Windham varsity golf secures win after a hard week

By Matt Pascarella

At the end of a tough week, where Windham’s varsity golf team played in three consecutive matches and only one practice, the Eagles faced Westbrook at Sunset Ridge, a par 35 course in Westbrook on Friday, Sept. 11 and Windham came out on top.

Windham senior Matt Biggs chips his ball onto the green
during a prep golf match against Westbrook at Sunset 
Ridge in Westbrook on Friday, Sept. 11.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

After nine holes, the two teams were tied at 6.5 – 6.5. The lowest five out of six scores are taken for the team total, junior Chase Gagnon’s score of 58 was not counted in the team total, but his score was used to break the tie against Westbrook’s sixth player, who shot a 65. In team stroke totals, Windham beat Westbrook 253-270.

“It’s been a rough week ... Monday was a holiday and we didn’t practice Friday,” said Windham varsity golf coach Adam Manzo. “I hadn’t seen the kids since last Thursday. They are a young group and it’s mostly freshmen and sophomores. So many of them have played so much golf up to this point that maybe a little golf fatigue is starting to set in. We’re already halfway through the season. Their attitudes have been good; we’re trying to win matches but also develop players. I think the fact that so many of the kid’s scores are so close right now is encouraging. Just to try to improve was our goal. We didn’t play great a week ago here when we played Gorham. They’re getting there, it seems to be a couple holes here and there that wrecked a couple rounds for some of the kids. Their attitudes have been great all year long; they’re really a great group of kids.”

During the match, Windham seniors Wyatt Richards shot a 48 and he earned the team 1.5 match points; Matt Biggs shot a 49 and earned the team two match points.

“I was just trying to be consistent, play well and hit the ball straight – just play simple,” said Richards. “Slow it down and not swing out of my shoes and hit the ball very far. My drives looked pretty good off the tee shots, some of my putting wasn’t the best, some chipping needs work. I can take as a learning experience to not get in your head. You can just turn (the game) around like that, so you don’t want to get in your head.”

Sophomore Hunter Pulkkinen said he wasn’t ready this match. Last time against Gorham he shot a 46 at Sunset Ridge. He said his driver was dead straight, and his chipping game was good. Putting needs work. Pulkkinen said he needs to play smarter on the 100-yard shots.

Pulkkinen shot a 50; freshman Stella Veilleux shot a 51 and also earned the team two match points, senior Braden Childs shot a 55 and Gagnon shot a 58. Windham earned an additional point to tie the match. <

WYSA opens season for sixth through eighth grade teams

By Matt Pascarella

In the first games of Windham Youth Soccer Association’s fall season, sixth through eighth grade teams Warren Mechanical and Wildwood Properties played at Gambo Field in Windham on Saturday, Sept. 12 as Warren Mechanical earned its first win of the season by a score of 8-1.

Windham seventh grader Riahanna Sayed will not be caught
as she  moves the ball closer to her opponent's goal during
Windham Youth Soccer Association's season opener
between Warren Mechanical and Wildwood Properties
at Gambo Field in Windham on Saturday, Sept. 12.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

Warren Mechanical came out aggressively and scored multiple goals in the first and second halves of play. Wildwood Properties scored late in the second half to avoid being shut out.

“The focus in practice has been to try to teach some of the fundamentals,” said WYSA Warren Mechanical coach Jared Archilles. “Utilizing more of the width of the field needs work. We have a tendency to consolidate children in the middle of the field. Some of the things we worked on in practice that went well during gameplay was spacing, trapping the ball, and communicating with one another. There’s always an opportunity to work on some of the fundamentals ... understanding where people need to be.”

Both teams came out with a lot of hustle and communication. Each team had solid defense, but Warren Mechanical’s offense kept the ball in front of Wildwood Properties’ goal for a large portion of the game.

Warren Mechanical seventh grader Riahanna Sayed scored during the first half. Following Sayed’s goal, sixth grader Silas Arnold scored.

Wildwood Properties goalie and eighth grader Quinn Roina had a nice stop before the end of the half but at halftime, Warren Mechanical led, 2-0.

"It was exciting,” said Wildwood Properties seventh grader Avalyn Tweedie. “I could have definitely done better, especially in the second half of the game – if I can keep my stamina up that would be good. I think if we were able to get the ball up closer to their goal we would have had a chance at scoring more, but we had to play more defensively.”

The second half of the game was intense for both teams. Warren Mechanical seventh grader Trent Archilles scored three goals over the course of the half. Both teams had very good defense, but Warren Mechanical’s offense was in high gear. Sayed scored again. Warren Mechanical’s seventh grader Esteban Cayetano scored twice consecutively close to the end of the second half.

