12U softball wins against Portland

Bottom Row - Chloe Edwards, Ashley Cloutier, Lacie Higgins, 

Caitlyn Marsh, Addison Leger

Top Row -Oriah Doucette, Rachelle Cloutier, 

Sophia Kalogerakis, Alayna Baldwin-Dagnese, Taylor Bernier

Coaches- Ronnie Higgins,  Shawn Leger, Ryan Edwards

By Matt Pascarella

The 12U softball team, comprised of 10 to 12-year olds, played their last home game, against Portland, on Sunday, October 20.

Portland scored one run in the first, and Windham answered back with a slug fest. Chloe Edwards,

#6, got a double. After Taylor Bernier, #2, got hit by the pitch, #7 Lacie Higgins bunted and got on base, Edwards scored.

Alayna Baldwin-Dagnese, #1, got hit by the pitch and now the bases were loaded. Bernier scored after Rachelle Cloutier, #3, got hit by the pitch. Caitlyn Marsh, #11, got a base hit and Baldwin-Dagnese and Bernier made it to home plate.

5-1, Lady Eagles.

Windham’s defense was sound as more than once the inning ended with Portland runners on base.

In the third, Baldwin-Dagnese got a base hit, then scored; 7-1, Windham.

In the fourth, Edwards doubled and scored. Fast forward to the sixth inning where Portland had started to make a comeback, but Windham put a stop to it and took the game, final: 9-6.

“This year we’ve expanded [fall ball participation] and it’s been a pretty good success overall. 

There’s been a lot of versatility with learning different positions and creating a good experience for the kids,” replied coach Ron Higgins. “Coaches Ryan Edwards and Shawn Leger bring knowledge, experience and a positive vibe to the group. This has been the second year for Windham with Fall softball and it seems to be a hit!”

Volleyball teams end seasons with a spike of excitement

By Matt Pascarella

Seniors: Back row: Emma Ward, Jessica Brooks, Megan Fleck, Meghan Harmon, Sierra Guite, Sarah Elder, Morgan Proulx, Angela Spiller. Front row: Lauren Kluwas, Maya Gaudet

The volleyball teams played Bonny Eagle, at home, on Tuesday, October 22^nd.

JV

Bonney Eagle won the first set, 25-17. Windham was neck and neck with teamwork and solid volleying in the second set. Windham pulled ahead, scored match point and won 25-22. Bonny Eagle had a lead in set three, Windham caught up, spiked the ball skillfully as enthusiasm rose. They battled, but Bonny Eagle won, 15-11.  

“They learned a lot about defense and coverage,” stated Coach India Ross. “The team grew a lot and I’m really proud of them.”

Varsity

It was senior night; seniors and their parents were acknowledged and thanked. Windham started with a significant lead. They were aggressive and took set one 25-20.

Bonny Eagle won set two 25-17. Windham won set three, 25-22.

In a high energy set four, Bonny Eagle got several shots blocked by Windham. Windham tied the game at 7 and ran away with the lead: 15-10, 20-11, then match point and the Lady Eagles won 25-12.

“The girls pulled out the matches that were important for us,” Coach Chris Cloutier commented. “I think, overall it was a really good season.”

Jordan-Small Middle School soccer: Learning and having fun all season

Taylor Juhase

By Matt Pascarella

In their last home game and second to last game of the season, the Jordan-Small Middle School boys and girls got back-to-back wins against Fryeburg. The teams and players have been learning, improving and having fun all season long.

“We started our season losing pretty big,” observed girls’ coach, Adina Baseler. “They worked really hard, and now we’re ending the season [on a better note.] They’ve come quite a way.”

When it comes to experience, this is a mixed group. There are a couple who play on travel soccer teams, but Baseler has five players who this is their first time ever playing soccer. The remaining players have varying levels of experience.

Baseler describes her girls as ‘the true meaning of team.’ They support one another, they are always encouraging, and they have become a little family.

The girls have learned how to communicate and that will definitely benefit them come next sport or next season. They’ve also learned how to fill the spaces on the field, which is not an easy skill to learn, but is very important.

