Windham Senior Legion baseball battles in doubleheader against Gray

By Matt Pascarella

Windham Senior Legion South Paw Post 148 baseball played a doubleheader with Gray Legion Warriors Post 86 at Gray New-Gloucester on Thursday, July 10. Windham came out strong in the first game and scored immediately. When Gray pulled ahead Windham tied it up; unfortunately, Gray won with a narrow 12-10 score. In the second game, Windham dragged a bit, and Gray won 8-2.

Windham Senior Legion South Paw Post 148 junior Shane
Plummer slides into home plate beating the tag during the
first game of a Legion baseball doubleheader at
Gray-New Gloucester High School on July 10.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“Doubleheaders are tough,” said Windham Senior Legion South Paw Post 148 coach Chris Doughty. “In the past we haven’t had a Legion team ... the competition is really good; you see good pitchers (and) guys that are going to play college baseball every day. We’re young. I think playing the doubleheaders it’s hard to stay focused (and in the game). The first game was very competitive; we’ve got a bunch of really good baseball players on this team from Windham, Lake Region and Fryeburg. I think the second game some of them just kind of relaxed a little bit. I talked (with the team post-games) about not just reps physically, but mental reps. As a coach, I can deal with the physical errors, but the mental ones are the ones that burn the most. I thought in the first game we swung the bats really well, threw a lot of strikes; in the second game, we had some innings where we were hitting the ball really well, we just lacked that big hit. We need to clean up the fielding; we made a lot of errors on easy balls that just can’t happen. That (first) game was the first time this summer it looked like the guys were ready to compete and win.”

In the first game, Windham junior Cameron Chappell scored after junior Camden Gardiner doubled in the first inning.

In the second inning, Chappell singled and brought in two runs.

Gray was quick to answer in the second inning when they brought in two runs. In the third inning, a few hits and a three-run home run gave them a 7-2 lead.

The fifth inning had Windham put five runs on the scoreboard when junior Braydan Wilson singled, and junior Shane Plummer walked. Chappell singled and Wilson scored. Freshman Ryan Manning walked and senior Josh Plummer singled; Shane Plummer scored.

Freshman Joey Small walked and brought in Chappell. Sophomore Justin Saunders popped out and Manning and Josh Plummer scored. Windham led by one.

Windham held the lead for a full inning, but Gray tied it up and pulled ahead.

“The first game we competed a little more and wanted to win,” said Shane Plummer. “I thought we were aggressive hitting, and we were running the bases well. The second game I felt like we just ... let them win pretty much. I thought we did better in the field. We made some better plays but didn’t swing the bats as well.”

Game two did not have as much intensity from Windham as game one. Gray jumped to a 5-0 lead after two innings.

Chappell doubled in the third inning. After Windham senior Anthony Rinaldi grounded out, Chappell scored.

Wilson doubled in the fourth inning and Gardiner singled. A groundout and Wilson scored.

Windham was able to reduce the runs scored by Gray.

“We wanted to win, and we had the mentality of just keep going,” said Windham sophomore Justin Saunders. “Battle through and we swung the bats pretty well, that’s what made us play better. The first game was better than the second. What needs work is joking around, and ... I need to work on that too. Some of us are dipping when we hit, I think that could help. Fielding, talking is a big issue and knowing where to throw the ball is something we can work on.”

Wilson said they competed in the first game and there were some solid spots where they put the bat on the ball. In the second game their approach was different; players took huge swings, trying to hit a homer instead of aiming for the middle of the field. <

Tales from the Woods: Turkey Season 2025

By Bob Chapin

If you didn’t harvest a wild turkey this spring, chances are you are already counting down the days until the next hunting season.

Bob Chapin

I was extremely fortunate this year as I was able to harvest one early in the season. Like the bank robber, John Dillinger, when asked why he robbed banks, he quipped, “Because that is where the money is.” Turkey hunting is the same way…before you can hunt them in a particular piece of woods you must know where they are hanging out and get permission from the landowner to hunt them there. That is why most successful hunters do extensive scouting before the season starts.

