Members of the Mount View football team take a break during a practice last week in Thorndike. Mount View is the only school in the state that requires its football players to wear Guardian Caps in games, as well as in practices. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

More high school football players in Maine are wearing protective Guardian Caps in practice compared to past seasons, but the surge in usage has not carried over to games.

At least 16 of the 79 varsity high school football teams in Maine – about 20% – are using the 7-ounce Guardian Caps in practice, according to Portland Press Herald research and interviews. Two years ago, only three Maine teams were known to wear them.

Guardian Caps – a spongy layer of protection fastened to the exterior of the helmet – can reduce blunt forces, according to studies by the NFL and the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab. At all levels of football, Guardian Caps are used as part of an effort to mitigate brain injuries as a result of blows to the head.

Many Maine high school football coaches say Guardian Caps provide an extra layer of protection, particularly for linemen, who are prone to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head blows during play.

“My thinking is, if I can narrow the window for head injuries, especially in the area where I have the most control, which is practice, then I’m going to do it,” said York High’s head coach, Matt Nelson, who makes wearing Guardian Caps mandatory for all players in practice.

But just one team in the state – Mount View High in Thorndike – is requiring its players to wear the caps during games as well. Mount View is an eight-man program with just 17 players on its roster.

Skowhegan has three players who wear the Guardian Caps in games. Cony, of Augusta, and Massabesic, of Waterboro, each reported that one player has worn the cap in a game this season.

“If it’s good enough for us to wear it Monday through Friday, why wouldn’t it be good enough to wear in a game on Saturday, when you’re putting out 100% effort?” asked Gerald Hartley, Mount View’s first-year head coach.

Mount View players Aaron Hartley, the coach’s son, and Brody Ward said they’ve previously suffered concussions, making Guardian Caps an essential part of the uniform.

“I’m really glad we’re wearing them (during games), because my head didn’t hurt after,” said Aaron Hartley. “I had a concussion last year, so I’m happy to have this so that my season doesn’t get cut short again.”

Added Ward, a lineman: “I love them. I’ve gotten hit in the head a couple of times wearing them and I didn’t feel nothing. I’ve had one or two concussions before and I can just tell they’re definitely helping. … I don’t care what they look like. I just want to know I’m safe and have fun.”

WHY NOT IN GAMES?

This fall, 16 of the 35 coaches who responded to a Press Herald statewide query said their teams use Guardian Caps, which retail for $70 each, in practice. Usage varied, with some schools reporting only a few players wearing them.

In 2022, three Maine high school teams were known to use Guardian Caps in practice: Leavitt, of Turner; Mt. Blue, of Farmington; and Cony.

At the professional level, the NFL over the last three years has pushed for an increase in its Guardian Caps, which are slightly heavier at 12 ounces. In 2022, linemen, linebackers and tight ends had to wear them for a few weeks in the preseason. For the past two seasons, the NFL required all players except quarterbacks and punters/kickers to wear the caps in any contact practice through the Super Bowl.

In April, the NFL announced that players could wear Guardian Caps in games. Six players have done so, including New England Patriots linebacker Jabrill Peppers.

Mount View football player Aaron Hartley adjusts his helmet during a practice last week. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

But like in the NFL, few Maine high school players are wearing the caps on game days.

Players and coaches in Maine are citing a few reasons:

• It’s a new concept. Helmet add-ons have been allowed by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) since 2012. But it wasn’t until the NFL authorized their use that they became popular, prompting the NFHS to say high school football players nationwide can wear them. The Maine Principals’ Association, which follows NFHS rules, subsequently said it would also allow use of Guardian Caps in games this season.

• They come at a cost. Most teams in Maine still don’t have Guardian Caps, and providing them would need to be factored into athletic budgets. Football roster sizes vary across the state, but the bigger Class A teams could have anywhere from 60 to 75 players. Some teams in Classes C and D carry about 40 players.

• A lack of evidence. Studies by the NFL and the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab have shown that the caps can reduce blunt forces to the helmet. However, there are no independent studies that show Guardian Caps reduce head injuries in high school football. The Virginia Tech Helmet Lab acknowledged in its testing that “it must be stressed that regardless of the helmet or add-on used, any player can still sustain a concussion.”

