After a long winter of indoor work and a busy month of April, the University of Maine football team will wrap up its spring season on Saturday with the 11th annual Jeff Cole Memorial Scrimmage.
Coach Jack Cosgrove’s Black Bears look to go into the offseason on a positive note during a controlled scrimmage between the offense and the defense on Morse Field at Alfond Stadium in Orono.
The action begins at 10 a.m. and will be followed by a barbecue lunch at about noon. The cost of the meal is $15 per person.
There are a handful of key areas likely to be under scrutiny as UMaine scrimmages while also paying tribute to former assistant coach Cole, who died in 2004 after a bout with cancer.
Topping the list of dynamics is the renewed quarterback duel between Dan Collins, who will be a junior next season, and sophomore Drew Belcher. Collins earned the starting job in training camp, but Belcher earned some playing time early on.
Belcher eventually finished out the last five games of the season after Collins suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Collins underwent surgery and rehabilitation and has returned to the field this spring.
The Black Bears also have encountered a sudden lack of experience and depth at running back. Sophomore Nigel Beckford is the top returnee with the loss of Nigel Jones (injury), Jerickson Fedrick (left school) and Isaiah Jones (injury).
Veteran Sacoy Malone has moved up on the depth chart along with Darius Benders and Darian Davis-Ray.
The offensive line remained intact with the exception of senior Chase Hoyt, who has been lost to injury.
There are big holes to fill at wide receiver with the loss of Damarr Aultman and Art Williams. Jared Osumah, Jaleel Reed and Micah Wright hope to step up with Jordan Dunn out with an injury.
Fullback/tight end Jeremy Salmon also is out with an injury, but Sean Reuss has returned from an injury issue.
Senior end Trevor Bates is coming off shoulder surgery on a defensive line that includes Pat Ricard, Darius Greene and Mike Kozlakowski.
UMaine is loaded at linebacker with Chris Mulumba-Tshimanga, Cabrinni Goncalves, Randy Samuels, Zach Hume, Austin Brown and others.
Sherrod Baltimore, A.J. Dawson and Tayvon Hall are the corners after the graduation of Axel Ofori, while Spencer Carey of Fairfield, Darrius Hart and Sinmisola Demuren are in the safety mix with Davonte Burke coming off a broken leg.
Wood top student-athlete
UMaine junior Liz Wood recently was honored as the America East Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year for the second straight year.
The forward from Catlett, Virginia, boasts a 3.93 grade point average as a biology major with a premedical studies concentration in the honors college and a chemistry minor.
Each America East Scholar-Athlete was a starter or prominent reserve and carries a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30.
Last season, Wood averaged 13.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.7 steals in 36.2 minutes per game. She helped coach Richard Barron’s Black Bears post a 23-9 overall record and a 14-2 conference mark, including the America East regular-season title and a berth in the National Women’s Invitation Tournament.
She earned All-America East first-team honors and was named the league’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year as well as receiving a nod to the America East All-Defensive team.
UMaine athletes honored
UMaine senior basketball player Courtney Anderson of Greene is closing out her final year on a high note.
Anderson on Thursday was honored as the Outstanding Senior Scholar Athlete by the UMaine School of Education.
Other athletes recognized were field hockey’s Emily Stewart, who was named the Outstanding Graduating Student in the KPE-Exercise Science program and women’s soccer senior Liis Emajoe, who earned the Outstanding KPE-Teaching/Coaching Award.