Windham varsity volleyball earns first win of season over Noble

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham High varsity volleyball team earned its first win of the season at home when they swept Noble 3-0 on Wednesday, Sept. 13.

Windham sophomore Rowan Cummings serves the ball and
scores the final point needed for Windham's first varsity
volleyball win of the season on Wednesday, Sept. 13 during
a home match against Noble.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“It felt exciting to get the first win,” said Windham varsity senior Lilly McLean. “It definitely was a really positive environment tonight. It was nice to see. We showed how much we wanted it.”

McLean said that communication and positive feedback were exceptional on the court against Noble and every Windham player was very supportive of one another.

Varsity volleyball matches are determined by best-of-three sets with each set going to 25 points. In the first set, Noble took a small lead early on. However, once Windham was on the scoreboard, it did not take them long to tie the game and then take the lead. Windham sophomore Sydney Harmon’s serving, coupled with Windham’s teamwork and smart playing abilities added several points to the scoreboard in the first set. At one point Windham had a 10-point lead and went on to take the first set, 25-11.

The gym was electric and roared with cheers every time the Lady Eagles scored, which was frequently.

In the second set, Noble jumped out to an early lead. This was short-lived again as Windham’s strong communication helped them score. A hit from sophomore Oakley McLeod and Windham was back in charge. In no time, the team was just two points off the lead. This close set was tied at 15, but Windham edged out ahead and took this set, 25-22.

“As a team I think we managed to cover the ball a bit better,” said Harmon. “We have been working super hard and have been very diligent about how we practice that.”

Harmon said Windham set up their hitters more frequently and to make sure it wasn’t just for power. Harmon said they got this win because they stayed positive, and they focused more on how to fix mistakes during play.

Set three began with Noble taking the lead, but Windham soon tied the game. The Lady Eagles remained intense and had solid volleys and attacks. This was another close set. Sophomore Lauren Neal served up a handful of points for Windham. Noble was not far behind. It was Windham sophomore Rowan Cummings who got the winning point and the Lady Eagles took this set, 25-20.

Cummings said although she may have scored the winning point, this was really a team win. She said Windham took the time in practice to go over what they needed to work on and they brought those skills to this game. Windham was a cohesive team, and everyone brought the energy needed.

“All year we’ve had really good energy and I think today is just the culmination of it,” said Windham varsity volleyball coach Chuck Fleck. “Once it clicked, they rolled right through. We’re executing well – our offense is starting to click, our defense is covering well, serves were phenomenal; so now everything is starting to fit into place.” <

Windham varsity golf plays Greely on road and shows improvement

By Matt Pascarella

Halfway through the season and coming off a win over Bonny Eagle, the Windham High School coed varsity golf team continues to improve and showed its skill during a match against Greely at Val Halla Golf & Recreation, a par 36 course in Cumberland on Tuesday, Sept. 19. Although Windham improved from the last time these two teams met when Greely won by a score of 11-2, this time the Eagles fell 9-4 to the Rangers.

Windham junior Addison Profenno hits the ball during a
coed varsity golf match against Greely at Val Halla Golf
and Recreation in Cumberland on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

Overall, Greely topped Windham in total strokes, 213-237.

“It was tough because we didn’t have practice [on Monday] because of the weather,” said Windham varsity golf coach Adam Manzo. “Not having practice, the day before a match is tough sometimes. This is probably one of the nicest courses we’ve played so far.”

Manzo said as a team, this group is more connected. He said that they all get along very well and more importantly this year other than wins and losses is that this team has become such good friends and good teammates; and everyone is on the same page.

Windham junior Brady Harvie earned Windham two match points and shot a 39 against Greely. Junior Addison Profenno also earned the team two match points, birdied on the second hole, and shot a 43; junior Joe Donnelly shot a 49, sophomore Devin Zachary shot a 52, sophomore Josh Logan shot a 54 and freshman Bradyn Woodward shot a 59.

Harvie said conditions were nice for the match and the weather was great. He said he hit his irons pretty well, but his driver was a little off. Harvie also made some good putts and he said that when he plays tighter courses like this that his goal is to keep the ball in play.

Donnelly had never played the back 9 at Val Halla and said that he played it as safe as he could. He said that his driver went well, long irons were ok, but short game wasn’t there.

Profenno said she was pleased with her game against Greely.

“I usually put a lot of pressure on myself,” said Profenno. “But this time, I took every shot as my first one.” This paid off for Profenno as she notched one of her season’s lowest scores.

