Football remains king of America’s spectator sports, with Super Bowl Sunday a virtual national holiday each February. But its underpinnings remain under considerable stress, largely the result of the long-term impact of head injuries on players from local youth programs through the NFL ranks.

Maine wildlife biologists on March 21 proposed a slight increase in the number of moose permits for the coming seasons. If approved, the number of permitted hunters would jump from 2,500 to 2,820, according to a Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokesman.

The Foxcroft Youth and SeDoMoCha Middle School wrestling teams competed at the Dexter Youth Wrestling Tournament held at the Ridge View Community School March 16.The squads continue to improve every week and are always given their all. Congratulations to the wrestlers that placed!

On Saturday, March 16 the Eagle’s Explorers (outdoor club) teamed with Mountain’s Market (Travis Belote and Kerr Dickson) to hold the first SeDoMoCha Ice Fishing Derby on Snow’s Pond. All SeDoMoCha students were welcome to fish for prizes provided by Mountain’s Market and its vendors.

Penquis Valley High School senior Cymeria Robshaw received a trio of postseason honors on the Penobscot Valley Conference/Eastern Maine Indoor Track League All-Conference Team.

The Moosehead Lake region, as designated by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, is big … some might say wicked big. It stretches from Dover-Foxcroft in the south to Allagash Lake in the north, Rainbow Lake to the east and the thriving metropolis of Skinner to the west. The land area covers 4,391 square miles with 4,125 miles of flowing water and over a quarter million acres of Great Ponds (there’s also another 2,160 acres of not so Great Ponds. i.e. less than 10 acres).

Pirate Youth wrestler Shelby Grant and Eugene Gould of Foxcroft Youth Wrestling are cousins who both came in third at a Dexter tournament on Saturday, March 16.

Greenville High School athletes have grit and determination, that’s for sure! And, this school near the shores of Moosehead Lake has long been known as the little school with the big heart. That attitude has been the foundation for their sports programs for years. It’s what garnered Greenville softball the win over Penobscot Valley last June, making them Class D champions.

Dexter Regional High School, Foxcroft Academy and Piscataquis Community High School are all well represented on the Penobscot Valley Conference (PVC) Wrestling All-Conference Team.

Hampden-Bangor advanced to the North regional in unified basketball with a 44-36 semifinal win over Foxcroft Academy on Tuesday, March 12.

If you keep your ear to the tracks regarding fishing in Maine, then you’ve probably heard about the Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Department’s proposal to change rules pertaining to the use of live fish as bait in the north country. We’ve publicized the changes with a couple press releases and have held two public meetings to gather public input.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Foxcroft Youth and SeDoMoCha Middle School wrestling teams hosted the annual youth tournament Saturday, March 9 at Foxcroft Academy.

On Saturday, March 9 before the Foxcroft Youth Wrestling Tournament a special ceremony took place. Josh Pelletier, a 2006 graduate of Foxcroft Academy, had his singlet retired in front of a packed gymnasium. Pelletier is the second Pony wrestler to receive the honor -- four-time state champion Jerod Rideout was the first.

Cymeria Robshaw is one of those high school kids who makes the most of every opportunity she is presented. And when such opportunities aren’t readily apparent, she seeks them out.

As a senior in 2017, Stearns lost to Dexter 47-44 in the Class C semifinals. Current Husson teammate Megan Peach was the star on that Dexter team.

Local resident Wendy Weiger is planning an exciting adventure this month. She is embarking on a hike on the relatively new American Discovery Trail (ADT). This trail system of 6,800 miles is, according to the ADT website, “a new breed of national trail — part city, part small town, part forest, part mountains, part desert — all in one trail.” It stretches from the east coast at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to Pt. Reyes National Seashore in California.

A number of players from the region earned postseason recognition from the Penobscot Valley Conference. Peyton Grant of Dexter Regional High School is one of five girls named to the Class C First Team.

Rico Portalatin of Milo said weather conditions ahead of the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races had him concerned, but he was relieved and pleased when he encountered the trail conditions while competing in the Willard Jalbert Jr. Can-Am Crown 100.