Think back to yesteryear and all of the athletic standouts to come out of your high school.

Orono High School is taking that nostalgic view of its athletic program one step further with the development of the Orono High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

All former Orono High student-athletes, coaches, administrators and special contributors are eligible for selection, based on their accomplishments and contributions during their years at OHS and beyond.

Anyone may nominate a candidate by accessing the school’s Web site – www.orono.u87.k12.me.us/ohs/ohs.htm – clicking on “athletics” and downloading a nomination form that explains all the criteria and provides space to outline the credentials of potential nominees, said Orono athletic administrator Mike Archer.

Archer first got the idea for a hall of fame during an athletic administrators’ conference two years ago. After discussing the topic with Bonny Eagle of Standish athletic administrator Gary Stevens, who already had created a hall of fame at that school, Archer began conducting a Web search of schools throughout the country that had established athletic hall of fame programs.

“I wanted to look at schools that had a hall of fame, and see ways in which it’s done that would work best for Orono,” said Archer.

A local seven-member committee has since been established and developed its own lists of potential candidates. That committee ultimately will select inductees from all those nominated by the general public and OHS alumni.

Archer anticipates the first class of OHS hall of famers numbering between three and five, with those inductees to be honored at halftime of the school’s homecoming football game in 2008.

Subsequent hall of fame classes of similar size would be inducted annually, also in conjunction with homecoming festivities.

“We want to make this an absolute honor,” Archer said.

Nomination forms for the Orono High School Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2008 will be accepted between Nov. 1 and May 1, 2008, at the high school athletic office.

Rockland controls own destiny

It’s crunch time in the LTC football ranks, with this Friday and Saturday marking the final weekend of regular-season play.

Two-time defending Eastern Maine Class C champion Foxcroft Academy already has clinched first place – and home-field advantage throughout the regional playoffs – with its 8-0 record.

John Bapst of Bangor (7-1) has secured second place while Mattanawcook Academy (6-2) has clinched third, meaning those teams will meet in a semifinal the weekend of Nov. 2-3 at Cameron Stadium in Bangor. John Bapst edged Mattanawcook 22-20 in Week 2 of the regular season.

Three teams still have a chance for the fourth and final playoff berth, though only one is in control of its destiny.

Should Rockland (5-3) defeat Bucksport (4-4) Friday night, the Tigers will clinch their first postseason berth since 1988.

Should Rockland lose and 5-3 Orono defeat John Bapst, Orono will earn the playoff berth.

Should both Rockland and Orono lose, they would tie Bucksport for fourth place in the league. The first three tiebreakers designated for use by the Maine Principals’ Association also would not produce a winner. The teams would remain tied under the Crabtree point ratings, head-to-head competition would not produce a winner since each team would be 1-1 against the other two contenders, and the next tiebreaker, Heal points, also would result in a tie, according to LTC statistician Mike Archer.

That would leave a coin flip as the next step. The three teams would flip a coin, with the odd team eliminated from playoff contention. Then the remaining two teams would revert to their head-to-head competition to determine the league’s fourth and final seed.

Orono defeated Bucksport 29-28 in Week 2 this season, while Rockland defeated Orono 35-19 in Week 6. Should Rockland and Bucksport survive the coin flip, under this scenario Bucksport would earn a trip to the playoffs through its Week 9 victory at Rockland.

Poulin gets HA baseball post

McLean Poulin is the new varsity baseball coach at Hampden Academy.

Poulin, who was the Broncos’ assistant coach for the last three years, replaces David Shapiro. Shapiro, also the school’s athletic administrator, stepped down after three years in order to spend more time with his young family, which includes 14-month-old triplets Max, Isabel and Sam.

“I’m definitely excited, this being my first varsity job,” said Poulin. “Back from Day 1 when I started coaching as a volunteer, I had it in mind that this was what I wanted at some point, to coach at the varsity level.”

Hampden graduated just three players – Joel Neill, Evan Farley and Justin Kelsey – from last year’s 6-10 team in Eastern Maine Class A.

“It’s a real easy transition as far as working with the players goes because I’ve been there with them for the last three years,” said Poulin, whose wife Nancy is the athletic trainer at Hampden Academy. “And I learned a lot about coaching under David, so not much is going to change.”

Poulin and Hampden’s baseball teams also are expected to benefit from the presence of lights at the Broncos’ home field, Bordick Park. The lights were turned on for the first time last spring at the only full-sized baseball field in the community, providing more home practice and game time not only for the varsity, but also for the subvarsity and middle school teams during the spring and various youth teams during the summer.

“Those lights are helping the whole program,” said Poulin, who played shortstop on the 1993 Eastern Maine Class C championship baseball team at Central High of Corinth.

Poulin, who works in the computer department at the University of Maine, also will coach junior varsity boys basketball at Hampden this winter. He replaces Justin Norwood, who left to take the boys varsity basketball post at his alma mater, Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor.

Poulin had coached JV boys basketball at John Bapst of Bangor for the last five years.