Welcome to our 2024 Maine High School Football season preview article

2023 saw a few of the biggest football moments in recent memory. Freshmen in the lost 2020 season were seniors in 2023, the last such class. And while there were some down moments, we saw even more positive times. There was historic dominations, epic comebacks, titles that reversed decades of gold droughts, and new faces in top places. As November came in we saw six Gold Balls handed out to six deserving teams, while awards went out to the best and brightest from the football gridiron. It has been 283 days since that last football game of 2023 was played – a 27-0 Portland win over Deering in the 111th Maine Thanksgiving Day Turkey Bowl at Fitzpatrick Stadium. It was 43 days ago when the West defeated the East in the 34th Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic, held at Don Roux Field in Lewiston.

*****A BRIEF RECAP OF 2023*****
Seven schools finished the regular season with an undefeated record. Midcoast schools Oceanside and Camden Hills enjoyed their best ever regular seasons as they went 8-0 and 7-0 respectively. Foxcroft Academy had the best offensive and defensive campaign in the ten-year history of the revamped Class D. Old Orchard Beach, an 8 man team, had the most dominant offense seen in Maine since the 2004 Gorham Rams. The difference was that the Seagulls did what they did in seven regular season games and 11 total games. Thornton Academy, despite an uncharacteristically sluggish start, rallied late to clinch their region. Leavitt punched well above their weight class and looked ever bit the team that pre-season forecasts foresaw of them.

The biggest change that was observed as a revamped playoff format that saw all but seven teams entering the knockout dance. The first round of championship games were held in Bangor as Cameron Stadium hosted the two 8 man title games. The noontime game, the large school championship, saw two teams seeking their first ever football championship. At game’s end it was the white and green-clad Trojans of Mount Desert Island that held scoreless the Greely Rangers by the score of 28-0. While disappointing no doubt for Greely, that they made it to a championship in their second season as a re-started team and a year removed from a winless campaign was an accomplishment in and of itself. The Trojans title was their first in the long history of football from Bar Harbor. The afternoon game, the small school championship, was a 2022 rematch between defending champions the Old Orchard Beach Seagulls and the returning contenders the Orono Red Riots. During the game the winner once again scored 46 points. Yet it was the North region that secured their second victory of the day, as the Red Riots triumphed over the Seagulls 46-18. It was the first football gold ball to be paraded in Orono in 28 years.

A week later saw the four titles for Class A, B, C, and D split between Lewiston and Portland. The first Lewiston game was a noontime match-up of the undefeated Leavitt Hornets and the also-undefeated Oceanside Mariners in the Class C championship. Leavitt was in their second consecutive championship game and their third in four seasons/five years. Oceanside was in only their second title game ever as a community and their first such game in 44 years. Putting it kindly, the game was a one-sided rout by the defending champions from Turner as the Hornets won by the score of 71-12. The victory saw the most ever points scored in a title game as well as the largest margin of victory. The afternoon game was between Class D regional representatives the Foxcroft Academy Ponies and the Wells Warriors. It was a game of two halves. After the first half it was Foxcroft Academy up 21-0. In the second half the Warriors took full advantage of three Ponies turnovers, converting each one into a touchdown. The final two points of the game, capping the improbable comeback, occurred when Brooks Fox’s pass found Conner Whitten in the end zone for the lead and the eventual 22-21 victory. The title was the Warriors sixth, of which three came at the hands of the Ponies.

Down in Portland, the early game was the traditional Class A contest that put the hometown Portland Bulldogs against the Thornton Academy Golden Trojans. The Golden Trojans would remain victorious during the fifth consecutive Class A title game, beating Portland 24-14. Thornton Academy’s victory was their 11 Class A Gold Ball, matching the number won by their cross-river rivals in Biddeford. Meanwhile for Portland it was their third such loss to Thornton Academy and their fifth championship loss dating back to their last gold ball in 2002. The afternoon Class B championship harkened back to the old school days between the tough-running Kennebunk Rams and the Lawrence Bulldogs. A close-fought 14-14 first half tie eventually gave way to a Kennebunk domination in the second half as they were victorious by the score of 40-20. The Rams title was their first in 32 years and erased heartbreaking losses at the University of Maine in 2013 and 2016. The Bulldogs meanwhile continue to work towards their first title since the win over Gorham in 2006.

