Windham varsity baseball falls to Marshwood in home opener

By Matt Pascarella

Windham’s varsity baseball team took the field against Marshwood for their season home opener on Wednesday, April 17 but fell to Marshwood, 8-2.

Windham senior Login Desrochers runs to first base after
hitting the ball to the outfield during the prep baseball
season-opener against Marshwood on Wednesday, April 17
at Windham High School. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

The Eagles had kept it a scoreless game for four innings, but a few key hits by the Hawks in the top of the fifth inning gave them a big lead and Windham struggled to recover. Although Windham did cross the plate and have a few hits, Marshwood’s fifth-inning boost was too much to overcome.

“We definitely need to do a better job of handling that,” said Windham senior Login Desrochers. “It’s rough but we played really well the rest of the game ... we just got to focus on limiting the damage when we get in situations like that. I think the first half of the game we swung the bats well; we did pretty good in the field. We got to string our hits together, they were a little spread out. We had too many strikeouts today, way too many swings and misses. Guys need to get together and rally in big moments, but other than that, we’re looking pretty good.”

Windham defense really limited Marshwood’s opportunities in the first four innings. Senior Brady Harvie was on the mound and struck out eight and only let up three hits.

Desrochers singled in the first inning, but unfortunately was left on base.

“That’s the type of situation where they just got five or six runs; there’s no reason we can’t get five or six runs,” said Windham varsity baseball coach Chris Doughty. “That’s baseball – aside from that big inning, I thought we played pretty even. Their starter is arguably the best pitcher in the state. I felt like we were prepared – a couple times I felt like we didn’t take advantage of opportunities we had; our energy was a bit deflated after that [fifth] inning. You can have a big inning at any time ... especially with the talent we have on the team. Once we get on base we have a ton of speed. Still feel really good about the team, we’re going to have a great season.”

Harvie doubled in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sophomore Ethan Clapp singled and brought Harvie home.

“Felt good going into that fifth inning,” said Harvie. “I had been pitching good that other four, kind of lost a couple of my pitches and couldn’t throw them for strikes. Hit a couple batters and had a rough inning but powered through. We made some good plays in the field; we need to get our bats going some more ... we got to be able to hit through our order and at least get the ball in play; we got to avoid that blow up inning and try to play seven solid innings of baseball.”

In the bottom of the sixth inning, senior Erik Bowen was hit by a pitch; he quickly stole second base and crossed home plate after Desrochers hit a line drive to center field.

Windham battled in the bottom of the seventh inning but could not make up the difference.

“We were good in our own individual ways for the first few innings,” said senior Ryan Smyth who pitched the final inning. “We got to collect as a team ... we got to get that timely hitting down and score runs. You can’t just take that one inning and be like, ‘the game’s over.’ It’s something we got to work on as a team and we’ll definitely be able to get there by the first couple games. That was a great pitcher we faced today – it’s not easy to face someone like him; we’ll adjust and get there.”

According to Smyth, Windham was very aggressive in the count, solid in the field and defense was great.

Windham has already made improvements in just their second regular season game on Monday, April 22 when sophomore Wyatt Washburn pitched a no-hitter against Cheverus at Cheverus High School in Portland and the Eagles won that game, 11-0. <

Boys’ tennis drops season-opener to South Portland

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham High boys’ tennis team competed in its first match of the season against South Portland and put in a solid effort in singles and doubles but lost to the Red Riots, 5-0, on Tuesday, April 23 at Windham.

Windham sophomore Nolan McPhail returns a serve during
the boys' tennis season-opener against South Portland on
Tuesday, April 23 at Windham High School.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA   

“We were just trying to do as well as we can for the first match,” said Windham singles sophomore Carter Mathieu. “We had a lot of fun and that’s what matters and hopefully throughout the season we can improve. We have a lot of time to improve, we’re a young team that has a lot of potential. It was definitely tough, my opponent was very good at placement; everything I hit was coming back, I had to find ways to hit that I haven’t experienced before ... it was a big battle, but a good first experience. I think I was doing a great job of staying in it. I’m hoping this will give me an idea of what it’s like to play singles ... I can improve throughout the whole season. Getting my serve needs work. I’ve worked on it for a while and it’s getting a lot more powerful. Hopefully I can get it to be really consistent. We [need to] put topspin on our shots, stay low to the net and match the ability of the opponent.”

In the singles matches, South Portland defeated Windham junior Zachary Noonan 6-0, 6-0. Windham sophomore Nolan McPhail lost, 6-1 and 6-0, and Mathieu lost, 6-1 and 6-0. In the doubles matches, Windham juniors Asher Knott and Brian Gilheany worked very hard in the first match but fell, 6-4, and lost the second match, 6-0. Windham sophomore Nate Paulding and senior Fabrizio Marcuzzo were defeated, 6-0, and, 6-0.

“It was definitely intense – a very close match up,” said Knott. “The way my South Portland doubles partners play, you have to think about placement. I felt the best I ever had, keeping it away from them and where I want it to be. In previous seasons, I’ve struggled with that. Maybe we could have had a bit more momentum and keep the momentum going. Our overall consistency is really good, our ability to respond to what they did was really good. We could work on positioning on the court and being caught in the middle. I felt we did pretty well; it being the first match, we are just getting started. I want to improve from that performance, and we have a good chance to do that.”

The score only reflects part of the match. Windham’s second doubles team of Paulding and Marcuzzo had never played in a varsity match before. Even though they lost, they played hard against two very tough opponents. This will only make them stronger for future matches. All of Windham’s singles players were doubles players last year. They, too, showed tremendous hustle on the court and in Noonan and McPhail’s matches, it was so close that it really could have gone either way. Mathieu has been working hard in the off-season and gave a great effort against a seasoned player.

“It’s very early in the season, so I’m really not concerned,” said Windham boys’ varsity tennis coach Garry Stone. “They competed and did well and I know my kids had fun. Some positives, second doubles ... got their feet wet. I was very encouraged by first doubles ... in singles Carter, Nolan and Zach ... were all doubles players last year. No doubt in my mind they’ll win their fair share. Returning topspin needs work, we’re just not used to it. We lost that match, but we’re going to compete ... have fun, get better.” <

Boys’ lacrosse shows potential during season-opening win over Scarborough

By Matt Pascarella

In its season opener, Windham’s varsity boys’ lacrosse team traveled to Scarborough on Thursday, April 11 to take on the Red Storm and came away a winner.

Windham senior Tobias Perkins keeps a defender away as
he looks to take a shot during the boys' lacrosse
season-opener at Scarborough High on Thursday,
April 11. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

A slow start led to the Eagles being down 3-0 after one quarter. However, this didn’t last long, and Windham came back to pull ahead after three quarters, held on to that lead and kept Scarborough to one goal in the fourth quarter which gave Windham their first ‘W’ of the season with an 8-6 victory.

“I trusted my defense because I knew they could get it done and help,” said Windham freshman goalie Zach Gagne who had an impressive 13 saves during the game. “The defense played amazing ... same as the offense, we all just played as a team. Our mindset as a defense was to just keep pounding, keep getting after it because it can change in an instant.”