“I learned to try my best and not give up,” explained eighth grader Taylor Juhase. “I play travel soccer and it’s definitely different...so I need to learn it’s a different atmosphere.”

The girls ended the first half up after Maya VanHise, #12, put two between the posts. They played strong and moved the ball well, being aggressive. VanHise scored once more and Jordan Small took this game 3-1.

The boys also lost their first game, but after trying their new formation and, as Coach Jim Beers described it, “[the team] learning to play with each other”, things got better from there. During the following practices after that first game, Coach Beers stressed the importance of getting in the right spots and playing with each other and learning how to pass. “The biggest key to our success is passing the ball and looking for each other,” added Beers.

Ever since they learned to play together, it’s clicked up and down the field. Now they look for each other as a group, instead of one player wanting to be the team superstar every game. On a team of 22 guys, 14 of them have scored during a game.

“I think they learned possession and how to play as a ten-person group,” Beers continues. “It’s getting them disciplined that is important.”

“Coach has taught me a lot about sports including soccer, like dribbling, or to be on the field and I’ll use that a lot in basketball...and in soccer next year in high school,” said eighth grader Login Desrochers.

Fryeburg scored early and the boys were down. Toward the end of the first half, Login Desrochers, #20, scored. The boys were aggressive and took several shots on goal in the second half. Noah Mains, #34, Hunter Simpson, #9, and Jake Gagne, #13, all got one by the goalie and Jordan-Small won, 4-1.

Varsity golf does well in State Championship

By Matt Pascarella

After finishing second out of 18 teams at the 8-hole golf Qualifier played at Natanis Golf Course, a par 72, in Vassalboro on Monday, September 30th, the Windham High School golf team qualified to play in the SMAA Team Championship on Saturday, October 5th.  Evan Glicos, Drew Mathieu, and Ryan Sargent also qualified to play in the SMAA Individual Championship on October 12th.

Left to Right: Zach Loftis – Co-Captain Evan Glicosm, Co-Captain Ryan Sargent, Nolan Kent, Ryan Silva, Coach Adam Manzo, Drew Mathieu (Jr). 

The championship was also played at Natanis Golf Course. The team finished T8 at the Class A team championship. Individually, Evan Glicos came in eighth place, Ryan Sargent came in tenth place, and Drew Mathieu came in 21st place.

“After missing out on team states two years ago by five strokes and last year by one stroke, this was a highly successful season for Windham golf,” said Coach Adam Manzo. “We were selected as a preseason team to watch and we certainly lived up to those expectations. I am incredibly happy for these kids that they got to experience playing in a team state championship.  They have put in a lot of work over the past four seasons and to be rewarded for their efforts is pretty awesome.”

U13 boys’ soccer defeat Bangor to win Falmouth Fall Classic

By Jason Weatherby

Windham U13 Boys played a fierce competitor in the finals at the 2019 Falmouth Fall Classic.  Windham hit the field on Monday, October 14th, to play the undefeated Bangor Soccer Club's U13 Boys team.

Bangor came out strong and scored in the first five minutes of the game slipping one through the fingers of the goalie. Windham was struggling to get to the ball and find feet with their passing.

Half time: 0-1 Bangor

The half time speech from Coach Michael Cunniffe proved to be a beneficial one as Windham came out strong. Opportunities began to present themselves. Windham was a different team.

Coaches: Left to Right: Michael Cunniffe, Chris Trafford, Jason Weatherby 

Players: Top left to Right: Zach Noonan, Luke Cunniffe, Creighty Dickson, Garrett Crossman, Andrew Hare, Oliver Weatherby, Zach Trafford, Bottom left to Right: Connor Gallant, Andrew Young, Carter Engleman, Logan Inman, Evan Yale, Luke Hammond, Sam Rogers, Ben Shaw, Gabe Glass, Rory Good.

Communication and hard work paid off.  Playing to open space, a through ball from Zachary Noonan to Sam Rogers would put Windham on the board with a shot low and in the corner.  Tied 1-1.  Windham used the momentum and had Bangor on the run.