“I scored a hat trick, and my team was passing a lot,” said Trent Archilles. “We’re just trying to get the team together; the team chemistry has been decent. The passing and communication went well. Defense (needs work); we need to spread out a little more.”

Sixth grader and Wildwood Properties goalie Maverick Lucas posted multiple saves in the second half. Toward the end of the half, Roina scored to put Wildwood Properties on the scoreboard.

Sayed said everybody’s shooting and communication went well. Not clumping up in the field needs work. Her goal was to win the game.

“We want to show them how fun it is and then we can start refining the skills as we go along,” said WYSA Wildwood Properties coach Derek Hanrahan. “I saw a lot of communication between kids that potentially don’t know each other, getting the ball, stopping the ball, playing it. I saw some players out there that were making some nice moves. I think the team aspect needs some work, understanding the position of play, understanding the formation a bit better and getting more touches and more play will help them to stop the ball when they want to and pass the ball when they need to.” <

Strong second half boosts Oxford Hills to football win over Windham

By Matt Pascarella

In their first game of the regular season, Windham varsity football played Oxford Hills at Windham on Friday, Sept. 4. The two teams were neck-and-neck at halftime, but in the third quarter, the Vikings pulled ahead and couldn’t be caught to win, 34-14.

Senior Tegan Perkins begins to run toward the end zone after
catching a pass during Windham High's varsity football 
home opener against Oxford Hills on Friday, Sept. 4. 
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“We knew they were a strong team; I think the biggest thing was first game shivers,” said Windham senior Tegan Perkins. “Most of our guys are double-way starters. We were matching them pretty good, our guys stuck through it pretty well and nobody gave up from what I saw. We did really well at taking off after the huddle in all of our routes. We did well getting together as a team more at the end. We need to give our quarterback more time; the reads are there. If he has time, we just got to read it and that’s more touchdowns. I think we gave it our best ... overall, we all stuck up for each other. I was glad about the teamwork we showed.”

The game began with Oxford Hills receiving the ball at kickoff. Windham quickly recovered the ball after a Viking fumble and it was first and 10 on the 40-yard line.

Oxford Hills regained the ball when Windham turned the ball over on downs. With 28 seconds left in the first quarter, the Vikings scored a touchdown. The extra point was no good and the Vikings led 6-0.

At the start of second quarter, it was second and six for Windham. A short time later, the Eagles got a first down. The ball was at Oxford Hill’s 46-yard line. Windham got another first down at the Vikings’ 36-yard line. 

Windham junior Patrick Davenport connected with Perkins for a 29-yard touchdown pass. Then Davenport connected with junior Dominic Lopez, who ran the ball in for the 2-point conversion.

Shortly before the end of the half, Oxford Hills scored another touchdown, but Windham blocked their attempt at a 2-point conversion. At intermission, the Vikings led 12-8.

“We just got to work harder ... we have the talent and we need to put it all together on the field,” said Windham senior Landon Wyman. “Our pass game was pretty good; our run game is there. We definitely got to pull our emotions together; we can’t do anything about the refs, we just got to play through. If we just fix the little things that hurt us, like lazy blocking or not getting to the ball fast enough, if we pull that together, we’ll be good.”

Oxford Hills found the end zone early in the third quarter, but Windham’s defense blocked their 2-point conversion again.

Perkins ran the ball in for a 1-yard touchdown after a completed pass from junior Beckett Bragdon moved the ball to first-and-goal on the 3-yard line. The extra point was no good. Windham only trailed by four at this point in the game.

Another touchdown by the Vikings gave them a 26-14 lead after three quarters.

Windham continued to play hard and gave a maximum effort until the final buzzer.

The Vikings scored once more before the end of the game.

“We got behind the stick some where they bit us in second and long. They busted up our drives and we had multiple penalties that cost us, especially in the first half,” said Windham varsity football coach Matt Perkins. “It’s things we’ve got to fix. Some of it is maturity and some of it is believing in what you’re doing. I saw a lot of guys step up and continue to battle. The passing game was pretty good in the second half, a mistake here and a mistake there caught us and we got behind. Composure needs work. It’s a hard game, and Oxford Hills is a good team and if things don’t go your way, how are you going to handle the moment?” <

WHS cross country teams shine in home meet

By Matt Pascarella

In their first and only home meet of the season, Windham High School’s Cross Country teams faced Deering, Biddeford and Noble on Saturday, Sept. 5.

Windham senior Mason Bragdon maintains his focus as he
concentrates on the course during a prep cross country
meet at Windham on Saturday, Sept. 5.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

On this 5K course, the Windham boys finished second with a score of 49 and the Windham girls finished third with a score of 47.