By scouting I mean you know for a fact that turkeys are in a particular piece of wooded terrain because you have “roosted them” there either at dawn or at dusk or what is referred to as the crepuscular hours. Go just before sunrise or just at sunset when they “fly up or down” from trees where they safely spend the night away from their many natural predators. In the spring the males or gobblers want to be close by the females or hens often roosting in the same or nearby trees. When they fly down at daybreak the gobblers already know approximately where the hens are.

Gobblers are very vocal and often gobble when they go to roost and gobble again in the morning before flying down. Gobbling is both a social communication, and in the spring, an announcement that they are ready to breed. Usually only the largest, oldest gobblers actually do the breeding, and they fight off the younger birds to keep that right. But like teenaged boys that doesn’t keep the younger males or Jakes from trying.

This year I had the opportunity to do sufficient early season scouting which meant several early morning get-ups which paid off as I confirmed the presence of one or more gobblers in the area I had to hunt. Early in the season I positioned myself off a logging road on a small plateau. I set up my decoys – two hen decoys and a small Jake decoy. The big boys cannot stand it when they think a youngster is moving in on what they consider their territory.

There are several schools of thought on how many of what kind of decoy you should use, and I’ve tried them all and they all work, sometimes. This year since I was hunting a smaller clearing in the woods and I limited myself to three. Some guys use only one. In a large field with great visibility in several directions I’ve used as many as eight including a large strutting gobbler. You may run the risk of intimidating potential suitors who would make a fine harvestable bird, but they are visible from a long way off and will often pull in hopeful males if you have a crowd of decoys.

It did not take long after 4:30 a.m. for the first couple of turkeys to sound off. The good thing about male turkeys is that if one sounds off the rest within hearing feel compelled to answer so it is not unusual to have turkeys gobbling in several quadrants at once. Sometimes you can tell you have more than one turkey approaching because they walk on each other’s calls. Several times I have had groups of three to four gobblers walk in together as they like to associate with other males despite the competition at the end.

I knew there were at least two gobblers approaching me from the overlapping gobbles they made. Unfortunately, they came in behind the tree I was sitting against, so I was unable to see them. You draw them to you by making sounds on calls designed to sound like hens. The decoys are designed to seal the deal and keep them focused away from you. Once they are close you do not want to make any movements, not your feet, your head, your gun, not even your eyes as they will pick it up in a heartbeat and be gone before you can react.

Trying to snap shoot fleeing turkeys is a fool’s gambit. These two were close enough to me that I could hear them “spitting” as it is called. Not what you would think but more like “P-s-s-st.” I could hear their feet in the wet leaves they were that close…but still not in sight. I knew they could see my decoys, but maybe my Jake gave them pause. They walked behind my tree and off to my right. I figured that was the best chance I would have all morning, and I just blew it. There were other gobblers around, so I continued to purr and cluck as hens do.

Out of the corner of my right eye I saw movement that materialized as two fully fanned out birds headed for my decoys again. They were slightly downhill from me and low growing vegetation blocked all but the tops of their fans and heads. They hung up about 40 yards out and proceeded to “display” for my hens, turning in circles next to each other, one lower down the hill than the other. I decided that that was the best shot I was going to get so when the top one turned to face me. I put the bead right where his neck met his chest and touched off a shot.

I was not prepared for the recoil the 3 1/2 inch .12 Gauge TSS-Tungston Stainless Steel shell was going to give me, and it knocked me back against the tree I was sitting against. I was not able to see what had happened to the bird as I could not see him from my seated position and I thought I might have missed him. I needn’t have worried though.

Once I got myself composed and went to where he was there on the ground there was not one, but two turkeys, shot with one shot! One was 19 pounds and the other turned out to be 21 pounds.

Fortunately, I was in a game management unit that permits two bearded turkeys in the spring season. My season was over in one shot, but a good season it was. How was yours? <

Windham girls’ basketball camp helps younger players to learn game

By Matt Pascarella

Windham’s varsity girls’ basketball team held their summer basketball camp for grades 3 through 8 at Windham High during the week of July 7. This was a great opportunity for younger basketball players to learn the game from varsity players.

