Eight-man football is spreading to Maine’s prep schools.

Hebron Academy is one of 10 teams who will compete in the New England Prep School eight-man football league starting this fall. Also part of the league are squads that have been foes of the Lumberjacks past, including Hyde, Kents Hill and Holderness.

Lumberjacks athletic director Leslie Guenther said in a news release that the school is excited to the wide-open style of eight-man football.

“We are excited to be introducing the eight-man football program at Hebron,” Guenther said. “The openness of the game and emphasis on agility, quickness and speed makes eight-man football a great option for our multi-sport athletes, and we look forward to drawing news players to the game.”

This season will also be the first season that eight-man football will be played by some of Maine’s high school teams.

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