Eighth grade boys’ soccer win in second half

Blake McPherson

By Matt Pascarella

The eighth-grade boys’ soccer team hit the field against Lincoln on Friday, October 4^th.

Windham pressured right away. They worked to be first to the ball. Windham had strong defense and kept the ball away from their own goal for most of the first half, and blocked Lincoln’s passes. The Eagles had solid offense too with several shots on Lincoln’s goal, one that hit the top post of the goal and almost went in.

Half: 0-0

Windham came out more aggressive in the second half than in the first. They kept the ball in front of Lincoln’s goal and took several shots on goal, with another that hit the goal post and almost went in. Blake McPherson, #10, scored on a penalty kick. Nick Marion, #9, scored. Windham kept up their strong defense and prevented Lincoln from scoring in the half. The Eagles had a lot of intensity that did not waiver throughout the half. Marion scored again before the final whistle.

Final: 3-0, Windham

“Second half they focused a little bit more on passing the ball, trying to connect player-to-player; building up the pressure we had numbers back on defense - the second half it really clicked for the boys and we were able to find success,” said Coach Joel LeClerc.

Boys’ soccer put in a good effort against Cheverus

Vireak Tray

By Matt Pascarella

The boys’ varsity soccer team played Cheverus, during Windham Homecoming, on Saturday, October 5^th.

Twenty-eight minutes into the first half, Cheverus was up, 1-0. Windham was aggressive going after the ball, moved the ball around and took shots on goal.

Half: 1-0, Cheverus

In the second half, the Eagles offense turned it up several notches and gave the Cheverus goalie a workout, as Windham kicked the ball towards the goal many times before the final buzzer. Windham had a solid attempt to head the ball in the goal, off a corner kick, that was unfortunately, caught by the goalie. The Eagles passed the ball well with good defense, as goalie Cam Brown, #0, blocked several shots. Windham kept up their intensity and continued to boot shot after shot towards the goal.

Although Windham cranked up the offense in the second half, Cheverus took this game 3-0.

“When we had a red card for a hand ball in the second half and had to play with ten men, we didn’t quit,” remarked Coach Ben Schulz. “I think we played harder; that really shows kind of the resolve and spirit of the team. A few bounces go our way and it’s a totally different game, but that’s why you play it. We got aggressive in the second half and we definitely put some pressure on and created some opportunities.”

Cross Country crushes it at the Festival of Champs

Hannah Lagstaff

By Matt Pascarella

The Festival of Champions is the largest cross-country race for high school kids in Maine. Eighty-three teams and close to 2,000 racers from New England and Canada came together at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast on Saturday, October 5th. Eleven boys and 13 girls from Windham’s cross-country team participated in the race.

Windham runners were focused as they made their way around the 3.1-mile course, the dedication and concentration Windham put into their meets is amazing. Coach Jeff Riddle stated the team had prepared for the Festival of Champions, which in turn helped them prepare for other championship races, since June.

“The last three weeks have been the three most strategic preparation weeks I’ve done in a long time. In the weight room doing circuits, doing very detailed running – it takes a long time to prep for this race. With 200-300 racers at the starting line, it’s a learning opportunity, they learn big race starts, they learn really how to test themselves, their body, their heart, their mind,” he added.

With the crowd cheering, Windham gave everything they had as they pushed through the course and then gave it their all as they crossed the finish line. The results directly correlated with the efforts put into training for this race.

Girls

Out of the 56 teams that competed, Windham finished 13th with a total time of 1:46:38.59.

Several runners set personal record (or PRs) times during the meet.

Niall Gushue

Sophomore Estella Inman finished 37th with a time of 20:15.85

Senior Hannah Langstaff finished 47th and set a PR with a time of 20:31.86

Senior Hailey Applebee finished 69th with a time of 21:07.16

Freshman Elise Schultz set a PR with a time of 22:18.76

Junior Diane Ingalls set a PR with a time of 22:24.96

Boys

In the Unseeded Section ‘A’ race, senior Dean Preston set a PR, came in 6th and knocked a minute off his time with a time of 20:17.67

In the same race, Junior Niall Gushue finished 16th and set a PR with a time of 20:53.37.

Junior Tristan Candelmo had the boy’s fastest time of 19:00.28.