• Choice. A significant majority of the coaches who report using the caps in practice also said they allow players to choose if they want to wear them in games.

• Vanity. Just like in the NFL, most players do not want the mushroom-like padding to detract from the coolest part of their game-day uniform – the shiny helmet.

Junior safety/wide receiver Jack Armlin and his York High teammates are wearing Guardian Caps in practice for the first time this season. Armlin said he appreciates the extra layer of potential protection and has noticed a positive difference.

Cony sophomore Josh Lajoie wears a Guardian Cap before a Sept. 13 game in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“Whether it’s a quick-tackling drill or something that’s more like a scrimmage, just in those short popping sequences, it’s a little less strenuous on the head,” he said. “When you do have it on, it just makes you feel a little more secure, a little more comfortable.”

But Armlin doesn’t want to wear the cap in a game.

“For the games, it’s a different kind of environment. You want to show that (school) logo on the side,” Armlin said. “You can’t see the logo, and one thing I thought about, too, is that if one person has it on, it just seems like the team isn’t uniform.”

York senior quarterback Peter Martin agreed.

“If we were to have kind of a haphazard usage of it, it would just make the team look a little disjointed,” he said. “And I completely agree, the logo, the stripes, the stickers we earn for doing well in games, none of that is visible if you have the Guardian Caps on.”

Martin added that he thinks his helmet offers enough protection without the cap.

“When I’m in football games, I’ve never had any pain to my head or felt that my helmet didn’t fully protect me.”

NOT ENOUGH DATA

When Gerald Hartley was hired as head coach at Mount View, a rural school that draws from 11 towns in Waldo County, he prioritized fundraising for the purchase of 25 Guardian Caps, which came in at $1,537. The program received a bulk discount. He also made it clear to players and parents that he would require all players to wear Guardian Caps in practices and games.

“From the research I’ve done, I felt I was the best one to make that decision. Not the kids,” Hartley said. “They aren’t doing the research. They’re going to say, ‘It looks silly.’ This way, it takes some of the peer pressure away from them. If a friend of theirs from another team asks why they’re wearing it, they can say, ‘My coach makes me.’ ”

Some studies indicate Guardian Caps can help reduce the impact force on a helmet. Researchers at the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab put some of the caps through tests that mimicked hits to the head. The standard model, which high school football teams in Maine use, reduced the acceleration force by up to 5%.

The NFL reported a 52% reduction in preseason concussions in 2022, the first year cap use was mandated, compared to the three previous seasons.

Not everyone, however, is convinced the Guardian Caps make a difference.

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association, for example, said in a 2022 position statement that “add-ons” to football helmets – like Guardian Caps – offer no proven benefit.

THE PRO EXAMPLE

Guardian Sports, which makes the caps, says more than 5,000 high schools, over 500 colleges and over 1,000 youth leagues use its caps. At the high school level, that represents a 150% increase since 2022. Four of Maine’s seven college football teams – the University of Maine, Maine Maritime, Husson and Colby – use Guardian Caps.

The increased usage at the high school and collegiate levels mirrors the NFL’s commitment to the caps.

The few NFL players wearing them in games, with an extra fabric sleeve that includes the teams’ helmet logo, contend the extra protection is welcomed.

“I’m a hitter, so the more protection I can get, why not?” Peppers said after the New England Patriots’ season opener, according to The Athletic. “As long as it’s not impeding me or slowing me down, I don’t see why not.”

Skowhegan’s Brady Smith wears a Guardian Cap during a game against Lawrence in Skowhegan on Sept. 20. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

They also know many of their professional peers are mocking them.

“At one point, people thought seat belts were … stupid,” said Colts tight end Kylen Granson, who is using the Guardian Cap, according to The Athletic. “Why wouldn’t I (wear it)? Just because it looks silly? I feel like health and safety is more important than aesthetics.”

For now, Peppers and Granson are among the exceptions in the NFL. Like Granson, Mount View sophomore Aaron Hartley has heard some ribbing about using Guardian Caps.

“Yeah, a couple kids in our school were making fun of us for them,” he said. “I don’t understand why. I like my brain cells and I like not having concussions, so I’d rather have them and keep myself safe.”

Central Maine Staff Writer Mike Mandell contributed to this report.