“This was our first regular distance meet of the year, so I wanted to make sure they went ahead and got a time that we can start working off of,” said WHS cross country coach Paula Pock. “Today was to finish, see where we are at and continue to build from there. A lot of the athletes partnered up with their teammates, so they worked together, they all were ... pretty consistent on their pacing.”

BOYS

Freshman Miles Moreau finished first overall and first for Windham with a time of 18:43.30 minutes.

“My goals are to see what I can do and to see what my team can do this year,” said Moreau, who achieved a personal record this race. “My goal (for this race) was to go under 20 minutes. The first mile was a good one; I need to work on going faster up my hills. I learned I can go faster than I thought.”

Senior Mason Bragdon finished fourth overall and second for Windham in a time of 20:13.46.

Third for Windham and 13th overall was freshman Franklin Murray with a time of 22:59.76.

Not far behind Murray was freshman Clement Trombley who finished fourth for Windham and 15th overall posting a time of 23:18.89.

GIRLS

“We’ve done a lot of miles in practice, and I really want to put those to use today,” said Windham junior Stephanie Roghelia who finished fourth overall and first for Windham with a 24:12.94 time while also achieving a personal record. “My hills (went well); keeping my pace throughout the whole race (needs work) sometimes I go out a little fast and taper off, but I really want to work on negative slowing my race.”

Senior Alanna Lewis finished second for Windham and 10th overall with a time of 27:38.01.

Grace Rinaldi, a freshman, finished third for Windham and 12th overall with a 28:32.00 time.

Junior Virginia Pampaloni finished fourth for Windham and was 14th overall with time of 30:04.16.

“We had a lot of kids run their personal records, definitely for the season, but also for those who ran it last year, they got personal record from last year,” said Pock. “We’re going to continue working on our hill strength as well as endurance. I was extremely pleased; they showed a lot of grit, worked really hard, and they all stuck with it. Not overthinking is important.” <

WHS varsity boys’ soccer falls to Greely in preseason game

By Matt Pascarella

The start of the high school fall sports season has already begun, but in preparation for it, the Windham’s varsity boys’ soccer team played one final preseason game against Greely at Greely High School in Cumberland on Saturday, Aug. 29.

Windham junior Liam Wade tries to stop his opponent's
progress during a preseason boys' soccer game at
Greely High School in Cumberland on Aug. 29.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

The game was a hard-fought defensive battle that witnessed both teams going scoreless for over 60 minutes. 

More than halfway through the second half, the ball slipped through Windham senior goalie Jackson Goodwin’s fingers and gave the Rangers a 1-0 win.

“The effort was there,” said Windham senior Cameron Drapeau. “I don’t think we executed as we should of, our communication was less than it was in previous games. We need to execute and communicate our passes; work as we know we can. Our passing has been good; our communication has been better than last season. Communication can still improve. Overall, our possession and being calm on the ball can improve.”

The Eagles came out ready to play and defense was solid for the entire half, with neither team scoring. During the first and second half, Windham goalie Goodwin made multiple impressive saves.

“We as a team lacked winning headers, lacked getting to the ball,” said Goodwin.

In the second half, the first 20-plus minutes were scoreless. Then, with a little over 16 minutes left to play, the ball narrowly slipped through Goodwin’s fingers to give Greely its only goal of the game.

“I think a positive you can take away is if you take the goal that (Goodwin) gave up away, it’s still a 0-0 game,” said Windham varsity boys’ soccer coach Cole Washburn. “Positives were the effort was really, really high, no one gave up, they continued to play through; that says a lot about the program and where it’s headed going into the regular season ... wanting to play at a high level at all times. Now we know what we need to fix and work on ... we’ll work for the next few days on winning balls in the air, know where guys are on the field at all times and working together on the field. It’s about being better every day.”

Goodwin said the 60 scoreless minutes of play shows that Windham can play with just about any other team with a lot of passion and a lot of effort. He said they need to connect passes and keep communication up the entire game. <

Windham varsity field hockey ties Greely in preseason match

By Matt Pascarella

Windham varsity field hockey played Greely at home on Friday, Aug. 28 during its final game of the preseason and the Eagles held off the Rangers to end the game in a 2-2 tie.

Windham sophomore Hayley Johnsen moves to stop an
opponent's ball during a preseason field hockey game
against Greeley at Windham High School on Friday,
Aug. 28. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

Windham scored early and led 2-0 after the first quarter but Greely came back and tied the game 2-2 by halftime. Neither team scored after the first half.

