The fact that the Dexter girls basketball team is the defending Class C state champion – and returns three starters and several key bench players – wasn’t the reason Jody Grant applied for the vacant coaching position this spring.

Sure, it helped. But Grant, a former Nokomis of Newport standout who has been coaching at various levels since he was 19 years old, was thinking more about gaining his first varsity position.

“It’s an opportunity to finally have my own program and make the kinds of decisions I’ve helped make in the last four or five years,” he said.

Grant was approved for the position in a school board meeting last week, Dexter athletic director Steve Bell said. The board also approved the hiring of Charlie Wing to coach the girls soccer team.

Grant steps into a fine situation with the Tigers. They return three starters, sisters Ashley Ames (6-foot-4) and Mallory Ames (6-5) and 5-10 Sabrina Cote.

“I know there’s gonna be some pressure there whether it’s from myself or the community,” said Grant, who served seven years as an assistant to Nokomis boys coach Jim DiFrederico and also coached at Newport Junior High.

“The girls expect to be good and I expect us to be good,” he added. “Where that puts us, time will tell.”

Grant, a quick, high-scoring 5-foot-7 point guard for the Warriors, was a McDonald’s senior all-star in 1995 and an All-Maine honorable mention. He attended UMaine-Farmington but didn’t play.

Grant will teach history and alternative education at Dexter Middle School.

“… Seeing him in the classroom this year really sold me,” Bell said. “He’s an outstanding young teacher and those qualities will make you a good coach.”

Grant takes in over time to coach the Tigers in Bangor High’s summer basketball league. It should be a crucial time as the Tigers try to groom replacements for graduated guards.

“It may not be one or two people to take their places,” he said. “I think there are four or five, maybe six who collectively can do that.”

Wing, a longtime basketball coach at Mount View of Thorndike and Foxcroft Academy, coached boys soccer at Nokomis until 1994.

“Charlie’s retired and he’s just picking up coaching jobs here and there,” Bell said. “We’re lucky to land someone with so much experience.”

Future bright for Brewer softball

It didn’t take long for Brewer softball coach Kelly Cookson to state her goal for next year’s team.

“I really wish we could have done it for the kids,” Cookson said Saturday, minutes after Portland beat the Witches 8-4 in the Class A state game in Gorham.

“But we’ll be back. We’ll pick up right where we left off. You get a taste of this. If we don’t do this next year our season won’t be [complete]. We plan on being here every year.”

Brewer has a lot to look forward to next year – two strong pitchers return, all but one starting infielder, and all but one starting outfielder plus a designated hitter.

The Witches lose shortstop Amy Freeman, who was the Penobscot Valley Conference Class A Player of the Year. She was the leadoff hitter for most of the spring and had a .453 on-base percentage in the regular season.

Starting left fielder Vanessa Michaud (8-for-10 in the playoffs) and designated hitter Kim Foster (.275 batting average in the regular season) also graduate.

That still leaves Brewer with a lot, however.

Pitchers Sarah DeFilipp and Jordan McLain are both back. The junior and freshman, respectively, combined for a 1.12 ERA in the regular season.

McLain hit .294 in the regular season.

The rest of the defense returns as well, including third baseman Christine Thoms (.448 BA, .622 OBP. Other returning starters are first baseman Kate Hanlon, second baseman Katie Quimby (.276 BA), catcher Crystal Bennoch and center fielder Anna Corey (.483 OBP).

McLain and DeFilipp share time in right. Bekka York, who was a frequent defensive replacement in left, is also back.

Here’s more incentive for Brewer to get to the state game: sites for the state championships alter each year. This year the finals for Classes A and C were held at Gorham High, the Western Maine site.

Next year, the site will likely be Brewer’s own Coffin Field, which has been the Eastern Maine site for several years and hosted Classes B and D this year.

All-star games coming up

The top high school softball players in the area and the best seniors in the state will have a chance to play for the last time this season when the Penobscot Valley Conference and softball coaches association hold their all-star games this week.

The PVC first team all-stars will play Wednesday at Bangor High’s new field. The game will start at 5 p.m. and will feature top players from all four classifications such as Brewer’s Freeman, Ellsworth’s Tessa Miller and Central of Corinth’s Shawna Bell, who were named the Players of the Year in Classes A, B and C, respectively. There was no Class D Player of the Year.

Freeman, Miller and Bell will represent Eastern Maine Thursday when the Maine High School Softball Coaches Association will put on the Senior All-Star games at Cony High in Augusta.

The A-B East all-stars will face the A-B West all-stars at 5 p.m. The C-D teams will play at 7 p.m. The coaches association will present its awards, including a Miss Softball award for the top senior, and Coaches and Players of the Year honors in between the games.

Portland pitcher has local roots

As the Portland High team celebrated its state championship Saturday, Brewer pitcher Sarah DeFilipp approached Portland pitcher Katie Hutchins to offer congratulations on pitching the win for the Bulldogs.

“See you this summer,” DeFilipp said to Hutchins after they shared a hug.

DeFilipp and Hutchins were rivals Saturday, but in a few weeks they’ll be teammates. They’re both members of an Amateur Softball Association summer team coached by Wayne Richards of Bucksport.

Hutchins’ family has a camp on Craig Pond in Orland where they spend summers. Her parents both graduated from Bucksport High.

Richards attended Saturday’s game and watched as Hutchins, a sophomore, pitched 3 2/3 perfect innings and earned the win in relief. Richards was credited with a save in the Western Maine final.

“It was hard to watch because it was Katie and Sarah going at each other,” said Richards, whose daughter Jill is a shortstop for the Bucksport High team and older daughter Jana was a standout catcher for the Golden Bucks.

Richards and Hutchins spoke after the game.

“I asked her if she was nervous and she said a little,” Richards said. “She said, ‘Could you tell?’ and I said, ‘I know your body language.”‘

The Bucksport Fastpitch is a collection of some of the top young players in the area. Other players include Terren Hall, Jill Richards, Brittni Adams, Katie Hurd and Katie Allen of Bucksport, Brewer’s Anna Corey, Lauren Overlock of Belfast, Kate Turner of Bangor, and Stearns of Millinocket’s Deanna Michaud, who, like Hutchins, spends summers in the Bucksport area.

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