Windham fifth grader Fiona McLeod looks to pass during
a scrimmage as part of the Windham Varsity Girls' Summer
Basketball camp at Windham High School on Thursday,
July 10. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

Brody Artes, Windham’s varsity girls’ basketball coach, said there was about a 25 percent increase in the number of kids who signed up for the camp compared to last year.

“I wanted to get better, and the drills are very helpful,” said Windham seventh grader Lily Nickel. “Learning new things just helps you get better and improve; When you work hard you can achieve your goals. It’s fun working with the varsity players. They are all really kind and sweet and they’re very helpful and always there to help when you need it. I’ve learned some shooting exercises and gotten better at layups; I’ve learned some different dribbling (skills). (This camp) teaches you new things and the harder you work the more you get better.”

The goal is development of these young players and provide the opportunity for kids to come in and have some fun while teaching kids fundamentals that they can continue to build on as they grow up. The camp is also a great opportunity for those interested in basketball to get together to meet and play the game they love. The varsity team works with the really little kids during the season, but this is an opportunity to work with kids a little older.

Artes and members of his team instructed campers in basic fundamentals such as ball handling and shooting and talked about some transition techniques. They did a lot of team building and played some games where the campers had to work together with some competition. The program wants the kids to learn how to compete but also have fun and try to develop that positive culture overall.

“This week has been a lot of fun, just getting to know all the kids,” said Windham senior Chloe Delewski. “I think it’s been a great opportunity for them to develop their skills and be more comfortable on the court. They have been very respectful, they are taking (our instructions) in and absorbing it and using it to their full potential. In the games and the scrimmages, they are doing a great job.”

Delewski said she thinks this camp is important because they learn how to be on a team and not just do everything by themselves. She’s learning that it’s hard to coach. Basketball is a very fun sport and if it’s done with the will to get better, they’ll enjoy it for years and years to come. Delewski says she loves coaching the kids, they’re a great group of girls.

Windham seventh grader Brinley Sargent said she plays basketball all the time and the camp has helped her get better at finishing at the hoop and with ball handling. She said it’s fun interacting with varsity players and she likes learning the game from players who already play on the varsity team. They’ve done a lot of scrimmaging and various drills like shooting drills and ball handling drills, and it’s been a really good experience.

“It’s been great, it’s good to see a lot more interest in girls’ basketball coming up through the program,” said Artes. “Lot of kids that love to play, lot of kids that are super energetic about it. High school kids do a great job working with the kids, having fun, making the game fun. I think they’re having a lot of fun. The little kids look up to the varsity players; they see them play in the wintertime and the varsity kids love giving back to the little kids. Both sides benefit greatly. I think that helps a lot as far as a positive outcome. It’s a great opportunity for them to get to know me before high school ... that helps in the long-term.”<

Windham varsity basketball shuts down Greely with strong start

By Matt Pascarella

Windham’s varsity summer basketball team faced Greely High in Cumberland on Monday, July 7 and its defense came out strong with Greely barely able to reach 10 points by halftime. All the while, Windham’s offense ran up the scoreboard with multiple players hitting three-pointers and the Eagles emerging with a 79-49 victory.

Windham senior Tyrie James wont be stopped as he heads
to the hoop during a summer prep basketball game against
Greely at Greely High School in Cumberland on
Monday, July 7.  PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

“I was just trying to come out here and play my best basketball,” said Windham junior Colin Janvrin, who knocked down at least five three-pointers. “We pushed the ball really well in transition and getting to the paint and kicking out for open threes or taking the layup if it was there. Something we got to work on is stopping middle drives; Greely would get to the paint a lot and have kick-out threes and it would just hurt us. We’re very confident with the team we have, and I think we’re going to go pretty far again and we’re going to have a really talented team this year.”

The Eagles took the court hungry and right away Windham sophomore Boston Krainis opened the game with a three-pointer. Moments later he hit another three-pointer.

Windham defense significantly held back Greely as they were unable to put many points up in the first part of the first half. Windham offense rebounded.

Senior Tyrie James sunk two three-pointers in a row. Janvrin sunk two three-pointers in the first half. Windham had a buzzer beater before the end of the half.