She said her teammate Devin Zachary helped her, and the course had good conditions; there was no heat which made for nice play. This time playing against Greely fared better for Profenno and she thought the back 9 at Val Halla was better for her than the front 9.

Manzo’s message to the team remained the same against a powerful team like Greely - wins are great, but is Windham playing well at the right time, and up to their best potential. He said this is important as they head toward end-of-the-season qualifiers.

Everyone on the team is capable of doing well as the end-of-season approaches, Manzo said. <

Windham boys’ soccer dominates Gorham in 4-1 win

By Matt Pascarella

Windham High’s varsity boys’ soccer team remained undefeated as they rolled past Gorham with a massive 4-1 victory at home on Thursday, Sept. 7. The Eagles continued to progress as an in-sync team that plays for each other and leaves it all on the field.

Windham junior Sam Rogers stays with the ball and ahead of
his opponent during a boys' varsity soccer match on
Thursday, Sept. 7. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

“That’s a tough team were playing, but we’re really confident in what we have right now,” said Windham senior Nick Marion. “We can outplay anyone if we stick to our plan, and we play our game. We were playing exactly how we wanted to, and it just came down to execution.”

Marion said that Windham possessions and their back line play was outstanding.

Windham came out with intensity and moved the ball well with strong defense throughout the match. They stayed with the ball and their footwork was impressive against Gorham.

Some 10 minutes into the first half, Marion scored on an assist by junior Sam Rogers. Marion then scored again with 22:35 left in the first half.

Windham did not let up and several times rerouted the ball away from their net and toward Gorham’s goal. At the end of the first half, Windham led 2-1.

Less than three minutes into the second half, Marion scored again for the third time as Windham remained aggressive with tough defense.

“Anytime you have a cross-town rival in a program that has great success ... that’s all the motivation you need [to feed the competitiveness],” said Windham boys’ varsity soccer coach Jeff Neal. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the team effort and the leadership that we’ve had has been fantastic ... cross the board, great effort tonight.”

Neal said that the program has been trying to build a culture of any day, any game, any team, and they have also worked to build the team’s mentality to overcome adversity and not get stuck in the moment thinking negatively.

According to Neal, Windham focuses on what they must do to be better and that applies off the field as well as on.

Windham outshot Gorham with 18 shots at goal to Gorham’s total of seven.

Rogers scored for the Eagles with less than 20 minutes left in play to make it a 4-1 match.

“Coming into the game we thought it’s been 11 years since we even came close to being the team we are,” said Rogers. “[Gorham] dominated us every year. It feels very good to beat them and we all had the mentality we knew we were going to do it.”

Rogers said they had a good mindset coming into the game and they’ve been working hard in practice. Rogers said passing went well and they had good substitute rotations, so players were getting rest. He thought it was an excellent match for the Eagles. <

WHS varsity girls’ soccer mows down Portland

By Matt Pascarella

After the Windham varsity girls’ soccer team beat Cheverus 2-0, last month, the team returned to the pitch to take on Portland on Saturday, Sept. 9 at home, and their winning ways continued as they hammered the Bulldogs, 6-0.

Windham junior Stella Jarvais stays with the ball before
heading toward the goal during a girls' varsity soccer
match against Portland at Windham High School on
Saturday, Sept. 9. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“We came ready to play,” said Windham sophomore Neve Ledbetter, who found the back of the net three times during the game. “We were all very tough ... everyone did their part; we were passing well, we communicated well and that just led to everybody getting a piece of a goal, everybody being tough and everyone hustling.”

Ledbetter said they held the defensive line, and everyone played together as a team.

The game began with Windham’s offense going hard at Portland as they took shot after shot at goal. Roughly 16 minutes into the game, Ledbetter scored, assisted by Windham sophomore Marley Jarvais. Ledbetter scored again with a header from a corner kick, also assisted by Jarvais.

Windham enjoyed solid passing and strong defense against Portland. Junior Stella Jarvais scored next on an indirect kick. Windham remained tenacious right up until the last buzzer of the first half of the match. Defense kept the ball away from Windham’s goal for large parts of the half.

Windham junior Hannah Lee scored with three minutes left in the first half, assisted by freshman Isabella Vassoler. Windham led 4-0 at the intermission.

“[Windham] is implementing what we’re working on in practice really well,” said Windham varsity girls’ soccer coach Deb Lebel. “Distributing the ball well, switching field, not just going right down the middle. And defensively we’ve figured out who the key players are and honed in on them; we’re jelling, we get a little better each game.”

