Friday night’s Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic in Biddeford represents the last game on the sidelines for East football coach Butch Arthers of Belfast.

Arthers retired late last year after 16 seasons as varsity football coach at Belfast, where he still serves as the school’s principal. Since he was named the principal in 2002, he shared head coaching duties with Butch Richards, who remains the Lions’ head coach and also is serving on the East coaching staff for the Lobster Bowl.

“It’s a little bittersweet,” said Arthers Tuesday of this week’s experience at the Lobster Bowl training camp at Hebron Academy. “I’m ready for a little break from it, but I love high school football and I’ll continue to obviously support our own team.”

Arthers compiled a 111-58 record as Belfast’s head coach and guided the Lions to three Class B state championships, six Eastern Maine titles and postseason berths in each of the last 14 years.

He also has been on the coaching staff for numerous Lobster Bowl Classics during its 19-year existence.

“With the coaches here this week, I’ve coached with most of them for the last 10 years, and some of them 20,” Arthers said. “I know a lot of these coaches, but I never get a chance to go see their teams play because I’m scouting or coaching my own team.”

And while most of his autumn Friday nights will remain following Belfast’s football fortunes, he may get to sneak away to see some of his colleagues’ teams play.

“I was talking with Marshwood coach [Bill Manchester] last night, and he was telling me they’ve got a big homecoming game with Thornton Academy this fall,” said Arthers, a Lincoln native who taught and coached at Marshwood of South Berwick before moving to Belfast in 1990, “and I thought I’d really love to get down there and see that because I’m sure I’d know a lot of people down there.

“It would be a lot of fun.”

Anderson replaces Treadwell

Earl Anderson, who coached the Nokomis of Newport girls basketball team to the 2001 Class A state championship and a second Eastern Maine title in 2003, has been named the interim athletic administrator at Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield.

Anderson, who has been a history teacher at MCI for the past 27 years and assistant athletic administrator since 2000, replaces Julie Treadwell in his new duties. Treadwell left after the 2007-08 school year to take a job as director of physical education and athletics at the Holton-Arms School, a college preparatory girls school for grades 3-12 in Bethesda, Md.

Anderson, an Orono native, has coached boys basketball and baseball at MCI, and also coached boys basketball at Hampden Academy before his tenure at Nokomis from 1996 to 2007. He compiled a 143-73 regular-season record with the Warriors over those 12 seasons – including a 22-0 season in 2001.

Anderson has received numerous coaching accolades, including Maine Association of Basketball Coaches coach of the year honors and Big East Conference Basketball Coach of the Year in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005. He also coached the MABC East A-B senior all-stars in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Treadwell had worked at MCI for the past 24 years in numerous capacities. She coached basketball, field hockey and softball in addition to working as the school’s athletic administrator and dean of students.

She also was active in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference, at one time serving as that organization’s president. Treadwell was named 2003 KVAC athletic director of the year.

Treadwell recently served as president of the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. She also was a member of the select panel that wrote the federally funded Sports Done Right document, and served on the board of directors for the Maine Center for Sport and Coaching.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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