After one half, Windham led, 37-13.

“We pushed the ball well, I feel like we found our open shooters,” said James. “Defensively, we were pretty solid; we could work on rebounding. Everything you can work on, obviously. It was a great game in a hot gym, and we played well. There’s still more to work on and improve. We try not to let (the heat) affect us, but eventually it’s going to affect everyone; just got to stay hydrated.”

James said while summer wins are nice, players and teams can change a lot before the winter season begins, so it’s vital to not put too much importance on winning games.

The second half brought Janvrin opening with another three-pointer; then Moody followed suit as Windham intensity remained high – as well as temperature.

Janvrin sank two more three-pointers as Greely gained a bit of traction and closed the gap, but only a little.

Krainis hit two three-pointers as Windham answered by pulling away more. They were able to maintain the lead until the final buzzer.

“The guys just played hard,” said Windham varsity boys’ basketball coach Chad Pulkkinen. “We’re trying to find out our identity, trying to figure out the chemistry our guys can have. We’re trying to find roles ... and I was proud of the guys; they did what they needed to do defensively. That’s what we can control how hard we play on the defensive side; our guys were pretty aligned there. We moved the ball really well and made a lot of shots, so that was important. What we need to work on is helpside defense, we let up a little bit and we got to keep that mentality to fighting to the last whistle and not give in; don’t worry about the scoreboard, just play through it. Those things we can improve on, we got a young team. Summer’s been great; the kids are bonding getting together, participation numbers are really big. Guys are getting into the gym early and getting their own shots up, so (there’s) a lot of hunger.” <

WHS seniors accept college athletic letters of intent

By Matt Pascarella

Seven Windham seniors Katelyn Cotter, Zoe Dries, Ava Gerrity, Carter Engelman, Tayla Pelletier, Marina Schwarz and Lukas Hammond signed their letters of intent at Windham High School on Thursday, May 28.

Windham seniors Marina Schwarz, left, Tayla
Pelletier, center, and Lukas Hammond each
signed college letters of intent at Windham
High School in May. Schwarz will attend
Thomas College in Waterville; Pelletier
will attend the University of New Hampshire;
and Hammond will attend the University of
Southern Maine in Gorham.
PHOTOS BY CHERI CROSSMAN and
MATT PASCARELLA   

The first group were profiled in The Windham Eagle’s July 4 edition; this is the second group of student-athletes to be profiled who signed college athletic letters of intent.

Tayla Pelletier – University of New Hampshire

“Profound impact, kind, humble, grit, devotion,” said Windham girls’ track and field coach Jeff Riddle about Pelletier. “As her junior teammate Sydney Broadbent said Tayla is the most dedicated athlete, teammate and leader that I’ve ever had the pleasure of being on a team with, despite the fact that she is highly successful in every event she tries, she maintains being humble, kind and is always encouraging me and all of her teammates. It’s not that Tayla demonstrates outstanding results in all that she does, it’s that she tries to master them, and she never stops. She consistently embodies the highest standards of sportsmanship, and character.”

Pelletier will major in exercise science and would like to become a sports physical therapist. She will also be on UNH’s track and field team.

“It was kind of relieving (to sign her letter of intent),” said Pelletier. “It sets what’s next in place. Windham sports has taught me determination while raising others up and working on yourself.”

Pelletier was in the top 10 percent of her 2025 graduating class and earned Honor Roll status all throughout high school.

Marina Schwarz – Thomas College, Waterville

“Her work ethic, resilience and unwavering commitment to improvement are manifesting in impressive results,” said Riddle. “These qualities make her a massive asset to our track and field program and broader community as well. She has safely gotten very strong and cultivated herself into an incredible shotput and discus thrower, a dedicated teammate and a true captain.”

Schwarz will major in marketing and minor in digital art. She’s undecided on what she’d like to do after college but has always wanted to be a real estate agent or possibly own her own business. Schwarz will be on the track and field team for throwing at Thomas College.

