In the preseason, Colby College football coach Jonathan Michaeles said he hoped sophomore quarterback Justin Ciero wouldn’t run the ball as much as he did last season. As a freshman, Ciero led the Mules with 136 carries for 497 yards.
Travis Lazarczyk
Columnist
Travis Lazarczyk has covered sports for the Portland Press Herald since 2021. A Vermont native, he graduated from the University of Maine in 1995 with a BA in English. After a few years working as a sports information director and in the ski industry, he began his journalism career at the Berlin (N.H.) Reporter in 1999. Prior to joining the Press Herald, Lazarczyk spent 20 years covering sports in central Maine at the Morning Sentinel and Kennebec Journal. He's been twice honored as the Maine Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK: Foxcroft, Waterville meet in battle of unbeatens
The Waterville Senior High School football team has looked forward to tonight’s game at Foxcroft Academy for some time. The Ponies have anticipated this matchup for a while, too. This midseason game is important not just for playoff positioning, but each team is looking to see how it stacks up against one of the best in the Big Ten Conference.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: MCI picks up the pace to become a threat in Eastern D
MCI went to a no-huddle offense this season and it has helped turn the Huskies from a team that went winless in 2012, to one that is unbeaten at the midpoint of the season, and one that is scoring points at an incredible rate.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Playoff position at stake in Eastern C
We’ve reached the regular-season midpoint and there are 12 undefeated high school football teams in the state. Three of them — Waterville, Winslow and Foxcroft Academy — play in Eastern Class C. Over the next four weeks, those three teams will play a round robin against each other that will determine the top seeds in the regional playoffs.
HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY NOTEBOOK: Festival of Champions has 1,692 signed up
The big cross country race season begins on Saturday, with one of the biggest. The annual Festival of Champions will take place in Belfast, and this year, the event has 1,692 runners registered to compete.
TRAVIS LAZARCZYK: No one fights alone
Rick York had a rule for the Skowhegan Area High School baseball team. No one wears any jewelry. No necklaces, earrings, bracelets of any kind. On the second day of practice last season, York noticed the purple bracelet on the wrist of then-sophomore Trey Michonski, he pointed out the rule.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: After slow start, Winslow beats Nokomis
After a scoreless first half, Winslow got the spark it needed when Hapworth returned the second half kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown. From there, it was all Black Raiders, and Winslow took a 21-0 win.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: MCI rolls to 4-0
Running their fast-paced offense, MCI put on an offensive show, scoring 35 points in the second quarter alone on the way to a 67-18 win over Mt. View.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Defense gives Colby a spark in season opener
Colby College head football coach Jonathan Michaeles said it was a total team effort that won last Saturday’s season opener against Williams, but Michaeles said the defense ignited the spark the Mules needed for the 31-8 win.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: MCI, Mt. View face off in battle of teams that turned it around
When Mt. View and Maine Central Institute played each other last season, they were a combined 0-10.