Sean Callahan, the boys basketball coach at Houlton High for the past four years and the school’s girls soccer coach for the last three seasons, is leaving those posts for family reasons.

Callahan’s wife, Emily, an employee with the state Department of Health and Human Services, recently landed a new job with the department based in Augusta. As a result, the family, which includes two young children, is relocating to central Maine.

“I’ll be looking for a teaching job in the area,” said Callahan, a Brunswick High and University of Maine at Farmington alumnus who currently teaches social studies in Houlton. “If a coaching job comes along, great, but it’s not essential.”

Callahan took over the Houlton boys varsity basketball post in the 2002-03 season after coaching at the junior high level for three years. He compiled a 47-32 record during his high school tenure, including a 20-2 mark in 2004 when he guided the Mark Socoby-led Shiretowners to a 20-2 record and the Class C state championship – the first gold ball in the program’s history.

Houlton rebounded from an 0-7 start this winter – against opponents that were all undefeated when they played the Shiretowners – to finish the regular season with a 7-11 record. That earned Houlton a berth in the Eastern C preliminary round, where it lost at Central of Corinth 33-30.

Callahan guided the Houlton girls soccer team to a 12-5-1 record and the Eastern C championship in 2003. Two years ago the Shiretowners advanced to the preliminary round, and last fall Houlton reached the regional quarterfinals before being ousted by Orono.

Broncos end unprecedented run

Hampden Academy has completed a two-year run unprecedented in the school’s boys basketball history.

Coach Russ Bartlett’s Broncos compiled a 37-8 record over that two-year span, reaching the Class A state championship game both years.

They’ve split two state finals with Deering of Portland, Hampden winning the first state title in its history in 2005 and Deering winning its first gold ball in boys basketball last Saturday.

And they’ve scored exactly the same number of points in those two games. Through eight quarters, it’s Hampden 96, Deering 96.

“We’re definitely really proud of what we accomplished,” said senior center Jordan Cook. “Just going to the state championship game both years is definitely something that I don’t know if we thought we could do.

“We’re really proud, we won a state championship in that time and I think we definitely turned around the basketball program at Hampden, and the fans and the whole community are more excited about all the sports programs now.”

Bartlett took over the varsity coaching reins three years ago and endured the growing pains of an 8-11 first season with a youthful roster that included then-sophomores Cook, J Uhrin, Max Silver and Sam Hodgdon and freshman Daniel McCue – all key cogs in the subsequent championship runs.

And that experience paid off a year later, as a 2004-2005 Hampden team that also got big contributions from then-seniors Blaine Meehan, Pat Moran and Josh McNutt went on the road to win a preliminary-round game at Mt. Blue of Farmington and then avenged three regular-season losses to Bangor in the EM quarterfinals en route to the final Class A state championship to be played at the Bangor Auditorium.

The Broncos defeated Oxford Hills of South Paris in that game, then bested Deering for the gold ball a week later.

This year, Hampden was one of the favorites in Eastern A, and lived up to that billing with an 18-4 finish that culminated in a second straight regional title before the 47-37 loss to Deering in the state game at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.

“We had a great run,” said Uhrin, “but [Saturday] we ran into a really good Deering team.”

McCue and classmate Evan Farley will return from this year’s rotation to spearhead next year’s lineup, as Hampden will have to cope with the graduation of nine seniors, led by the 6-foot-10 Cook, a Mr. Basketball finalist.

“I’m very proud of where we started from to where we are now,” said Bartlett. “I think we’ve got great character with all those kids in that locker room.”

Eight to vie for free-throw titles

Eight of the top free throw shooters in high school basketball will compete for a state championship Saturday as part of the 26th annual Maine McDonald’s Senior All-Star Basketball Games to be held at Husson College in Bangor.

Four boys and four girls who won regional qualifying competitions earlier in the year will begin shooting free throws at 8:30 a.m. at Newman Gymnasium.

Leading the boys contenders is Sean Caddigan of Telstar High in Bethel, who led all qualifiers by making all 50 of his free-throw tries to win the West regional. Other finalists are Central champion Kyle Staples of Mount Desert Island of Bar Harbor (47 of 50), East champion Mike Wharff of Piscataquis of Guilford (46 of 50) and North champion Matt McGlinn of Presque Isle (41 of 50).

The girls finalists are East champion Jenna King of Old Town (47 of 50), West champion Sarah Oliver of McAuley of Portland (46 of 50), Central champion Kelsey Richards of Mount View of Thorndike (44 of 50) and North champion Ashley Nemer of Ashland (42 of 50).

All-stars to visit McDonald house

McDonald’s Senior All-Star Weekend activities kick off Friday, beginning with team practices at the University of Maine Field House.

All boys selected to compete in the games will practice from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by a practice for the schoolgirl all-stars to be held from noon to 2 p.m.

For the first time this year, players will visit the Ronald McDonald House in Bangor, the girls from 2 to 3 p.m. and the boys from 3 to 4 p.m. The proceeds from Saturday’s games benefit the nonprofit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine. Ronald McDonald houses in Bangor and Portland provide a home away from home for families of critically ill children being treated in area hospitals.

The Maine McDonald’s All-Star Games Awards banquet follows at 7 p.m. at Newman Gymnasium, highlighted by the announcement of the 2006 Mr. and Miss Maine Basketball. Mr. Basketball finalists are Bryant Barr of Falmouth, Jordan Cook of Hampden Academy and Sean Costigan of Cheverus of Portland. Girls finalists are Samantha Allen of Lake Region of Naples, Katie Delong of Presque Isle and Kayla Parker of Sanford.

Saturday’s schedule features four games matching teams of Eastern and Western Maine senior all-stars. The games begin with the girls A/B contest at 9 a.m., followed by girls C/D at 10:45 a.m., boys A/B at 12:30 p.m. and boys C/D at 2 p.m.