“I thought it was really good (to sign my letter of intent),” said Schwarz. “It was good to be along with some of my teammates ... it meant something to sign in front of my teachers, parents and all their friends; ever since my sophomore year I’ve tried my hardest with my grades. I received high honor roll in every single quarter and finished this year with all my grades being 97 and above.”

Lukas Hammond, University of Southern Maine, Gorham

“The adjective that jumps out the most for me when it comes to Lukas is overcoming adversity,” said Windham boys’ soccer coach Jeff Neal. “From a heartbreaker season sophomore year that started out with an injury, I’ve never seen an athlete work so hard to come back. From that moment ... Lukas has always overcome. He never asked a teammate to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself and gave 100 percent. His leadership, second-to-none; always set the example and set the bar very high. He’s a team-first guy.”

Hammond will major in mechanical engineering and go into the engineering field. He will play soccer and lacrosse at USM.

“Teamwork is the best thing I’ve learned (from Windham,)” said Hammond. “Relying on the teammates and bringing them up is this whole collective thing I’m going to be able to take with me for the rest of my life.”

He finished in the top 10 percent of his class and his advice to underclassmen is to do what you love; freshman year Hammond was playing baseball, and he picked up lacrosse and loved it and soccer has always been a passion of his. <

Windham senior Freese first recipient of Pat Moody Foundation scholarship

By Matt Pascarella

During Windham’s senior awards night at Windham High School last month, the first Pat Moody Foundation scholarship was presented to senior Braycen Freese in the amount of $2,500. The Pat Moody Foundation was created after the passing of beloved Windham resident Pat Moody who loved this town and was a champion for the local sports community and its youth.

Members of the Pat Moody Foundation gather after awarding 
the first Pat Moody Foundation Scholarship at Windham High
School during Senior Awards Night on Thursday, June 5 to
WHS senior Braycen Freese. Back from left are Todd
Hamilton, Geoff Grigsby, Chad Pulkkinen, George McCrillis,
Jedidiah Merrill, Tyler Graves, and David Harrigan. Front
from left are Tracey Lydon, Braycen Freese and
Sherma Moody. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“He was like a second father to me,” said Freese. “When I saw the scholarship go up, it was an opportunity to be felt in his name again and he’s still around in my life. He was a mentor to me, through basketball, through life, through school – every part of my life, he was a role model. It’s a great thing to be the first one, just when I see his name and my name next to each other, it brings joy to my heart. If I was ever having trouble with sports, with school, he was always there to talk, he was always teaching me new things whenever I was struggling ... he would teach me new things to get through the humps. He always celebrated me more than I celebrated myself, so he made me feel special.”

Freese said he applied to honor Moody’s name. Freese consulted his basketball coach, Chad Pulkkinen, on what he should say in his essay; Pulkkinen’s advice to Freese was to just write what was in his heart.

“Braycen is a great kid, he’s top 10 in his class,” said Pat Moody Foundation Executive Committee board member Geoff Grigsby. “He graduated a year early; he had a real strong connection with Pat. As a board, our primary focus is to be an extension of Pat; live by the model ‘What would Pat do?’ Braycen meant a ton to him and vice-versa – someone who was instrumental to Braycen’s athletic achievements. There were such strong candidates, and we wanted to help as many people as we can within reason; we thought broadening (the scholarship) to three people was the right move.”

The Pat Moody Foundation was impressed with all applicants; they added two additional $1,000 scholarships; those winners were seniors Stella Jarvais and Lukas Hammond. It was very difficult for the Pat Moody Foundation board to decide on who the winner should be – everyone’s resume was so strong, and each applicant had done so much to meet the criteria. Each applicant got a “Moody’s Army” T-shirt, which is representative of people who’ve gone above and beyond in the community.

“We wanted civic-minded, well-rounded individuals, said Moody’s best friend and Pat Moody Foundation board member Tyler Graves. “We wanted student-athletes, just because that was kind of Pat’s medium in terms of connecting with kids. They all had amazing GPAs and cumulative scores, their citizenship and volunteerism were beautiful; they had to write an essay of how they were deserving and what Pat meant to them, plus a letter of recommendation from a coach or a teacher.”