Windham moved the ball well, and although the first quarter was scoreless, they had multiple solid shots at goal. They stayed with the ball and remained aggressive, as they worked to recover loose balls.

In the second quarter, Windham defense really intensified as they only let one goal in, while offense scored several. Sophomores Jack Henry and Garrett Winslow each scored. Then senior Tobias Perkins found the back of the net and the game was tied 3-3. Winslow fired another shot that bounced off Scarborough’s goalie post.

Scarborough managed to get one goal before the end of the first half and led, 4-3.

“We play hard as a group, no matter what,” said Henry. “Our mindset was to play as hard as we can, don’t ever give up, and hustle the whole time. Our defense really helped us stay in that game; our goalie really helped us stay in that game. We knew we could come back [after the first quarter]. Something that went really well was our defense and clearing the ball, getting the offense the ball and moving the ball. Getting better shot selections needs work.”

Windham kept up the intensity and Henry quickly tied the game 4-4 in the third quarter. Windham stayed with the ball as the Eagles and Red Storm went back and forth in a close, hard-fought game. Windham pulled ahead after senior Blake McPherson scored before the end of the third quarter.

“After we scored our first goal in the second [quarter] everyone was electric,” said McPherson. “It just woke us up. We stuck together and no one started chirping ... we got the win together, no one really singled it out by themselves. Defense went really well, our sliding when we got beat, our clears went really well. We could have done a little bit better on offense, taking a little better shot selection.”

The Eagles were going after the win, and they played like a team that wanted it more. Senior Landon Buzulchuck scored in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Perkins scored again. Defense remained powerful and Scarborough was unable to recover.

“First game of the season,” said Windham varsity boys’ lacrosse coach Peter Small. “We’ve had inclement weather, how much have people practiced; Scarborough’s a tough opponent, huge tradition ... we knew some things we thought we were doing pretty well. The question was what would happen in live action when you got on the field. You get down like that and people start to doubt themselves, they start to doubt their teammates, they start to get chippy. We didn’t see a single iota of that; [Windham] just kept playing the game. They showed that they trusted each other, and they trusted themselves to keep playing lacrosse. We moved the ball offensively really well and the defense was communicating ... the crisp passes at midfield we felt pretty good about. We can always take better shot selections, defensively moving our feet a little more.” <

WHS varsity softball posts solid win over York in preseason scrimmage

By Matt Pascarella

Before Windham opens its regular season, the 2023 Class A softball state champions took the field against the 2023 Class B softball state champions York in a scrimmage at Windham on Tuesday, April 16. The Lady Eagles got the bats going immediately and scored in every inning to shutout York, 9-0.

Windham sophomore Oakley McLeod bats on Tuesday,
April 16 during a varsity softball scrimmage against
York at Windham High School. 
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“One thing I said to the girls was I don’t need perfection, I need us to focus on getting better every inning, getting better every pitch,” said Windham varsity softball coach Darcey Gardiner. “We got down 0-2 on a lot of counts and we had multiple batters battle back and end up drawing walks – I can’t ask for more than that. I think it’s really about trusting themselves ... I tell them ‘trust their arms, trust their feet.’ Bobbles and errors, those are going to happen, it’s how you react after the error. Our hitting top to bottom [went well]; we’ve got a couple freshmen and sophomores on the team that are new to us, so for them to step up and make contributions, that was awesome. Quality at-bats – when we can put the ball in play, good things happen. What needs work is our communication. I do need to see our energy a little bit higher, and making sure they stay on their toes is huge for us.”

Gardiner said that being the defending state champions means that teams will show up and play Windham better than they might play any other team. Windham needs to bring their ‘A’ game and realize it’s ok to not be perfect; the end of the season is more important than the beginning of the season – now is the time for trials and tribulations so they are ready to go later.

In the York scrimmage, Windham started out with senior pitcher Brooke Gerry who sent three batters back to the dugout.

Gerry walked in the bottom of the first inning and sophomore Addison Caiazzo singled. A double from sophomore Oakley McLeod brought Caiazzo home. Gerry then struck out three batters and left a runner on base in the second inning.

In the bottom of the second inning, sophomore Nola Bryant walked. Freshman Kaylee Napolitano singled, as did freshman Evelyn Anderson. Napolitano and Anderson stole their way around the diamond and Windham was up, 3-0.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Windham led 5-0. Following a walk, Gerry singled and Senior Stella Jarvais doubled on a line drive to center field, bringing home two runs. Jarvais would later score on a passed ball.

“We take it as getting better every inning,” said Jarvais. “We didn’t think we were going to be perfect, but going inning by inning is what we wanted to do. If we just play our game and ... not get anxious about the next team. We’ve made adjustments at the plate pretty well. York’s pitcher is really good, and we went into the box as being able to see the pitching and hitting; I think we made good adjustments, and we can always work on communication.”

In the top of the sixth inning, York hit a ground out to junior third basemen Chloe Edwards, who despite a slight fumble, had plenty of time to make a throw to first base for the out. Another York batter grounded out to sophomore pitcher Lacie Higgins who easily made the throw to first base to end the inning.

“Even though we’ve been inside with limited field time, we’ve been working so hard,” said Edwards. “It’s so enjoyable to be back after last season. We’re a good mindful team. I thought we did really well in the box, adjusting and fielding-wise. I thought we were communicating well in there.”

Edwards said she thought Windham could be louder in the dugout and communicate a little more, while Edwards said it’s great to be back.

Windham will travel to Noble for a regular season game at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 20. <

Football remains a focus for WHS graduate Ledbetter

By Matt Pascarella

Before graduating in 2022, Windham High’s Robert “Will” Ledbetter was a star prep quarterback who helped his team earn a spot in the Class B State Championship football game in 2021 and exceled in the classroom. Now a sophomore at the University of New England (UNE) in Biddeford, Ledbetter is coming off one of the Nor’easters’ most successful seasons in program history as the team finished with a final record of 6-4.

Windham High graduate and University of
New England sophomore Robert 'Will'
Ledbetter looks to pass during a college
football game against Castleton State
University in Biddeford on Sept. 30, 2023.
PHOTO BY AL PEREZ

He is majoring in applied exercise science at UNE and would like to use that knowledge for a clinical role within the healthcare and medical device sales industry after college.

Off the field, Ledbetter serves as the Presidential Ambassador on campus as well as a residential advisor for first-year-students. He is also a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and has worked for the Conference Services at UNE.

“Will beat out a senior and a junior in his first year here to become the backup quarterback,” said UNE offensive coordinator Coach Tim Viall. “He is an elite listener and communicator. He works incredibly hard. He plays and competes with a great balance of emotion and poise. He is driven by personal/team goals while remaining selfless. He sees the field well and plays instinctually. He has a quick release and can make any throw. He approaches every practice, drill and repetition with purpose. Will ... is stronger, faster, and more resilient to injury. All of these pieces have been applied to his skills on the field and we have seen him steadily improve his game in his time with us. We look forward to continued hard work and development over the next two years.”

It was Ledbetter’s dad who first sparked his interest in football. His father introduced him to the game in elementary school and since then has been an invaluable teacher.

