Charlie’s Field in Winthrop was one of a few places that had midnight madness practices. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

WINTHROP — Among the first things Madeline Wagner noticed in the final minutes of the offseason were the sounds in the air here.

It was hard not to notice the chirps of thousands of crickets in unison late Sunday night at Charlie’s Field. Also noticeable was the lack of cars whizzing by, an unusual observation given the facility’s location just a stone’s throw from Route 202.

“It’s going to make it really easy to see if we’re not talking on the field if there’s no cars driving by without all the cars going by,” said Wagner, one of Winthrop field hockey’s senior captains. “It’s definitely different, but it’s a good experience, and we wanted to get out here as soon as we could.”

A different backdrop aside, the energy was palpable for Winthrop field hockey and football in the buildup to “Midnight Madness” at 12:01 a.m. Monday. The practices marked the beginning for two programs in similar spots personnel-wise as they officially turn the page to new campaigns. Monday marked the first day fall sports teams could practice, and a few teams got an early jump with midnight practices.

It’s easy to see why there was a lot of excitement for these two programs. Winthrop field hockey went 15-3 to win its third straight Class C title last year, while football went 7-4 to finish as Class D South runner-up.

Both Winthrop teams look nearly identical this fall. Field hockey brings back essentially its entire team, an excellent starting point as it seeks a four-peat in Class C. Football has a new head coach in Joel Stoneton but returns all but one starter (two-way lineman Avry Jones) from a unit that grew as the season went on in 2023.

“I’m really excited for how this season is going to go, especially to kick it off in the middle of the night, right when we can,” said Winthrop football player Braden Branagan. “Ever since I heard that we had this midnight practice, I was all amped up. For the past three hours, I’ve been trying to pass time as fast as I can just to get over here.”

As Sunday night gave way to early Monday morning, Winthrop football took to the north end of the turf while field hockey claimed the south end. As the football team worked on tackling and ball-skill drills, the other end heard the sound of sticks clacking as field hockey worked on passing activities.

It’s an idea that both programs have had in the works for some time now. Field hockey head coach Melissa Perkins said her team was looking to try something even bolder after starting at 5 a.m. last year, and when Stoneton took over for Dave St. Hilaire earlier this year, it was the first thing he mentioned to his staff.

“I told them we were doing this, and it was something we all agreed was a good idea and that we were all really excited about,” Stoneton said. “These kids are ready. They’ve had a little taste of it, and we’re hoping to give them one last little piece to help get them to that next level.”

Stoneton’s team has Branagan back at quarterback and Cody Cobb and Carter Rivers, who combined for over 2,000 yards on the ground last year, back at running back. Cobb (69 solo, 41 assisted tackles) is also back on defense, as is Hunter Reynolds, who registered seven sacks for the Ramblers last year.

As for field hockey? Winthrop has Wagner, who scored 47 goals to help lead the Ramblers to a state title last year. Star forward Izzy Folsom will miss the season with an ACL tear, but the rest of the starting XI is in tact as Winthrop looks to be the first team to four-peat in Class C since Dexter from 2000-03.

“We’ve just got to stay humble,” Wagner said. “We have the saying right now, ‘Pressure is a privilege,’ and we couldn’t be more grateful to be put in that position, so every day, we’re going to come into it with the same attitude of working hard and just taking everything one game at a time.”

It’s a much more stress-free start than last season, when Winthrop began without a home as its new turf was being installed. Whereas football had to practice at Camp Mechuana and Kents Hill School last season, being able to do so at home under the lights this time, Stoneton said, was a welcome feeling.

Doing it with their fellow classmates in another sport was even more rewarding. For two teams entering the new season in similar spots and with similar goals, kicking things off together at the same time and place only felt right.

“We’re really close with all the field hockey team,” Cobb said. “Everyone in the school is close — we’re not a big school, so we all see each other in class and in the hallways — and it’s just great to be out here doing something with them.”