ORONO, Maine — Joe Fitzpatrick has a lot of fond memories of Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.
His Cheverus High School Stags from Portland played in two state Class A championship games there, beating Lawrence of Fairfield 49-27 in 2011 and losing to Bonny Eagle of Buxton 31-28 in 2013.
The University of Maine’s redshirt sophomore running back is looking forward to his return to Fitzpatrick Stadium on Saturday when his Black Bears take on Delaware in a crucial Colonial Athletic Association game, which begins at 2 p.m..
“I was thinking about it the other day. I’ve played there my entire football career … from Pop Warner to middle school to high school. I have a lot of great memories there,” said Fitzpatrick, who also pointed out that they played arch-rival Portland High School at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
Fitzpatrick will have a more enhanced role for the Black Bears since running backs Nigel Beckford and Darian Davis-Ray are likely done for the season due to injury, according to head coach Joe Harasymiak.
He is backing up sophomore Josh Mack, the conference’s leading rusher.
Mack took a helmet to his hip in the 23-6 win over William and Mary last Saturday so Fitzpatrick got the call and responded with 60 yards on 12 carries. Two weeks before that, he saw some late-game duty in the 51-27 win over Rhode Island and carried the ball 11 times for 74 yards.
“He has had to step up quickly and he’s done a real nice job,” said Harasymiak who added that Fitzpatrick is a nice complement to Mack.
“Josh is learning to run physical but he’s more of a shifty guy. Joe puts his foot in the ground and goes. He runs downhill and you need that. He got two short-yardage first downs on third down plays last weekend. It’s just a version of a quarterback sneak but you hand it to the fullback and he runs up in there.
“It’s a different look. We’ll need that this weekend,” said Harasymiak.
“It’ll be a good mix with Josh and Joe. If we use Joe right, he could be a big part of our offense,” said redshirt freshman quarterback Chris Ferguson.
“I think it will be a good thing for the offense to have,” said the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Fitzpatrick, who was the Maine Class A Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014 when he rushed for 2,071 yards and 27 touchdowns for the Stags. “Josh has great vision. He likes to slice and dice and he gashes people. He’s good in open spaces.
“I’m more of a downhill runner. I (try to) get at least five yards and I enjoy lowering my shoulder when I get to the second level,” said Fitzpatrick.
“Joe is a power runner,” said UMaine defensive tackle Charles Mitchell. “He’s not afraid to lower his shoulder. He’s a very physical runner. He’s going to put up some numbers.”
Fitzpatrick got 10 carries as a true freshman and gained 63 yards. He was a medical redshirt a year ago due to a pinched nerve in his neck.
Fitzpatrick has carried the ball 46 times for 255 yards this season for a 5.5 yards per carry average. Mack has 979 yards on 169 carries good for 5.8 yards per carry.
UMaine has the conference’s fourth-best ground game, averaging 175.9 rushing yards per game.
He said playing in Portland in front of family and friends “will be a little different than a regular game” but he doesn’t feel there will be any distractions.
“If anything, seeing my old teammates from high school and my family and stuff will bring me back to how I played there in high school and I was always locked in and focused. If anything, it will help me out even more just knowing everyone is there to support me,” said Fitzpatrick.
He has been happy with his season to date.
“The more game exposure I get is only going to help me,” he said. “As the game goes on, I’ll get stronger and more confident and I’ll run better.”
He will be one of several Maine natives who will see action on Saturday. Placekicker Brandon Briggs and defensive end Dakota Tarbox played at Saco’s Thornton Academy; redshirt freshman offensive tackle Gunnar Docos and linebacker Davis Turner played for Oxford Hills High in South Paris and Lawrence of Fairfield’s Spencer Carey is a linebacker who sees a lot of special teams duty.
“The guys from Maine definitely have a lot of pride playing up here,” said Fitzpatrick. “We’re all going to love playing in Portland. Most of us have played on that field.”
Follow BDN Maine Sports on Facebook for the latest in Maine high school and college sports.