ORONO – The game of tug-of-war may be considered child’s play, however, the teamwork needed to succeed in this playground favorite is what prompted the Orono Red Riots motto for the 2005 football season. “Pull Together.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
ROCKLAND – Rockland coach Daryle Weiss remembers when he used to play football on the farm in Pennsylvania with his nephew. “We used to go out and play touch football with [Andy] and his brothers and it always wound up being tackle,” Weiss said. “We… Read More
A year ago, Mike Marston was a rookie coach on a team with no returning starters. After an 0-2 start, Marston’s Skowhegan Indians caught fire and almost upset their way through the entire Pine Tree Conference playoffs. The Indians wound up 5-6 as PTC runners-up… Read More
WINSLOW – Ask about the makeup of the Winslow High football roster, and you’ll generally get the same answer every year. “We’re pretty small, we don’t have much size,” said Mike Siviski, now in his 20th year as the Black Raiders’ head coach. “We’ll have… Read More
Coach Frank Knight’s Purple Panthers aren’t tickled pink to be dropping down to Class B for the first time in school football history, but neither are they feeling blue about it. “It’s kind of sad because we won’t have those rivalry games with Bangor and… Read More
MILLINOCKET — For many years, Stearns has been one of the top football programs in the state. Under the direction of coaches Art Greenlaw, Dave Evans, Tom Bertrand and Chris Preble, the Minutemen have been annual championship contenders over the past 15 to 20 years… Read More
ORONO – For Jarrod Gomes, there are few experiences in life more exhilarating than putting a hard hit on an opposing receiver or running back. That’s why the University of Maine senior puts full energy and intensity into every play. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
OAKLAND – Messalonskee held a Class A playoff position in its grasp last year, only to have Cony of Augusta snatch it away with a last-ditch drive during their Pine Tree Conference regular-season finale. The Eagles are using that defeat to motivate themselves for the… Read More
ORONO – The entire Orono High School football program will have a new look this year, as new varsity head coach Bob Sinclair has revamped the team’s offense and re-established a freshman program in the offseason. Sinclair, who takes over for Wally Covell, has been a head coach… Read More
ROCKLAND – In 2003, the Rockland Tigers accomplished something they hadn’t accomplished since the Reagan administration in 1988: a winning season. Last year, the Tigers finished fifth in the Class C LTC with a 5-4 mark, and return many starters from that team. However, Rockland… Read More
OLD TOWN – Dan Baker knew the task of rebuilding the Old Town football program would not be an instant fix. Yet as Year 2 of that effort gets under way, already there has been considerable progress. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
EASTERN MAINE Final, official Crabtree Point standings for Eastern Maine Class A football (top four teams in each division advance, then are reseeded based on Crabtree Points): googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
Belfast High School has been a Class B football power in Maine for the last several years. The Lions affirmed that status with the ultimate achievement last season, beating Gorham for the state championship. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
WEEK 1 Friday, Sept. 3 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
BUCKSPORT – The Bucksport High football team has always been in the mix in LTC Class C football and this year should be no exception. The Bucks are looking for another run at an Eastern Maine title and beyond after a 7-2 third-place finish in… Read More
DEXTER – After a disappointing 2-7 record last year, the Dexter Regional High School varsity football team hopes to make the playoffs for the first time since 1995. Head coach Haggie Pratt thinks that a year’s experience will help his team achieve its goal, as long as the… Read More
Last year’s low turnout forced Waterville football coach Frank Knight to start some players who probably would have benefited from more playing time at the junior varsity level. The Panthers’ numbers aren’t much better this year, and there will be plenty of youngsters in the… Read More
How do you top an undefeated season and state championship? You don’t. You just try to repeat. And that’s exactly what’s on the minds of the Foxcroft Academy football players. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
HAMPDEN – Ramsey Lafayette has had a busy summer. The Hampden Academy senior showcased his formidable football skills at a Nike-sponsored combine at Penn State University, and he also spent a week of camp at Boston College. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
