Concussion ends<br>Quint's career

When high school football players dream of the end of their playing days, they dream of hoisting gold balls and making one last tackle.

Nobody dreams of having their football career end in a doctor's office, but that's what happened to Maine Central Institute's Victor Quint. After suffering a concussion against Foxcroft Academy on Sept. 22, Quint was advised by doctors to put his shoulder pads and helmet on the shelf.

"This is my fifth concussion, so the doctor told me I'd put myself at risk if I kept playing," said Quint, a four-year starter for the Huskies. "It's tough to take, having (football) end so suddenly."

"(Quint) played hard every down. I hope he's not too down about not playing, because he gave us everything he could for so long," MCI head coach Tom Bertrand said. "The risk of doing permanent damage just to play the last few high school football games wasn't worth it."

Quint has played running back, quarterback and defensive back for the Huskies, and was a special teams standout as well. A team captain, Quint is now putting his knowledge to work as a sort of student coach.

"He's played so much for me over the last few years, he knows exactly what I'm looking for when he works with the defensive backs or Zach (Doiron, the team's sophomore quarterback," Bertrand said. "We still see him as a captain and a leader of the team."

On Nov. 3, Quint will have shoulder surgery to repair a right shoulder he broke playing football last season. The surgery means he'll miss much of the upcoming basketball season, but the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Quint will be ready for baseball, where he enters the season as one of the top catchers in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference.

Winslow High School bounced back from a 20-14 loss to Gardiner Area High School with a convincing 56-14 win at Mt. Desert Island High School on Friday.

"We had a close game for a quarter, but then the dam broke in our favor," Winslow head coach Mike Siviski said.

While Winslow is loaded with experience at many positions, newcomer Don Clark has developed into a solid defensive player. A transfer from Erskine Academy, the 6-6, 275-pound junior has taken over the nose guard spot for the Black Raiders.

With his size and quickness, Clark is starting to be able to take on more than one blocker, and that helped open things up for middle linebacker Kevin McCabe, who entered the MDI game second in the conference with 60 tackles.

"Because of (Clark's) size, he has trouble getting below blocks, but we're working on that," Siviski said. "He's improving. He can run. He's a diamond in the rough."

Winslow (5-1) ends the regular season at home, hosting Brewer High School and rival Waterville.

Lawrence High School halfback/free safety Corey Church has been slowed by an ankle injury since the season-opener at Skowhegan, but he's still been able to contribute to the Bulldogs' 5-0 start.

In Friday's 3-0 win at Bangor High School, Church ran for 49 yards on eight carries, all in the second half. His 32-yard run to the Bangor 10-yard line late in the game on Lawrence's next-to-last possession helped ensure that the Rams' last-chance scoring drive would start deep in their own territory. With 1:39 left in the game, Bangor took over at its own 5 yard line with no timeouts.

With Church able to run effectively, Lawrence was able to use seven ball carriers, and keep them all fresh.

"We want to be balanced in running the ball and Corey can do that for us," Lawrence head coach John Hersom said.

The shutout was the third of the season for the Bulldogs, who have given up a Class A-low 13 points on the season. Lawrence's Saturday game at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham has been pushed back to a 4 p.m. start to accommodate students taking the SATs.

Lawrence graduate Sean Leary is having a solid season as a linebacker for Bentley College. A junior, Leary is tied for fifth on the team with 33 tackles, 4.5 for a loss. In Friday's 21-6 win over Pace, Leary had eight tackles and an interception.

WEEK 6 HONOR ROLL: Winslow's Justin Lindie ran for 227 yards and three touchdowns in the Black Raiders' 56-14 win at Mt. Desert Island. . . . Waterville quarterback Nate Lancaster ran for three touchdowns in a 35-6 win over Leavitt. Waterville tailback Chris Smith ran for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the game. . . . Lawrence linebacker David Wallace recovered a Bangor fumble, while Mike Hersom and John Flynn each had an interception in the Bulldogs' 3-0 win at Bangor. . . . Garrick Brown made 10 tackles for Madison Area Memorial High School in a 15-8 loss to Traip Academy.

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