THORNDIKE – Jim Pettis, the former boys varsity basketball coach at Messalonskee High School in Oakland, has returned to the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference ranks after a one-year absence. Pettis has been hired to the same position at Mount View of Thorndike. He replaces Mike… Read More
The Hodgdon girls basketball coaching position is open as two-year coach Wendy Ivey is planning a move to Texas this fall. Ivey, who has compiled a 29-12 record and led the Hawks to two semifinal appearances at the Eastern Maine basketball tournament, is planning to… Read More
Earl Anderson, who stepped down as the girls basketball coach at Newport’s Nokomis High School in February after leading the Warriors to a 101-43 regular season record, a State Class A championship and two Eastern Maine A titles in nine seasons, will return to Nokomis. Read More
The only Bangor High School athletic team to win a state championship started out its title defense early Monday morning as 15 prospective high school golfers turned out for the first day of tryouts and practice across the state. By 9 a.m. the Rams had… Read More
The pursuit of excellence in any sport typically requires considerable effort long after the traditional “season” for that sport has ended. For wrestlers Jeremiah Barkac and Chris Remsen, dedication to their sport during the summer months has led to All-American status. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
After three tries at getting a teaching job in the Skowhegan school system, Paul True has decided it’s time for him to move on – and that means giving up one of the top girls basketball coaching positions in the state. True, who last winter… Read More
Hermon High School has filled out its varsity coaching roster for the upcoming school year. Hermon native Ann Redman has been named varsity field hockey coach, while Kelly Crowell takes over the school’s cross country program and Bill Reynolds will coach the Hawks’ golf team,… Read More
It’s been a slow start to the season for the Madawaska girls soccer team. First, the rain that has plagued the state this summer has been bad for fields at the school at the tip of northern Maine. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
Marc Halsted was just out of college when he got his first head coaching job, guiding the Hampden Academy varsity baseball team. Six years later, he now leaves that job with mixed emotions, content with the growth of the program but sure to miss the… Read More
WATERVILLE – For many of the 87 players participating in the 15th annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl on Friday night, this week of double sessions at Colby College is not only a chance to prepare for one final high school fling, but an opportunity to begin getting in… Read More
It wasn’t an easy search, but Dexter High finally has a field hockey coach to take over one of the most successful sports programs in the state – and a one that has a chance for a national record this fall. Dexter athletic director Steve… Read More
Preparations for the 15th annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic will strike a familial tone when the East and West teams gather at Colby College in Waterville next week to practice for the July 23 contest in Biddeford. Three members of the East coaching staff… Read More
ROCKLAND – Matt Breen was a youngster himself the last time Rockland District High School achieved the ultimate schoolboy basketball glory – the Class B state championship the Tigers won in 1992. It was a title run rooted in the continuity throughout the program from… Read More
Rockland District High School is expected to have a new boys varsity basketball coach tonight. Matt Breen, a 1997 RDHS graduate, has been nominated by SAD 5 superintendent Anne Demers to replace Casey Morrill, who took the job on an interim basis last fall and… Read More
Veteran basketball coach Jerry Adams will return to the sidelines at East Grand of Danforth next winter, but as head coach of the boys varsity squad after guiding the girls team last season. Adams, a Houlton resident, also has been named the school’s athletic director. Read More
Old Town sophomore Cassie Hintz has been named the 2004 Gatorade Maine High School Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Hintz shattered the all-classes record in the 3,200-meter run at the Class B state meet at Windham earlier this month. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
When John DeRaps was thinking about whether to apply for the girls basketball coaching job at Narraguagus, he turned to fellow coach Ron Brown, under whom DeRaps coached at the high school in Harrington, for some advice. “He told me that varsity jobs were hard… Read More
Jason Mills, a physical education teacher at Penquis Valley of Milo for the last three years, has been named the school’s new boys varsity soccer coach. Mills, a former soccer official from LaGrange who also coaches boys varsity basketball at John Bapst of Bangor, was… Read More
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… Read More
In 20 years as the Lee Academy baseball coach, Randy Harris has created an environment that has given his players the best opportunity to succeed – a fact borne out by the Pandas’ six appearances in Eastern Maine championship games and three regional titles. But… Read More
Bucksport High School has looked within to find its new boys varsity basketball coach. Mike Cowing, currently the Golden Bucks’ varsity baseball and golf coach, was named to take over the school’s boys basketball program this week, according to Bucksport athletic director Brendan Harvey. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
