It’s Week 2 of the high school football season, or the one-quarter pole for Class A teams in a sports season that takes forever to get here and seems to last as long as a hiccup.

Grasping that scary concept is a struggle for some coaches who say this week feels more like it should be the season-opener or even the final exhibition contest.

They cite new statewide regulations put into place by the Maine Principals’ Association this season at the recommendation of the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Many of the those rules were a proactive response to the heat stroke blamed for the death of several high school, college and professional football players nationwide in the last decade.

What caused the most consternation in the coaching fraternity were regulations prohibiting full contact until the fifth day of practice and preventing teams from scrimmaging until the evening of August 21, or the second Monday of the fall sports season.

“Holy smokes. We scrimmaged Lisbon on (that first night), we get one exhibition on the weekend and then we’re supposed to be ready to go. It’s just different,” said Jay coach Mark Bonnevie, whose team successfully christened its Class C season with an inter-conference road win at Bucksport.

Gary Parlin of Mt. Blue, who has pleaded with the MPA to explore the possibility of a four-class system for football, isn’t shy about his objection to the changes.

“We didn’t do very well down at Brunswick in our exhibition, and I don’t have any explanation other than the fact that we had four non-contact practices,” Parlin said. “The plan is set up for three weeks of preseason, and we have two weeks. The third week you’re preparing for your first game. It doesn’t work.”

Technically, contact was allowed above the waist on the third and fourth days of practice.

The new standards were written to emphasize the importance of conditioning, but Parlin doesn’t see many prospective football players sitting on the sofa all summer.

“Our kids go to camps. They lift weights every day,” Parlin said. “They know they have to be in pretty good shape when they get here.”

Just getting started

Another change this fall is that the MPA took an active role in preseason scheduling, pairing up schools for exhibition games on the one available weekend.

That left Winthrop out in the cold when Stearns, its ranks reduced to fewer than 20 players by injuries and other issues, elected not to make the six-hour round trip to and from Millinocket to play its exhibition game against the Ramblers.

“I understand they don’t want to get any more kids hurt, but where did that leave us? They (the MPA) have stepped up and said who you’re going to play,” said Winthrop coach Joel Stoneton. “So we’re the only football team in the state without an exhibition game. There was absolutely nobody left for us to play. Even Monmouth (a junior varsity program) had an exhibition.”

The lack of a dress rehearsal might have reared its head last Friday night, when Winthrop saw a 12-8 lead slip away in the fourth quarter of a 21-12 loss at Old Orchard Beach.

Ramblers losing ranks

In a game already essential to its Western Class C playoff aspirations, Winthrop hosts Jay tonight after a week mixed with good and bad news. Starting QB Kyle Plossay will be back after missing the OOB game with a shoulder problem. Tailback Russ Schmelzer, who hurt his knee in the second quarter after collecting about 150 total yards, had an MRI this week that revealed a sprained MCL.

“He’s day to day,” Stoneton said. “We’re got to have a discussion with the trainer (today) and see how we’re doing. He wants to go, but we just need to make sure that this doesn’t turn into a prolonged thing.”

The Ramblers’ ranks have been thinned even more with the loss of seven academically ineligible players. Stoneton hopes to have them back for Week 3 when they play Traip Academy.