Sophomore Emir Zhamalov finished 74th and set a PR with a time of 22:03.67.

In the Freshmen race, DJ Stephens and set a PR with a time of 21:20.62.

“I was super nervous before the race, because it was my first really big race. I had no idea what to expect and having Hannah, my teammate, right behind me really helped me push myself. She was always there supporting me, and it really helped a lot,” observed Estella Inman.

“I had a good race. I like having the big crowd and more people around you when you’re running to pace off with,” remarked senior Hannah Langstaff.

 “It was a good experience overall,” said junior Tavi Anghel, who got the boy’s second-best time of 19:35.45. “If you run a race the right way, it’s always going to be hard, but I had more preparation coming into this season, so I found it a little easier than the other times I ran it.”

                                                           

Field hockey teams puts forth back-to-back solid efforts

Mya Bolk

By Matt Pascarella

The JV and varsity field hockey teams hit the field against Cheverus, at home, on Monday, September 30^th.

Varsity

Windham took a shot on goal almost immediately. The Lady Eagles had strong defense and kept Cheverus from scoring in the first half. The Lady Eagles blocked serval Cheverus passes throughout the half. Mya Bolk, #14, scored in the first three minutes. Windham had solid passing and moved the ball around nicely. Windham hustled hard and worked to be first to the ball. They were aggressive and took multiple shots on goal.

Half: 1-0, Windham

Windham continued their concrete defense in the second half. They blocked shots and passes from Cheverus. Windham took multiple shots on goal. With one minute thirty seconds left in the game, it was tied at one. 30 seconds...20 seconds...10 seconds; the pressure mounted, but at the buzzer the game headed into overtime.

Windham kept up the defense in overtime and the goalie, Molly McAllister, #33, had several great saves. The Lady Eagles pressured, and you felt the intensity in the air. At the end of overtime, neither team had scored.

Windham came out aggressive in the second overtime and worked hard to get the ball in the goal. With the clock winding down, Cheverus scored. Final 2-1.

“We’ve come a long way and they’re really good at communicating and reading where each other are going to be...and they’re working smarter, not harder, so they’re able to get it down the field,” commented coach Cory DiDonato. “There were some really good things: the passing, the talking, they support each other. I’m really proud of them.”

JV

JV started strong with great passing as they moved up and down the field. Windham communicated well and had good offense and defense. They pressured the Stags and worked hard to be first to the ball. At the end of the first half Hannah Heanssler, #6, scored.

Half: 1-0, Windham

The Lady Eagles really turned it up a notch in the second half. They were aggressive and were first to the ball. Heanssler scored again. Windham continued strong communication and tough defense, preventing Cheverus from scoring at all. Before the end of the game, Heanssler scored a third time.

Final: 3-0, Windham

“They played really well today,” observed coach Tiff Theriault. “It was better communication; it was passing more and those were the two main goals and they did it perfect. It was a fun win.”

Lady Eagles soccer get back-to-back wins against Kennebunk

Ashly Clark

By Matt Pascarella

The JV and varsity girls’ soccer teams played Kennebunk, at Windham, on Tuesday, September 24^th.

JV

Windham hit the field aggressive and stayed aggressive for two halves. They moved the ball nicely and passed to each other, which created multiple shots on goal (and goals). They really gave the Kennebunk goalie a workout. The Lady Eagles pressured and communicated. Ashly Clark, #36, scored two consecutive goals. Riley Shaw, #30, got one between the posts before the end of the half.

Half: 3-0, Windham

The Lady Eagles pressured in the second half, with no sign of stopping. Early on in the half, Gracie Hodgkins, #31, scored on a penalty kick. Windham’s intensity never wavered. Nat Lynch, #38, fired the ball over the keeper’s head and then a short time later scored again. Clark scored a third time before the Lady Eagles continued their undefeated steak, defeating the Rams, 7-1.

“The kids are really playing as a team,” stated Coach Jeff Fish. “Everyone is very unselfish, and the kids are having a great time. Our passing, I thought, was phenomenal and we’re getting better and better at the passing game.”

Varsity

Windham pressured right away, took shots on goal and was first to the ball. The Lady Eagles had great offense. Julia McKenna, #13, scored back-to-back in the first half. Windham’s defense gave Kennebunk few opportunities for shots on goal and kept them scoreless in the first half. Sarah Talon, #12, sent one in the net before McKenna scored again to close out the half.