When Steven Colbeth attempts to earn a roster spot on the Thomas College baseball team next spring, he will carry with him a resume that includes an incredible senior season at Washington Academy in East Machias. Granted, WA’s baseball field isn’t the biggest in Down… Read More
It didn’t take long for Brewer’s Sarah DeFilipp to realize her young pitching counterpart was something special. DeFilipp was the starting pitcher for a May 1 game against rival Bangor. The Witches were struggling late, so coach Kelly Cookson moved freshman Jordan McLain from right… Read More
This week’s wet weather has meant teams have traveled far and wide to find a dry spot for postseason games and matches. Wednesday’s rain led to a quirky and touching day for the Caribou and Belfast girls tennis teams. The No. 1 Vikings and the… Read More
Longtime Katahdin physical education teacher, athletic director and girls soccer coach Bob Dyer knew he was to be roasted at a retirement party in his honor Saturday afternoon. But one element of the day’s activities was a surprise. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
A new annual awards program has been established to recognize top senior student-athletes at Dexter Regional High school. The Tiger Award is the brainchild of Dexter boys basketball and tennis coach Peter Murray, who has been seeking a way to adequately honor outgoing senior multisport… Read More
Much of Gene Crockett’s spring has been spent teaching a season-long class in the finer points of baseball to a rebuilding Nokomis High team. Crockett, the Warriors’ veteran coach, will conduct a final exam of sorts Thursday, and it will be a marathon. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Two more high schools have filled their vacant girls basketball positions. As expected, Ron Weatherbee will take over the Lee Academy position, while Shawn Graham has been hired at Houlton High. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
Mount Desert Island High School has filled its varsity girls basketball coaching vacancy. MDI athletic director Bunky Dow confirmed that Chip Taylor of Surry was unanimously approved to succeed David Tims as head coach by a 10-0 school board vote. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
Though slight of build, Eliot Potvin of Hampden Academy is having a heavy impact on the Maine schoolboy tennis world this spring. The 5-foot-8, 130-pound freshman is undefeated in singles play, and last weekend won two preliminary-round matches in the state singles tournament by shutout,… Read More
Orono High School is in search of a new varsity football coach after the recent resignation of Wally Covell from the post. Covell, who commuted to Orono from his home in Waterville, guided the Red Riots to an 11-25 record during his most recent four-year… Read More
Bucksport freshman Terren Hall didn’t think she was going to be doing much pitching for the Golden Bucks. After all, Bucksport had senior Nikki Smith, a Penobscot Valley Conference Class B all-star last year. But when Smith suffered some injuries from a car accident recently,… Read More
A bid to let the state’s top high school cross country teams compete in New England champions was tabled at the recent Maine Principals’ Association spring conference in Rockport. Currently, top individuals at the state cross country championships can participate in regional competitions, but not… Read More
Maine may be on the verge of having its first 7-foot schoolboy high jumper. Brandon Hall, a senior at Foxcroft Academy, crept closer to that plateau last Friday during a track meet at Bucksport High School, clearing the bar at 6 feet, 10 inches on… Read More
The Bangor High softball team held its second practice on its new field Monday despite a light drizzle. Now, the Rams are hoping the weather will cooperate so that field will be ready for the first game there. Bangor is supposed to play a 4:15… Read More
It won’t take long for the defending Eastern Maine Class B champion Bucksport High baseball team to get an early reading on its postseason hopes for 2004. The Golden Bucks, 2-0 after a season-opening sweep of Caribou, were scheduled to play Hermon on Tuesday, then… Read More
From losing a 6-0 game to a top-notch team, to visiting the Anne Frank House, to attending a game featuring one of the most famous soccer teams in the world, the group of soccer players who recently returned from a trip to Holland had an unforgettable experience. Read More
Caleb Pelletier is always striving to become a better wrestler, whether it’s through tips from his dad or uncle or from first-person experiences on the mat. That quest for grappling growth will take the Foxcroft Academy junior to the nation’s heartland June 21-29 to participate… Read More
David Tims, who coached the MDI girls basketball team this year, has resigned. MDI athletic director Bunky Dow said he received a letter of resignation from Tims in which the coach said personal reasons led to his decision. Dow said the letter came about two… Read More
Kris Tracy saw his future last weekend as his Black Bear United Football Club soccer team squared off against players from the University of Maine. “We got crushed,” said Tracy, an Ellsworth High senior who will join the Maine program this fall. “The score was… Read More
