The Majestic Pines of Maine State University - A Teambuilder Dynasty

[The JZA]

Looking at each flaws, it's a pick your poison scenario

[djp73]

Looking at each flaws, it's a pick your poison scenario

When the team is weak I find a qb that can run to be very helpful

[djp73]

Putting Coastal on the schedule was a mistake. Guaranteed L

We circling that one

[djp73]

Battle for the Lobster Trap: Maine State and UMaine Ink Annual Football Rivalry



Portland, Maine — In a move that has electrified football fans across New England, Maine State University and the University of Maine have officially agreed to play each other annually in a game that will be known as the Battle for the Lobster Trap.

The announcement was made jointly by MSU Athletic Director Donnie Kilgore and UMaine’s Director of Athletics, Lisa Andrews, in a spirited press conference at Portland’s historic working waterfront. Behind them stood a gleaming, oversized lobster trap trophy, adorned with brass plaques for future victors and a weathered buoy in the colors of both schools.

The Birth of a Tradition
The origins of the Lobster Trap trophy trace back to a meeting over coffee between Kilgore and longtime Maine lobsterman, Henry "Hank" Beaupre. According to legend, when Kilgore asked how a new in-state football rivalry could truly reflect Maine’s culture, Beaupre quipped, “You can’t understand Maine without understanding a lobster trap. It’s hard work, grit, and patience, the same as football.”

From that conversation, the idea for the trophy was born. Crafted by local artisan boat builders in Boothbay Harbor, the Lobster Trap is a fully functional wooden trap, lashed with authentic rope and adorned with a polished pinewood base. Embedded inside is a brass plate reading: "For Pride, For the Coast, For the Trap."

A State Divided, United
For UMaine, this annual clash offers a chance to assert their long-standing football legacy, while for Maine State University’s young program, it’s a symbolic step towards state recognition and gridiron credibility. Though MSU is just beginning to build its FBS ambitions, their rapid rise and aggressive scheduling have turned heads.

“People think this is just a game,” said MSU head coach Rob Tierney. “It’s more than that. It’s a chance to stake a flag in the ground, or in this case, a buoy in the bay.”

UMaine head coach Brian Mahoney echoed the sentiment with competitive fire: “We’re the flagship. Always have been. But every trap needs a bait, and I guess MSU’s volunteered.”

The Trophy’s Deeper Meaning
Beyond the playful jabs, both programs emphasize the cultural weight of the Lobster Trap. It symbolizes the working-class toughness embedded in Maine’s coastal communities, a nod to the state’s deep maritime traditions. The trap’s physical design even incorporates reclaimed wood from retired lobster boats and dock pilings, a connection to generations of families who have made their living on the water.

“Holding that trap above your head at the end of November is going to mean you outworked the other guy,” Kilgore said. “It’s as Maine as it gets.”

Annual Showcase in the Works
While alternating home games between Orono and Portland is part of the initial agreement, there are already whispers about taking the Battle for the Lobster Trap elsewhere in the future as a neutral-site showcase.

For now, though, the inaugural game is slated for Tuesday November, 2024, at Fitzpatrick Stadium, a fitting homecoming for the Majestic Pines after three road games in their first full season. Tickets are expected to be in high demand, with fans eager to see which team will become the first to claim the trap.

A Rivalry Hooked for Good
In a football world saturated with corporate-named matchups and contrived trophies, the Battle for the Lobster Trap feels refreshingly authentic. It’s gritty, quirky, and deeply Maine.

“We’re not trying to be flashy,” said Andrews. “We’re trying to be us. The Lobster Trap will make sure of that.”

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Maine State, UMass Agree to Annual Football Series Beginning in 2026

Portland, Maine — Maine State University and the University of Massachusetts have announced a new annual football series that will see the two programs face off every season, rotating home and away games. The rivalry, tentatively dubbed the "Battle for New England", will kick off with the inaugural matchup at McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst in November, 2026.

For Maine State, a first-year FBS independent, the agreement with UMass represents a significant step in establishing regional rivalries and consistent scheduling against established FBS programs.

“This is a natural fit for both schools,” said MSU Athletic Director Donnie Kilgore. “It’s about building something that resonates with our alumni, fans, and the greater New England football community.”

UMass Athletic Director Ryan Bamford echoed the sentiment, highlighting the importance of regional rivalries in growing the program's fan base. “We’ve wanted a consistent, meaningful in-region opponent. Maine State brings energy, ambition, and a fanbase hungry for a rivalry.”

Though the schools haven’t met on the gridiron yet, the shared New England roots, recruiting overlap, and state rivalry have laid the groundwork for a competitive series. Discussions are already underway to develop a rivalry trophy, with suggestions including nautical and forestry themes that symbolize the cultural identities of both institutions.

“This isn’t just a placeholder on the schedule,” said MSU Head Coach Rob Tierney. “We’re going to battle every year, and the road to FBS credibility runs through Amherst this fall.”

The series will alternate venues each season, with Maine State hosting UMass at Fitzpatrick Stadium in 2027.

[Agent]

Go get that trophy

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Go get that trophy

we're after it

[djp73]

Maine State, New Hampshire Tech Announce Annual Battle for Seavey’s Island

Portland, Maine — Two of New England’s newest football programs are wasting little time giving their young histories something meaningful to fight over.

