By Randy Whitehouse,Staff Writer
After missing most of the year with a knee injury, Mt. Blue’s Hazen Pingree is laying it all on the line.

PORTLAND – The whites of about four dozen pairs of eyes could be seen widening through blue facemasks as the Mt. Blue Cougars walked onto a fully-illuminated Fitzpatrick Stadium for practice Wednesday night.

Unlike most of his teammates, Hazen Pingree has been to the venerable stadium before. Still, no one had more reason to soak in the atmosphere than the senior who his coach calls “the Human Caffeine Machine.”

Pingree was supposed to be one of the top two-way players in the Pine Tree Conference this year – a breakaway threat at fullback. and a disruptive force at nose tackle. Then a knee injury in the Cougars’ final preseason game disrupted his own plans to help lead Mt. Blue to a state championship.

“I was so ready,” he said, “and then I went down, and it was a heartbreaker.”

He initially feared the worst, a torn ligament that would end his season before it began. But for three frustrating weeks, he couldn’t get definitive word because no one could say for sure until the swelling in his knee went down.

The hyper Pingree said it was all he could do to remain patient and optimistic while waiting for that to happen.

“I stuck with the team. I still had to fulfill my role as a captain,” he said. “Waiting to find out was probably the most suspenseful thing ever because I didn’t know if I was going to be out or I was going to need surgery or if I was ever going to be back,”

When the swelling finally subsided, the news was relatively good. He had a dislocated kneecap, an injury that would take less than six weeks to rehab. He had a shot at returning for the regular-season finale against Skowhegan.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to run the ball, but I could at least contribute at nose tackle,” he said.

The Cougars went undefeated in Pingree’s absence, but the team still missed his presence, particularly on defense. Ironically, they lost his first game back, against Skowhegan.

“It was probably one of the most memorable nights of my life, because I’d missed the whole regular season” he said. “Even though we lost, I had a great time just being out there and actually contributing to the team physically.”

“He rehabbed like a madman, and he played well in the Skowhegan game. He actually ran the ball a little bit, too,” Mt. Blue coach Gary Parlin said. “Then just before the first playoff game with Oxford Hills, he tweaked it a little bit, so we were sure he wasn’t going to play.”

This time, though, the answer came much quicker. The knee felt fine the next morning and Pingree played in the win over the Vikings.

It’s been getting stronger ever since. Pingree said he feels as good as he’s felt all season heading into Saturday’s Class A championship against Bonny Eagle.

“I give it everything I have, every play. I’ve got nothing to lose,” he said. “I don’t want to live my life with regret if I’ve taken plays off. I just want to help this team out the best I can.”