Several important decisions affecting the new high school football team forming in the Southern Aroostook and Carleton County areas for this fall were made during recent meetings of the Greater New England Youth Football League (GNYFL).
First and foremost, was the unanimous decision to accept the new entrant from the area, “The County Renegades.” The team is made up of next year’s grade 8-12 players in the southern Aroostook towns that do not feed into the Houlton High School varsity program, plus several athletes from Woodstock and Hartland high schools.
Presently, 25 athletes from three Maine high schools and two Canadian high schools are signed up, in addition to a couple of home-schooled players.
The league meetings took place in Carmel on March 25, with all seven teams in attendance. The Renegades team uniform colors of basic royal blue and white, with red and black numerals was accepted without debate. The schedule was also hashed over, and the following is the final game schedule for the SAW Youth Football entrant: Saturday, Sept. 7, Renegades at Milo; Saturday, Sept. 14, Kenduskeag; Saturday, Sept. 21, at Madawaska; Saturday, Sept. 28, no game; bye week.
October’s schedule looks like Saturday, Oct. 5: Caribou at Renegades; Saturday, Oct. 12, Central Maine; Saturday, Oct. 19, at Medomak Valley; Saturday, Oct. 26, Divisional championship at higher seed and Saturday, Nov. 2, League Championship game at Husson College, Bangor.
“We are ecstatic that the GNYFL decided to immediately accept our application for admission to the league,” said Renegades head coach, Steve Martin. “It would have been tragic to have come this far, and to have had no place to play.”
The Renegades are incorporated as a 501 c.3 tax-exempt organization under the auspices of “Southern Aroostook-Woodstock Youth Football” and all donations are tax deductible.
“We have quite a bit of our equipment already,” added Martin, “and we are going to be selling raffle tickets for a $250 gift certificate at County Yankee Grocery, plus $250 cash. This first year, there are just a ton of start-up costs to meet, and we will appreciate the good folks of southern Aroostook and Carleton counties supporting us in any way they can during these tough economic times.”
The team’s first minicamp will be taking place at their practice facility at the Airport Field in Houlton on Saturday, April 20 at noon. It is not too late for additional interested athletes to get involved, but they are urged to contact the team through their Facebook Page (search: “County Renegades Football”) or by calling the team office at 532-3635 prior to the event.
