For 15 years, Lisa Richards has coached the Bangor High School softball team. But when the spring sports season arrives next year Richards will become just another fan at Rams games.

Richards has decided to step down from her coaching duties to concentrate on a graduate degree program.

Richards said that she is pursing a Certificate of Advanced Studies in educational leadership at the University of Maine.

“I’ve already started. It’s a three-year commitment. There are Saturday classes and that’s really where the conflict is. We have games on Saturdays,” Richards said.

Richards took over the Bangor softball program in 1989. After seasons of 2-14 and 0-16 in her first two years, Richards turned the program around with a 10-7 season. Her teams have not missed the playoffs since. In 15 years with the program, her teams compiled a 168-96 record and reached the Eastern Maine Class A championship game twice.

“It’s probably the most difficult decision professionally I’ve had to make,” Richards said. “It’s very tough basically because I still love it.”

Richards is the activities director and a physical education teacher at the William S. Cohen School in Bangor. In that respect she will still be involved in coaching to a certain extent. And she says she would never rule out returning to coaching in the future. But for now, she’ll have to deal with watching the Rams play from the sidelines.

“This spring is going to be tough. It’s going to be hard to watch it from the other side of the fence,” Richards said.

Fortier, Chrisos in Heisman hunt

Bangor Christian’s Rebecca Fortier and David Chrisos have been named the state’s winners for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award.

Fortier and Chrisos were selected from among 59 Maine high schoolers nominated for the award and are among 102 finalists. Two students were chosen from each state and the District of Columbia.

Fortier was cited for her work with the Missions Project-NYC and with the Manna shelter in Bangor. She has been a president, vice president of her class and secretary-treasurer Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She is a member of the National Honor Society.

Fortier has also received a Kodak young leaders award and a President’s Physical Education Award. She has lettered and was captain of both the varsity soccer team and cheerleading squad.

“I’m very excited. It’s quite an honor for David and I to make it both being from the same school,” Fortier said.

Chrisos has done volunteer work with the Children’s Miracle Network and the Salvation Army. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has coached peewee basketball and has participated in the Academic Decathalon.

Chrisos has captained the Bangor Christian varsity golf, basketball and baseball teams. He was an all-conference selection in basketball and golf and played his way onto the all-state golf team.

“It’s pretty excited. I didn’t think I had a chance of winning because there are a lot of student-athletes out there,” Chrisos said.

When the lights go on in the city

Success sometimes leads to rewards and the extremely successful Dexter field hockey program is being rewarded with lights for its playing field.

Dexter athletic director Steve Bell said that the lights and poles are at the high school and work on the project will begin in the spring.

“We hope to have it all ready for the 2003 season,” Bell said.

Bell said the process for lighting the field began about a year ago when Mike Wilson, a football official from Caribou, secured some lights when Limestone AFB closed.

“I think it was for a football project that never materialized. He did some research and saw that we were one of two schools, I think, that doesn’t have lights. I think Winslow’s the other. He offered them to us,” Bell said.

An engineer study revealed that the poles were not tall enough to adequately light the football field but that it would work on the field hockey field.

“We’re still in the market for lights for the football field and we’ve got a fundraising group that’s doing some good things,” Bells said.

He pointed out that the Friends of SAD 46 are currently building a new soccer field and a practice field. Last year’s softball team played on a new field built by the group.

“I think that group, once that project is done, is interested in putting in lights [on the football field],” Bell said.

State games need new home

Gorham High School hosted its last state field hockey championship, at least for the foreseeable future, last Saturday.

Gerry Durgin, the school’s athletic director, said Gorham will no longer host the daylong event.

“We’ve done it for the last six years. It’s been fantastic and we’ve enjoyed it but it’s time for someone else to do it,” Durgin said.

Gorham, as a host site, will be missed. The facility is excellent and Durgin and his staff know how to put on a show.

At Saturday’s field hockey state championship games, with the temperature hovering around freezing and a gusting wind making conditions even worse, Durgin did everything he could to ensure that the players, coaches and media were as comfortable as possible.

Tents were erected for both teams with space heaters placed inside the tents. Coffee was provided. The awards presentations for the first two games were moved to the softball field so that the teams in the following game could warm up without delay.

“It’s a difficult day for everyone,” Durgin said.

Durgin said that Gorham is looking forward to hosting the Classes B and D softball state championships in the spring.

Cohen wins at Junior Nationals

Bangor High School senior Adam Cohen recently competed in the Bodybuilding Junior Nationals at Somerset, Mass., and came away with awards in three categories.

Cohen placed first in the juniors competition, first in the middleweight division and second place in the overall category.

The field consisted of more than 100 bodybuilders with age 23 as the eligibility cutoff.

“I was psyched. I didn’t think I was going to do anywhere as close as I did,” Cohen said.

Cohen was competing in only his second event. He said he hopes to compete in the Pro-Nationals in Pittsburgh, Pa., in two weeks.

Cohen trains with J.P. Soucy at Bangor Athletic Club.

Don Perryman can be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-3108600 or dperryman@bangordailynews.net