Fewer kids are playing high school sports, both in Maine and around the nation, according to statistics released this week by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

The main event for New England Fights’ mixed martial arts debut in Orono on Sept. 7 has been changed, with undefeated Josh Harvey -- a Dexter native -- now set to face Dominic Jones at a catchweight of 160 pounds.

Upcoming sports events around the region.

At this moment around the state, bear hunters and outfitters are erecting treestands and servicing their bait sites. The bear season opens officially the last week in August. Bears are about as plentiful as they have ever been. First-time bear hunters, and those they share their wild game with, invariably ask the question: “What does bear meat taste like?”

There have been few University of Maine teams with as many Maine natives on their rosters as the 2019 Black Bear field hockey team. There are nine Mainers, all from different high schools, among the 20 players on the roster (45 percent). Maine-produced players have served the program well over the years.

Miles of new trails specifically designed for mountain biking have opened in the Katahdin region this summer, with plans for more biking trails to be added over the next few years.

Upcoming sports events around the region.

When it comes to speed cutting, precision felling and sawing of trees, there is no better arborist in Maine than Andrew Marquis of St. Agatha, according to the results of the Game of Logging at the 28th annual Forest Heritage Days, which took place in Greenville on Saturday, Aug. 10.

According to a newspaper story that made the rounds earlier this week, those of us who choose to release fish that we would, by law, be allowed to keep are not being as helpful as we had thought. That’s the story some are telling, anyway.

New England Fights will bring its own brand of art -- mixed martial arts -- to the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine in Orono for the first time Sept. 7.

Not surprisingly, it took some time for Maine’s fish and wildlife regulatory apparatus to loosen up when it came to accepting the crossbow as a legitimate and acceptable hunting device. Compared with other states, we have been a long time coming around.

Brothers Jackson and Landon Smith of the Foxcroft Youth Track program combined for a trio of top three performances 14 & Under USATF-Maine Association State Championship on Aug. 10 at the Brewer Community School.

Improvements will be made to the athletic fields used by Piscataquis Community High School and Piscataquis Community Elementary School. The school board approved using up to $50,000 from the minor capital improvement fund for the track and surrounding field renovations and is working with the town of Guilford on projects to upgrade the baseball diamond on the municipal athletic field and softball field on the school campus.

The Drive will continue to be hosted by Jim Churchill and Mark Paulette, with Aaron Jackson, WABI-TV morning anchor Brian Sullivan and Bangor Daily News sportswriter Ernie Clark -- a resident of Dover-Foxcroft -- also regulars on the broadcast.

Longtime Dexter Regional High School teacher and coach Peter Murray was recognized through the Boston Red Sox’s Most Valuable Educator program during a recent home-plate ceremony at Fenway Park. Educators around New England are nominated by students from their school as someone who makes an effort to ensure that every child has the benefit of a great school.

Again in 2019, the annual Maine Red Hot Dog Festival kicked off with the Millside Fitness Bun Run 5K on Aug. 9 with 54 runners racing through the streets of Dexter. Perry Lebreton, 44 of Old Town, won the Bun Run in a time of 18 minutes, 14 seconds.

The Gary Wakeland Memorial 5K was held on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 10 in conjunction with the town celebration of Bowerbank Days, an event that occurs every five years.

The Gerrish Gravel Crushers defeated Save-A-Lot by a score of 12-7 in the 2019 Piscataquis Regional YMCA adult coed softball league championship game on Aug. 4. The win marks the fourth consecutive championship for the Gerrish Gravel Crushers.