OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Former Winthrop/Monmouth football coach Joel Stoneton needed just two words to describe what it was like being back on the sidelines on Friday nights.

“Loved it,” he said.

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Winthrop athletic director Joel Stoneton made a return to the sidelines last week, giving the Ramblers another set of eyes to help the coaching staff.

• Jack Bernatchez ran for 293 yards and five touchdowns in Messalonskee’s 48-28 win over Mt. Blue.

• Oak Hill’s Alex Mace rushed for 123 yards on 26 carries in a win over Maranacook Saturday.

• Winthrop/Monmouth’s Bennett Brooks caught five passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-22 loss at Old Orchard Beach.

• Maranacook’s Kyle Morand had 12 solo tackles and also rushed for a touchdown in a 7-6 loss to Oak Hill.

• Kents Hill’s Raph Major-Dagenais had five catches for 212 yards and four touchdowns in a 58-53 loss at Tilton.

• Kents Hill quarterback Noah Henson complete 11-of-25 passes for 349 yards and five touchdowns, and also rushed for a score in a 58-53 loss at Tilton.

• Kents Hill’s Luke Arsenault, of Manchester, made 14 1/2 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown in a 58-53 loss at Tilton

Stoneton stepped down as coach of the Ramblers this summer to take a job as Winthrop’s athletic director, but with the fall sports season winding down he had a chance to put the headset back on for Winthrop/Monmouth’s final two games of the year at Maranacook and Old Orchard Beach.

“The coaches had called and said they needed an extra set of eyes,” Stoneton said. “It was just cool to hang out and talk some ball again.”

Stoneton said his role with the team was no different than his role as athletic director, and that he just simply pointed things out that he noticed throughout the course of each game.

“He sees a lot of things,” Dave St. Hilaire, who took over for Stoneton as head coach this season, said. “He’s got a wealth of knowledge and defensively he’s helped us with some adjustments. He’s great to have on the sidelines.”

St. Hilaire was not the only one who appreciated having Stoneton back on the sidelines.

“It was fantastic,” senior lineman Jeremy Mihalakis said. “It gave us a lot of drive. Awesome to have Joel here, just really inspirational.”

While Stoneton enjoyed the chance to get back on the sidelines, he said coaching high school football again is not in his immediate future.

“That’s the choice,” Stoneton said. “I’m more than willing to help out, but being an AD is what comes first.”

•••

Does having a bye do more harm than good?

The answer to that question — like most — all depends on who you ask.

There is one school of thought that the extra rest and preparation time gives a team a definite advantage, while others argue just the opposite as the extra time only creates an opportunity for rust to form.

“It could be either. Byes can be good, can be bad,” Cony quarterback Mitchell Caron said. “If people take weeks off and take it for granted it doesn’t tend to help you a lot.”

If you ask Cony head coach Robby Vachon which theory he believes, he is quick to point out the effects it had on his team last season in the Rams’ run to the Class B championship.

“It helped us last year if you look at the result. I think we’ll have to wait and see,” Vachon said. “We didn’t mind the extra week of preparation and I think we got a lot accomplished in that time.

“…We got some kids healed up, and were still able to practice and get outside and work on some fundamentals.”

One way or another, the second-seeded Rams will find out if having a bye helped (or hurt) them Friday night — weather permitting — when they host No. 3 Lawrence in the Pine Tree Conference B semifinals.

•••

Strong teams often come in waves and this past weekend both Winthrop/Monmouth (3-4) and Maranacook (3-4) showed they may be in store for an uptick next season.

The Ramblers nearly pulled off a comeback in a 28-22 loss at Old Orchard Beach last Friday and did so with a group that will largely be returning next fall.

Sophomore Bennett Brooks had five catches for 171 yards and a touchdown, classmate Alec Brown carried the ball 10 times for 82 yards and fellow sophomore Matt Ingram showed ability as a dual threat at quarterback.

Junior Dustin Tripp and sophomore Andrew Padziorko, among others, also saw significant playing time for the Ramblers.

As for the Black Bears, they gave No. 3 Oak Hill all they could handle and then some before falling 7-6 Saturday.

More importantly, nearly everyone who played in that game for Maranacook will be back next season as it graduates just four seniors in linemen Josh Murphy, Mike Antanavich, Josh Ehriorobo and running back/wide receiver Caden Brown.

“Next year we’re going to be back and we’re going to be better,” junior full back Kyle Morand said. “It’s going to be good.”

•••

This season has not gone how Kents Hill (0-7 Evergreen League) had hoped, but Saturday night it will have a chance to salvage the year if it can get win over rival Hebron Academy (3-3) in the 121st meeting between the two schools.

“For our players and the year we’ve had it’s been disappointing,” Kents Hill coach Steve Shukie said. “You can make a lot of it right by beating your rival.

“…Any game against Hebron here is a big deal. This is the season maker here.”

Prior to the 6 p.m. kickoff the school will unveil a bronze Husky mascot statue that will be installed at the entrance to the Alfond Athletics Center. A gift of the Class of 2014, the statue will honor the memory of Cameron Chamberlain Dow, a 2012 graduate of Kents Hill who died last December as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident.

Evan Crawley — 621-5640

ecrawley@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Evan_Crawley

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