The end-of-season individual state awards begin with the 52nd Fitzpatrick Trophy, awarded to Maine’s top senior football player, going to Leavitt’s Noah Carpenter. Noah was also named the recipient of the Gatorade Maine Football Player of the Year. He was also the 2022 recipient of the award and was the 14th person to win the Fitzy and the Gatorade awards. The Gaziano Memorial Lineman Awards went to Falmouth’s William Gale (offense) and Leavitt’s Jace Negley (defense). Gale’s award was the first such for a Falmouth player while Negley joined Beau Mayo as Leavitt’s two linemen recipients.

*****THE STORY BEHIND THE BUZZ*****
No retelling of 2023 would be proper without starting off with the Leavitt Hornets. Unlike years past when schedules were 100% within the region, creative scheduling allowed us to see just how good the Hornets really were. After opening the season with three regional match-ups against Fryeburg Academy (a 45-8 win), Cape Elizabeth (a 45-7 win), and York (a 63-13 win), they started off on an unprecedented four-game tour against much larger schools from Class A and B. In week four they hosted 3-0 Oxford Hills, the top-ranked Class A North opponent. After taking a 21-7 first half lead, the Hornets defense held the Vikings at bay the rest of the way in a 21-14 victory. Week five saw Leavitt travel to Fairfield to play Northern Class B’s second ranked Lawrence Bulldogs. The Bulldogs would score the most points of any team against Leavitt. Still, Leavitt walked away with a 62-32 victory. Week six brought the Hornets home to host Lewiston. The result was a 51-13 victory over the Blue Devils. The final game of the tour took them to the much-anticipated week seven meeting against Southern Class A’s leader Thornton Academy. After a 21-6 halftime deficit that was not typical of Leavitt’s play, the second half was one of those showings that cemented the Hornets legacy (if you will) as they out-gained the Golden Trojans 334-43 en route to a 35-21 win. Leavitt rounded out the regular season with a 34-14 home won over Cheverus to lock first place in Southern Class C, their fourth consecutive perfect regular season, and a state-leading 19-game winning streak.

In the playoffs they met a familiar opponent at the regional semifinals as they hosted Cape Elizabeth. The Hornets would win the game 59-26. In the regional finals they hosted the plucky Fryeburg Academy Raiders. The Raiders came into the game on their own run. Since the week one 45-8 loss to Leavitt they were victorious in eight consecutive contests. Along the way the Raiders had outscored opponents 316-84. Good numbers. But on that Saturday evening the Hornets controlled the second half behind another strong showing by Noah Carpenter that led the 36-32 win. The next week Leavitt clinched their Class C title in a way nobody else did before them, putting up a championship game record score over Oceanside 71-12.

In a state with a football history as long and varied as ours, the Hornets broke a path that nobody else had previously achieved or had the opportunity to achieve. In the future, perhaps this will encourage other schools to give their communities, their coaches, and their players the chance to dream big and play bigger on a state-wide stage.

*****NO SCHEDULE IS EVER WRITTEN IN PEN*****
Each and every season football games get moved around. Sometimes by choice, other times by causes outside of people’s control. In 2023, we saw two of the most significant shake-ups to our schedules in recent memory. The first was in week two when afternoon thunderstorms rolled from the bottom of the state Northward and impacted multiple games. By the end of Friday we saw eight games moved back a day, five games were called final before the end of the fourth quarter, two out-of-state games were essentially considered non-contests due to early endings, and we saw a game in Fryeburg finally come to a close at 11:30 pm. On Saturday two storm-suspended games were resumed at 10 am. Three more games were resumed at various points on Saturday.

