LEWISTON – When the Central Maine Shockers convene for a glory-free, sweat-drenched scouting combine Saturday morning at Hardcore Gym, head coach Matt McKenney will learn two things.
He’ll find out if any new converts caught the fever to revive their football careers by throwing their helmet and cleats into the semipro ring.
And for the 40-or-so veterans who haven’t heard McKenney’s whistling, praising or prodding since last autumn, it gives everyone an opportunity to show who’s been naughty or nice.
“It’s a chance for us to see how hard they’ve been working in the offseason,” said McKenney, “or if they’ve been working.”
Not that McKenney anticipates the worst.
After playing at Edward Little High School in Auburn, assisting the program at Oak Hill High School in Wales and now leading the Shockers for two seasons, McKenney understands the value of gridiron peer pressure.
Semipro football players are a self-policing lot. They’ve been known to talk smack in Internet chat forums, good-naturedly razzing anyone who dares miss a workout to attend a wedding or family reunion. Anyone who shows up in camp with a big-time attitude and small-time training habits is encouraged to take up fishing.
“There’s a commitment to each other,” McKenney said. “You look at the person next to you, and do you want to let that guy down? As a team, that’s what unites us. It’s kind of a brotherhood.”
The Hardcore Gym is located near the corner of Lisbon Street and Adams Ave. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and participation is mandatory for all prospective Shockers, past or future.
No experience, no problem
Saturday’s open session is the first ritual required to join this fraternity. Newcomers of all sizes, shapes and experience levels are invited to walk in.
Be prepared to work, though.
“We have them do a bench press, a squat, run the 40-yard dash, run the mile and go through some agility tests,” said Shawn Gordon, a Leavitt Area High School product who played during the Shockers’ inaugural season before taking over as defensive coordinator last summer.
As is the case with the National Football League’s annual scouting combine, where basketball players and track and field performers sometimes emerge among the best available athletes, football experience is not a prerequisite.
Zach Stewart, who co-founded and owns the Shockers along with friend and quarterback Steve Coleman, never made a tackle in his life.
“He played that other sport (soccer) in high school,” mocked McKenney.
Now, Stewart’s a starting outside linebacker.
The Shockers also feature a starting lineman who never played previous organized football.
McKenney says the first-timers work out and watch film religiously. Anyone intending to stick with the Shockers this year should plan on the same level of commitment.
They’re moving up to the AA’ division of the New England Football League along with their chief rival at the head of last year’s A’ class, the Hampton (N.H.) Hurricanes.
Hampton knocked off previously undefeated Central Maine, 41-35, in overtime of the league championship game last October.
“That basically motivated everybody,” Gordon said. “Most of the guys only took a week off after that game. Then they were back in the gym.”
The real thing
McKenney wasn’t interested in the grunt work or the bumps and bruises when Coleman, Stewart, Jon Landry and other friends from the Oak Hill days approached him about signing on with the Shockers in 2003.
“I hadn’t put on the pads in 10 years,” said McKenney, who was a two-way standout at EL. “But they sort of raised my eyebrows. Realistically, I knew this probably was my best chance to ever be a head coach at this level.”
And make no mistake, the Shockers play at a level above what you’ll see on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon in most Maine communities.
There’s nothing “semi” about the contact. This is full-on, tackle football, played by grown men for no financial gain and an extensive investment of free time.
Practices begin once a week on May 1, increasing to twice per week (Sundays and Thursdays) starting in June. The 10-game schedule kicks off in late July, with games played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
The Shockers don’t need to hit the weights to prove that their off-field game is in midseason form. In addition to winning 17 of 20 games, playoffs and exhibitions included, the Shockers were named Organization of the Year in each of their first two NEFL campaigns.
“People are surprised that we’re so efficient and organized, since we’re mostly a bunch of 20-somethings,” said McKenney. “There’s not a whole lot of ego. All these guys know how to play the game, but they also have a humble attitude, wanting to do whatever it takes to make the team stronger.”
Team membership has remained at around three dozen players without much attrition, according to Gordon.
“We’ve become a real family,” he said.
But the Shockers are still eager to adopt.
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