BANGOR – Over the past few years, the one constant surrounding the John Bapst football team has been change – change in head coaches, change in style of play. For the first time in five years, though, the 2004 edition of the Crusaders will have… Read More
BANGOR – If the line of scrimmage is a determining factor in the success of a football team, as most experts suggest it is, then Bangor High enters the 2004 football season with a sizable advantage over its the 2004 Pine Tree Conference Class A adversaries. Read More
BREWER – As the only returning full-time starter on his team, Chad Szylvain might feel like a stranger in a strange football land. But that’s not the case at all for Szylvain, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound offensive tackle and reigning first-team All-Pine Tree Conference Class B… Read More
Joe Hayden isn’t your typical first-year head coach. After spending the better part of the past 28 fall seasons roaming various sidelines as a coach at the youth, freshman, and varsity football levels, Hayden is doing so this fall as a head coach for the… Read More
FAIRFIELD – Some big changes are in store for Lawrence football this year. The biggest change, according to third-year coach Scott Walker, is the switch in offensive strategy. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
BAR HARBOR – A mass of football players stood in a hallway outside the Mount Desert Island High’s weight room, waiting to pick up their new jerseys on a recent afternoon. Mark Shields called for the players to come pick their new numbers. First, he called for the… Read More
WINSLOW – The Winslow Black Raiders have used a balance of size and speed to achieve considerable success during Mike Siviski’s first 18 years as head coach. But in 2004, the maturation process of a young team – particularly a deep and talented sophomore class… Read More
PITTSFIELD – LTC Class C features balance again this season without many teams looking beyond their weekend opponent. The Maine Central Institute Huskies will be a young but tough force in the conference and a challenge for each team on their schedule. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
LINCOLN – The Mattanawcook Academy varsity football team struggled last year, winning only two of its nine games, but this year the team returns after working hard in the weight room during the offseason. Head coach Mike Bisson believes that the players’ work ethic during the offseason and… Read More
In a lot of ways, the 2004 version of the Skowhegan Indians varsity football team is totally different than last year’s. But in at least one, it hasn’t changed that much. When a team loses all 22 starters and 25 total players to graduation, AND… Read More
ORONO – To the casual observer, Mike Leconte is a soft-spoken and introspective member of the University of Maine football team. Once he puts on his Black Bears uniform, the senior from South Portland is transformed into a powerful, hard-charging offensive guard who is among… Read More
MILLINOCKET – Last season, Stearns High School head coach Chris Preble took an experienced varsity football team to the Eastern Maine Class C championship, where it lost to Foxcroft Academy in overtime. This year, Preble will lead an inexperienced and currently injury-riddled team as the Minutemen fight for… Read More
BANGOR – Two summers ago, Chad Bennett was at a crossroads in his life. He had returned from his freshman year at Alfred University (N.Y.) determined to give up playing football and pursue his education in the sun and fun of central Florida. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
WINSLOW – Winslow High School’s bid for a third straight state Class B championship ended not on the football field last fall, but at a meeting three days after the Black Raiders’ final game. It took three tiebreakers to determine which two teams from among… Read More
In sandlot baseball, there’s an old saying: “You have to earn your ups.” Such is the case with the Belfast High School football team. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
MILLINOCKET – During each of the last two seasons, the Stearns Minutemen have started their season with three losses, then recovered to win five of their last six to make the playoffs, only to lose to Foxcroft Academy in a road semifinal playoff game. This… Read More
LINCOLN – Last season, a veteran Mattanawcook Academy team made its fifth straight postseason appearance. With 17 of 22 starters graduating from last year’s 6-4 team, it will be a whole new group of Lynx that will try and secure the program’s sixth straight playoff… Read More
BANGOR – Dan O’Connell admits he had some preconceived notions about John Bapst when he was a standout football player at Bangor High and Bates College in Lewiston. Then he took an assistant coaching post at the private school last fall. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
