Technology and travel teams have helped foster a profound change in many high school sports rivalries.
Intensity that once prevailed on a 24-7 basis is confined largely to the actual competitive experiences between the schools, otherwise, opponents with similar athletic passions routinely exchange text messages, team up in off-season club programs and often become best friends.
“Times have changed,” said Brian McDormand, who coached the Old Town boys basketball team to the Class B state championship last winter.
“There’s so much interaction with social media, the kids go back and forth with it. When I was in school in Waterville [at Colby College], I called home once a month if I had enough money from working in the cafeteria to put my nickels and quarters in the old phone machine. These guys today just get on the phone and text and are always going back and forth with each other. That’s the way of the world. It’s much more open now.”
Student-athletes at neighboring Old Town and Orono high schools are typical of that trend and in recent years have developed an even more formalized sporting relationship — the schools field a cooperative ice hockey team and this fall held a weekly joint football practice.
“It’s not like the Orono-Old Town rivalry when I was a player at Orono my senior year,” said Red Riots boys basketball coach Jason Coleman. “These guys now do other things together, they hang out together on the weekends, and they go to the same places together.”
Something else shared by the Old Town and Orono boys basketball teams as the 2014-15 season begins Friday night across the state are high expectations — and with good reason.
Old Town used a late-season surge to rise from the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Maine tournament all the way to a gold-ball celebration.
Graduation losses included guard Garvey Melmed, playing at the University of Maine — but the Coyotes return veterans Eric Hoogterp, Adam Richardson and Mitchell Cole and a wealth of confidence stemming from last winter’s unanticipated rise to the top.
“We have pieces in a pile to be very good,” said McDormand, whose team opens at home against Mount Desert Island on Saturday night. “We’re going to be good, but with some of the younger guys right now, it’s just learning our chemistry and finding their roles at the varsity level.”
Orono reached the Class C regional quarterfinals last winter with a lineup featuring four freshmen among its top seven players before dropping a three-point decision to perennial power Calais.
Those freshmen — Keenan Collett, Jackson Coutts, Nate DeSisto and Jake Koffman — are now wily, more physical sophomores, and the expectations are even higher.
“Last year, our goal was to earn a preliminary spot and have a chance to get to the Cross Center,” said Coleman, whose team debuts Friday night at George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill. “This year, we obviously want to take it a step further. We’ve been there now, and we want to get back and play more than one game there.”
While they compete in different classes, Orono and Old Town will have two highly awaited opportunities to test themselves against each other during the regular season, Dec. 23 at Orono and Jan. 28 at Old Town.
“I think they’re pretty good with each other off the court, but when they get on the court, they’re going to battle each other,” said McDormand. They have pride, so they’ll go after each other. That’s how I think these games will be.”
There’s also little doubt each team will be among the primary targets within its respective division.
Old Town likely will be challenged by the likes of Big East Conference rivals Ellsworth and Caribou, which returns the brotherly backcourt pairing of Dayne and Donovan Savage.
Then there’s Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference contenders Winslow, Medomak Valley of Waldoboro and Oceanside of Rockland-Thomaston that similarly are poised for tournament time.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the kids,” said McDormand. “I’m sure they feel it, so I’m trying to get people to remain positive and give them time to grow because we were 8-5 last year and struggling at times, and then we went on a 10-game run at the end the year. It’s a long season.”
Orono may face an even deeper field of contenders in Eastern C led by defending state champion Houlton and All-Maine senior forward Kyle Bouchard, who will continue his basketball career on scholarship next year at Division II Bentley University.
Calais returns a strong senior nucleus led by versatile swingman Kyle Johnson, while Washington Academy boasts the senior forward tandem of Gage Feeney and Austin Seavey. Lee Academy is another consistent tournament threat, while George Stevens and Central of Corinth loom as potential dark horse contenders.
Hampden Academy hopes to continue its remarkable run in Class A, where coach Russ Bartlett’s club is the four-time defending Eastern Maine champion.
The Broncos will feature a different look this winter with the graduation of two first-team All-Maine stars in reigning Maine Gatorade Player of the Year Zach Gilpin and Isaiah Bess, but the team will rely heavily on a talented junior class led by guards Nick Gilpin and Jake Black and forwards Brendan McIntyre and Conar Moore.
Senior-laden Edward Little of Auburn was picked just ahead of Hampden atop this year’s Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference preseason coaches’ poll, with an Oxford Hills of South Paris featuring junior forward Andrew Fleming ranked third.
Another threat looks to be Messalonskee of Oakland and senior forward Nick Mayo, who emerged during this year’s AAU season to earn nine Division I college scholarship offers before signing to play at Eastern Kentucky beginning with the 2015-16 season.
Perennial power Bangor and neighboring Brewer were among teams outside the top eight in that KVAC preseason outlook.
Bangor suffered heavy graduation losses, but seniors Liam Harrigan, Andrew Hillier and Trey Kenny and junior Justin Smith provide veteran experience for coach Ed Kohtala’s Rams.
Brewer will be more experienced overall than a year ago, with coach Clayton Blood’s Witches led by two talented third-year varsity players in forward Matt Pushard and guard Logan Rogerson.
The Eastern D ranks typically provide one of the more entertaining races from early December to title time.
Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook, a regional finalist last winter, should be back among the contending class this fall, with veteran coach Bill McAvoy guiding a squad that features senior Cameron Landry and sophomores Jackson Mathers and Nolan Altvater.
Washburn, top-rated in last year’s regular-season standings before being stunned by No. 16 Jonesport-Beals in the preliminary round, also boasts a deep returning cast, while Easton graduated leading scorer and rebounder Hunter Turner but returns considerable experience of its own after reaching the regional semifinals for the second straight year.
Defending Class D state champion Hodgdon’s quest for a second straight title run took a hit over the summer when All-Maine junior forward Chris Hudson transferred to Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Massachusetts.
