Part of the sacrifice for enjoying the good life in northern and Down East Maine involves many a long road trip.

The Calais High boys basketball team will make such a sacrifice during the next three days to learn just where it stands as the midpoint of the season looms not that far in front of the school bus windshield.

Coach Ed Leeman’s Blue Devils are set to make a 400-mile round trip to Dixfield today to square off against Mount Desert Island, North Yarmouth Academy, and host Dirigo High School in a holiday tournament.

Then on Friday, the team heads in the opposite direction, up Route 1 to the top of the state for a 4 p.m. Class C regular-season showdown against Madawaska, which like Calais was undefeated entering the Christmas break.

“Don’t ask me why,” said Leeman of the back-to-back trips. “I wanted to test the boys.”

The Madawaska regular-season game was somewhat of a late addition to the Calais schedule, Leeman said. Calais began the school year with just 16 regular-season games after losing two contests against Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, which moved up from Class C to Class B in basketball this year.

But Calais was able to work out a home-and-home series of sorts with Madawaska, with Madawaska coming to Calais for a preseason tournament and the Blue Devils making a return trip to the County for the regular-season encounter on Dec. 30.

Calais also added a Jan. 19 home game against Hyde School of Bath to fill out its 18-game schedule.

Calais and Madawaska are expected to be among the top teams in Eastern Maine Class C this winter, and so far both have lived up to expectations.

Calais is 5-0, having survived a two-point victory against Downeast Athletic Conference rival Washington Academy of East Machias as well as a season-opening five-point win at Class D contender Lee Academy.

The Blue Devils, who also have defeated Narraguagus of Harrington, East Grand of Danforth, and Woodland, have featured a balanced attack led by Brandon Tomah, Adam Knowles, Mike Guthrie, and Chris Taylor.

“We’re not there yet,” said Leeman. “The boys are working awfully hard and we’re all reading from the same book, but we’re not on the same page yet.”

Madawaska also is 5-0 pending a game today against Wisdom of St. Agatha, provided folks in the St. John Valley were able to dig out of Monday’s storm that dumped some three feet of snow on the region.

The Owls have defeated Fort Fairfield, Houlton (twice), Limestone-Maine School of Science and Mathematics, and Fort Kent, having posted each win by at least 10 points.

Coach Matt Rossignol’s club has been led offensively by the 1-2 frontcourt punch of 6-foot-4 forwards Alan Campbell (19.6 points per game) and Mark Sirois (18.2 ppg). Junior point guard Dominique Rossignol – the coach’s son – is averaging 8.6 points per contest while leading the team in assists.

“It will definitely be a test for us, going from playing at Dirigo to playing probably our most pointworthy game of the season against Madawaska,” Leeman said.

HA girls soccer team honored

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America has announced that the 2004 Hampden Academy girls soccer team has been recognized as a recipient of the 2005 NSCAA High School Team Academic Award.

Coach Dewey Martin’s Broncos were one of 224 teams recognized nationwide, but the only team from Maine so honored.

The team’s grade-point average for the 2004-05 academic year was 3.64 on a 4.0 scale.

This marked the fifth time the Hampden Academy girls soccer team has earned this academic honor in the last eight years.

Members of the 2004 Hampden Academy girls soccer team were Brienne Boss, Amy Dumont, Katie Lawler, Kim Stephenson, Becca Workman, Ashley Blake, Danielle Austin, Lili Berube, Isabel Cravens, Hannah Growe, Liz Kiser, Annaliese Lafayette, Jenna Shue, Sophie Kelmenson, Kathleen Macone, Lauren Maltz, Michelle Manning, Kimble Rawcliffe, Mikkala Libbey, and Michelle Wells.

Wrestlers earn 100th wins

Congratulations are in order for three wrestlers whose talent and durability have enabled them to score their 100th career victories early in the 2005-06 season.

James McPhee of Foxcroft Academy, Adam Tweedie of Bucksport, and Derek Young of Camden Hills of Rockport all achieved the milestone at recent meets.

Young, competing this season at 135 pounds for the six-time defending state champion Windjammers, scored his 100th career win at the Belfast Duals earlier this month. Young has played a key role in Camden Hills’ last three state titles, having placed third in the 2003 Class B state meet at 103 pounds as a freshman, second in 2004 at 112 pounds, and second again last February at 130 pounds.

Tweedie and McPhee each earned their 100th victories during a multi-team meet last week at Dover-Foxcroft.

Tweedie, second at 160 pounds in the Class C state meet as a freshman in 2003, won the 160-pound individual title in 2004 and finished second to McPhee at 189 in 2005. McPhee, now wrestling at 215 pounds, won the 189-pound championship in 2005 after placing second in that weight class in 2004 while helping Foxcroft win the Class C state team championship both years.