“Starting young, football did not come naturally, and it was something I could work on to get better and better,” said Ledbetter. “Nobody’s game is ever perfect, and I loved the fact that I could keep improving my game every season and off-season. The chase to become as good as I possibly could is what kept me going and keeps me playing today. What I enjoy most about football is the puzzle I must solve every play as the quarterback. The defense always gives new looks trying to confuse or trick the offense and it is part of my job to figure it out and get our playmakers the ball.”

Ledbetter’s goal is to finish his career as a Nor’easter and ensure the growth of the program while making sure he’s done his part to improve the program and athletes’ experiences as they move through their time at UNE.

Windham’s football program prepared him to play collegiately by giving him key tools. They left him with the mindset to control attitude, effort and coachability. Also, his time with the Eagles gave him the ability to play in a spread offense which helped Ledbetter schematically transition from high school to college ball. Those skills and mindsets have allowed him to be successful in college.

“There’s a lot of things that makes Will a good teammate,” said UNE sophomore Zak Ramos. “He’s a guy that you can always rely on to have your back on and off the field; knowing Will and what he juggles and the number of responsibilities he has on campus is something that definitely stands out. Will is very vocal too which is always something that as a teammate is appreciated and I think that correlates with his ability to lead on the field too. I know not only me, but a lot of the guys appreciate Will’s style of leadership. He’s not over the top in terms of harping on guys; he’s a guy in the locker room who jokes around ... but when it’s time to be serious, he hones it in and makes sure that we’re locked in.”

Ledbetter’s advice to any high school athlete who wants to play a collegiate sport is to be realistic in their goals, and to find schools that match their needs academically, athletically, socially, and financially. He also advises them to learn as much as they can about a program, the coaching staff, and the school. Lastly, and most importantly, he said it is possible, and you can do it.

Aside from Ledbetter’s many activities on and off the field, in his free time he likes to snowboard, spend time in Maine and be surrounded by friends and family. <

Windham girls’ lacrosse does not let up despite loss to Cape Elizabeth

By Matt Pascarella

Windham girls’ lacrosse team traveled to Cape Elizabeth on Monday, April 8 to play Cape Elizabeth in a preseason matchup before the regular season kicks off on Friday, April 12 when Windham takes on Kennebunk. While Cape Elizabeth had a strong start, once Windham got going, they put several goals in. However, after a hard-fought game where Windham stayed in it for 48 minutes, Cape Elizabeth won the game, 15-7.

Windham sophomore Maddy Donnelly, right, goes to stop
a Cape Elizabeth opponent on Monday, April 8 during
a girls' varsity preseason lacrosse game.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“Our team is really good at staying positive,” said Windham sophomore Olivia McPherson, who scored in the fourth quarter. “Even if we’re down, we always put in effort, and never give up. We need to work on passing in the eight, because sometimes they get intercepted or ground balls – those are something we struggle with. We did really, really well on our new plays. We’re putting new plays in, putting new people in so everybody gets a chance; always got to stay positive and play with a good mindset.”

Cape Elizabeth jumped to an early lead in the first quarter, but with 55 seconds left, Windham junior Grace Joly rocketed the ball past the goalie.

In the second quarter, Windham cranked up the intensity with junior Neve Ledbetter who scored early in the quarter. Windham defense made it a lot harder for Cape Elizabeth to get near the goal and limited their scoring opportunities.

“From this game we learned a lot about the importance of playing together as a team,” said Ledbetter. “We didn’t have that many days of practice, so we were coming out a little harsh – it was hard to get back into it. It’s good to start climbing the ladder to the actual season. The transition went really, really well; we have a ton of girls hustling on the ride. It’s important that everyone is hustling and giving their best effort. The whole team was pushing themselves to be better and that resulted in turnovers. We need more chemistry, but I feel like we are on a good track right now, we just need some more time on the practice field.”

Joly scored again. With 46 seconds left in the half, Ledbetter found the back of the net once more. Windham outscored Cape Elizabeth in the second quarter, though the Capers led, 6-4, at the half.

Windham’s intensity and hustle never faded; seconds into the third quarter, they took a shot at goal. A short time later Windham senior Emma Ammons fired another shot at the goal.

Cape Elizabeth scored several goals during this quarter, but Windham kept their heads up.

In the fourth quarter Joly scored almost immediately. McPherson scored part-way through the quarter as did sophomore Abby Trainor.

“We played 24 girls today,” said Windham girls’ lacrosse head coach Matt Perkins. “We’re still trying to give everybody reps before we tighten the belt to see who’s what and make sure everybody has enough time to prove themselves. Not practicing for four days didn’t help, but they’re a good team and we’ll continue to develop, it’s just a process. We had good hustle at times and at times executed the offense well. We got some brand-new people on defense, but it’s coming – it’s all about not getting beat up or worrying about making a mistake.”

Perkins and Windham girls’ lacrosse assistant coach Rusty Babb said before the team plays Kennebunk on Friday, throwing and catching will need work as well as knowing and being where you’re supposed to be. <

Windham graduate Sarah Talon continues excelling on and off the court

By Matt Pascarella

2022 Windham graduate Sarah Talon has always worked hard. She currently attends the University of Maine at Orono where she helped lead the team to win the America East Championship last month and earned the school its 10th appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball tournament.

Windham 2022 graduate and current University of Maine 
sophomore Sarah Talon keeps her focus on the hoop
during the America East Conference championship game
in Orono on March 15. PHOTO BY SETH POPLASKI  

Talon is majoring in psychology with a minor in leadership and would like to work in the therapy department with young kids and athletes upon her graduation.

“This season has been one I will never forget,” said Talon. “Playing in the NCAA was ... a chance to play against some of the best teams in the country. It was a dream come true. I was once 10, 11, 12 years old and watching March Madness at home and was always hoping that one day that would be me. Getting the opportunity to play on one of the biggest stages in basketball was something I will never forget. I knew that I needed to take in every moment and to enjoy it.”

She says that she used to watch Catherine McCauley basketball player Allie Clement, as well as Talon’s older sister Hannah. They were both role models of hers and she began to play basketball when she was 6 and was first coached by Paul Foley, whom she is still in contact with today.

Talon initially thought soccer was her strong suit but seemed to naturally gravitate toward basketball. She realized she was much better at basketball and enjoyed it a lot more. That’s not to say she doesn’t enjoy soccer, and isn’t really good at it, but basketball has given her so much happiness and excitement every time she picked up a ball.

Since she first started playing, Talon has played in a variety of leagues, including the Amateur Athletic Union. Her time at Windham High School helped her prepare for playing collegiately because the AA North region is very competitive and gave her the opportunity to play against other Division 1 players.

“She’s so funny to be around; she’s always in a good mood,” said University of Southern Maine at Orono graduate student and teammate Anne Simon. “She really makes the team laugh a lot, such a good friend off the court. It was great to see her improvement from freshman year to sophomore year. She got to understand her role on the team and really developed over the season; she did an amazing job improving in defense – that was a huge thing for her. Also, offensively knowing what we need from her; she stepped up this year.”