Kelly White has proven to be a budding soccer and basketball standout. But the sport she lives for is softball. “Ever since soccer season I’ve been wanting to get out here,” the Bangor High sophomore pitcher said Monday afternoon during a break from practice at… Read More
Armed with the title of reigning Class C state champion, George Stevens Academy is nevertheless taking a business-as-usual approach in preparation for the 2004 baseball season. “It’s not so much just having the state championship,” said coach Dan Kane. “We try to be a solid… Read More
The Eastern Maine Class A cheering competition could move to the Augusta Civic Center next winter if a Maine Principals’ Association cheering committee proposal passes a vote later this month. If adopted, the new schedule would have Eastern Maine Class A competing in Augusta on… Read More
Helen Pottle has been walking ever since, well, she’s been able to walk. But the sophomore from Perry and Shead High of Eastport has never walked faster than she has during the last year. Pottle began racewalking just last spring, yet already has earned Nike… Read More
From coping with parental pressures to working referees from the sideline, Tony Hamlin is well-versed in the political side of schoolboy basketball. He’s thrived in that environment during more than two decades of coaching, a run highlighted by leading South Portland to the 1983 Class… Read More
Balls popped in gloves, boys paired off to play catch, and the pitching machine smelled like burning rubber. Inside Bangor High’s Red Barry Gymnasium, baseball practice began with some throwing drills. Pitchers – a few of whom have already been working out for a week… Read More
Toby Spector sees many similarities between a free throw and a 15-foot putt. For one, he usually makes both when given the opportunity. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i =… Read More
Sunday’s brief snow showers aside, spring popped up again – at least in Maine high schools – as the baseball and softball season started Monday. Schools won’t have full teams report until next Monday, but pitchers and catchers had their first day of practice yesterday. Read More
Camden Hills High in Rockport is one step closer to fielding a varsity hockey team with the recent vote of the Five Town Community School District board of directors to approve ice hockey as a club sport at the school for the next two years. Read More
Miss Maine Field Hockey, the starting point guard on the Class C state championship basketball team … but Brittany Veazie’s extracurricular activities aren’t only centered on sports. Dexter High senior Veazie recently gained the lead in the school’s production of the musical “Carousel.” She’ll play… Read More
More than 40 of the state’s top high school wrestlers will compete this Friday and Saturday at the 40th annual New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championships at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Conn. Two of the larger contingents will come from five-time Class B state… Read More
Dexter girls basketball coach Margaret Veazie sat down Friday night and composed a letter to the girls on her team. And Saturday, during a practice before the Tigers left for the Class C state championship game in Augusta, she read the letter to the girls. Read More
Old Town boys basketball coach Marty Clark had some good basketball teams and special memories over the years – a 1991 team that won a state title, a 1993 squad that went undefeated, four seasons in a row with at least 14 wins, the ability to stay competitive… Read More
Bangor High is the reigning Class A boys basketball state champion, yet Rams coach Roger Reed looks elsewhere when asked to project the favorites among this year’s Eastern Maine field that begins postseason play tonight with six preliminary-round games. “Obviously you’ve got to look at… Read More
Bangor High School hockey coach Dan Kerluke said he hopes to make his “Fill the Alfond” promotion an annual event. Kerluke did not set the state schoolboy single-game attendance record against Brewer on Tuesday night at the University of Maine’s Alfond Arena, but an enthusiastic… Read More
When Hampden girls basketball players started working out in a fall preseason league at the Bangor YMCA, the Broncos were a bit surprised with the kind of numbers they were getting from Johanna Ghiringhelli. The Broncs knew the foreign student from Paraguay was a good… Read More
Longtime Dexter High wrestling coach Frank “Spook” Spizuoco is among four members of the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame Class of 2004. Spizuoco will be inducted during a ceremony this summer along with coaches Dennis Walch of Westbrook and Al Kirk of Deering… Read More
It’s not easy to be a swimmer from a school that doesn’t offer swimming. You have to find a school that does have the sport, and get its coach to agree to take you on for practices and meets. You’ve got to arrange to get… Read More
Representatives of five Big East Conference/Penobscot Valley Conference Class A schools met with officials from the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference this week to formally apply for admission to the KVAC beginning with the 2005-06 school year. Big East president Paul Soucy and athletic directors from… Read More
Soccer is never far from Kim Stephenson’s mind, even in the middle of winter as her Hampden Academy basketball team is nearing the end of its regular season. Stephenson, a Hampden junior, recently took a short break from playing basketball with the Broncos for a… Read More