Graves said Freese’s essay really stuck out because it delved into how much Moody affected him and shaped him over the past few years and that was really touching to Graves; this person knew Moody and the way they described Moody’s impact really tugged at Graves’ heart strings.

“I’m just honored to win” said Freese, who will attend the University of Maine Orono and major in mechanical engineering and then plans to attend law school. He is still deciding if he’d like to become a private attorney or mechanical engineer. <

Seven WHS seniors sign college athletic letters of intent

By Matt Pascarella

Seven Windham seniors including Katelyn Cotter, Zoe Dries, Ava Gerrity, Carter Engelman, Tayla Pelletier, Marina Schwarz and Lukas Hammond signed college letters of intent at Windham High School on Thursday, May 28.

The first group of student-athletes signing letters of intent will be profiled this week, with the remaining student-athletes appearing in next week’s edition.

Windham High seniors get ready to sign letters of intent 
to attend colleges and play sports. Back from left are
Zoe Dries, Katelyn Cotter, Ava Gerrity, Marina
Schwarz, and Tayla Pelletier. From from left are
Carter Engelman and Luka Hammond.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

Katelyn Cotter – Husson University, Bangor

“Katelyn has been the cornerstone of our varsity team from her first match as a freshman to her final season as our captain,” said Windham varsity tennis coach Katy Dresnok. “She consistently demonstrated unwavering dedication, grit and poise on and off the court. She’s led by example, not just through her strong work ethic and play, but also through positivity and sportsmanship.”

Cotter will major in elementary education and would like to teach fourth or fifth grade. She will also play tennis.

“It was a big deal for me (to sign my commitment letter),” said Cotter. “When I started tennis freshman year, I never thought I’d be in the place I was today and play college tennis, so being able to recognize that ... was a huge moment for me.”

Zoe Dries – Colby-Sawyer College, New Hampshire

“Zoe’s impact goes far beyond the field or the classroom,” said Windham varsity field hockey coach Cory DiDonato. “She’s the definition of drive and dedication. Every early morning workout, every extra rep and every sacrifice is a testament to her relentless pursuit of excellence. I was able to depend on her all throughout her high school career to be a positive influence on those around her.”

Dries will major in nursing and would maybe like to become a travel nurse. She will also play field hockey for Colby-Sawyer.

“It felt really good and everything just kind of comes together and now I’m ready (for college),” said Dries. “It was also great to thank all my coaches and friends. My love for the sport and how we all felt like a family (is something she learned from Windham athletics); I’m going to miss this so much, but I’m also excited for my next couple chapters and seeing where I go from there.”

Ava Gerrity – University of Southern Maine, Gorham

“She picked up the game with remarkable ease, showing instinct and skill far beyond her experience,” said DiDonato. She’s a strong, independent young woman who carries herself with confidence and pride. The program benefited from having her around every day. Her opponents knew they were in for a challenge and her teammates knew they had a rock-solid defender they could count on.”

Gerrity will Major in biology and might pursue a pre-veterinarian track or pharmacy track. She took AP courses throughout high school and gained 10 credits for the fall. She will play field hockey and be on the track team for USM.

“It felt really good signing with my fellow classmates and just seeing where we’re going to go,” said Gerrity. “I wanted to do it because ... it’s a big deal for us to be able to sign together and have one last thing (we do) before we continue our academic and athletic careers in college.”

Carter Engelman – Northeastern University, Massachusetts

“His dedication and personal motivation have been unmatched, and his quest to be the best version of himself.” said Windham boys’ track and field coach Paula Pock. “He’s highly committed, very competitive ... he’s motivated, he’s innovative ... he takes the time to work with his teammates and demonstrates great sportsmanship.”

Engelman will major in chemical engineering but is undecided as to what he’ll do after college. He will also be on the track team for Northeastern.

“It’s always good to have a physical stimuli for an achievement,” said Engelman about signing his letter of intent. “It helps you feel the culmination of everything you’ve done and all the hard work you’ve put in.”

Third in his class, Engelman said Windham taught him that community is everything in any sport; having a support group and friends among your teammates is one of the largest things that contribute to your success. <