Shockers bring semi-pro ball to Lewiston
LEWISTON – While a group of his teammates headed to a nearby bar for some post-game refreshments, Mark Pettengill didn’t have much time to celebrate. He had to grab a quick shower.
“I have to go to work right now,” said Pettengill, 27, a waiter/bartender at Davinci’s Eatery. “Lovely, huh? Can’t even get a day off after a hard-fought football game.”
Pettengill plays middle linebacker for the Central Maine Shockers, a Lewiston-based semi-pro team in its first year in the New England Football League’s ‘A’ division.
Though essentially an expansion team, the Shockers have made a big splash in their inaugural year, improving to 4-1 after their 28-6 win Saturday over the Maine Tomcats, a team based in Portland. They’ll have an inside track on first place and a playoff berth if they beat the Hampton Hurricanes next Saturday in their final home game of the season.
Before heading to work, Pettengill had time to rehash some of the game’s big plays with his step-brother, Marshall Hiscock, a 1998 Jay graduate who plays tight end. Around him, his teammates exchanged hugs and high fives, some of them interrupted when their wives and girlfriends handed them small children, who greeted their sweaty fathers with hugs of their own.
Some players stopped to thank the fans, 150 or so who passed up a Saturday of lounging on the couch watching college football on the tube to see the real thing in person.
“We’re starting to get a good fan base,” said Marvin Langley, 25, a running back who starred at Lewiston and Division III Western New England College and rushed for two TDs Saturday. “We have more fans here by far than there are at any of our away games. We figure when word gets out, and if we happen to win a championship, we can build a nice fan base, because Lewiston’s a football town and we’re trying to bring it back.”
The Shockers have played before up to 300 fans at some of their home games. Not bad for a team that grew out of a group of friends who just last year would meet at local parks or schools for some weekend pickup games.
“It started out as Lewiston versus Oak Hill, and we didn’t have no pads or nothing,” said Hiscock. “It was just an all-out dogfight. And then we just decided to band together and make it a real team.”
A pair of Oak Hill graduates, Zach Stewart and Steve Coleman, started the team over the summer, recruiting players with flyers, ads and newspaper articles. With the help of Jon Landry and Scott Poirier, they rounded up sponsors to help cover the thousands of dollars needed to start the team and win the NEFL’s approval.
“They really pulled it together, spent a lot of money out of their own pocket to help us out,” Pettengill said.
Despite their rag-tag beginnings, the Shockers take their football seriously. They practice once a week and hire certified officials to referee the games.
The NEFL runs the league under strict guidelines and offers teams incentives for winning. If the Shockers have a strong first season, they can move up to
AA next year. Another strong season, and they may move
up to AAA, the top semi-pro level.
The game still has the feel of pickup football at times. Players are rarely paid, especially at the A level, and the players are almost literally putting their necks on the line each time they step on the field.
“A lot of us come out here, we don’t even have any insurance. I mean, if you get hurt, you can’t go to work the next day,” said Pettengill. “We try to keep it clean, and for the most part it is. The referees do a good job of keeping everything under control.”
And unlike the pros or college football, real life does intrude into the game. The Shockers’ coach, Matt McKenney, had to miss Saturday’s game to attend a wedding in Colorado. The players, mostly in their 20s and 30s and many with families to support, have to find a way to fit practices and games into their schedules.
“I just got a new job, and this was the only team I could play for with my hours, but I wouldn’t have it any other way now,” said Langley, who played for the AAA Southern Maine Raging Bulls last year. “All of my buddies are here. It’s nice to be home. Playing on this field brings back some memories of high school, even flag football. I played flag football games here.”
Virtually all of the players are years removed from the high school gridiron, but they insist they’re not just trying to relive or extend their glory days.
“It’s just the love of football,” Pettengill said.
“There’s no end to it,” Hiscock chimed in. “We can play for years.”
“Until we can’t walk,” added his step-brother.
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