Hodgdon High School will not field a boys soccer team this fall because of a lack of interest at the Eastern Maine Class C school.

Wendy Ivey, who was to coach the Hawks this fall, said there were about nine or 10 committed players and a few others who had expressed some interest in the team, but the boys didn’t want to play without a full complement of at least 11 on the field.

Some of the players met with Hodgdon administrators, and came to the decision to shut down the program for the season.

“It’s a little disappointing,” Ivey said. “It’s going to be hard to start back up again next year.”

Hodgdon athletic director Marty Bouchard said it’s the first time the school has had to cancel a program. The school also offers golf and cross country in the fall.

“It’s hard when you have three sports for kids at a small school,” he said of Hodgdon, which has an enrollment of 236.

Some of the boys who would have played soccer have gravitated to golf, Ivey added.

Instead of coaching soccer, Ivey will be helping out with the middle school’s cross country program.

Ivey, a 1996 Hodgdon graduate, was an all-star soccer and basketball player for the Hawks. She has served as a Gear-Up advisor at the high school and coached the Hodgdon girls basketball team to the Eastern Maine Class C semifinals last winter.

Ivey said she may re-apply for the soccer coaching job next fall if the team starts up again.

It’s still quite rare for women to coach high school boys teams in Maine – although one only needs to look at Fort Fairfield to see the success co-coaches Jeannette Peters and Kelly Bubar had with that school’s boys program last year – but Ivey enjoyed it while it lasted.

“I loved coaching the guys that were there [at practices],” she said. “It was quite a transition from the girls.”

Basketball showcases Sunday

High school basketball players who want to be seen by college coaches can check out the Maine Exposure Basketball Showcase this Sunday in South Portland.

The event will be held at Southern Maine Community College (formerly Southern Maine Technical College). The showcases are open to players entering grades 10-12.

The girls will play from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. and the boys will go from 2-5 p.m.

For more information, and to download a registration form with information on fees, go to www.mbr.org/nepsac/event/NewEnglandsBestBasketballShowcases.htm.

Baseball, softball showcased

New England High School Sports is hosting showcases for high school baseball and softball players in the coming weeks.

The Fall Baseball Showcase will be held Sunday, Sept. 21 at Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, Mass.

The Fall Softball Showcase is set for Sunday, Sept. 28 at Regis College in Weston, Mass.

Pre-registration is mandatory. For screening and more information call 1-800-659-6797.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.