Bangor, now pressuring Windham in an attempt to maintain their fading control, proved to be a false hope. With a shot on net, Goalie, Luke Hammond makes another save and quickly releases the ball back over Bangor's team to Oliver Weatherby.  A break away from Weatherby and he finds the back
of the net.  2-1 Windham.

Seventeen minutes to spare in the game and everyone was working hard.  Midfielders and defense were monumental in this victory.

Final Score: 2-1 Windham

Goalie Luke Hammond made 14 saves in total on a broken foot.

Windham is currently the top seeded team in the state heading into playoffs this weekend.

All Season record: 16-0

Windham kept lead against Biddeford

Ethan Wert

By Matt Pascarella

Boys’ varsity soccer hit the field against Biddeford at home on Tuesday, October 15th. It was Windham Youth Soccer Night; all the Windham Youth Soccer players and coaches were announced and took the field with the littlest players being announced onto the field with a varsity player.

The Eagles were aggressive right out of the gate. Owen Flibbert, #7, scored in the first six minutes.

Windham was passing well and had several shots on goal. Connor Langstaff, #30, scored partway through the first half. Ezra Smith, #15, headed the ball in goal off a corner kick.

Half: 3-1, Windham

Windham kept up their intensity and defense blocking shots and passes. Ethan Wert #20 scored before the final buzzer.

Final 4-1, Windham

“We came in with a pretty positive attitude...we played together as a team, we didn’t try to force things and it just kind of came together for us,” remarked coach Ben Schulz.

Strong efforts by WMS Field Hockey

Casey O'Connell

By Matt Pascarella

The seventh and eighth grade field hockey teams played Lyman Moore Middle School, at Windham, on Tuesday, October 15th.

Seventh Grade
Windham was aggressive and pressured right from the start. They were passing well and had several
shots on goal. The Lady Eagles were focused, worked to be first to the ball and stayed with the ball. Although Lyman Moore scored, Windham had terrific defense, and blocked several shots and passes.

Half: 2-0, Moore

In the second half, Windham turned up the intensity when Myla Vercoe, #22, rocketed the ball into the goal. The Lady Eagles continued solid passing and strong offense and defense. Windham took shots on goal and kept the pressure on Lyman Moore. Avi Webb, #9, sent the ball past the goalie and scored. Now the game is tied at two. Windham did not slow down. They left it all on the field, but Lyman Moore took this one 4-2.

“They played in a great way that was able to progress us offensively; they had great momentum on the corners, strong powerful hits,” commented Coach Jaimee Smith. “They really had been working on their spacing in practice, so I think today that showed...their ability to work together as a team was helpful...they played really, really well.”

Eighth Grade
Windham came out strong and passed the ball well. They were first to the ball with excellent offense and defense. Casey O’Connell, #38, scored early on. Then, less than two minutes later, ZZ Gurney, #11, fired the ball past the goalie. Windham was aggressive and stayed with the ball.

Half: 2-0, Windham

The Lady Eagles pressured Lyman Moore in the second half. They moved the ball nicely around the
field. Lyman Moore scored twice, and the game was tied with the clock winding down. Windham stepped up their defense and blocked shots and battled to break the tie. At the whistle, the final score remained 2-2.

“They had great passing, good momentum, good teamwork and they kept their sticks down in the circle,” observed Coach Lyndsay Stretch.

Eighth grade boys’ soccer win in second half

Blake McPherson

By Matt Pascarella

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

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

Half: 0-0

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

Final: 3-0, Windham

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

Boys’ soccer put in a good effort against Cheverus

Vireak Tray

By Matt Pascarella

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

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

Half: 1-0, Cheverus

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

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

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

Cross Country crushes it at the Festival of Champs

Hannah Lagstaff

By Matt Pascarella

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

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

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

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

Girls

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

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

Niall Gushue

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

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

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

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

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

Boys

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                                                           

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

Mya Bolk

By Matt Pascarella

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

Varsity

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

Half: 1-0, Windham

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

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

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

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

JV

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

Half: 1-0, Windham

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

Final: 3-0, Windham

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