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. <

WHS varsity volleyball works on sharpening skills during preseason games

By Matt Pascarella

In preparation for the start of the regular season, Windham High School’s varsity volleyball team played in the preseason Greely Play Day at Greely High School in Cumberland on Saturday, Aug. 22.

Windham senior Shaylin Burrell sets the ball for her
teammates in a prep volleyball game against Cheverus
during a preseason 'Play Day' at Greely High School
in Cumberland on Saturday, Aug. 22.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“We’re starting off getting a bunch of mechanics down and getting players comfortable with each other,” said Windham High varsity volleyball coach Chris Cloutier. “Improvement (is the goal). Wins will come with the improvement. It’s letting them get comfortable on the floor, making decisions, communicating with each other. One of the things we emphasize is being ok with failure, because failure leads to growth. We were aggressive, our centers were doing well with getting the balls out to the hitters, defensive coverage was pretty good. Getting comfortable in serve-receive (needs work) and knowing the tendencies of the players when you’re in serve-receive ... anticipating versus watching and reacting.”

The day was broken into 30-minute play periods scored to 25. This was the first time this varsity team played together against other varsity teams. Windham played four games total in which they beat Wells 25-10, lost to Greely 25-10, played a very, very close game with Gray New-Gloucester where they came back from being significantly behind to end the game in a 25-25 tie (winner had to win by two) and then lost to Cheverus 25-17 in the final game.

“I think we did great; I’m glad we got to do this before the real season started,” said Windham junior Ava Sibley. “I think this was a great start to the preseason. We played against some teams we don’t play in the regular season. Our serve-receive was really good. I think everyone did a good job hitting and serving, our serving percentage was really good as well. Sometimes people get in their heads, so I think we need to work on getting our energy up no matter what happens. My takeaway from today is it doesn’t really matter if we win or lose, it’s having fun that matters the most – when you’re having fun you play your best.”

Windham senior and libero Zoi Candelmo said that the Play Day games help the team to see what they need to work on, and it helps their coach to see issues at the start of the season. Their goal is to try to come together as a team. They lost 12 seniors to graduation, so they’re building a whole new team.

“It’s really easy to do the drills (in practice) and expect it because you know where the balls going to go in the drill, but when you go up against players you don’t know; it’s really helpful getting a read on them,” said Windham senior Shaylin Burrell. “It’s so helpful because you get a taste of what it’s going to be like playing these teams without it actually being (scored) for something.”

She said that the team chemistry is really good this season.

“Learning to work together went well,” said Candelmo. “During a few games our serve-receive was good. We came in with three goals: serve-receive, ball-setter, ball-hitter and blocking, and we did well in trying to improve on those goals. We need to work on where to be and when to be there. Setting our blocks at the right place to allow our defense to play around it.”

The takeaway for both Candelmo and Burrell was that the Play Day games were helpful. They got to see what they need to improve upon and had fun in the process. They believe Windham is a balanced team that plays well together and will only get better.

Windham’s varsity volleyball will compete in its home-opener against Gray New-Gloucester at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8. <

WHS football starts strong at preseason practice

By Matt Pascarella

The preseason for athletics officially began earlier this week and Windham High School’s varsity football team had its first practice of the fall on Monday, Aug. 17. Windham showed they are working hard and ready to win as a team.

Windham junior Dominic Lopez reaches to catch a pass
during the first practice of the varsity football preseason
at Windham High School on Monday, Aug. 17.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“We had a plan all summer as to what stuff we’d install and where we’d be to hit the ground running, so I feel pretty good about where we’re at and where guys are at,” said Windham varsity football coach Matt Perkins. “We’re just following what we went through summer to now. The biggest thing (goal-wise for the players) is energy and being coachable, asking questions and being open to learning. Guys will be working on learning the playbook; the big thing for us is the ability to understand your job and the guy’s job next to you.”

The team has a scrimmage scheduled at Kennebunk High on Saturday, Aug. 22. This will be the first time the Eagles will take the field this season.

According to Windham senior Landon Wyman, scrimmages and exhibition games show the team who’s really getting after it and wants to win. His goals for the season are to let everyone have fun and do as much as possible to try and benefit the team.

Over the course of the summer, players have been putting in the work. The team played summer football in preparation for the fall season. They’ve been putting the talent together to create team chemistry.

“We’ve been a lot more intense from last year,” said Windham junior Dominic Lopez. “We’ve been stepping up in practice and preparing more so we can improve on what we did last year. My goals are to make sure the team ... goes to states and at least makes playoffs.”

Lopez said that his personal goal is to make All-Conference this year. He also said he wants to make sure everyone on the team improves.

“If you see someone mess up, don’t get down on them,” said Lopez. “Try to help them improve what they’re doing and fix them in practice. And ... talk to new players outside of practice to make sure they’re included in everything.”

This team knows what it takes to succeed and has been working hard to make sure that happens. There was a lot of strong effort put forth by many individual players during that first practice of the preseason and the team has been putting in the work all week. Windham is ready to show what they are made of.

After Windham scrimmages at Kennebunk, they’ll play an exhibition game against Noble at home on Thursday, Aug. 27. Kickoff for that matchup is at 6 p.m.

“It’s about building each practice,” said Perkins. “We’re not caught up on who we’re playing and what they’re doing, it’s about us getting better and us seeing ourselves develop so the guys can understand how the process works.”

On Friday, Sept. 4, Windham will take on the Oxford Hills Vikings at home in the first official game of the regular season with a 6 p.m. kickoff. <