Last year, BL Lippert led Cony to the state championship game. This year, they've got a new quarterback, but they're back on their winning ways with a thrilling Week 1 win over Fryeburg.

But Week 2 highlights at bigger challenge. For the last 10 years, Lippert has spearheaded an Autism Awareness Week that has spread from two teams to over 70. BL joins the podcast to talk about the genesis of that, the importance of providing a space where everyone can enjoy Friday Night Lights, and how football players can set the culture at a school.

Every year, I invite a Maine media member on the show to overreact to each week of the high school football season. For week 1, Mike Mandell of Varsity Maine joins me to highlight a bumper crop of quarterbacks. We also talk about Gardiner's defense against Nokomis, Westbrook's defense on Cheverus, take a look at Maranacook's chances in 8-man, and go class-by-class of who impressed us. Then we preview week 2's big matchup of Greely and Leavitt. And naturally talk a little basketball. Read Mike Mandell at  @VarsityMaine : https://www.centralmaine.com/author/mike-mandell/Maine Ballers shirt: https://maine-basketball-rankings.printify.me/product/19201165Subscribe to Maine Basketball Rankings: https://www.mainebasketballrankings.com/#/portalGear (affiliate links)Green Screen: https://amzn.to/3IiodkiLighting: https://amzn.to/4n7cNzcMicrophone: https://amzn.to/47ekYEa Webcam: https://amzn.to/464U4y0#highschoolsports #highschoolfootball

One of the surprise teams from last football season was the Westbrook Blue Blazes, who seemingly came out of nowhere to capture their first-ever state title in football with a dominant win over Cony. So to kick off the new season, Westbrook head coach Sam Johnson joined the podcast to go behind the scenes on that epic season and how the groundwork for that was laid years earlier.

Subscribe to Maine Basketball Rankings: https://www.mainebasketballrankings.com/#/portal

Back in May, Jay Baines and I recorded the Way-Too-Early Preseason Basketball Poll and then, since it was only May, put it on the shelf. Well now it's overdue! So in two parts: Monday was the Girls Mostly-Too-Early Preseason Poll and today is the boys and then it's full-on football until November.

Subscribe to Maine Basketball Rankings: ⁠https://www.mainebasketballrankings.com/#/portal⁠

Back in May, Jay Baines and I recorded the Way-Too-Early Preseason Basketball Poll and then, since it was only May, put it on the shelf. Well now it's overdue! So in two parts: today it's the Girls Mostly-Too-Early Preseason Poll and Thursday we'll do the boys and then it's full-on football until November.

Subscribe to Maine Basketball Rankings: https://www.mainebasketballrankings.com/#/portal

Gear 

(affiliate links)

Green Screen: https://amzn.to/3Iiodki

Lighting: https://amzn.to/4n7cNzc

Microphone: https://amzn.to/47ekYEa 

Webcam: https://amzn.to/464U4y0

I got some predictable pushback for posting about the Biddeford ICE tragedy on social media and it got me thinking about the intersection of politics and sports. So this week's episode is a bit of a departure. Mike Shepherd of the Bangor Daily News joins me to talk about Maine's political climate, the choices that determine how the BDN covers it, and how it's impossible to separate sports and politics.

Midnight Madness kicks off the Fall Sports season and for the second year in a row, Maine High School Football's Andrew Hart and I went live from Morse's Midnight Madness event to talk about the upcoming football season.

While every NBA podcast raced to give their hottest take on the Jaylen Brown trade, Jon Duke and I preferred to take some time to process things and work through the Stages of Grief before rendering judgement. We get into the Celtics' offseason, the media ecosystem's role in the trade, Maine Public's broadcast of the Lobster Bowl, the upcoming high school season and a bunch more!

Subscribe to Maine Basketball Rankings: https://www.mainebasketballrankings.com/#/portal

Gear

(affiliate links)

Green Screen: https://amzn.to/3Iiodki

Lighting: https://amzn.to/4n7cNzc

Microphone: https://amzn.to/47ekYEa

Webcam: https://amzn.to/464U4y0

Follow me on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/lmcnelly/

Since 1990, the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl has raised over $1M dollars thanks to a summer football classic of Maine's recently graduated Seniors. Shriner Joe Hersom joins the podcast to talk about the impact of the game, the importance of the money they're able to raise for hospitals, how the players fundraise, the various events around the game (like the golf scramble), this year's broadcast on @MainePublic , those little shriner cars, and more!

Learn more about the Lobster Bowl: https://maineshrinelobsterbowl.com/

Subscribe to Maine Basketball Rankings: https://www.mainebasketballrankings.com/#/portal

Gear

(affiliate links)

Green Screen: https://amzn.to/3Iiodki

Lighting: https://amzn.to/4n7cNzc

Microphone: https://amzn.to/47ekYEa

Webcam: https://amzn.to/464U4y0

OOB's Jason Webber brings a football intensity to everything he does and the podcast is no different. He joins me to talk about the different between coaching football and softball, getting guys to run through a wall, 8-man, his work with WHOU, pier fries, mini golf, and so much more.