Brent Brawn sees both the highs and lows of competing for a wrestling team that lacks a full complement of competitors. “It’s hard to win any team competitions,” said Brawn, one of six members of the Nokomis of Newport wrestling team. “But we get a… Read More
The roster of the Presque Isle girls basketball team is loaded with spectacular shooters. Michelle Post has been among the most spectacular. In one of the key stretches of the Wildcats’ season thus far, the 5-foot-6 senior forward nailed three 3-pointers to give PI a… Read More
A quick adjustment to a new pole has helped Brewer High pole vaulter Chip Haskell break one of the school’s oldest indoor track records. Haskell already had cleared 12 feet, 6 inches to win his event at last Saturday’s Eastern Maine Indoor Track League meet… Read More
Bob McShane usually walks the same route through Calais High School in moments just before games, to deliver his pre-game speech to the Blue Devils girls basketball team in a classroom near the high school’s gym. The route always takes him through the Calais High cafeteria. Read More
It’s not Hampden or Brewer or another big rivalry, but there’s plenty of excitement among the members of the Bangor girls basketball team as the Rams get set to test their seven-game winning streak when they host Gardiner tonight at Red Barry Gymnasium. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Read More
Family matters come first for Bob LeCours, so he is leaving his post as head football coach at Skowhegan Area High School after six years to take a similar position at Lecanto High School in Citrus County on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The move will enable… Read More
Jeff Hart has been coaching boys basketball at the same school for so long, it doesn’t even have the same name now that it did when he started. But with 22 years at Camden-Rockport/Camden Hills High in Rockport, Jeff Hart ranks among the state’s leaders… Read More
Things seemed to have evened out in the Downeast Athletic Conference’s girls basketball scene as some teams lost players and others have gained talented youngsters. The latter is certainly the case for the Washington Academy of East Machias girls. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
ST. AGATHA – Heather Anderson hit two free throws with six seconds left in overtime to lift Wisdom by Madawaska 52-51 for its first schoolgirl basketball win of the season Monday. Anderson finished with 16 points while Amber Voisine chipped in with 12 for the… Read More
Dexter center Mallory Ames is just a freshman, but she’s already made a lot of progress from the beginning of the season. That’s according to Mallory’s sister Ashley, a junior center for the Tigers. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
When Ryan Duff isn’t playing basketball for the Houlton Shiretowners, he’s experiencing the sport from a different angle – one involving a microphone or a camera lens. A 6-foot-2 senior forward on a Houlton team ranked among the best in Eastern Maine Class C so… Read More
Despite a loss in the Class D state championship game, the Woodland girls basketball team ended last season on a high note. The Dragons edged rival Lee Academy in overtime of the Eastern Maine final, and coach Arnie Clark had eight juniors on the roster. Read More
Two-year-old Calvary Chapel Christian School of Orrington already has made quite a splash in Maine schoolboy basketball, reaching the Eastern D quarterfinals last season and getting off to a 5-0 start this winter. School officials hope the Sabers’ next athletic success story will involve blocking… Read More
Veteran guard tandems frequently are the foundation for successful high school basketball teams. Take last season. The state Class A champion Bangor High School Rams, for example, were led by the all-senior backcourt of Zak Ray and Wesley Day. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Both the Bangor and Hampden girls basketball teams will be missing members of the regular starting lineup when the Broncos and Rams meet Tuesday for the second time this season. Bangor center Alyssa Ogden will miss her third straight game with a broken finger. And… Read More
Wade Duplisea inherited the job as head boys basketball coach at Stearns High School in Millinocket this season knowing he returned a marquee player in senior guard Derek DiFrederico, but not a lot else with his new team. “When I first started out I didn’t… Read More
The regional cheerleading competitions will look different this year. This year’s regional tournaments will not feature any callbacks. Each team will run through its routine once, and the top teams will advance to the state finals based on that one shot at perfection. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Just two Eastern B boys basketball teams took unbeaten records into Christmas, 6-0 Hermon and 5-0 Ellsworth. Hermon preserved its unbeaten status by holding off previously unbeaten Foxcroft Academy 80-73 in an intense, physical battle Monday night. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
When Dirigo girls basketball coach Gavin Kane skippered the Cougars of Dixfield to a 50-31 win over Winthrop on Dec. 20, it put him into an elite group of Maine high school coaches. Kane, who has been at Dirigo since the 1994-95 season, earned his… Read More
