John DeRaps knows it’s tough to end a postseason run the way his Narraguagus of Harrington girls basketball team did. “It’s part of the game,” DeRaps said. “You’re gonna lose some like that, but you’re gonna win some like that.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
BAR HARBOR – After more than two decades as a high school basketball coach, Wilton Jones has decided to consider life after tournament time. So Jones has stepped down as boys varsity basketball coach at Mount Desert Island, a post he has held for the… Read More
The timing couldn’t have been better. Just days after a new trophy case was delivered to Deer Isle-Stonington High School, the Mariners’ boys basketball team earned something worthy of prominent display – a gold ball. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
With Lee Academy moving from Class D to Class C next year, it’s a logical question. Can the Lee girls basketball team win another regional championship in the 2007-08 season? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Dexter High senior Jeremiah Barkac placed second Saturday night in the 112-pound weight class of the 43rd annual New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championships held at Hillhouse High School. Barkac outpointed his first three opponents in the two-day competition to earn a… Read More
Venues in Bangor and Augusta experienced a slight dip in attendance for the 2007 regional basketball tournaments. Attendance at the Eastern B, C and D tournament in Bangor was down by a modest 742 paid spectators over 21 sessions, or an average of 35.3 spectators… Read More
Ben Lothrop spent tourney week getting into Eastern Maine Class B mode. Lothrop has left his position as Ashland’s athletic administrator to take an assistant principal position at Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln. He was to start his new position Monday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
This year, Amy Harrison decided to take it all off. A senior on the MDI swim team, Harrison shaved her head before Saturday’s Class B state championship meet. She had been tempted to do it in the past, but decided in a moment to go… Read More
One offshoot of Jeremiah Barkac’s unbeaten four-year run through the Maine high school wrestling ranks has been the development of his Dexter teammates in the lower weight classes. Barkac was one of four Tigers to win his weight class at Saturday’s state championship meet, three… Read More
At the beginning of the regular season, Dexter coach Jody Grant’s biggest concern was the inexperience of his backcourt. Enter Miranda Gove, a transfer from New Hampshire who solidified the point guard position and has adjusted to an offense centered around the Tigers’ post players. Read More
One benchmark of a successful athletic program is the ability to maintain success even as the names and faces of individual competitors change. Jerod Rideout is just a junior at Foxcroft Academy, but he has lived through such change and seen the Ponies’ wrestling team… Read More
Some changes are in the offing for high school teams in several sports, the result of work recently completed by the classification committee of the Maine Principals’ Association. Proposed enrollment cutoffs for each sport and each class for the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 academic years have… Read More
The Deer Isle-Stonington boys basketball team compiled a season of memories last winter, finishing 17-3 and reaching the Eastern Maine Class D championship game. But the memory that lingered throughout the off-season wasn’t so pleasant – the 80-52 loss to Central Aroostook of Mars Hill… Read More
Balanced scoring and tough defense have been big keys for the Mattanawcook Academy girls basketball team as it won its fifth straight game Monday and moved to 13-2 in the program’s second season in Eastern Maine Class B. And all with no seniors. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
More than two decades of coaching varsity basketball has taught Jeff Hart that one of the most unpredictable times of the season comes in mid-to-late January, particularly for those teams that rest atop the standings. “I’ve always believed that when you get to final exam… Read More
Brewer High junior Andrew Bowden has, as Brewer High swimming coach Kathy Cahill puts it, a stroke style of which most swimmers are envious. “He has a stroke like a college swimmer,” Cahill said after Friday’s meet against Old Town. “It’s a stroke we’ve worked… Read More
One boys basketball team that has been slowly building momentum in the Class B ranks of the Big East Conference is Hermon, which takes six consecutive victories into today’s game at Mount Desert Island of Bar Harbor. Coach Dave Pepin’s club got off to an… Read More
During his first three years of high school basketball, Daniel McCue played a crucial support role as Hampden Academy emerged among the elite teams in the state, winning the Maine Class A championship in 2005 and retaining the Eastern A title last winter. McCue, the… Read More
Several of the more competitive Eastern Maine girls basketball teams had a chance to make things right as they avenged early season losses with victories Friday night. Mount Desert Island edged Presque Isle 41-40 after the Wildcats’ six-point win Dec. 15. Lee Academy beat Penobscot… Read More
Dwight Hunter doesn’t like the long bus rides that are a fact of life for the Caribou High School boys basketball team. But he does like virtually everything else about his role with the program this winter, as an assistant to Vikings’ head coach Chris… Read More