Simon is really proud of the team and Talon. They wanted to go to March Madness and they did. Although they fell to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA, the Black Bears did a good job focusing on themselves and what each of them needed as individuals in order to be a good team which made the season a success.

“She’s embraced the challenges of a Division 1 athlete and she’s worked really hard and done a really nice job for us,” said Black Bears women’s basketball head coach Amy Vachon. “She’s a great teammate. She’s learned a lot and learned about our program and how things work, and I think she’s gotten stronger and done a lot of really good things. She earned that spot [as a starter] and brings a lot to the table and has had a really great year. Her athleticism is something we don’t see in our conference; she can do things on the court other people can’t; her athleticism is unmatched.”

Talon was one of two non-senior starters on the team. She said the coaches gave her goals to work for in the off season and she worked at them non-stop. Those coaches have confidence in her and believe in her every day. Having high standards from not just the team and coaching staff, but from Talon herself elevated this team to become a championship team.

“You get what you put in,” said Talon. “The amount of hard work you put into this game will get you far. I was told by many people when I was younger how they did not think I could play at this level. They said I was ‘too skinny’ or ‘not skilled enough.’ This only made me want to work harder. There will always be people that will doubt what you want to do. Don't listen to them and use it as motivation to prove them wrong.” <

WHS girls’ lacrosse shows preseason promise at Massabesic Play Day

By Matt Pascarella

Windham girls’ lacrosse was one of four teams competing in Massabesic’s Play Day to kick off the preseason at Massabesic High in Waterboro on Saturday, March 30. Windham played York, Massabesic and Wells in games lasting for one 25-minute half. The Lady Eagles only had a few practices leading up to this point, but beat York 5-3, tied Massabesic 3-3, and tied with Wells, 4-4 in a tight game with only seconds left to play.

Windham senior Mallory Muse looks to pass during a game 
against Massabesic on Saturday, March 30 at Massabesic's
preseason girls lacrosse Play Day at Massabesic High School.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA   

“Hustle was great,” said Windham girls’ lacrosse coach Matt Perkins. “If you hustle and work hard, good things are going to happen. I thought we did a really good job at times pressuring the ball and causing turnovers. We’re still pretty green, and still figuring out who we are, but I’m very pleased by the effort, that’s for sure.”

York

Windham scored twice in the first four minutes. They moved the ball well and had control of the field. They stayed with the ball and took multiple shots on goal. Windham junior Neve Ledbetter scored, as did junior Grace Joly.

“Just coming into the season off of three outdoor practices that’s pretty impressive for us to come out here and work as hard as we did and be able to make passes and plays after only having a couple days of practice together,” said Ledbetter.

Windham’s offense and defense were strong as they made it difficult for York to score. York pressured, but Windham held them off until the buzzer.

“Defense and some of our offensive plays [went well] because we really worked with each other and were able to know where someone else was; it’s really important we find it in ourselves to push ... it’s all worth it in the end,” said Joly.

Massabesic

Windham sophomore Abby Trainor scored early. Windham was aggressive and passed well between each other. Defense held off the Mustangs for a little while. Windham freshman Morgan McLain scored, and Trainor scored again. Massabesic made up the difference quickly and tied the game before the end.

“We had so many improvements on our defense and offense,” said Trainor. “We have to work on some of our misses, but overall, we did such a good job working with each other for the first time this year.”

Wells

Windham moved the ball well and took shots at goal. They fought hard to be first to the ball.

“Stick work needs improvement,” said Trainor. “You can never be at the top of your stick work; you can always get better. If we continue working on wall ball and passing with each other, we’re going to have a lot of success.”

Windham tied the game at 1-1, but Wells pulled ahead. Then Trainor tied the game again. Soon after, Joly scored, and the game was tied at 3. With less than a minute remaining, Wells took the lead. With 20 seconds remaining, Joly tied the game at 4. Windham defense held off Wells until the end of the half.

“Making sure we’re not throwing away the ball after hustle plays and to make sure we’re connecting those passes into the eight-yard line needs improvement,” said Joly. “Possession is a big part of the season and if we can get control of that, that would be great.”

Joly, Trainor, and Ledbetter all agreed the day was a success.

“We’re overall a really great team,” said Ledbetter. “I think we need more work on catching and passing and we’re a team together, so we need more chemistry and then we’ll be great.” <

Strong postseason results motivate Wolfpack varsity wrestlers

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham/Westbrook/Gray-New Gloucester Wolfpack wrestling team finished its season with a 22-7 dual record. Wolfpack wrestlers finished second at regionals at Oxford Hills on Saturday Feb. 10; were fourth at the Class A state competition on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Cony in Augusta; and placed first at the All-State competition at Belfast High School on Friday, Feb. 23.

Windham senior Wolfpack wrestler Griffin Moreau placed
fourth in the New England competition in Providence, Rhode
Island on Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2. Wolfpack
head coach John Nicolas, left, joins Moreau, and assistant
coaches Nick Buckley and Nick Vogel.
PHOTO BY STEVE MOREAU    

Westbrook senior Gavin Tanner won the state and all state competitions. Windham junior Ayden Cofone won all state and was second at the state competition; Windham senior Griffin Moreau came in second in both meets. Tanner was First Team Southern Maine Activities Association (SMAA).

“It meant everything to me,” said Tanner. “I’ve put in so much work and so have my coaches and my family in helping get to where I am and accomplish all my goals, I’m so grateful for them. This All-State tourney was very significant as many wrestlers begin to fade and lose their motivation as the season is almost over. This tournament showed us how bad we wanted it and how tough of a team we are.”

Moreau placed fourth in the New England meet held in Rhode Island on Friday and Saturday March 1 and 2. The Wolfpack had three state tournament finalists and three all All-State finalists. Moreau was All State and First Team SMAA.

At the girls’ state meet held at Winslow High School on Tuesday, Feb. 20, three Wolfpack female wrestlers including Windham junior Addison Leger came in fourth, while Windham freshman Amelia Brickel came in third and Westbrook sophomore Jasmine Sinclair finished second.

In the first year the SMAA provided team recognition for female wrestlers, Leger, Brickel and Sinclair all received First Team SMAA honors.

“I started the season by getting injured, and unfortunately, I was out most of the season,” said Sinclair. “I got cleared to go back to wrestling three weeks before girls' states, and I was nervous to go into a big tournament starting on a fresh slate. I ... didn't know if I wanted to go, but when it came to it, I felt like not only me but also the other girls on the team wrestled well. Throughout the season going to the tournaments, and watching my teammates wrestle I've seen so much more improvement. We had a couple of people on our team who just started this year and ended up being pretty successful, some even earning their [varsity] letter. Although I didn't participate in a majority of the meets and tournaments this year, I still feel happy about the fact that we won four different big tournaments this year in first place. I'm hoping to have an even better season next year, and I hope we just keep improving.”

The All-State tournament featured the best wrestlers from all over the state of Maine.

