The experiment of placing the Cony/Gardiner football game at the beginning of the season instead of the end was an unqualified success Friday night in Gardiner.

Just nine months earlier, the teams played in late November in Augusta in a game hastily thrown together following Gardiner's Class B championship run. About 3,000 more fans showed up Friday night in Gardiner than did last year. The temperature was about 35 degrees warmer, too, which didn't hurt business.
I spotted many longtime Cony/Gardiner fans in the crowd, some who make it a point to show up for this game and this game only. And there were many kids who had yet to leave for college who showed up as well. The teams may not, in fact, play for a bigger crowd all season long.
Now that the format is down, the schools can work on specifics to improve on their success. Cony athletic director Paul Vachon suggested combining parents night $ where parents of fall athletes gather in preseason $ with a rally. Good idea. The 1985 Gardiner team was recognized, another good idea. How about honoring a former team each year prior to the game or at halftime. After all, this game is about nostalgia as much as anything else.
After the game, former Gardiner coach John Burgess presented the traditional boot to Gardiner coach Jim Palmer, although no one was there to witness it. This would make a nice, brief ceremony following game's end, perhaps presented by the principal of the opposing school.
If possible $ and I know this is a touchy subject $ how about getting the school bands involved? The only thing absent Friday night was music. Nice to hear the school songs if we can. In lieu of bands, a little PA music would also enliven the atmosphere.