Everybody huddle. 

So it’s been a few months since our last stop at Lombardi’s Locker, and I thought now would be a great time to bring back what I’ve always envisioned as a regular component of the sports section.  

LOMBARDI

Aug. 8 marks my fourth month as the Journal Tribune’s sports editor. It’s like they say: Time flies when you’re having fun. And I have had fun on the job. 

Coming from Indiana, where I lived for about the last 20 years, I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as the intensity level of Maine athletics. It didn’t take long, though, to see that competition is alive and well – on the field and in the stands – in The Pine Tree State. Your passion certainly makes my job more fun, and I honestly can’t wait for the start of the school year (sorry, kids). 

My excitement kicked off a couple of weeks ago at the 30th Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic at Thornton Academy. The West All-Stars, featuring local star athletes such as Thornton’s Anthony Bracamonte, Wells’ Tyler Bridge, Biddeford’s Carter Edgerton and Kennebunk’s Dante DeLorenzo, pummeled the East All-Stars 60-14 and set a Lobster Bowl scoring record in the process. 

As I stood on the sidelines, wearing khakis and a white, long-sleeved shirt in a hopeless attempt to protect my already sunburnt skin from the heat index that registered well above 100 degrees, I thought how bittersweet the all-star festivities must be for many involved. 

While the Lobster Bowl provides a stage that spotlights years of dedication for some of the best athletes in the state, the players are ending a chapter of their life where they clearly excelled. The parents who packed the stands at Hill Stadium must feel honored to see their sons represent their schools and their families at the premiere sporting event in Maine, but the game also marks the last time their boy wears a high school uniform before they move out of the home for the first time. Selfishly, I thought how bittersweet the affair was for me: My first year in the state and I never get a chance to cover these players on a daily basis in high school. 

Then I thought about the players’ younger siblings, friends and high school teammates, many of who could have been behind me in the bleachers, braving the temperatures to watch firsthand a game they strive to compete in one day. 

Can you imagine the excitement of the Wells running back who gets a chance to fill the shoes vacated by Bridge, the winner of last season’s Fitzpatrick Trophy, who finished with a 113 rushing yards and three touchdowns at the Lobster Bowl? 

Or can Edgerton’s replacement at Biddeford help return the Tigers to glory? 

Most people who I’ve spoken to tell me that Thornton doesn’t rebuild, they reload. Can Bonny Eagle, Sanford or anyone in Class A give the Trojans a fight?  

Thornton Academy celebrates a Class A state title last season. Can anyone stop the Golden Trojans this year? (File photo)

Down in Class B, Kennebunk is a yearly contender, I’m told, and judging by what I saw at the Kennebunk Youth Football practice Monday, I’m not surprised. Will Massabesic senior quarterback Nick Roberge and the Mustangs stampede up the standings from a down 2018 campaign and can Noble improve upon its first-round playoff exit and take the next step toward a state title? 

One of the teams I’m most fascinated to watch is Old Orchard Beach. The Gulls are pioneering 8-man football in Maine and history will be made when OOB hosts Telstar on Sept. 5 to open the regular season. The Maine Principals Association gave the Gulls permission, said OOB football coach Dean Plante, to move their first game up a day to Thursday to showcase the first 8-man contest in the state. 

It’s not just prep football that I’m looking forward to either. The University of New England is in our own backyard here in Biddeford and head coach Mike Lichten and the Nor’easters continue to build a program from scratch. UNE’s roster is loaded with former area standouts who have committed to being a part of something bigger than themselves on the turf at Blue Storm Stadium. 

Football has a way of uniting a community more than any other sport in my experience. I’m looking forward to seeing how the game unites all of you. 

All right, break.

Sports editor Anthony Lombardi can be reached by email at alombardi@journaltribune.com.