“The season was a culmination of kids buying into our system and coming up through youth wrestling and sticking with it,” said Wolfpack head coach John Nicholas. “Many of the kids put in a lot of time on the mats over the years and it was great to see them reach their potential. All the hard work our wrestlers and coaches have put in over the last four years. To beat all the top teams in the state and put three kids in the finals was a huge achievement for our program. It shows that everything we did and talked about could be attainable with commitment and dedication.” <

Windham/Gorham Middle School Wolfpack wrestling shows improvement as season nears end

By Matt Pascarella

In one of their final meets of the season, the Windham/Gorham Middle School Wolfpack wrestling team hit the mat against Sanford and Thornton Academy at Windham on Thursday, March 21 and showed how much they’ve improved over the course of the season. The Wolfpack defeated Sanford, 54-11, but lost to Thornton Academy 39-18.

Windham seventh grader Nate Somma, right, faces off against
a Thornton Academy Middle School opponent on Thursday,
March 21 in Windham. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“It was great to be back on the mat again,” said Windham eighth grader Patrick Davenport, who hadn’t wrestled for a couple weeks because of health reasons. “I really love ... the intensity of wrestling, it’s a great sport. It was great to be back; I have nerves a lot but I didn’t have much hesitation; I wanted to come out and have fun ... I made the most of it and got a pin. I think overall we did very good as a team. We worked really hard on getting out from bottom. We struggle with that, and locked hands and we didn’t have one locked hands call, and we got out most of the time on bottom so I’m pretty proud of the team for that.”

During Davenport’s match, he got his Thornton Academy opponent off balance and then took him right to the mat. He worked hard and forced his opponent onto his back and got the pin.

Gorham seventh grader James Swan was quick to take down his Thornton Academy opponent and held him there, cradling. Swan pinned his opponent after three rounds. In his second match he brought his Thornton Academy opponent to the mat and got the pin.

In Gorham seventh grader Lucision Roy’s first match, he worked to get his opponent’s shoulders on the mat and got the 9-5 win after three rounds.

Gorham seventh grader Devon Paradis escaped being pinned by a Sanford opponent. He battled for three rounds and eventually pinned him in the third round.

Windham eighth grader Jake Burke fought hard against Thornton Academy, and did avoid getting pinned, but lost, 7-1.

Gorham sixth grader Jimmy Costello was very aggressive during his match against Sanford. He won with a very impressive 15-0 score.

Windham eighth grader Maddox Butler brought his Sanford opponent to the mat in mere seconds and a very short time after that secured the pin.

Windham seventh grader Jullian Nappi pinned his Sanford opponent; Windham sixth grader Grady Johnson also pinned his Sanford opponent.

Windham seventh grader Nate Somma wrestled the current Thornton Academy Middle School state champion Quentin Cofone. in his match. He’d faced Cofone a few times before, and although he lost – he was able to force a sudden-death round and only lost by one point, 2-1.

“It was a really big moment for me because I wrestled him twice and the first time he beat me in the third period by pinning, and the second time he sprained my leg,” said Somma. Losing by only one point was really good.”

Somma thought Windham/Gorham performed well in the meet. They’ve been struggling for the past two weeks to listen and participate but they pulled it together and did a lot better by cheering each other on since the last meet.

Windham eighth grader Tristen Merchant took down his Sanford opponent. Merchant worked to flip him and get the pin; although he didn’t, Merchant won 12-0.

“The kids have been steadily improving all year showing what they’ve been working on in practice,” said Wolfpack wrestling coach Nick Buckley. “They wrestled hard; great sportsmanship that I always like to see, they supported their teammates well which always makes us coaches proud. I thought we got the first takedown almost every match ... to wrestle with a lead, gave us a win. We got a young team; we’ve taken our lumps but we’re improving; we need to ride tougher on top.” <

Windham High's McPherson to play college lacrosse for Plymouth State

By Matt Pascarella

Windham senior Blake McPherson has just come off an amazing basketball season and although it made him slightly reconsider what sport he might play in college, lacrosse has always been his favorite. Before family, friends, teachers, and supporters at Windham High School on Thursday, March 14, McPherson signed a letter of intent to attend Plymouth State University in New Hampshire this fall and major in business while playing lacrosse.

From left, Shawn McPherson, Windham High senior
Blake McPherson and Amanda McPherson gather at
Windham High School on March 14 as Blake signed a 
letter on intent to attend Plymouth State University in
New Hampshire where he will major in business and
play college lacrosse on scholarship.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“He’s a great leader; he’ll stand out from the rest,” said Windham senior and teammate Graden Joly. “He’ll bring the energy to Plymouth State University; he’s really good at working with teammates, multiple times he’s brought the whole team up. If you’re doing something wrong, he’ll tell you and help you and show you how to become better. McPherson will put in countless hours of work and dedication – he wants to do good.”

McPherson started playing lacrosse in elementary school, but really started getting into it his freshman year because he saw his coach’s confidence in him. This was evident when as a freshman, the coach put him into a semifinal game against Falmouth. That moment was a big confidence booster for McPherson and ever since, he has worked harder at the game.

“For all my friends and family to come out just to see me continue my dreams it means a lot to me,” said McPherson. “I couldn’t have asked for a better signing.”

He chose Plymouth State University because, according to McPherson, he’s not really a big city guy. The campus is beautiful and has a very outdoorsy feel to it and has mountains to ski on.

As a business major, he’s not 100 percent sure of what he’d like to do with that yet but does have an interest in sales and would maybe like to be a salesman.

Throughout his years of playing Windham sports, McPherson said that he’s learned the importance of being a team player and that you cannot win a game on your own, you need to depend on and trust your teammates.

“I first got to know Blake a little in middle school,” said Peter Small, who is Windham’s varsity lacrosse coach. “Certainly, as a freshman coming into the program ... and watching him battle every day on the lacrosse field. For me the word that comes to mind is his intensity and he is as intense as it gets; he holds himself and his teammates accountable and I’ve seen him do it in the classroom; he holds accountability when he makes a mistake. To watch him grow and mature over time and channel that intensity. What you’ve done here in this school, the way you’ve elevated the people around you and held yourself accountable. Thank you for bringing everyone around you up, thank you for what you’re doing. Heck of a student in the classroom, heck of an athlete and just a good citizen all around.”

If there are student-athletes out there who are looking to compete collegiately, McPherson’s advice is to be confident, take your time and don’t rush yourself. Good things will happen if you put the work in.

He said he would like to thank his basketball coaches, his lacrosse coaches, especially Coach Small for believing in him. McPherson would also like to thank his teammates for pushing him every day in practice to be a better player, his teachers for teaching him and making him a better, more responsible and respectful person, and his parents for all they’ve sacrificed for him. <

Windham’s Hartwell helps lead CMCC team to championship hockey season

By Matt Pascarella

Windham High 2022 graduate and Central Maine Community College sophomore Aiden Hartwell helped his hockey team win their first Northeast Collegiate Hockey Association (NECHA) Colonial Conference Championship in program history by beating Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 7-1, in Nashua, New Hampshire on Sunday, Feb. 18.

