It was the sport last fall that never got to get started. And though football had its beginning this time, the worry throughout the season was about how it might end.

COVID cases that were on the rise had a handful of teams throughout the state pulling out of games each week, and as cancellations wreaked havoc on schedules, teams that were in the middle of strong years just hoped to see their seasons through to the end.

“We told the kids, right there in the preseason, ‘Guys, it’s week to week,'” Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale coach Dave St. Hilaire said. “‘If we get three games in, savor those three games.’ The kids kind of knew in the back of the mind that this could get shut down at any time. We don’t know what’s going to happen. Whether it’s the whole program or multiple programs or the MPA shutting us down, just savor every minute.”

In the end, the ax never fell, and though COVID presented a headache in terms of players being out for either symptom or close contact purposes and games being called off as a result, players — at least on the field — got the feeling of normalcy they had so sorely missed the previous fall.

There were differences, though. Several coaches said it was easy to see the rust with kids who couldn’t play last year, and some, like Lawrence coach John Hersom, said their depth at specialized positions was tested by a year without a season.

“We thought we were behind with a lot of the detailed skills that normally carry over one year to another,” said Hersom, who said he went into the year with only one long snapper. “We felt a pretty big gap that way.”

In spite of the hurdles, it became a season of success for area teams. There were no Gold Balls brought to central Maine, but four teams played for one as Winslow and Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale made it to the final in Classes C and D, and Waterville and Maranacook made it to the championship games in eight-man football’s large and small school conferences, respectively.

The Ramblers, who have established themselves as one of Class D’s top programs but were missing that title game appearance, finally got it this season. Led by a three-pronged rushing attack of Logan Baird, Dom Trott and Robby Feeney and quarterback Andrew Foster behind a strong offensive line, the Ramblers went 5-1 in the regular season and then beat Bucksport 46-27 and Freeport 28-19 before falling to Foxcroft in a tight 19-16 result.

“We didn’t know what we were going to get with for adversity this year, but we’ve certainly been hit with everything under the sun,” said St. Hilaire, whose team was hit with COVID cases right at the end of the regular season. “The kids handled it well.”

Winslow, powered by a running back trio of its own in Matt Quirion, Evan Bourget and Jack Dorval, succeeded under new head coaches Pete Bolduc and Wes Littlefield and won its first Class C North title since 2015. The Black Raiders beat Hermon 38-30 for the regional crown, but ran into a powerful Cape Elizabeth team in the final.

Waterville, which got one of the state’s most prolific offensive seasons from quarterback Liam Von Oesen, debuted in eight-man football and went 5-1 in the regular season before taking down Mount Desert Island and Morse en route to the state final, where the road ended with a loss to undefeated Cheverus.

Maranacook was plagued by COVID early and dropped three of its first five games. Anchored by quarterback Chris Reid, running back Owen Dunn and offensive lineman Wyatt Douin, however, the Black Bears pulled off wins over Old Orchard Beach, Telstar and Dirigo before falling on the last play in the final to Dexter, 34-30.

“We’re going to be young next year. I wouldn’t count us out, though,” Maranacook coach Jordan DeMillo said. “Their dedication is phenomenal.”

In Class B, Lawrence came a win shy of its first state final since 2012, falling to Windham in the B North championship 42-35 in double overtime. The Bulldogs were hit by injuries midway through the season, but with running back Parker Higgins emerging as one of the conference’s best players, pulled themselves back together and looked the part of a state championship contender late.

“We were very happy that our kids came together really well, towards the end of the season where we were kind of playing with a full squad,” Hersom said. “That really was a highlight for the kids, to go through those last few games of the season and get that feeling.”

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