loved the game from afar as a youngster, but recalled classmates in seventh grade suggesting he was dreaming if he really thought he was going to become a football player. But he transferred to Foxcroft Academy after his freshman year, fell in love with both football and the weight room, and led the Ponies to the 2003 state Class C title, two Eastern Maine championships and a 32-3 record in his only three seasons of organized football to date.

“I never pictured this, not once,” said Gilbert, who rushed for 1,979 yards and scored 37 touchdowns this fall. “I didn’t even know what the Fitzpatrick award was three years ago. All I knew was that FA had a decent football team and I was going try to play, and here I am now.”

Both Tymoczko and Gilbert plan to continue their football careers in college, furthering the reality that small-town teams can produce big-time players.

“I think at times you get into that bias that Class A is better,” said Sankey. “I know with the Shrine [Lobster] Bowl you see it that way with the players that are picked. But I know the year that coach [Bob] Sinclair and I coached the team together, it was the first year Eastern Maine won, and we won with a lot of Class C players and Class B players. They can play ball.”