Cony's B.L. Lippert on Autism Awareness Night, a New QB, and Building Something That Lasts

B.L. Lippert, head football coach at Cony, joins the show to talk about the statewide Autism Awareness games happening this week — an initiative he started in 2017 with two teams that has now grown to more than 60 schools across Maine.

In this episode:

• How the Autism Awareness game began after his son Lincoln's diagnosis, and why Lippert decided to stay in coaching rather than step away
• The growth from 2 participating teams to 60+, with help from Andrew DiDiFico, and the coaches around the state who turned out to have their own connection to the cause
• Breaking news: Cony is building a sensory room at Fuller Field — a 34' x 16' space constructed by the Capital Area Technical Center's building program, led by senior captain Josh Lajoie. It would be the first of its kind in Maine, giving families a quiet space so kids who struggle with crowds and noise can still come to games
• Cony's Week 1 win at Fryeburg, including the final-minute sequence and the decision to throw into the end zone rather than attempt a game-winning field goal
• New quarterback Drew Lindquist taking over for Parker Morin, and what changes in the playbook when you swap skill sets
• The injuries: Anderson Noyes' cracked fibula (and a possible late-season return), plus a backup running back down, forcing sophomores into the lineup
• Reading the KVAC and Class B North landscape — Lawrence, Fryeburg, Camden Hills' arrival, and a deeper league than last year
• Rewatching the state championship loss to Westbrook, and why some coaches watch the tape on a loop while others never watch it again
• Coaching the Lobster Bowl, and how the week functions as an informal clinic for head coaches
• Why coaching rivalries have softened over 20 years, and what a two-decade relationship with an opposing coach actually looks like
• His pitch if he ran the MPA for a day: fix petitioning down for the playoffs, and lengthen the football preseason

Also in the intro:

• The arrest of Mattanawcook coach Adam Mahaney on a Class B felony theft charge, and a note on being careful with rumors
• Gold Ball odds are now live for soccer, field hockey, and football — 10,000-simulation Monte Carlo projections that find the outlier seasons and narrow as results come in. Available with a Varsity subscription.

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