Maine State University and New Hampshire Tech announced Monday that the schools have agreed to an annual football series beginning with the 2026 season. The matchup will be known as the Battle for Seavey’s Island, tying the rivalry to the small island located in the Piscataqua River between Maine and New Hampshire.

The game will alternate between Maine State’s renovated Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland and New Hampshire Tech’s Granite Field at Quarry Stadium in Concord. The inaugural meeting will be played in Portland, giving the Majestic Pines an opportunity to host the first chapter of what officials from both schools believe can become one of the region’s defining rivalries.

“This is exactly the kind of game we want associated with Maine State football,” Maine State athletic director Marc Kurto said. “It is regional, it is meaningful, and it gives our fans something they can circle on the calendar every year. The river connects our states, but on game day it is going to divide them.”

Although the programs are both still establishing themselves at the Division I level, the rivalry already has a natural foundation.

Maine State enters its inaugural season with a brand built around the forests, waterways and working-class culture of Maine. New Hampshire Tech, known as the Granite, has embraced an identity centered on engineering, stone, steel and the rugged landscape of the Granite State.

The schools will also compete for many of the same recruits throughout northern New England, particularly in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut. Coaches from both programs expect those recruiting battles to add intensity long before the teams meet on the field.

“You’re going to see these guys in high schools, at camps and in living rooms all year,” Maine State head coach Rob Tierney said. “Then eventually you line up against them with something real at stake. That is how rivalries grow.”

Tierney brings a personal connection to the matchup after previously serving as defensive coordinator at the University of New Hampshire. The former Maine linebacker has spent much of his career recruiting and coaching throughout the region and understands the importance of creating annual games with genuine local significance.

“This is not a manufactured rivalry,” Tierney said. “Our states share a border, our players know one another, and our communities are connected by the Piscataqua. There is already pride involved. Now we are giving that pride a football game.”

New Hampshire Tech officials expressed a similar vision.

“For a new program, traditions have to begin somewhere,” New Hampshire Tech athletic director Caleb Mercer said. “The Battle for Seavey’s Island gives both universities a chance to build something that belongs specifically to this part of the country. It is not borrowed from somewhere else. It is ours.”

The name of the rivalry centers on Seavey’s Island, home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and situated within the Piscataqua River near the Maine-New Hampshire border. Its location made it an ideal symbol for a series between two programs seeking to represent their respective states.

The annual winner will receive the **Seavey’s Island Trophy**, which is currently being designed by artists and metalworkers from both states.

Early plans call for the trophy to feature a bronze outline of the island mounted on a polished granite base. A sculpted white pine will represent Maine State, while a carved granite formation will represent New Hampshire Tech. A bronze arch inspired by the Piscataqua River Bridge will span the center of the trophy above a blue resin depiction of the river.

The winning school will keep the trophy until the following season’s matchup.

Officials are also planning several traditions surrounding the rivalry. The game ball is expected to travel across the Piscataqua River before each meeting, with transportation rotating between boats, historic vessels and local maritime organizations. The trophy will remain on the winning team’s sideline throughout the following year and will be returned to midfield before the next game.

The schools are also discussing the possibility of illuminating the Piscataqua River Bridge in the colors of the previous year’s winner during rivalry week.

Maine State’s colors of evergreen, tan and mariner blue reflect the state’s forests and maritime heritage. New Hampshire Tech uses granite gray, dark green, white and black, creating a contrast that both schools believe will translate well to national broadcasts and rivalry merchandise.

The series also gives each program another stable regional opponent as it works to build a permanent schedule.

Maine State has already established annual games against the University of Maine in the Battle for the Lobster Trap and UMass in the Battle for New England. The addition of New Hampshire Tech creates a third regional rivalry for a program intent on becoming a central part of the New England football landscape.

For New Hampshire Tech, the game provides an immediate connection to an opponent with similar ambitions and geographic challenges.

Both programs are attempting to build Division I rosters in a region where college football has traditionally taken a secondary role to professional sports. Administrators believe that emphasizing local rivalries, recognizable landmarks and state pride will help create stronger fan interest.

“You cannot build a program with anonymous games,” Kurto said. “Fans need opponents they know. They need games that mean something when the records are good and when the records are not. This is one of those games.”

The rivalry’s official slogan will be:

One River. Two States. One Island.

Additional branding will use the phrase **Claim the Island**, which is expected to appear on tickets, merchandise and promotional materials throughout rivalry week.

The inaugural Battle for Seavey’s Island will give both programs an early opportunity to establish bragging rights. Maine State will be playing its first season under Tierney after spending 2023 developing its initial recruiting class, while New Hampshire Tech will enter with its own roster of overlooked regional prospects and transfers.

Neither program has played a game yet, but the stakes are already beginning to take shape.

“There will be a first winner, a first big play and a first group that gets to carry that trophy off the field,” Tierney said. “Those players will be remembered every time this game is played.”

For two new football programs still creating their histories, the Battle for Seavey’s Island offers something neither school could build alone.

A border.

A trophy.

And an opponent waiting on the other side of the river.

[The JZA]

Leggo

[djp73]

Leggo