For many, football season is the best time of year.

Schools large and small all dream big, and the pursuit of those dreams on Friday nights under the lights or Saturday afternoons under the sun brings communities together once a week in an otherwise too busy world.

There’s a lot to look forward to this fall in Eastern Maine football, and many questions to be answered.

How will the defending EM champions – Bangor, Winslow and Bucksport – fare?

Bangor will rely heavily on juniors and sophomores, so don’t expect the Bangor you see or hear about on opening night to be the Bangor you see or hear about in late October, when key games loom against Mt. Blue of Farmington and Oxford Hills at South Paris.

Winslow doesn’t have a lot of size, the norm for coach Mike Siviski’s club. But a stellar junior class led by quarterback-linebacker Stephen Siviski and tailback-defensive back Justin Lindie returns, and the Black Raiders boast game-breaking team speed.

Bucksport graduated three huge cogs from last year’s undefeated march to the gold ball in Fitzpatrick Trophy winner Nick Tymoczko, quarterback Joey Carmichael and fullback John Harvey. But the Golden Bucks have a strong line, and that make things easier for new quarterback Chris Maguire.

Will all three repeat as champions? Probably not, but all three surely will contend.

Who will emerge as a Fitzpatrick Trophy candidate from the region? One name springs to mind, Aaron Chambers of Skowhegan. Chambers set a school record with more than 1,500 yards as a junior, and he also has a bruising fullback in Josh Whiting to lead him into the secondary. And once Chambers gets into the secondary, he’s a threat to score.

Who will be the fourth team to make the LTC playoffs? Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, Bucksport and Foxcroft Academy have the tradition, talent and coaching to stay at the top of the pack.

But the fourth qualifier? Last year it was Orono, which adapted quickly to the Oklahoma wing-T offense installed by coach Bob Sinclair to reach postseason play for the first time since 1996. This year, it could be newly eligible Rockland – and that would represent a major comeback, given the depths the program endured not so long ago. But with back-to-back winning seasons in 2003 and 2004 and a record-setting quarterback in sophomore Andrew Weiss, the Tigers have reason for optimism.

Who will be the new stars to emerge this season? It will take a few games to sort that out, but a couple of possibilities are QBs Ian Edwards of Bangor and Bucksport’s Maguire.

Edwards, a sophomore, has an impressive pedigree – his dad won the 1975 Fitzy – and he showed considerable poise during preseason and on the mound during the recent Senior League World Series. How Edwards, newly converted junior tailback Alex Gallant and sophomore tight end Ryan Weston spark the Bangor offense will have a major bearing on how the Rams fare this season.

Like Edwards, the athletic Maguire has played in big games before. He is the starting shortstop for Bucksport High School, as well as for the Brewer Falcons American Legion team that reached this year’s state tournament.

So who will represent Eastern Maine in the state finals? Injuries to Mt. Blue tailback Hazen Pingree and Gardiner tight end Sean McNally make two of these choices rather tenuous, but the votes here are for Mt. Blue in Class A, Gardiner in Class B and Mattanawcook in Class C.

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net