Like in any other high school sport, most Maine football teams experience success on a sporadic basis.
There are the perennial powerhouses like Foxcroft Academy, Leavitt and Thornton Academy, but for everyone else a gold ball comes once every blue moon.
A team’s talent pool or overall fortune usually comes in waves, producing sustained highs or unforgiving lows that fluctuate from one year to the next.
Here are five teams in northern Maine that have put it all together — or are in the process of doing so — and have their sights on success in the near future, ordered alphabetically.
Hampden Academy
Known more for its basketball teams than its football program, the Broncos finished with more than two victories for the first time since 2013 last fall, settling in at 4-4 and losing in the Class C North quarterfinal round.
Hampden returns virtually everyone from last year, and with a second season to master coach Robenson Saintard’s playbook and build off their existing chemistry, the Broncos hope to get their first playoff win in more than a decade.
“We had a great preseason, and we are happy to see improvements in a lot of our guys — especially on the offensive and defensive line,” Saintard said.
At the skill positions, the Broncos are extremely deep. They have two quarterbacks who saw significant playing time last year in senior Nick Johnston and junior Gavin Monyok, plus three senior receivers standing at least six feet tall in Andy Henaghen, Aiden Kochendoerfer and Kaysen Wildman.
Meanwhile, senior running back Evan Preston will take over for Tyler Coffin and Brycen Scales, and Hampden’s line will be led by seniors Reed Manhart and Tyler Dunton.
Lawrence
Under 19-year head coach John Hersom, Lawrence football has been a perennial postseason contender, appearing in five regional championship games in the last 10 seasons.
The Bulldogs of Fairfield handled Cony 27-7 in last year’s Class B North regional final, but lost to Kennebunk 40-20 at states and are hungry for that gold ball. Led by senior running back Colton Carter, senior fullback Preston Roy, senior quarterback Michael Hamlin and sophomore lineman Brady Richards, Lawrence returns a strong core to marshal their patented wing-T run game.
“The wing-T is really rare these days. It takes a minute to adjust to how fast and physical that offense is,” Cony head coach B.L. Lippert said. “They’re really well-coached, and until someone knocks them off, I think they’re the best team in [B North]. If they can run the ball down your throat all four quarters, they will.”
The Bulldogs like to run the wing-T fullback trap, and are also capable of running sweeps or keeping defenses honest by throwing the ball downfield. They finished with an 8-3 record (5-0 in B North) last year, and outscored their opponents 365-172.
Old Town
Old Town’s numbers have exploded from less than 20 to the mid-40s in the past couple of seasons, culminating in its first playoff victory since 2015 — a shocking upset of No. 3 Belfast in last fall’s D North quarterfinals.
Building around their line corps and reputable ground game, the Coyotes have an up-and-coming squad with a solid mix of emotional leaders and budding stars. Former University of Maine starting lineman and Bucksport native David Gross was hired this offseason to serve as Old Town’s defensive coordinator and line coach, bolstering the team’s confidence and skill set.
“Our line is without a doubt our strength, and David gets the most out of them,” third-year head coach Charles Beale said. “He has been a phenomenal asset to the football culture of Old Town. Three wins in two seasons isn’t fun, but we took a step last year and won a playoff game. It’s gonna be a different team this year.”
Behind the blocking of senior Brady Paradis and junior Josh Wolfertz, speedy sophomore quarterback Ethan Closson, senior utility man Elijah Alston and senior fullback James Renzo will account for most of Old Town’s carries.
Beale wants to keep developing Closson’s passing capabilities, and recognizes his confidence and coachability. Alston is the younger brother of former NFL player Andre Miller, and Renzo — Old Town’s “heart and soul on both sides of the ball” — was the team’s leading rusher and tackler last season.
Orono
Down the road from Old Town, Orono has become a powerhouse in 8-man football, appearing in back-to-back state championships and finishing with a perfect 11-0 record last season.
The Red Riots lost their offensive line and top two running backs to graduation, but still have a lot of experience and return key pieces like senior quarterback Jack Brewer (40 passing TDs, zero interceptions, 2,498 all-purpose yards in 2023), senior wide receiver Will Francis (21 TDs, 1,073 yards) and senior defensive end Brady Grant (15 sacks, 22 hurries, 14 tackles for losses, two forced fumbles).
“It’s gonna be a different sort of challenge this year. It’s gonna be special. We still have a veteran group, but we were more of a veteran group last year,” Brewer said. “Some guys are moving positions and the targets are younger. It will be fun to work through that. [There’s] a different air in practice, but I think it’s gonna produce the same result.”
Orono is more than comfortable running a pass-first offense, and will see upperclassmen Sal Wise, Brady Maheu, Kason Bagley, Logan Williams and Zach Ryder step into larger roles. Orono has averaged 47 points per game stretching back to September 2022, and won each of its games in 2023 by 18 points or more.
Portland
The Portland Bulldogs welcomed themselves back to Class A North football by going undefeated in the regular season and coming up 10 points shy of beating Thornton Academy at states.
Portland had previously upended Thornton 35-28 in Week 1 of the regular season, but ultimately couldn’t match the Trojans’ postseason poise come November. Fortunately for second-year head coach Sean Green, the Bulldogs return many of their top players from last year and have another shot at taking home that gold ball.
“We made that game bigger than it was. The lights seemed a little too bright at times,” Green said. “We have to be ourselves, and trust our process. It’s OK to fail as long as you learn from it.”
Leading the way for Portland will be senior running back Aidan McGowan (a 1,000-yard rusher last season), senior quarterback Louis Thurston, junior utility man Cordell Jones, senior linebacker Lisandro Rodrigues, and senior all-Conference linemen Collin Kelly and Anthony Tavares.
Portland was a run-first team last year, throwing the ball less than a quarter of the time. Green wants to coordinate a more balanced offensive scheme this year.
“Louis has a better understanding of pre-snap coverages, and we’ll be more versatile this season,” Green said. “Year one it’s hard to do everything you want to do. Now it’s about expanding into other things.”