The second mass-change was in the hectic aftermath of the horrific October 25th shootings in Lewiston. With the whereabouts of the shooter unknown going from Wednesday into Thursday and then into Friday, multiple communities throughout Southern, Central, and Western Maine closed for the two days. By extension, these closures forced the rescheduling of hundreds of games across the state. After the shooter was found dead Friday evening, schools began the process of rescheduling these games. Multiple games were held mid-week. Due to byes, some teams played went well over a week between games. Others had well under a week between games.

*****8 MAN CHA-CHA-CHA-CHANGES*****
It is a little corny to reference the David Bowie song “Changes” in regard to Maine’s 8 man football classes. In our humble opinion though it is entirely appropriate. Especially as we come into 2024. After seeing schools migrate towards it, Maine saw its largest exodus as five schools requested to return to the 11 man ranks. The shift led to two changes this season. The large school class will consist of a single table for the 9 teams instead of the North/South regional split, the first such alignment in the six-year history of Maine’s fledgling 8 man class. With so few schools in one class, the 8 man schedules features teams plays games outside of their class and outside of the region. For the first time since 2019, all 8 man teams will play an 8-game regular season schedule. To accommodate the expanded schedule, playoff formats were tweaked. The large school class will admit six of the nine teams. The small school class will allow only four teams from each region.

*****BACK IN THE COACHING SADDLE AGAIN*****
What can we say; we’re on a music kick. It is with that in mind as we look towards Cheverus’ newest head coach – Skip Capone. The song seems a bit appropriate as we look towards the legendary high school and college coach was announced in January as the head leader at Cheverus. There are very few, if any, aspects of Maine’s football community that he has not had an involvement in. This includes his involvement during the early years of the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl as well as his more recent work with the MAD (Make A Difference Football Camp and the Maine Football Coaches Association coaching clinic. Few, in any, coaches in Maine at any level have been around the game or have a resume as lengthy as Skip’s 47 years. All this will be significant benefit to a Stags team that continues their slow, yet determined upward build in Class B.

*****BECAUSE I GOT TEAMS IN NEW PLACES*****
Still on that music kick. While 2024 is not a realignment year, we will see some movement between the classes. The biggest change involves five teams going from 8 man to the 11 man ranks. Brunswick will be moving to Southern Class C, Mattanawcook Academy moved to Northern Class D, and the schools of Dirigo, Maranacook, and Mountain Valley moved to Southern Class D. With the loss of the 8 man teams, there was a slight shuffle. Spruce Mountain was allowed to move down from the large school class to the small school class. Last but not least, the MPA ranks welcomed back the Washington Academy Raiders. Prior to playing the last three years in the Maine Independent Football League, the Raiders previously played in Northern Class D. This season they will be in the 8 man small school North.

*****BORDER BATTLES, PART THREE*****
After some of the trials and tribulations of 2023, Maine’s out-of-state contests will continue for a third year. For a third consecutive year these games will involve Edward Little (away against Spaulding), Oxford Hills (away against Portsmouth-Oyster River), Sanford (home against Dover), and Thornton Academy (home against Bedford). Other Class A schools playing out-of-state opponents include Bangor (away against Winnacunnet) and Portland (home against Exeter).

Two firsts will take place in 2024 for Maine schools. The first is a build on the 2023 pre-season Battle of the Witches game between Brewer and Salem, Massachusetts. Unlike last year, this time it will be a regular season contest. Brewer will host Salem at Doyle Field on Saturday, September 14th. To the best of our knowledge this will be the first known regular season game between an MPA-associated Maine and Massachusetts school. The second such first involves York. The Wildcats will host New Hampshire Division IV co-op opponent the Hillsboro-Deering-Hopkinton RedHawks. This will be the first time a MPA-associated Maine school has played a New Hampshire opponent outside of Division I.