Nokomis of Newport center Tatum Welch considered following in her sister’s footsteps and playing basketball next year at the University of Southern Maine. But in the end, Welch decided to make her own way. She’s decided to attend Maine Maritime Academy and play basketball for… Read More
Mattanawcook Academy’s return to the Class B ranks in boys basketball last winter was a success. Coach Rick Sinclair’s Lynx earned homecourt advantage for the preliminary playoff round, then used that edge to defeat perennial power Camden Hills of Rockport to earn a trip to… Read More
Hard to believe it now, but Belfast swimmer Tyler Bowen wasn’t happy with his performances in the 200-yard individual medley at the start of last season. So he did something about it. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
The preseason predictions for Eastern Maine Class A’s northernmost girls basketball teams have already come true. As in, there’s not one clear favorite and everybody’s about even. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
Amy Wadleigh is back playing for the Bangor High School girls basketball team. Wadleigh, who has been dealing with a right shoulder strain since this fall, made her first appearance for the Rams in Tuesday’s 47-46 loss to Nokomis of Newport. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
JONESPORT – Wayne Clossey led three Shead players in double figures with 24 points as the Tigers of Eastport held on to beat Jonesport-Beals 68-65 in high school boys basketball action Wednesday. Dana Mitchell tossed in 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the winners… Read More
A point guard by nature is like a coach on the floor, scouting out openings in the opponent’s defense. But Central of Corinth point guard Danny Kane takes those responsibilities even more seriously, not only scouting out openings in opponents’ defenses while he’s on the… Read More
The Presque Isle girls basketball team accomplished two big things in picking up two wins this weekend. Not only did the Wildcats win their 33rd straight home game, but they also went a long way in reassuring coach Jeff Hudson that despite deep graduation losses,… Read More
The Penquis of Milo boys basketball team has had to forfeit its season-opening 70-56 victory over Penobscot Valley of Howland because the Patriots inadvertently used an ineligible player. Russell Berry, a senior center for the Patriots, attended Penquis during the 2005-06 school year and lived… Read More
Charlie Katsiaficas’ tenure as boys varsity basketball coach at Ellsworth High School may have been brief – only five years – but it was legendary in its accomplishments. This son of Greek immigrants from Nashua, N.H., arrived in the city to teach and coach in… Read More
Last Friday was a very good day for Corey Dewitt. The Ellsworth High senior helped his school’s basketball team open its season with a 64-48 win at Hermon. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
High school swimming’s reach has extended to Washington County. Nine students at Washington Academy of East Machias are competing on the school’s varsity team, which is the only Downeast Athletic Conference school to offer the sport. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
Coaching high school basketball isn’t for everyone. External pressures abound, only to be exceeded in most cases by the internal pressure within the coach to succeed. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
Almost three weeks after he was fired from his position as the Greater Houlton Christian Academy girls basketball coach, Vaughn Farrar said he still has no idea why he was let go. “I need to move on,” he said Monday afternoon. “Yes, it was hurtful.”… Read More
There is an adage in sports that says “You are always remembered by your last performance.” Unfortunately for the Brewer High School hockey team, its Eastern Maine Class B championship was overshadowed by a 4-2 loss to Cape Elizabeth in the state game in which… Read More
Vaughn Farrar, who coached the Greater Houlton Christian Academy girls basketball coach to its first Eastern Maine Class D semifinal appearance last season after knocking off defending state champion Lee in the quarterfinals, will not be back with the Eagles this winter. GHCA declined to… Read More
Daniel McCue has played in 56 straight games for the Hampden Academy boys basketball team and has seen the program through some of its greatest accomplishments, including the 2005 Class A state championship and two straight Eastern Maine titles. Still, there’s something special about the… Read More
While Foxcroft has been the dominant team in the LTC football ranks in recent years, Mattanawcook Academy appears well positioned to challenge the Ponies for regional supremacy again next year. The Lynx graduate some key seniors, including Shey Gardner, Isaac Young, Dan Lifer, Steve Braley,… Read More
Presque Isle senior Gabe Cheney missed three of his team’s soccer games this fall, but you can’t argue with, as he puts it, the eternal benefits of the reason why he didn’t play in the games. Cheney spent 11 days this fall working with a… Read More
As usual, it was another strong season for Aroostook County soccer. Although just one of the northern Maine county’s soccer teams made it to a state final – the Van Buren boys won the Class D title – at least two other state championship winners… Read More
