Noah Carpenter is the type of athlete who excels at more than one sport.
He’s also the type whose favorite sport depends on which is in season at the time he is asked.
Fortunately for the Leavitt Area High School senior, Carpenter doesn’t yet need to pick a sport to focus on at the college level.
Leavitt’s Noah Carpenter glides into the end zone while being chased by Oceanside’s Robbie Blair during the Class C state championship in Lewiston on Nov. 18. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Last week, the University of Maine football team announced Carpenter as one of 14 players in the early signing period who be joining the team next fall.
“Growing up, I always dreamed of playing Division I football and, you know, just for this dream to come true and finally get the chance to do it, it’s just a dream come true and it’s truly a blessing,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter also will be playing baseball for the Black Bears.
Carpenter has made a few trips to the University of Maine, and getting to know the coaches and players and seeing the Orono campus sealed the deal.
“I’ve gone up there for a couple of visits and, you know, just seeing how the teammates react with each other and how the coaches, you know, bond with the teammates is something that I look for because, you know, at Leavitt, we do a lot of that stuff, we have a good bond between the teammates and coaches,” Carpenter said.
That included chatting with an old Leavitt teammate Jack Boutaugh, who is a redshirt freshman offensive lineman at UMaine.
Carpenter converts an extra point to put the Hornets within six points of Fryeburg Academy in Turner on Nov. 11. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
“So on the official visit, we kind of just sat down and he ended up coming to dinner with us, and just talked to him, and he loves it up there and he’s excited for me to get up there,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter later added: “They’re kind of a school-first kind of program. So they care a lot about academics, and that’s something that I’ve always cared about.”
In the social media posts and the news release announcing its early signing period group, UMaine has listed Carpenter’s position as athlete, which can mean several things.
Carpenter excelled at quarterback, defensive back, kicker and punter for Leavitt. He said the Black Bears coaching staff, which is led by Mt. Blue graduate Jordan Stevens, want Carpenter to play quarterback.
“I talked to Stevens when I went up for my official visit, and they want me at quarterback, and they said, you know, ‘We also like your punting ability,’” Carpenter said. “They’re like, ‘Hey, you get buried deep in the quarterback room,’ then they’re like, ‘We will find a spot for you,’ because they said that I was so, you know, versatile and my ability to play many positions.
“So they want me at quarterback, so that’s what I’m going to go there and just work my butt off and try to, you know, become a starter.”
Maranacook’s Tyler Hreben slides into second base for a stolen base May 14, 2022, in Turner after Leavitt’s Noah Carpenter had to jump high to field the throw. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Carpenter has been similarly versatile for the Leavitt baseball team, playing pitcher, shortstop, third base and catcher. It’s his hitting that Nick Derba and the UMaine baseball coaches are most interested in.
“When I was talking to Coach, he said that they really liked my hitting ability,” Carpenter said. “They’re like, ‘We can teach fielding and outfielding.’ So he’s like, ‘We just love your hitting ability, and then we can find a position for you.’”
Carpenter said that because he is playing two sports, he will probably begin his college sports career as a preferred walk-on trying to earn a scholarship.
“We are still like trying to work it out because it’s tough with me trying to do two sports,” Carpenter said, “because, say, football gives me a scholarship and then I say I want to go play baseball, and then the football team kind of, you know, just loses that ability to give me a scholarship or they lose that money.
“So, I’m currently going up there as a preferred walk-on and, you know, when I get up there I can prove to them that I’m a scholarship type of athlete.”
Carpenter is excited to be a Maine kid representing the state at its lone NCAA Division I institution. He’s also aware that nothing is guaranteed, so he’s looking forward to the chance to prove himself.
“Just hopefully getting on the field, and getting on the field early and, you know, kind of just putting my name out there and just get on a winning team and just have the best time of my life,” Carpenter said.
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