Difficulty: Strenuous. The hike is 5.6 miles, out and back, and features long stretches of steady climbing, a few steep scrambles and very uneven, rocky footing. The hike does not include much hand-over-foot climbing.

One byproduct of the reclassification within Maine’s high school football ranks will be a change in the rotation for the state championship game to be played at the University of Maine next month.

The Foxcroft Academy boys soccer team defeated Hermon 5-2 on Sept. 30. In a matchup of Class B North teams, both squads came to battle.

As the second half of the high school football season kicks off in all but Class A this weekend, plenty of storylines both on and off the field have spurred interest in the sport around the state.

BOSTON — Recent Piscataquis Community High School graduate Zachary Wilson, who is attending the University of Southern Maine, was recognized as a Red Sox Service Scholarship recipient during a pregame ceremony at Fenway Park before the Red Sox-Tampa Bay Rays game on July 30.

Piscataquis Community High School celebrated the second induction into the PCHS Athletic Hall of Fame during Homecoming on Saturday, Sept. 21.

The Dexter Regional High School and Foxcroft Academy cross country teams were among more than a dozen programs competing in the 70th Old Town Sectional Invitational on Sept. 28

The Foxcroft Academy boys soccer team defeated Dexter Regional High School 8-0 on Sept. 25.

Traditionally in Maine, the two big fall hunts have been partridge in October and deer in November. That still may be the case, but with so many wild turkeys roaming the Maine woods fall hunters looking for some added hunt challenges might want to give fall turkeys a go. As most sportsmen and back country roamers have begun to realize, turkeys are thriving everywhere in Maine with a staying power that even amazes wildlife biologists.

After being held scoreless in the opening half, Foxcroft Academy scored four times in the second to defeat Hermon High School 4-0 in an interclass field hockey game on Wednesday, Sept. 25. The contest was pushed back 24 hours due to rainy weather.

Houlton's Troy Hipsley tries to avoid a tackle by Dexter's Tyler Chapman (22) and Cam Allen (7) during a Sept. 20 football game in Aroostook County. The visiting Tigers won 28-7.

Difficulty: Moderate. The hike, out and back, is 3.6 miles if you only visit the Middle Summit and viewpoint, and it’s another 0.4-mile if you add the short side trail to the forested North Summit of the mountain. The hike is mostly gradual but includes a few short steep sections and rock staircases.

The old adage of moose-hunting holds that once a hunter pulls the trigger, all the fun is over. That’s because in many cases, actually extracting the moose from the woods can present any number of challenges.

Just two short years ago, anyone wondering how successful the state’s hunters had been in a given season had only one way to get that information.

Foxcroft Academy hosted a Penobscot Valley Conference cross country meet on Sept. 20.

The Maine high school wrestling postseason will feature an additional event this winter with the addition of team duals state championships for both Class A and Class B.

Hundreds of eager moose hunters will head afield on Monday morning for the first six-day session of the year, and the state’s moose biologist said weather reports aren’t looking particularly favorable for them.

When the temps reach 80 this weekend, you may decide that I’ve jumped the gun a bit, but believe me, this morning was downright chilly. I, for one, am ready to embrace the season. In fact, it’s not a stretch to say that this is the best time of year to be an outdoorsman (or woman) in Maine.