It’s a bittersweet feeling as I sit here writing this column as my time at the Journal Tribune and living in Maine comes to an end.
I have truly loved my time here at the Journal, but an opportunity came up to head back to my hometown and I just couldn’t pass it up.
Before I head back to Pennsylvania, I wanted to write one last edition of the Nosebleed Section — and I decided to cover some issues in Maine sports that have been on my mind.
MPA football proposal a good first step…
I applaud the Maine Principals’ Association for putting in the time to help football in this state. From the addition of 8-man football to reworking the alignment, it has been nice to see the MPA take a step in the right direction.
The addition of 8-man football will be great for the smaller schools in Maine. I admitted in a previous column that, at first, I wasn’t sure about the 8-man game. But like I said then, isn’t it better to have 8-man football at some smaller schools than having no football at all?
The only thing I wish the MPA would do is change the way they think about alignment for the 11-man football programs. It’s clear that the state needs to make some changes when it comes to which schools are in which divisions, but making decisions strictly by enrollment is not the way to go.
Unfortunately in Maine, the number of schools with large enrollments is very small. So it’s pretty much inevitable that some schools are going to be in the same division as a school that could have double its number of students.
It would make much more sense to use enrollment as one piece of the puzzle. The MPA should also go by statistics — previous years’ records, numbers of kids in all levels of a program, etc. — as well as talking to coaches and athletic directors.
You could come up with much stronger — and more balanced divisions — by using a mixed-bag approach to alignment.
It makes no sense to me that a team like Noble would be forced to go from Class B to Class A, but a powerhouse program like Marshwood gets to stay in Class B.
Are you telling me that with the recent history and success of these two programs, Noble will have a better chance to compete in Class A than Marshwood?
The MPA should go the extra mile and try to come up with a comprehensive approach to football alignment.
Changes to middle school wrestling needed
A lot of people reading this probably know that I’m a big supporter of wrestling and have tried to give the sport exposure during my four-plus years in Maine.
This state has a strong wrestling community that is working hard to make the sport better, but there is a major obstacle holding Maine wrestling back — middle school wrestling.
The state’s current middle school wrestling system features a season that lasts just about a month — and it’s held, for the most part, after the high school season is over.
In other major wrestling states, the middle school (or junior high) wrestling season is held right along with the high school season. I believe that is something Maine should look into.
The state needs to put an emphasis on middle school wrestling or Maine will keep losing wrestlers between the youth and high school levels.
Middle school wrestling is currently a Bermuda Triangle in Maine. Look all over the state and there are youth programs with huge numbers, but by the time those kids are eligible to compete at the high school level, a large percentage have stopped competing.
I would love to see the state put together a more complete schedule for middle school wrestling. Why shouldn’t the wrestlers in 6th, 7th and 8th grades have a true league, regional or even state tournament to compete in?
Until Maine focuses on keeping wrestlers from youth through high school, the state will never have a chance to compete with the best wrestling states in New England on a consistent basis.
Second home
I may not be living in Maine after this weekend, but I will continue to be involved in some important things right here in York County.
The first is my summer wrestling tournament — the Rumble at The Ballpark — which is entering its third year this summer. I will continue to run this tournament this year and hopefully for years to come.
Speaking of The Ballpark, I will continue to be a member of The Ballpark Commission. I love the historic stadium in OOB and it’s an honor to stay on the board that helps run the park.
I will also continue to serve on the board of the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance, which is a great group that is trying to promote the sport in Maine.
While I’m excited to start my next chapter, it’s a great honor that both The Ballpark Commission and the MAWA have asked me to continue to help them.
Finally, thank you to all of the athletes, athletic directors, coaches and fellow media members that I’ve worked with and all the readers that have followed my work at the Journal Tribune. It has been a pleasure living and working in this great state — and I will always consider Maine a second home.
— Pat McDonald is the outgoing Sports Editor of the Journal Tribune. He can be contacted at patmcdonaldmedia@gmail.com
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