The second half brought just as much intensity from the Lady Eagles. Less than 10 minutes into the half, Ledbetter scored her third goal of the match, assisted by Marley Jarvais. Defense remained strong as the team continued to block any scoring opportunities Portland came up with.

With roughly 14 minutes left in the match, Windham senior Abby Lloyd scored from a corner kick and was assisted by junior Tayla Pelletier.

In all, Windham had 22 shots at goal; and Portland had just five.

“Our spacing was really good,” said Lloyd. “Our passing was really good. Individually we all did what we needed to; coming together as a team we are all in the places we need to be, and we need to keep working harder. Portland is an aggressive team, but when we come out, we come out to win. No one out there is selfish, we all get good passes, we play well together and that gets us goals and that gets us wins.” <

Windham field hockey aims to be competitive yet again

By Ed Pierce

Windham High Field Hockey coach Cory DiDonato has lofty expectations for her team entering the 2023 season thanks to a solid core group of returning players and some promising new talent added to the squad.

Windham's field hockey team gathers after team's first game
of the season against Scarborough at Windham High School
on Aug. 31. COURTESY PHOTO

Now in her 16th season as head coach of the Eagles, DiDonato will rely heavily on contributions from junior forward Zoe Dries, junior forward/midfielder Grace Joly, and the versatile Sam Bell who can play all the positions.

A year ago, Dries tallied 12 goals and recorded four assists which was second overall in scoring for the team, while Joly had 6 goals and 5 assists for Windham. Bell anchored the team’s midfield dominance and she is expected to play an increased role for the Eagles on defense this season.

“Communication and hard work will be the keys to the season,” DiDonato said.

Also returning for WHS are junior midfield/defender Ava Gerrity, who DiDonato rates as a solid defender and senior midfielder Elizabeth Gurney, whom the coach is counting on to play a vital role this fall. Other returning players are Zocia Lawind, and Abby Trainor.

“Our team is the strongest in our versatility. We have multiple players who can play anywhere on the field,” DiDonato said. “We lost our starting defense so I expect that we will be working hard on filling those roles and stepping up to the challenge.”

DiDonato said two new players will be expected to step in and have an immediate impact for Windham this year.

“I expect big things from Elizabeth Baker, a sophomore defender, and Olivia McPherson, a goalie,” DiDonato said.

Facing a tough schedule, time will tell what this group of returning players can accomplish, but DiDonato says the team has worked hard in getting ready for the challenging season ahead and they are hoping to step up and build on the success that Windham enjoyed in varsity field hockey a year ago.

“We are replacing a large graduation loss, but we have a core group that traveled with us to the Western Maine Championship game last year,” she said. “I expect that experience to help us be competitive and driven to do our best.”

Windham opened the season Aug. 31 with a 3-2 loss at home to Scarborough but regrouped and posted a 6-1 road victory over South Portland/Westbrook on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

The remainder of the schedule includes games at Kennebunk on Sept. 11 and at Scarborough on Sept. 13. Windham hosts Biddeford on Sept. 16 and then goes back on the road to Noble on Sept. 19.

The Eagles will host Falmouth on Sept. 25 and visit Massabesic on Sept. 27. Then Windham has three consecutive home games against Bonny Eagle on Sept. 29, Portland/Deering on Oct. 5 and Cheverus on Oct. 7.

Windham will then play road games against Thornton Academy on Oct. 11 and Gorham Oct. 13 before closing out the season with a home matchup against Marshwood on Oct. 17. <

Expectations high for WHS cross country squads

By Ed Pierce

Under the guidance of veteran coach Jeff Riddle, Windham High School is looking for another strong season for cross country runners in 2023 and continuing to demonstrate why the team remains a tough challenge on the schedule for competitors across the state.

Windham senior Graden Joly is
expected to provide leadership
and be one of the top cross
country runners for WHS during
the 2023 season.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

Riddle, a former SMAA Coach of the Year, is effective at developing runners to reach their full potential and motivating his teams to excel year after year.

This year will be no exception, according to Riddle.

“WHSXC (Windham High School Varsity Cross Country) Girls and Boys teams are harnessing and focusing their excitement to best compete this fall,” Riddle said.

This year’s team is made up of 33 dedicated runners with 14 girls and 19 boys, and the coach says that both the boys’ and girls’ squads are excited to once again have foreign exchange students contributing as team members on both rosters.

“This summer at WHSXC Camp a number of the runners spent time effectively learning some new ways to consistently train; and the team is already experiencing the benefits of the time put in over their summer,” Riddle said.