Windham High graduate and Central Maine Community
College sophomore Aiden Hartwell competes in a college 
hockey game against the University of New England at
the Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn last fall. He
helped CMCC win their first Northeast Collegiate Hockey
Colonial Conference championship last month.
PHOTO BY RAM MCDONOUGH  

“Aiden Hartwell is a very good teammate to have,” said CMCC captain and junior Cody Ivey. “Aiden works hard with everything he does and knows what he needs to do to help the team win. It felt awesome to be the first team ever at CMCC to win the NECHA championship. It took a lot of hard work and early 6 a.m. practices ... but the best part about winning the championship is having teammates like Aiden Hartwell. We became family in the process and succeeding in doing what you love with people you love is unbeatable. Aiden never stops going 100 percent. He helps our team by simply outworking the other team. He leads by example being a second-year player.”

Hartwell is majoring in business management at CMCC and would like to someday work in sales.

“It has taken a whole group effort people buying into the system we play,” said Hartwell. “Everyone holding each other accountable has taken months of hard work and dedication. It's a crazy feeling to have because we were the first hockey team to win the championship at CMCC. Especially since it’s only a two-year school we don’t have all four years like other schools we compete against.”

The CMCC Mustangs coach, Jordy Knoren, said this win meant so much it was hard to put into words.

“I believe what has made this team achieve so much is believing in a common goal and knowing the history about our hockey program, and the hurdles and hiccups it had to get through,” said Knoren. “I am very honest with the team from day one and CMCC Hockey is not what it used to be, this team bought in and changed the culture of the program moving forward. They are all true competitors so when you have championships to play for the work ethic increases a notch.”

For Hartwell, his time with the Windham/Westbrook/Bonny Eagle Trail Blazers youth hockey program helped him achieve success on the ice at CMCC. Playing for the Trail Blazers helped him grow as a player and having great coaches from Windham who always pushed him as a player and a person to get better. He said he learned how to be a leader on and off the ice and that when you are out there, you are playing for much more than just yourself.

“Aiden brings humor to the locker room and off the ice as well,” said Knoren. “He competes incredibly hard, but he does it with a smile and he is always there for a conversation or a good laugh. I can honestly say in two years I never had a player or coach not like Aiden. In two years, I have seen Aiden grow tremendously physically and mentally. I hope he continues his hockey career, but more importantly I believe he will succeed in life when he continues to work hard and be himself.”

Once the CMCC hockey team became NECHA champions, they were put into a group with four other teams to play three games and the winner would advance to the semifinal. They played the Air Force Academy and lost by a goal, they then suffered a tough loss to the University of Missouri and tied Michigan State, 2-2.

Although this was not the outcome they wanted, the experience gained will only help them excel in future seasons. Knoren said that he gives the team a lot of credit for putting up a fight against such tough schools. <

Windham senior Perkins signs to play lacrosse at Coast Guard Academy

By Matt Pascarella

There was a big turnout of support at Windham High School on Tuesday, March 12 for senior Tobias Perkins’ commitment signing to attend the Coast Guard Academy where he will major in business management and leadership and play college lacrosse. Everyone who spoke about Perkins emphasized the fact that he is a leader on and off the field.

Proud parents Matt and Melissa Perkins watch as their son,
Tobias Perkins, signs a commitment letter to attend the
Coast Guard Academy this fall where he will play college
lacrosse and major in business management and leadership.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“It means a lot,” said Perkins. “Seeing teachers all the way from Primary School to now and to see how many people have impacted me throughout my life to get to this point is amazing. It shows hard work pays off and definitely shows how important the academic side of things are. When you do well in the classroom it’s another example of what a good outcome can be.”

Perkins loves contact sports and says he began playing lacrosse in the third grade. He wanted to stop playing T-Ball because it wasn’t exciting enough and asked if he could play lacrosse. His father signed him up and Perkins would watch the high school lacrosse players practice and play when he was in the sixth grade. Since then, every spring he’s looked forward to taking the field and the memories he’s made on every single team he’s been a part of have been incredible.

Athletics has taught Perkins a lot of life lessons like hard work, perseverance, humility, how to battle through adversity and how to be a leader. For him, playing three different sports with different skill levels makes you adjust your leadership style.

“It’s Tobias who has spoken for years about what to do and how to do it the right way,” said Windham varsity lacrosse coach Peter Small. “When I think back to Tobias coming up to the lacrosse field as a middle school kid and watching and learning and playing and leaning right into lacrosse, there’s an innate leadership ability within Tobias ... he sees the good, he sees the bad, he analyzes it and says this is how we then carry it forward. Watch what people do when they’re off-ball, or not highlighted, and that’s the true character of Tobias; he’s lifting everybody up around him. It’s a model for what we want of student athletes.”

During past summers Perkins has been playing in a variety of lacrosse showcases and tournaments and has been talking with different coaches. When he was in Pennsylvania, he introduced himself to an individual and they got to talking and Perkins was unaware this was the Coast Guard Academy’s lacrosse coach.

That coach wanted to attend some of Perkins’ games and liked what he saw. He then saw Perkins play in a tournament and invited Perkins to visit the Coast Guard Academy, as serving in the military has been something he’s always wanted to do.

While Perkins is unsure of what he would like to do with a business management and leadership degree after college, he would like to be involved with stopping human and drug trafficking.

His advice to anyone who wants to someday be a part of a college commitment signing is to do the best you can in the classroom, work hard on and off the field and doors will open.

“He’s definitely a leader,” said Windham senior and teammate Finn Smith. “I’ve looked up to him all my sports career; he’s always trying to get the best out of you. I’ve become a better lacrosse player because of him. It’s a privilege to have him as a teammate.”

According to Smith, Perkins will bring skills and goals to the Coast Guard Academy lacrosse team. Perkins will definitely have a leadership role and his teammates will look up to him.

Perkins said he would like to thank his friends, family, teachers, coaches and most importantly his parents. <

Jordan-Small Middle School’s student-staff basketball game a fun tradition

By Matt Pascarella

It’s been a tradition at Jordan-Small Middle School (JSMS) in Raymond since 2003 that before February vacation, the school celebrates the end of the basketball season with a friendly student-staff game. This year on Friday, Feb. 16, JSMS staff members, students and coaches gathered in the gym to keep the tradition alive with coed staff teams playing 20- to 25-minute games against the school’s girls’ basketball team and then the boys’ basketball team.

Eighth grader Brooklyn Roy races to the basket during the
annual student-staff basketball game at Jordan-Small
Middle school in Raymond on Friday, Feb. 16.
PHOTO BY GARY HARRIMAN

“The purpose of the game is to celebrate the end of the season using the staff game as a culminating event,” said John Powers, who helped organize the event as well as teaches sixth and eighth-grade math at JSMS. “The entire school attends and they spend the time cheering on their friends and favorite teachers. We keep score but the game is friendly. It's fairly common for staff or students to give each other high fives when the other team makes a great play. I have personally played in the game every year since 2003 and it's always a ton of fun.”

One of the benefits of the games is the whole school getting to see their athletes in action. As not every student is able to attend games during basketball season, this gives them the opportunity to see the results and all the hard work that the athletes put in.

Powers said the game has that old-school pep rally feel to it. Getting the entire school together for a friendly competition is a great way to spend the final hour before February vacation, he said.