For bragging purposes, New Hampshire won the 2023 overall series 4-1 with two games being considered no-contests. Bangor was the lone Maine school to pick up a win when they beat Winnacunnet 28-7. Meanwhile Bonny Eagle, Edward Little, Oxford Hills, and Thornton Academy lost their games to Merrimack, Spaulding, Portsmouth-Oyster River, and Bedford. The no-contests were between Sanford and Dover, and between Scarborough and Bishop Guertin. New Hampshire won the overall series 3-2 in 2022.

*****TEAMS WITH NEW HEAD COACHES*****
Fred Lower, Brewer (previously coached Hampden Academy)
Skip Capone, Cheverus (previously has been all over the state)
Spencer Emerson, Falmouth (previously coached Poland)
Gerald Hartley, Mount View
Seth Johnson, Poland (previously coached Sacopee Valley)
Eric Schroeder, Sacopee Valley
Mark Boissonneault, Sanford
Devin Roberts, Spruce Mountain (previously coached Mountain Valley)
John Edwards, Valley
Joel Stoneton, Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale (previously coached Winthrop)
Nick Orsi, Yarmouth

*****COACHING MILESTONES*****
5 years - Mark Renna, Brunswick
5 years - Mike Meehan, Lake Region
5 years - Devin Roberts, Spruce Mountain
5 years – Ian Pratt, Washington Academy (this only consists of MPA varsity years)
10 years - B.L. Lippert, Cony
10 years - Paul St. Pierre, Freeport
10 years - Ryan Snell, Medomak Valley
15 years - Jason Darling, Morse
20 years - John Hersom, Lawrence
20 years - Bob Sinclair, Orono (this only consists of MPA varsity years)
25 years - Kevin Kezal, Thornton Academy
note - the listed years do factor in the cancelled COVID season of 2020

*****POTENTIAL COACHING MILESTONES*****
Danny White, Foxcroft Academy - 3 games away from 150 games coached
David Turner, Fryeburg Academy - 9 games away from 150 games coached
Dan O'Connell, John Bapst - 10 games away from 200 games coached
Alex Rotsko, Marshwood - 3 games away from 350 games coached.
Aaron Filieo, South Portland - 3 games away from 200 games coached

*****WINNING STREAKS ENTERING 2024*****
22 - Leavitt (last loss was 11/13/2021)
10 - Orono (last loss was 11/12/2022)
7 - Mount Desert Island (last loss was 9/15/2023)
4 - Kennebunk (last loss was 10/13/2023)
4 - Thornton Academy (last loss was 10/20/2023)
3 - Wells (last loss was 10/20/2023)

*****2024 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP DETAILS*****
The 8-man state championships for both the large and small school classes will be held on Saturday, November 16th, the location is currently TBA. The Class A and B state championships will be held on Saturday, November 23rd, at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. The Class C and D state championships will also be held on Saturday, November 23rd, the location is currently TBA. The MPA will announce times for each of the games the week of the championship.

***** WHAT TO EXPECT FROM US IN 2024*****
We at Maine High School Football will continue our efforts to help bring Maine High School Football to you and to help bring Maine High School Football to the world. In addition to the sharing of news and stories from the state and national media outlets, you can expect the following features from us;
- Every game day we’ll have Game Day Thread, a running post of scores from across the state.
- Every Sunday morning during the regular season we’ll post updated Crabtree rankings for all six classes.
- Every Sunday night we’ll post highlights, factoids, thoughts, and opinions on the week as part of the “Thoughts on the Weekend” segment.
- Every Monday night we return a staff favorite as we gather our favorite quotes from around the state as part of the “He said it” segment.
- Every Wednesday night we will announce our selections for the Maine Super 6 Players of the Week, selected from accredited media reports as well as feedback from coaches and administrators, to honor the top performers each week.