SANFORD —After playing his early years as a receiver at Cony High School, Taylor Heath finished his tenure under center. Nearly eight years later, he’s back in his old position — and still learning.

As a wide receiver for the semi-pro Seacoast Warhawks, Heath is catching passes from an all-time Maine high school great and NFL and CFL journeyman, Quinton Porter. Even at 41 years old, the ex-Portland High standout has zip on his passes that keeps the 25-year-old Heath on his toes.

“It’s incredible how much rotation there is on every ball,” Heath said. “I’ve caught a lot of balls in my day, but this is so different, especially with the timing. Just in the past year alone, I’ve learned so much about the QB position from him, his knowledge and how he plays.”

Heath, though, is excelling in his own right in the midst of his third season in the East Coast Football League. He’s one of the top receivers for the undefeated Warhawks, recently earning Player of the Week honors as a standout receiver for the Sanford-based squad.

After graduating from Husson, where he briefly played quarterback, in 2021, Heath still wanted to play football. He did so for a year in some local flag leagues, but when a few friends told him about an opportunity to play in the ECFL, he was more than excited to put on a helmet and pads.

In the fall 2021, Heath, now living in Portland and working at Bath Iron Works, joined the league as cornerback for the now-defunct Southern Maine Raging Bulls. Then, last year, he rejoined ex-Raging Bulls General Manager Zach Shirland, who had since become head coach of the Warhawks.

“He’s just a dependable guy,” Shirland, who has now transitioned from head coach to general manager, said of Heath. “He shows up with his lunch pail ready to work, and that’s something that we really appreciate. He’s an incredible athlete and a guy a lot of others on the team look up to.”

Seacoast is a perennial power in the league, winning ECFL Northeast championships in 2018 and 2022 and finishing as runners-up last year. This year has been a similar story for the Warhawks, who are currently 4-0 with just 29 total points allowed over their four games.

Heath has been crucial to that success. In Seacoast’s 21-20 overtime victory over the East Coast Cardinals in Week 2, he caught two touchdown passes, including the overtime game-winner. He also had a pair of touchdowns in the same matchup last year.

“East Coast has had a nightmare with him,” Shirland said.

“That was a great feeling,” Heath said. “It was our biggest game of the season against our biggest rival; that team knocked us out in the championship last year, so we knew we had to go in there ready to play, and we did. Luckily for me, it was just my day.”

At Cony, Heath emerged as a key wide receiver in 2014 before becoming the first quarterback to start for current head coach B.L. Lippert the following season. He threw for over 2,000 yards and had 23 combined passing and rushing touchdowns that year and put up similar numbers as a senior.

It’s not a shock to Lippert that Heath has found a way to continue playing football nearly a decade later. At Cony, Lippert said, Heath was the player who showed up to practice early and continued to throw or catch passes well after practice had wrapped up for the evening.

“He’d get to practice 45 minutes earlier, and then he’d spend hours after practice trying to one-hand passes and catch them like you see in the pros,” Lippert said. “He’s a football junkie; he loves the game, and it’s something he’s very passionate about, so it’s no surprise to see he’s still going.”

How long will Heath keep going? Well, at 25, he feels his body is in pretty good shape. The practice schedule isn’t too demanding with only one practice a week in the preseason and none in the regular season, and his passion for the game is no less than it was in high school.

“I hope to play as long as my body lets me,” Heath said. “I love the game, and I’m going to try and ride it for as long as I can.”

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