Brewer High will contest a recommendation by the football committee of the Maine Principals’ Association that would result in the school’s football program being elevated from Class B to Class A beginning next fall. During its most recent meeting held Monday, the city’s school committee… Read More
Belfast field hockey coach Allen Holmes was holding a field hockey stick while he watched the award ceremony following Saturday’s Class B state championship game. Of course, Holmes didn’t actually use the stick in the Lions’ 1-0 win over York. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
As the fall sports season enters its championship phase, the first day of high school basketball practice is less than three weeks away. When those practices begin at Washington Academy on Nov. 20, the Raiders’ boys and girls basketball teams will be guided by two… Read More
When Central of Corinth takes the field Saturday at Portland’s Fitzpatrick Stadium for the Class C state field hockey game, Kara Voisine will be guarding the cage as the starting goalie for the Red Devils. But the defending Class C state champions know they wouldn’t… Read More
For the eight survivors of the Pine Tree Conference Class B football regular-season wars, this weekend marks a new season – the playoffs. For at least two of the teams in the field, it also marks a new beginning of sorts. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
It took Brenda Beckwith several months, including a Caribbean vacation, to decide she wanted to return to coaching this winter. But now that she’s been named the new Messalonskee of Oakland girls basketball coach, the former Winslow boss is pleased to be back. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
A year ago, the Rockland High football team was among three teams that tied for third and fourth places in the final LTC Class C football standings. Unfortunately for the Tigers, there was room for only two of those teams in the playoffs – and… Read More
The Hampden Academy field hockey team is trying to make the most of its final season in the Penobscot Valley Conference – and improve on last year’s finish in the Eastern Maine Class A playoffs. The No. 7 Broncos earned a spot in today’s 4… Read More
Despite a scoreless tie against Hampden Saturday that put a slight blemish on the season, the Bangor girls soccer team found itself on top of the Eastern Maine Class A standings Tuesday morning. And by the time Tuesday night’s game against Old Town finishes up,… Read More
The Brewer boys soccer team has its share of losses this season. But the Witches also have their share of wins. More wins, in fact, than the program has had in recent years. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
Joe Gallant has a busy couple of weeks ahead of him. Gallant, the principal of Old Town High, will also be handling athletic director duties with Greg Thibodeau sidelined until later this month. Thibodeau is out on medical leave – Gallant declined to elaborate –… Read More
Two weekends ago, Brewer needed a victory to keep its Pine Tree Conference Class B playoff hopes alive, and a trip to then-undefeated Mount Desert Island produced a 7-6 victory. Last weekend Hampden Academy was in the same predicament and, like Brewer, got the win… Read More
For nearly a decade, come-from-behind victories have been elusive for the John Bapst football program. But this year, it’s becoming the norm. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0;… Read More
By the end of the 2005 high school soccer season, the four northernmost boys teams in Eastern Maine Class A were up and down the Heal point standings from No. 4 to No. 14. Flash forward a year and Bangor, Brewer, Hampden Academy and Old… Read More
Two of the key principals in Shead High’s drive to the 1999 Class D girls basketball state championship will return to the sidelines at the Eastport school this winter. Sara Ricker, a 1,000-point scorer for the Tigerettes during that title run, is the new girls’… Read More
Through three weeks of the Class C football season, little has changed from a year ago. Defending state champion Lisbon shares the top spot in the Western Maine standings, while reigning Eastern Maine champ Foxcroft Academy is the lone remaining undefeated team in the LTC. Read More
The Belfast field hockey team has a new look to it, in places, but with the same results. The Lions are still winning. In fact, they’ve now won 42 games in a row, including six this season, and picked up a key 4-2 victory Thursday… Read More
MILLINOCKET – The Stearns High football team may be down on numbers this fall, but that doesn’t mean the Minutemen aren’t putting up some impressive numbers. That’s particularly true of running back Gene Kim, the LTC Class C’s leading rusher through the first two weeks… Read More
Clark Cole received two meaningful phone calls this weekend as news spread of his Bangor Christian girls soccer team’s 4-2 win over Lee Friday afternoon. One came from David Palmer, the former coach of the Patriots, congratulating Cole and the team on recording the first… Read More
LEE – Morgan Chasse, Christian Pelletier and Katy Libby each scored a second half goal to lead the Bangor Christian Patriots to a 4-2 high school girls soccer victory over Lee Academy Friday. The Patriots’ victory ended Lee’s 87-game winning streak against Eastern Maine opponents. Read More
THORNDIKE – Veteran basketball coach Gary Colson will have a new home next winter – along the sideline at Mount View High School. Colson recently was named the school’s boys varsity basketball coach, replacing Jim Pettis who resigned last spring after two seasons for family… Read More