ROCKLAND – High school football is a team sport. You play 48 hard minutes, and in the end, you either win or lose as a team. For the Rockland Tigers, that’s how third-year head coach Daryle Weiss views things for the upcoming season. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
It was the kind of win you build a season on. So even though it came at the end of last fall, Waterville football coach Frank Knight has reminded this year’s team how it felt to upend Bangor in the Pine Tree Conference quarterfinals. “It… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Paul Withee was talking with a visitor after a recent morning practice when a player walked by, heading home for some rest before an afternoon session. “Now [the player] had to rotate at linebacker last year and only played half the downs on… Read More
DEXTER – Trying to find the right starting lineup for a high school football team can be like trying to put together a puzzle. Coach Haggie Pratt knows how some of the pieces fit for his 2003 squad, but he has been working during the… Read More
How do you follow up a year in which your team was undefeated during the regular season and advanced to the conference semifinals? Partly because of the way last season ended in disappointing fashion and partly because it was just a step toward a larger… Read More
When your football team is coming off a 1-7 season, you have a new coach, your roster numbers only 33 players, and you’re one of the smallest schools – enrollment-wise – in a conference featuring some of the largest schools in the state, optimism might be hard to… Read More
OLD TOWN – Shawn Myers and Jimmy Feero are not only co-captains of this year’s Old Town High School football team, they’re the only seniors on the 27-player squad. That means their importance to the squad won’t be measured solely on game day. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
BANGOR – The Bangor Rams had a 2002 football season of extremes, losing their first two games, then winning six straight before having their quest for a second consecutive state Class A championship ended in a first-round playoff loss. The 2003 edition will rely on… Read More
CLASS A East googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
BREWER – After consecutive 7-3 seasons that landed the Brewer Witches in the Eastern Maine Class B playoffs, a third straight trip to postseason play will require significant contributions from new sources. Of the 54 players in preseason camp, only two were returning starters from… Read More
HAMPDEN – As the yard lines were being painted on Hampden Academy’s new artificial-turf football field, the players were walking in the other direction, relieved that a week of triple sessions was at its end. Relieved, but excited, too, given that many believe the new… Read More
ORONO – There’s something special about living on the west side of Grand Rapids, Mich. Many of the families there are of Polish descent and it’s a community, Michael Zyskowski will tell you, where virtually everybody knows each other. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Football isn’t for everybody, but for those young men who enjoy it, it can be one of the most rewarding college experiences. This fall, for the first time since the late 1930s, Husson College will field a football team. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
BAR HARBOR – In the seven years Mark Shields was an assistant football coach at MDI High, he backed up longtime coach George “Toogie” McKay, just as an assistant should. But McKay resigned earlier this year after 22 seasons, and Shields is making a lot… Read More
Chris LeBlanc remembers the good old days of Madison High School football. The Bulldogs were a perennial Class C power in the 1980s and 1990s, winning six regional crowns and four state championships from 1982 through 1994. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
WEEK 1 Friday, Sept. 5 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
The last two seasons have been unthinkable for football fans in Fairfield. The word would have been unbelievable two years ago, but going 2-6 in 2001 and 1-7 last year has forced the demanding Lawrence High School football fans to rein in their usually stratospheric… Read More
This year, the Maine Central Institute Huskies of Pittsfield have something to prove. After back-to-back 2-7 seasons, second-year coach Tom Bertrand feels this is the year his team can get back to the playoffs in a wide-open LTC. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
ORONO – Last year, Orono made strides in the LTC Class C ranks, finishing with a 4-5 record and a sixth-place finish in the final Crabtree point standings. This year, the Red Riots would like to continue to move up the standings and return to… Read More
The Bucksport Golden Bucks have been one of the most successful programs in Eastern Maine Class C for the past two seasons and could be in the thick of the playoff hunt again this season. After losing in the EM Class C championship game last… Read More