He grew up playing basketball through high school and always enjoyed it. He’s been coaching at JSMS for many years and says while it’s fun for the adults to compete against the students, it’s also fun to be on a team with colleagues doing something they often don’t get to do.

One of the highlights for Powers this year was JSMS eighth grader Sean Lebel, who made a deep three-pointer from just over half court. The crowd went wild and everyone on the court celebrated with high fives.

“As a student-athlete playing in the game, I was just trying to score on the teachers as much as possible,” said JSMS graduate and boys’ basketball coach Andrew Wing. “You really wanted to beat the staff because it has never happened before. As an alum-coach playing in the game, you are simply trying to not get embarrassed by the talented young student athletes and you also don’t want to be the first staff team that loses to the students.”

According to Wing, the game is important not only because it’s a tradition, but it’s fun for the student athletes.

For Wing, playing with the teachers instead of the students was a nice full-circle moment.

The games were also meaningful for the student athletes.

“The thing that I like most about the game is that you are able to play against teachers and staff members that you have formed relationships with over the past few years,” said Sean Lebel. “The student-staff game gives you an opportunity to have fun and bond with the people and players around you. It is a great experience to have the whole school watching you while you play basketball. Everybody in the crowd cheers both teams on and always stays positive even if somebody makes mistakes.” <

Trail Blazers hockey team leaves it all on ice in playoff quarterfinals but falls to Lewiston

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham/Westbrook/Bonny Eagle Trail Blazer hockey team has had an incredible season with 11 wins – the most in Trail Blazer history. Their season came to an end on Friday, March 1 at The Colisee Arena in Lewiston when eighth seeded Trail Blazers played top-seeded Lewiston. The Trail Blazers fought for three periods, but Lewiston won 7-4.

Trail Blazer junior Philip Traina of Windham heads toward the
goal during a quarterfinal playoff hockey game against
Lewiston at The Colisee in Lewiston on March 1.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

“The mentality going in was [Lewiston] is a fast team, we got to get on them quick,” said Trail Blazers coach Bobby Fothergill. “When we did that and took their time and space away, we had some good opportunities. We tried to match their intensity, match their skating – we did it somewhat, I thought we did it better in the third than any other period. We missed a few responsibilities like third guy high, we were sucked too low, we gave up the middle of the ice, the neural zone ... that’s something we tried to work on. We didn’t execute the full 45 minutes.”

The Trail Blazers took the ice in the first period with hustle. Windham senior goalie Jacob Marston had several great saves. Lewiston scored early. With 5:03 left in the first period, Windham junior Philip Traina scored assisted by Windham junior Shaun Traina and Bonny Eagle senior Aiden Toy.

After one period, Lewiston led 3-1.

“We thought we had the better team,” said Philip Traina. “The scoreboard didn’t show we played a good game, we got some bad bounces. The shots were pretty even, and the [scoreboard] didn’t show how hard we were working out there. It’s their barn ... it’s a tough environment ... I think it was a good start for us, to get some playoff experience, I think we played alright. I think we had good zone time; honestly, we were outplaying them, the bounces just didn’t go our way. We came in this season prepared and we executed – we ran into a good first round opponent, and that’s just how it is sometimes.”

In the second period, Trail Blazers defense remained powerful. Shaun Traina scored while assisted by Philip Traina and Bonny Eagle senior and captain Lucas LaForest. The Trail Blazers had lots of shots on goal, but nothing landed. Defense held Lewiston to two goals. It was 5-2 Lewiston after two periods.

“We knew that Lewiston was a beatable team, but we were just a little jittery coming into it,” said LaForest. “We came into it with energy and just wanted to outwork [Lewiston] in every aspect of the game; we outworked sometimes in the game, but other times we kind of let up – that led to goals [for Lewiston]. We never gave up.”

LaForest attributes the strong season to their coaches and the guys wanting to get better every day, taking practices seriously, giving it their all every time they were on the ice.

“It’s a tough, tough game,” said Windham junior Shaun Traina. “I feel like we gave it our best effort though there were a bunch of critical mistakes that we made. I’m not too mad about the result today, it was a great season for the boys. We had high expectations, but Lewiston is a great team. Our power play went pretty good, we had a good forecheck, a lot of energy, a lot of guys ... really helping today. This year we formed a family ... had a lot more fun.”

There was no giving up at the start of the third period. Shaun Traina scored on a power play assisted by Philip Traina and Bonny Eagle sophomore Mason Caron. Shortly before the end of the game, Toy scored on an assist by Windham senior Tobias Perkins.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this group ... the most wins we ever had in a season before was seven,” said Fothergill. “They went to an 11- [8] record this year, they worked hard, they were in every game. We have 11 juniors coming back next year and we’re going to be right back in the mix again next year. The goal is to build and be better than we were this year.” <

Windham graduate Tara Flanders reaches basketball milestone of 1,000 points in career

By Matt Pascarella

Windham High School 2019 graduate, Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) graduate and current University of Southern Maine (USM) senior Tara Flanders scored her 1,000th point on Feb. 22 in a semifinal game with University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at USM in Gorham and surpassed 700 rebounds.

Windham graduate and USM senior Tara
Flanders competes during a college
basketball game against Plymouth State
at USM in Gorham. Flanders recently
surpassed 1,000 points in her career.
PHOTO BY JAMES LIEBOWITZ
USM ATHETIC PHOTOGRAAPHY  

“Coming to USM I knew that I was only 201 points away from scoring 1,000,” said Flanders. “But I tried not to think about it too much because I never wanted that to be my main focus going into games. The mindset I had was ‘if I get it, I get it, and if I don’t, it’s not the end of the world.’ All I cared about was winning games with my teammates. If I’m being honest, I think surpassing 700 rebounds is just as cool as scoring 1,000 career points. Scoring is harder than rebounding because you can have nights were you’re not hitting your shots but getting rebounds is all effort and grit.”

She became interested in basketball at age 5. Flanders remembers her parents driving her to Windham High School to participate in youth camps with the varsity players. Her parents introduced her to a variety of sports, but she always gravitated toward basketball.

“Playing a collegiate sport at any level has its ups and downs,” said Flanders. “I can confidently say that they were some of the best years of my life. The things I learned from basketball I will be able to use with me for the rest of my life, such as how to deal with conflict, how to communicate with people, and how to work together with a group of people to achieve a common goal.”

While at SMCC she got her degree in liberal studies and business administration. She is working toward completing her degree in Leadership and Organizational Studies at USM. Flanders doesn’t specifically know what she wants to do after college but would like to coach. She will start an internship for a non-profit organization called “Strong Girls United” where she’ll be mentoring and working with young girls.

“Tara is only my second player to reach the milestone,” said SMCC women’s basketball coach Katie Stannard. “Tara never goes less than 110 percent while scoring 1,000 points is the headline accomplishment, having over 700 rebounds standing at 5 feet 7 inches actually fits Tara’s value even more. She is always the hardest worker in the room, and there is never any doubt that she will do whatever it takes to make her team successful.”