Bangor High School’s season-opening 42-35 football victory over Lewiston featured offense, plenty of offense. But while Lewiston’s offense featured the all-around play of senior tailback Jared Turcotte, who fought off cramps to finish with 159 rushing yards, a 54-yard touchdown pass and a 40-yard TD… Read More
Early this season the Van Buren girls soccer team set a goal of winning 10 games. Now that they have a 6-0 record, the Crusaders have reevaluated things a bit. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
ASHLAND – Crystal Cook started the soccer season wearing uniform No. 11 for the Ashland girls soccer season. Two games ago she switched numbers. The change has been more than routine. It’s provided both Cook and the Hornets with a big emotional spark. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
One of the state’s bigger high school cross country races already has been held, and the season hasn’t even started yet. That’s because it wasn’t a meet with direct state championship ramifications. It was an exercise in measuring preseason conditioning, and a bonding activity for… Read More
Look at the most successful high school football teams around, and you’ll find both talent and depth. Stearns High School in Millinocket has a rich football tradition, but a dramatic drop in enrollment in recent years is testing the depth of the Minutemen’s football program. Read More
As the Greenville girls soccer team opens defense of its Western Maine Class D title today, the man who led the Lakers there has moved on. Three-year coach Dan Menard has resigned due to a professional transfer. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
While most high school athletes are enjoying their last week of freedom before fall tryouts and practices begin, the athletes up in Aroostook County have been hard at work for about a week. County soccer players, golfers and cross country runners traditionally start their fall… Read More
Ever since he graduated from college in 2002, Justin Page has been searching for a social studies teaching job. This summer, he found what he wanted. But accepting the position means Page will have to give up his job coaching the Old Town High School… Read More
HEBRON – The annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic and the weeklong training camp that precedes the game serve multiple purposes. At the forefront, proceeds from the event, which this year features top high school football players from the Class of 2006, benefit the Shriners… Read More
As a teacher and social worker, Guy Cousins likes to introduce students to different parts of the state. As a soccer coach he wants them to get good competition in scrimmages. And as a Caribou native, Cousins wants his charges to get to know Aroostook… Read More
OLD TOWN – As Peter Kenny surveys some 25 Old Town football players as they go through the paces of summer camp at Victory Field this week, he doesn’t dwell on the program’s past, but looks aggressively toward the future. “I have an old-school philosophy,”… Read More
For years it’s been a given that if you’re going to attend a regional or state cheerleading competition, you’re going to sit. For a long time. But the Maine Principals’ Association is exploring a number of options that would reduce the amount of time it… Read More
Two veteran coaches familiar with the Brewer High School athletic program will guide new teams for the Witches during the next school year. Sort of. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – When David Carey first took over the Foxcroft Academy boys basketball program for the 2001-02 season, he inherited an 0-19 team. But after one year of growing pains, those Ponies flourished, as Carey guided Foxcroft to a 62-19 record, three Big East Conference… Read More
Interested in coaching an Eastern Maine Class B girls basketball team that made it to the tournament last season and only lost two players? If so, there’s an opening at Belfast High School. But here’s the catch – it’s unlikely you’ll get a teaching job… Read More
Kinney gets Lincoln Academy post Former Fort Kent baseball coach takes over Eagles’ girls basketball
Jeff Kinney spent much of last summer taking a team of baseball players from the St. John Valley more than 250 miles each weekend to compete in the Midcoast Babe Ruth League. This summer, he’s still coaching the St. John Valley team – though the… Read More
Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, isn’t a popular post-high school destination for Maine’s high school student-athletes, but it is for any high school swimmers who aspire to intercollegiate competition. The Lords have won 27 straight NCAA Division III national championships, a run that is unparalleled… Read More
When he first took up wrestling as a sixth-grader in 1976, Patrick Kelly probably wasn’t looking at the experience as an introduction to a 30-year relationship with the sport. Wrestling was a fledgling program in the Camden-Rockport school system back then, a far cry from… Read More
Watch for a new style of basketball when new coach Jason Allen takes over the girls basketball program at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield next winter. “Last year they played a lot of run-and-jump, trapping all over the place,” he said. “It was kind of… Read More