Half: 4-0, Windham

Intensity remained high in the second half as Windham continued taking shot after shot on Kennebunk’s goal. Riley Beem, #1, sailed into the air and knocked the ball past the goalie. The Lady Eagles pressured, and Emma Millett, #4, scored Windham’s final goal of the game.

Final: 6-0, Windham

Julia McKenna

“Our loss [against Noble] on Saturday [the 21^st] sparked some fire in a lot of them; and they figured out if we don’t give it 100%, we are going to lose some games,” explained coach Deb Lebel.

Goalie Riley Silvia stated in the post-game huddle that Kennebunk and Noble were similar teams and if Windham plays against other teams the way they played against Kennebunk, there’s no reason they won’t go to the state tournament.

JV football shows Brunswick they can compete

Harrison Boyle

By Matt Pascarella

JV football took on Brunswick, at Windham, on Monday, September 23^rd.

The Eagles had strong defense right out of the gate and prevented Brunswick from gaining any serious yardage early on in the game. Shortly before the end of the first quarter, Brunswick scored, but Windham’s defense stopped them from getting a two-point conversion.

In the second quarter, Windham’s defense didn’t let up. The Eagles gained possession after Brunswick fumbled. Ryan Bernard, #83, intercepted a pass thrown by Brunswick and then made it to Brunswick’s 45-yard line. Colby Mizner, #32, made it all the way to the 15-yard line, but Windham wasn’t able to score before the end of the half.

Half: 6-0, Brunswick

The second half told a much different story for Windham than the first. Their strong defense didn’t let up, as Windham stopped Brunswick several times from getting closer to the endzone. Despite their strong defense, Brunswick scored again, 14-0. Alex Yeaton, #29, caught a pass at the 15-yard line and shortly after, Harrison Boyle, #9, scored and got the two-point conversion; 14-8. The Eagles were not done.

In the fourth quarter, Yeaton got to the 40-yard line, then Boyle got to the 32-yard line, then just outside the five-yard line. Four minutes left in the game. It’s third and goal. Boyle scored the touchdown. The game is now tied at 14. As the clock wound down, neither team was able to break the tie and Windham shows one of the best teams, if not the best team in the conference, that they have what it takes to compete.

“They played hard from start to finish,” remarked coach Brandon Champion. “We had guys in positions they had never played before. They were willing to go out and do whatever they needed to do to help the team. Our guys showed a lot of grit in coming back [after being down two touchdowns]. The kids played really hard.”

Jordan Small Middle School soccer has strong games against St. Dom’s

By Matt Pascarella

The Jordan Small Middle School boys’ and girls’ soccer teams travelled to Auburn to hit the field for games against Saint Dominic Academy on Monday, September 16^th.

Boys

The boys started strong with good defense right from the start. Raymond was aggressive with solid passing and communication. Raymond had multiple shots on goal and did a good job of keeping the ball mostly on the St. Dom’s side of the field for a large part of the first half. Raymond also had substantial offense with three goals in the first half. Hunter Simpson, #9, Dylan Hayes, #44 and Andrew Hare, #20 all scored.

Half: 3-0

Raymond continued pressuring, taking more shots on goal in the second half. Raymond commanded the field with great defense. Simpson scored again. 

Final: 4-1, Raymond

“We lost to Waynflete the first game of the year and today was a total 180,” observed coach Jim Beers. “The boys possessed the ball a lot better, passed to each other a lot better, didn’t have their heads down looking at their laces today. We had great sharing of the ball - and they came out and executed.”

Girls

The girls began strong too with nice passing and top-notch defense, preventing Saint Dominic’s from scoring the entire first half. The girls were working hard to get the ball to the Saint Dominic’s side of the field and succeeded several times but was unable to score in the first half.

Half: tied at 0

Raymond continued strong defense and was going hard after the ball. They worked to be first to the ball and got and kept possessions. Raymond gave it their all, but Saint Dominic’s took this game.

Final: 1-0

“Their ability to come together as a team [contributed to some of their successes]. The defense was super strong. They were able to close out some really heavy shooters. The forward line held it together really well and my midis did really well today. It’s about how they talk to one another. This team is pretty spectacular,” said coach Adina Baseler.