The 2011 high school football season will begin on Friday, with hundreds of players representing scores of teams throughout Maine as they embark on that annual quest to win either a Class A, B or C state championship. Teams from Millinocket to York will play every weekend in fall battles that define long-time rivalries and the spirit of high school athletics.
High school football in Maine has become a ritual of sorts where high school students and townspeople alike will brave the colder evening temperatures to cheer on their teams and support their schools.
While Cumberland County in the past 10 years has been the cream of the crop in high school football, York County teams ”“ which once ruled the high school football landscape ”“ can and should give these Cumberland County foes a stiff challenge.
For fans who remember the lore of York County’s dominance, Thornton Academy will represent the county as probably its best hope to bring back a state title this season as it embarks on an eight-game schedule that features only two York County teams.
The Golden Trojans have only lost four games in the past three seasons and have dominated the Class A landscape. A lot of fans, however, have criticized Thornton in the past saying that the squad didn’t play the best schedule it could have possibly played, and that their record was perhaps inflated. That’s not true, as Thornton Academy deserved to be among the state’s elite despite its schedule. That presumption will change this season as TA returns a number of players from last year’s 6-3 squad to battle the supposed best of the best in Cumberland County. Don’t be surprised if Thornton once again comes away with a great record and reaches the Class A playoffs.
One of the biggest traditions in football in all of Maine rests in Biddeford, with the Biddeford Tigers. Waterhouse Field is synonymous with a legacy of greatness. While the Tigers have not won a state title since the 1990s, they continue to generate winning seasons and ignite a passionate fan base that is one of the best in Maine.
This season, the Tigers will be admittedly small. While Biddeford is used to fielding teams of players who are small in size, this year’s squad could be its smallest, according to Biddeford head coach Scott Descoteaux. Still, fans will see a squad that will play with heart, technique, intensity and pride. Those fans should not be disappointed in a team that could cause damage come playoff time. It will take the squad a few games to figure everything out, but it will be playing tough football by the end of the season.
High school football in Maine is probably the state’s most popular sport. In York County, teams from Old Orchard Beach and Wells in classes B and C, to Class A squads such as Sanford, Massabesic and Kennebunk battle during these fall weekends with hopes of winning a state championship.
Regardless of how these teams fare, parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends and high school comrades will come together for three hours every weekend to watch the football players of these schools bring their best effort to the field in the spirit of true athletic competition.
Not every team will win, obviously, but fans can expect one thing every weekend when the lights go on and the players line up: Ultimate competitiveness.
And that’s what football season in Maine is all about.
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Today’s editorial was written by Sports Editor Al Edwards on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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