HAMPDEN – A recent donation of $130,000 from an anonymous benefactor is expected to bring night baseball and softball activities to the Weatherbee School athletic complex. The donation, accepted recently by the local school board, will provide for installing lights at the Bordick Park baseball… Read More
Danielle Salvaggio never won a state championship when she played for the McAuley of Portland girls basketball team. But she has fond memories of the “Cinderella” ride, as she puts it, the Lions made in 2000, when she was known as Danielle Jendrasko and started… Read More
The new boys basketball coach at Mattanawcook Academy is the old basketball coach. Rick Sinclair had stepped down from the post earlier this spring citing family reasons, but was reappointed as the Lynx head coach last week, according to MA principal Jim Boothby. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Most student-athletes dream of winning a state championship before their high school careers are over. The dreams of five Lee Academy female student-athletes have come true – four times over in four different sports. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
Ultimately, it was aggressive baserunning that helped get the Bucksport softball team into Saturday’s Class B state final. At times during Wednesday afternoon’s 3-1 regional championship win over Winslow, it also hurt the 19-0 Golden Bucks as two of their baserunners were thrown out trying… Read More
BANGOR – The Van Buren Crusaders were disappointed with their 12-2 five-inning loss to Lee Academy in Wednesday afternoon’s Eastern Maine Class D baseball final. But there was a measure of respect earned from the Cinderella journey that led the Crusaders to Mansfield Stadium and… Read More
Mike Fogarty already has a busy life, but it’s about to get busier. Fogarty, chief executive officer of Pines Health Services, a multi-specialty physicians’ practice based in Caribou with 33 providers serving central Aroostook County, is the new boys varsity basketball coach at Houlton High… Read More
The Class C state track and field meet has been rescheduled to 4 p.m. today at the Foxcroft Academy complex. Maine Principals’ Association assistant executive director Larry LaBrie said he spoke with members of the MPA’s track and field committee. The committee supported holding the… Read More
Kelly White has been the face of Bangor High softball for the past four years. Whether as a pitcher or a shortstop – or both, as happened in Bangor’s 4-3 win over Brewer in an Eastern Maine Class A preliminary game last week – White… Read More
Here’s something that should come as absolutely no shock to those who follow Eastern Maine Class D baseball – the road to the regional championship may end at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor next week, but it goes through Lee Academy. The top-ranked Pandas, EM champs… Read More
Andrew York, a senior guard who led Central Aroostook of Mars Hill to back-to-back Class D boys basketball state championships in 2005 and 2006, will attempt to walk on to the basketball team at Division I Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., next fall. “I talked… Read More
Steve Van Dolman, Brewer High School’s varsity hockey coach for the last five years, is leaving that post to pursue educational goals. Van Dolman, who guided the Witches to the 2006 Eastern Maine Class B championship, is nearing completion of the classes he needs to… Read More
Fort Kent senior Kristin Violette will head to the other end of the state next year to play basketball for the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. Violette, a 6-foot center, said she was contacted and recruited by Huskies coach Gary Fifield. She picked USM… Read More
CORINTH – Alyssa Libby pitched a no-hitter, striking out 13 and walking none, as the Central Red Devils shut out Schenck of East Millinocket 12-0 in high school softball action Monday. Hillary Haney hit a solo home run to go with a single and a… Read More
There was likely a lot of disappointment for both the Hermon and Bucksport softball teams after their scheduled game Thursday afternoon was postponed due to thunder and lightning in Hermon. For the undefeated Golden Bucks, a win over the Hawks would have likely meant a… Read More
Baseball may not be the most popular sport among high school kids in the St. John Valley – when Fort Kent met Van Buren in a doubleheader on Monday, Van Buren had the minimum nine players on its roster while Fort Kent had just 11, seven of them… Read More
The senior-laden, well-rounded Bangor Christian softball team was all smiles before practice Monday afternoon. And no wonder. The Class D Patriots have won nine straight games, including games this weekend against Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook and Class C Searsport, and picked up a big… Read More
ROCKPORT – Dave Cook is in store for a bit of culture shock this fall. Since his first day of kindergarten while growing up in the St. Louis suburbs, September has meant a return to school – including the last 37 years as an educator… Read More
Maine’s top high school basketball players in the Class of 2006 are continuing to firm up their collegiate plans. Among those who have made their decisions in recent weeks are Chris Wilson of Brewer, Brock Bradford of Bangor Christian and Greg Whitaker of Presque Isle. Read More
With the high school baseball season well under way, the Bangor Rams are the only remaining undefeated team in the newly minted Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A North division. Two reasons for that success have to do with contact – the contact the Bangor… Read More