Football and Softball and Pier Fries

Spring sports are officially in the books, and to close out the season we brought on Old Orchard Beach assistant football coach and softball head coach Jason Weber. If you've ever seen Jason on a sideline, you know exactly what you're getting. If you haven't — just know that Lucas hit record mid-conversation because he couldn't wait.

Spring Sports Recap

Before Jason took over, we hit the highlights from Saturday's championship games. Medomak Valley won back-to-back in softball behind another strong performance from Sidney Nicholls, who gutted out a win despite being less than 100%. We got into the obstruction call in the Cheverus game — the right call, just in the wrong order — and Cat Facchini's two-way performance that kept the Cheverus lineup off-balance all day. On the baseball side, Fryeburg won their first state title in 43 years, and Bangor and Gorham went to 11 innings.

Coaching Both Sides

The heart of the conversation was Jason breaking down what it's actually like to coach football and softball with the same intensity level — and why that works. His approach: he doesn't coach boys or girls, he coaches athletes. The adjustment isn't the energy, it's the explanation. Girls ask why, and he's learned to love giving them an answer. That patience, he says, has made him a better football coach.

He also has a firm policy of telling athletes the truth — about playing time, about what they need to improve, about where they stand. Parents are welcome to come watch practice anytime. If they ask why their kid isn't playing, the kid already knows why, and the parent-coach conversation happens with the kid in the room.

The State Game

Jason talked about OOB's football state championship loss — Stearns came in and executed. Hats off to them. More memorable than the game itself was the moment after, watching his own son keep his helmet on because he knew taking it off meant it was over. There's nothing you can say in that moment. You just be there.

The 2% Club

One of the best segments of the episode: Jason's softball team discovered tournament odds during the season. They were excited to see a 50/50 shot against Telstar — then one of his sharper players noticed the state championship odds were at 2%. Jason's response: look at the teams with nothing on that side of the decimal. Any number means you're alive. They won that game. The number went up. Not much. Dargo was really good.

One Change as MPA Commissioner

Shot clock. No hesitation. As a certified basketball official, Jason's been waiting on this one. His implementation plan — turn them on for tournament sites that already have them, make it optional for the regular season — is genuinely hard to argue with. Any school with playoff aspirations would find the money fast.

Also covered: Giannis trade takes (recorded Monday, so who knows), a Mr. T movie that apparently involves a youth center and a wall, Hannah Weber's senior season (200 strikeouts, Western Maine Conference Player of the Year), OOB's softball outlook for next year, blowout game philosophy, teams that forfeit playoff games, WHOU, Yankee curtains, Crocs, and why October is the best time to visit Old Orchard Beach.