The Foxcroft Academy wrestling team has competed in the shadow of neighboring Dexter High School in recent years. But the Ponies used a recent meet hosted by Dexter to suggest they may challenge the Tigers’ regional supremacy this winter. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Caribou High graduate Bill Schofield has returned to his alma mater to coach the girls basketball team. So far it’s been a good experience for the first-year varsity coach. And with the talent Schofield has on the team this year, it’s no wonder the he’s… Read More
As a sophomore at Brewer High School, Matt Collins helped the Witches win the 1996 Maine Class A schoolboy indoor track championship by placing fourth in the shot put at the state meet. Now the member of the BHS Class of 1998 hopes to lead… Read More
Not every basketball player agrees with how referees call games, but officials on the Northern Maine board will probably hear a bit less griping from four Hodgdon High School basketball players. That’s because Amanda Fitzpatrick and Erin Foster of the Hodgdon girls team, and Hawks’… Read More
Elizabeth Damon enjoys wrestling. “It’s different from other sports,” said Damon, a Somesville resident who is a senior at Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor. “It’s not like basketball, it’s like survival of the fittest. You’re more on your own, except for the… Read More
Coach Tony DeMuro knows its early yet in the winter season, but his Mount Desert Island boys swimming team was encouraged by its win in Friday night’s Penobscot Valley Conference Relay Carnival. MDI may be the first boys team besides Bangor or Old Town to… Read More
A look at a free throw being shot will provide a glimpse of the primary rule change to hit the high school basketball world this season. Through the change, the number of marked spaces along the lane that can be occupied during free throws has… Read More
As the Foxcroft Academy Ponies began enjoying their newly won state Class C football championship Saturday, Josh Withee first sought out a brief, more personal celebration – with his dad, the coach. Later, there was the obligatory group picture taken on the artificial surface of… Read More
Jerry Adams is back coaching basketball at the high school level. Adams, who spent last winter as the men’s and women’s coach at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle and coached the Houlton High boys for six years, will take over the varsity girls… Read More
Dave Cullens got home from Massachusetts after taking in Sunday night’s New England Patriots-Dallas Cowboys football game just in time to embark on a longtime ambition – life as a varsity basketball coach. “I got back about an hour before our first day of tryouts,”… Read More
Wrestling has been a big part of Joe Bowen’s life for nearly three decades. He’s wrestled, coached, and officiated at a variety of levels, and now he will share that expertise as the new head coach at Brewer High School. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
Dan Frazell didn’t have any expectations as he started off his varsity head coaching career Monday afternoon. That’s because he just didn’t know what to expect from the Bangor Christian girls basketball team in its first day of practice and tryouts for the winter season. Read More
Ron Weatherbee’s new coaching position is close to a perfect fit for him. Weatherbee will take over as the Old Town High girls basketball coach this winter. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
A potent running game and aggressive defense have been two keys to the Bangor Rams’ run to Friday night’s Eastern Maine Class A football final. But another key reason lies in what coach Mark Hackett’s club hasn’t done – commit penalties. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
They may have performed brilliantly in Saturday’s Class D state championships, but the winning goalies from the Machias boys and Lee Academy girls soccer teams didn’t start out all that eager to play their positions. Bulldog junior Marcus Frutchey and Panda sophomore Jackie Moors kept… Read More
Levi Miller of Belfast and Molly Balentine of Hampden are among the cross country athletes who will compete at today’s New England Boys and Girls Cross Country Championships in New Hampshire. The competition will be held at Derry Field Park in Manchester, N.H. The girls… Read More
The Dexter Regional High School boys soccer team gave no particular signs of championship stature a year ago, compiling a 3-9-2 record in 2002. But as the pieces of this year’s soccer puzzle began to assemble, last year’s frustrations gave way to ambitious aspirations. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
The Maine Principals’ Association soccer committee has selected sites for this Saturday’s state soccer championships. Both boys and girls games for each classification will be held at the same site. For all classifications, game times are 10 a.m. for the boys and 1 p.m. for… Read More
The three defending state field hockey champions will have to wait a day to find out if they can return to the state final as rain postponed Wednesday’s field hockey regional championships. Eastern Maine finals in Classes A, B and C will all be played… Read More
Home-field advantage is a reward for a regular-season well played, but it’s no guarantee of future success. A look back at the 2002 Pine Tree Conference Class A quarterfinals provides ample evidence of that, given that three of the four visiting teams won those first-round… Read More
Donald Allen knows well the ins and outs of the girls basketball program at George Stevens Academy. He’s coached the junior varsity team for the last three years. He is a 1976 graduate of the Blue Hill school. And his daughter, Nikki Allen, was a… Read More