According to Riddle, Windham’s returning cross country veterans recognize that they will need to lead their new teammates and elevate them to fill some of the top 7 scoring gaps left vacant by last year's graduates.

“The 2023 team is up to that challenge,” the coach said. “To date, the team had a great showing at the Dan Dorr's Lake Region Invitational race where the girls were team champions, and the boys earned a respectful second-place finish.”

He said that the teams are looking forward to each race opportunity in front of them.

“They will compete in large invitational races again this fall including The Southern Maine Classic in Gorham and the Festival of Champions in Belfast to name a few,” Riddle said.

Among the top returning runners for Windham’s cross country girls’ team this fall are junior Tayla Pelletier and senior Beth Bearce, while the boy’s squad will feature senior Graden Joly and junior Andrew Young.

To date in her prep career, Pelletier has recorded a personal best time of 17:31.40 at 4,000 meters at the Freeport Falcon 4K Cross County Challenge, and Bearce has posted a personal best time of 23:17.00 for 5,000 meters at the SMAA Meet at Portland.

Joly has set a personal best time of 14:22.00 at 4,000 meters at the Freeport Falcone 4K Cross Country Challenge and Young was first in the State Championship meet in a time of 18:39.85 as a sophomore.

On Sept. 8, Windham will travel to compete in a meet at Biddeford and then journey to Narragansett for the Fleet Feet Classic on Sept 16.

On Sept. 22, the Eagles host Westbrook/Sanford/Thornton Academy and will compete in the Festival of Champions on Sept. 30. The Eagles then travel to face Scarborough on Oct. 6 before the regional meet on Oct. 21.

The State Championships will be held in Belfast on Oct. 28. <

Eagles’ gridiron experience could be key to 2023 success

By Ed Pierce

There’s something to be said for experience and especially when it comes to prep football. It can make the difference between making costly penalties and choosing the right route for receivers to exploit down the field. Entering the 2023 varsity season, the Windham High School varsity football squad will rely heavily on its experience to take them to another level on the gridiron.

Members of the Windham High School varsity football team
gather before a preseason scrimmage game at Cony on Aug.
24. The Eagles open the regular season on the road with a 
game against Skowhegan at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1.
PHOTO BY LINDSAY LEWIS ARBOUR   

Under the leadership Coach Matt Perkins, the Eagles finished the 2022 campaign at 5-4, but key contributors were able to rack up valuable minutes that Perkins believes will be beneficial going up against a schedule of tough opponents.

“We feel that our strength is that we are very balanced on both sides of the ball, and we feel like we have a lot of depth at many positions,” Perkins said.

According to Perkins, Windham played Cony tough in a pre-season exhibition scrimmage last week and he felt it gave the Eagles a better idea of what it will take to win this fall.

“We felt like our team took some big steps and improved from the scrimmage,” Perkins said.

Windham will be led by senior wide receiver and defensive back Ezra Foster (6-foot, 180 pounds), senior offensive and defensive lineman Jacob Goslant (6-foot-2, 240 pounds), senior offensive and defensive lineman Joe Somma (5-foot-11, 230 pounds). Foster, Goslant, and Somma, along with senior running back/linebacker Tobias Perkins, senior wide receiver/linebacker Briggs Valliere, senior running back/linebacker Dan Mitchell and junior lineman/linebacker Braydon Penny, were members of the Eagles’ 2021 squad that made it all the way to the Maine Class B championship game before falling by a point, 14-13, to Marshwood at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

Perkins said those players, along with senior running back/defensive back Marcus Tillery have shown outstanding heart and hustle in practice and are highly motivated in leading the team into its season opener Friday, Sept. 1 at Skowhegan.

Following the opening week’s regular-season matchup against the Skowhegan River Hawks, the Eagles will host the Bangor Rams on Friday, Sept. 8.

Windham will be at home on Friday, Sept. 15 against the Edward Little Red Eddies, and then Windham visits Thornton Academy on Friday, Sept. 22 for a matchup against the Trojans.

The rest of the schedule for the Eagles includes a road game on Friday, Sept. 29 against the Portland Bulldogs before returning home to face the Scarborough Red Storm on Friday, Oct. 6.

The Eagles travel on Friday, Oct. 13 for a road contest against the Oxford Hills Vikings and then host the Lewiston Blue Devils on Friday, Oct. 20.

The final regular season game for Windham will be on the road on Friday, Oct. 27 against the Bonny Eagle Scots.

Perkins said having players on this year’s Windham team who know and appreciate the value of hard work is significant.

“We feel that because of the work ethic and drive of this group, we could have a successful season,” Perkins said. <