Bond tight for Dexter’s 3 Woodman brothers

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In theaters the movie “Four Brothers” was a huge hit, but three brothers in Dexter rival the camaraderie and success displayed by the movie’s star actors of Mark Wahlberg and Tyrese Gibson.

The dynamic Woodman trio is not just the sparkplug for the Dexter Regional High School varsity basketball team as showcased Tuesday morning at the Bangor Auditorium, they’re also key role players for the school’s soccer and baseball teams.

Brandon Woodman, the eldest of the Woodman clan as an 18-year-old senior, has deep respect for his brothers and genuinely enjoys playing ball with Aaron, 17, and Ethan, 15.

“It’s awesome. We’ve been playing together our whole lives and we take care of each other,” Brandon said.

“I love it because when we were younger, the rec leagues and stuff always separated us based on talent and it is great to finally play together,” Ethan said.

Brandon even mentioned that at family reunions, the trio tends to pick up a ball rather than mingle with the family.

“It’s always easy to play or hang with one another if we don’t have a friend to do it with,” Aaron said.

“Mom always said two was a friend and three was a crowd, but I disagree,” Brandon added.

Junior Aaron and senior Brandon start for the Dexter Tigers, while sophomore Ethan cheers his heart out for his older brothers, anticipating a bright future with the Tiger team.

Frequently throughout Tuesday’s Eastern Maine Class C quarterfinal game where Dexter battled Piscataquis Community High School of Guilford, the two eldest Woodmans would substitute for one another. Meanwhile, Ethan was the first person standing and clapping on the bench ready to give his brother a high-five and a pat on the back.

“I gotta support them right now; they’ve always been there for me, and right now I want to get to states for them,” Ethan said.

The boys note that their support system runs deeper than the mutual respect they share.

“My parents would do anything for us. Dad took this whole week off from work, and mom is out there right now wearing all our numbers,” Aaron said.

The trio’s parents must have a lot of accumulated vacation time and Tiger memorabilia, since all the boys are tri-sport athletes.

“In soccer I play center halfback, Aaron plays left half and Ethan plays right half,” Brandon said.

The Woodmans are also triple threats in baseball, commanding the outfield with their speed.

“Aaron plays center field, Brandon left field, and I play right,” Ethan reported.

A pop fly to the Dexter outfield would be a sports commentator’s nightmare, or dream, however you look at it. At least one would know that a Woodman will come up with the catch.

So, what will happen when the three brothers have to disband and go their separate ways when Brandon goes to college?

“I’m going to go to college at Husson so I can stay around here and still watch them play,” Brandon said, since it will then be his turn to cheer from the sidelines for two of his biggest fans.

School spirit

When a cheerleading squad failed to materialize this year for the Piscataquis Pirates, more than 18 girls took it into their own hands to boost the school’s spirit for this week’s basketball tournament.

Sporting white T-shirts with blue and gold iron-on letters and glitter, each of the girls had a letter on the front of their shirt and the name of a player, manager, or message ironed on the back.

When all the girls combine their cheering forces, the highest section of the auditorium’s bleachers read “GO PCHS PIRATES.”

PCHS senior Heather Tracy, cousin of player Shane Tracy, wore Michael Ward’s No. 12. While Ryan Martell’s girlfriend played in the band, she remained close by the cheering section so her voice could be heard. And although almost every girl in the spirited group was in high school, Roy Burdin’s younger sister, who is in junior high, wore a shirt that proudly read, “That’s my big brother.”

And she isn’t kidding; he is big.

Roy Burdin’s 6-foot-5 build makes him a prominent presence under the hoop and on the boards.

“We’re a small community and we like to show our support,” Ashley Davis, a freshman at PCHS, said.

Most of the girls carpool to Bangor with friends or parents for the special event that comes once a year during school vacation.

In the end the girls were not only great supporters of their team, they also were psychics, accurately predicting the end of the game.

“I hope and think they will come back – in the end it will be close,” Heather Tracy predicted at halftime.

At the time, the Pirates were trailing 22-8, but they fought back before falling short, losing 43-36 to the Dexter Tigers.