Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Tristan Swan
Leavitt Area High School
TURNER — What would you think if I told you a kid, who had to play quarterback as a sophomore on the freshmen team, would become one of the best quarterbacks in the state two years later?
This kid is Tim Albert, and if there were a betting line in Vegas on the odds he would become who he is today as a player, it wouldn’t receive many (or any) bets. For this reason and many others, Albert is probably one of the best success stories Leavitt has had in a while.
Going back to 2015, there were many unanswered questions as to where Albert would fit in as a player. What were his strengths? Could he be consistent? How were his abilities in comparison to Bryce Hudson, another talented quarterback on the team?
Hudson had demonstrated talent through all the grade levels and had been like a rival to Albert along the way. Which one should start for the junior varsity team? Would it be better for Albert to play another position? At one point, there was even talk about Albert playing as a lineman, but no quarterback likes to hear that. The solution? Albert wouldn’t have to convert to being a lineman, but he would have to go down and play quarterback with the freshman, which was a tough idea to swallow. To make matters worse, Albert was benched during one of the freshman games for not playing well. While he did use it as an opportunity to make himself better, by the end of the year, he didn’t know if he even wanted to play football anymore.
The start of Albert’s junior year saw the same dilemmas about where (and if) he should play. Could he handle being the starting quarterback? Not only that, but DJ James, a senior athlete who could do it all, was also competing for the quarterback position in addition to Albert and Hudson. In comparison, Albert didn’t have a lot in his corner, especially in terms of experience. It was like Conor McGregor going against Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match; the potential and skills were there, but could the underdog score a knockout?
For most of that season, the Leavitt Hornets decided to alternate between James and Hudson, ultimately battling to a 2-7 record. However, in the final game of the season, Coach Mike Hathaway gave Albert a chance to start in his first-ever playoff game. He performed amazingly well, throwing for more than 100 yards in cold, rainy weather against the favored Kennebunk Rams, who had experienced a strong season and came in as the top-ranked team. There was a huge hill to climb in this game, yet Albert almost willed the team to get over it, losing in an extremely close 17-16 contest that ended with a controversial call.
This game redefined Albert’s football career. A fire started in his eyes and, from there, he never looked back. The Kennebunk game had assured there were no more questions about who would start for the Hornets, and Albert’s senior year became his benchmark as one of the top quarterbacks in the state. In the three prior seasons combined, Albert threw just over 800 yards, five interceptions and no touchdowns. (Yes, you read that right.) In his senior season alone, he threw for almost 1,400 yards and amassed 10 touchdowns against two interceptions.
When coaches and parents are looking for stories to tell about the importance of “sticking with it” in sports, Albert’s record of progress belongs as one of those tales. Perhaps an even more impressive aspect of his senior season was the fact that he brought along a newfound maturity about how to improve the team. As Albert describes it, he proactively “got the receivers together and threw a lot to get that connection going for the season.” It obviously worked out well, with Albert and the receiving corps helping the Hornets to an 8-2 season. Unfortunately, a heartbreaking loss to the rival Gardiner Tigers in the semi-finals got in the way of Albert’s dream to go to states and win the title for the Hornets. Albert slowly but surely became the superman of the team; he had many obstacles to face, but he never gave in to kryptonite.
Beyond fighting for playing time, recognition and a chance to start, Albert even faced injury his senior season, fracturing his foot in a game against the Cape Elizabeth Capers. Those same astounding stats are even more impressive, given the fact that he missed several games due to this injury. When asked about what went through his mind when the injury happened, however, statistics were not on his mind.
“It was tough for me mentally, not knowing what was going to happen — whether or not I would be able to be back on the field with my family to finish off the season,” he reflected.
Fortunately, Albert got his wish and played with his “family” in the last few games of the Hornet’s senior season. Even though it didn’t finish the way he and the rest of the Hornets hoped it would, it was a win for Albert on a personal level as an athlete. As testament to all the time and hard work he put into the game, Albert’s season lived on a bit longer when he learned he was one of eight semifinalists for the Fitzpatrick Trophy — an award given to the top high school senior in Maine football.
It would be nice if this underdog story ended with Albert’s becoming one of the three finalists. However, to be a semi-finalist for the award after his four-year journey has to be heartwarming enough. Remember that sophomore kid who could barely start for the freshman team? Well, look at him now.