“I think the preseason has prepared us really well,” said Windham senior Morgan McLain. “We’ve been doing a lot of conditioning; our agility and speed is way better than it was last year. We played our best. Our passing went really well up the right side of the field and the left side of the field. I think our defense are really starting to understand. We’re also starting to click as a family; we know where we’re going to be. We know how to get the ball up. Looking before we pass (needs work), moving the ball to a spot where our players are going not to where they are making it easier for them to run at the ball rather than stop their feet and go get the ball.”

Early in the first quarter, Windham junior Sarah Smyth scored after a penalty corner. Windham moved the ball well. Moments later, Windham sophomore Hayley Johnsen also scored.

The Eagles’ defense kept Greely from many scoring opportunities. Windham was aggressive and we tied 2-2 at the halftime break.

“Really working on the foundation of the team (is the preseason goal),” said Windham varsity field hockey coach Maddy Perfetti. “We ran them hard during the preseason and asked a lot of them and they stepped up and they are exhausted. If you can play tired, then we can do anything. Really working on those foundational 1 v. 1 skills, passing the ball and how to be a good teammate. Their positive communication on the field was just miles ahead of where it’s been. Teaching them that you can have your negative emotion, but not to put it onto everybody else. Working from the back, having a strong defensive unit needs to work. Making sure they have chemistry with each other, that they can play as a team ... they need to have that awareness of their teammates around them and building from that.” 

The second half was a strong defensive battle for both teams. Windham stayed with the ball and defense prevented any scoring for a full 30 minutes.

In the fourth quarter, Windham pressured and took several shots at Greely’s goal, but nothing got by for a goal.

“I think we’re in really good shape,” said Johnsen. “With what today held for us I’m really excited to see what we have ahead of us. Passing is looking really strong. Our defense and midfield have worked the ball up to forward line and if forward can finish it, we’re in good shape. Getting to the sides and the sideline in midfield (needs work). Greely is strong, they have a good foundation set, but if we had worked harder to get to the sidelines, we could have broken the tie.” <

Windham varsity girls’ soccer defeats Maranacook in preseason game

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham varsity girls’ soccer team played an early preseason game against Maranacook at Windham on Tuesday, Aug. 25. The teams were evenly matched in the first half, but Windham really cranked up the offensive intensity in the second half and knocked down the Black Bears 4-1 by the end of the game.

Windham sophomore Logan Curry won't be caught as she
heads toward the goal during a preseason girls' soccer
game against Maranacook on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“We had more intensity and drive to get the ball up in the second half, said Windham sophomore Logan Curry who scored two goals during the game. “I think in the beginning of the game the forwards weren’t as connected, with the help of coaches the forwards started to connect and create more space for the wings to get the ball. We communicated and played to space that helps create more space for other people to get the ball. We had some great plays in the back that led up to the forwards and created some good chances for us.”

The Eagles were a little slow to start in the first half but worked hard to be first to the ball and had multiple shots at Maranacook’s goalie, moving her around between the posts.

Curry scored during the first half. Windham offense and defense kept the pressure on the Maranacook goalie and for the most part kept the ball away from Windham’s goalie. Eagle offense did not let up until the first buzzer.

At intermission, the game was tied 1-1.

“The goal for all these scrimmages is to get better and to get kids to know how to play with each other,” said Windham varsity girls’ soccer coach Deb LeBel. “The younger players are stepping up and I’m really proud of them. We did ask (the team) to pick up the intensity in the second half and they did – they came right out and had some really nice shots.”

Windham pressured right from the start of the second half. Offense came at the goalie hard, with multiple shots at goal. Defense held the Black Bears back and severely limited their scoring chances.

Junior Emily Wardwell scored. Then junior Anna Bowie found the back of the net. Curry scored again before the final buzzer.

“We really stayed connected,” said Bowie. Everyone really got the ball and was getting to open space; everyone had a supporting pass which I think is really important. This is one of the first games where we came together as a team and looked really good. The second half we were definitely more aggressive in the box; we talked at halftime about being more aggressive. In the second half we made sure we won the ball and that’s why we scored more. Our goals are to really grow a bond as a team ... the more connected we become, the better we’ll be. Sometimes with our defense we have trouble figuring out how we can mark all the players. As the season goes on, we’ll figure those things out, and it’ll help us be stronger on defense.”

LeBel said the team did a better job toward the end of the game. Defensively they are getting stronger every single game; their confidence is building and she feels that when they possess well out of the back, it leads to them having really good scoring opportunities. LeBel said their finishing needs work; shoot with purpose and for the corners. If a player doesn’t have a nice shot, they should pass to a teammate so they can finish.

Windham will play Kennebunk in the season home opener at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3. <