While Flanders did spend most of her collegiate career at SMCC, she felt she had gotten too comfortable and wanted to challenge herself. She heard there was going to be a new head women’s basketball coach at USM, so she reached out and expressed her interest in playing.

“Tara was extremely valuable this season,” said USM women’s basketball coach David Chadbourne. “Tara’s greatest strength is her ‘motor.’ She literally never stops and always plays all out. Tara is a wonderful person and teammate. I would have loved to have Tara for all four years, but I am grateful for the one season I had the privilege to coach her.”

She wouldn’t have been able to reach this milestone without the confidence that her SMCC coaches gave her. They saw something in her she didn’t see in herself as a freshman. They motivated and pushed her every practice; she was held to a higher standard than others. Flanders trained and practiced off the court.

“It feels really cool to be able to say I ... hit some of these huge milestones throughout my college career,” said Flanders. “I am even more grateful for the love and support I have had from my teammates, coaches, family and friends along the way.”

Her dad, Mike Flanders, will miss watching his daughter play. It’s been their thing traveling together chasing basketball courts from Windham to as far away as Virginia.

Flanders said that she would like to thank her mom, Kelly, and her dad, who have been her biggest cheerleaders. She said their love and enthusiasm is what has kept her going and she greatly appreciates them. Also, she thanks her SMCC coaches Katie Stannard, Patrick Haviland, Vanese Barns, and Danielle Pinkham, saying they shaped her into the player she is today.

According to Flanders, playing in front of people she loves, like friends and family, makes playing her favorite sport much more enjoyable. <

WHS boys’ basketball wins regional title, plays Saturday for state championship

By Matt Pascarella

Call them the AA North champions and with just one more win this Saturday, the Windham High School boys’ basketball team will earn the 2023-2024 Maine state title.

Windham High players and coaches show off their regional
championship plaque after defeating Portland High. WHS
now advances to the Maine Class AA championship game
this Saturday and will face Gorham for the state title.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA     

WHS beat Lewiston 57-44 in the regional semifinal on Thursday, Feb. 22 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, and then captured its first AA North regional championship ever by sending Portland packing 43-34 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland on Saturday, Feb. 24. The last time Windham played in a regional championship game was 2018 and this team has now won 18 games, the most in school history.

Windham (18-2) will face off against the AA South Regional Champions Gorham High School (18-3) at 8:45 p.m. Saturday, March 2 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland with the state championship on the line.

“Our guys stick together no matter what,” said WHS head coach Chad Pulkkinen. “As long as they do that, good things will happen. I’m proud of their fight, they fight every single day. We’ve had guys out of the lineup the last couple weeks and ... guys stepping up on the bench. Our adjustments at halftime, being a little more patient on the offensive end, making sure we’re getting reversals, making sure we’re attacking closeouts. I was proud of the guys for being a little bit more patient and then starting to believe and when you start to believe good things happen. I’m excited to have another week with this special group and that means a lot to me; we’re going to bring all we’ve got to that game.”

According to Pulkkinen, this win in the regional finals was for the school’s alumni. He said he’s proud that his guys were able to get it done and those alumni paved the way for his team to make it to this point. Pulkkinen said he has never seen a team as close this one, and it’s been incredible to be around. They inspire and make him better. He directs the ship, and the team drives.

During the regional semifinals, WHS sophomore Tyrie James had 16 points, senior Blake McPherson had 15 points and junior Creighty Dickson scored 9 points and hauled in 19 rebounds.

“Everyone contributed,” said James after the semifinal. “We didn’t settle for anything, we just kept working and I think that really got us through. “We had an eight-point lead going into the fourth quarter and we didn’t just want to settle and stop, we wanted to keep playing our game. We moved the ball well, our defense was good, help side – all around we played a pretty good game.”

The regional final was a low scoring game for both teams and neither team had 10 points after the first quarter. Windham was aggressive and kept it close in the first half, even though shots weren’t falling. Portland had a 20-13 lead at halftime.

Portland continued to build a lead at the start of the second half, but it wouldn’t last. Windham’s defense held the Bulldogs to seven points in the third quarter and like in the regional semifinal, Windham turned it up a notch in the fourth quarter after senior Quinton Lindsay scored and just one point separated the teams.

Windham defense wasn’t backing down and a block and bucket by McPherson kept the game tight as the clock wound down.

“It feels great,” said McPherson who scored 16 points and was awarded Most Valuable Player Award for the regionals. “We worked for this, and it feels amazing to be in this situation. Third quarter Portland came out and hit us good, but we just needed to talk it through and in the fourth quarter we executed, and it turned out in our favor. We had good ball movement, we took decent shots, we had a lot of uncontested open shots.”

With 1:45 left in play, Windham was up by 6 and a block by Dickson ensured that Portland wasn’t going to make up much ground.

With just 11 seconds left, Windham led by 8 and eventually won by 9 points.

“Portland had a big lead on us,” said senior and captain Erik Bowen. “We stayed together through the whole thing, and we just chipped away. We fought one stop at a time, one bucket at a time, came back and won the game. We tried to stay positive and trusted in ourselves and in each other that we were going to come out here, finish the game and win. We played great defense; everybody dug deep, our offense wasn’t going for us in the first half, and we came out in the second half and really executed our offense. We play for each other every single day. It feels nice to bring the first regional final championship back to Windham. We’re going to prepare as hard as we can and bring home that first gold ball.”

During the regular season, James averaged 11.4 points per game, McPherson averaged 10.8, Junior AJ Moody 10.5, and Dickson 10.4 for the Eagles.

Blake McPherson, Creighty Dickson and Tyrie James all were named to the AA North All-Tournament team. Criteria for making AA North All-Tournament team is based upon statistics. McPherson, Dickson and James were the three top scorers for WHS during the season and so far McPherson has scored 32 points in the tournament, and Dickson 17, with huge rebound games including 19 rebounds in the semifinals. James scored 28 points in the semifinal and regional final combined.

“They have been instrumental in our success and have done a great job making great decisions on the floor,” said coach Chad Pulkkinen. “All three possess different skill sets and that was on display at the tournament.”

Also noteworthy are AA North Award winners, voted on by the coaches and those include:

Blake McPherson - AA North First Team

Quinton Lindsay - AA North First Team

Creighty Dickson - AA North Second Team

AJ Moody - AA North Honorable Mention

Tyrie James - AA North All Rookie Team

Erik Bowen - AA North Defensive Player of the Year

Bowen is an All-Academic McDonald’s All Star; one of 12 selected by the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches and McDonald’s All-Star Voting in the entire state. He also received the Gary Randall Award which goes to one player voted on by 17 Southern Maine Activities Association schools. The award is given to the player that possesses the most character and sportsmanship in the league. <

Windham siblings earn triple championship wins during tournaments

By Matt Pascarella

For Windham siblings Creighty, Cooper and Kelenese Dickson, Saturday, Feb 24 and Sunday, Feb. 25 were big days. WHS Junior Creighty Dickson helped his team secure Windham basketball’s first-ever regional title when they beat Portland 43-34 at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland on Saturday, Feb. 24. Sixth grader Cooper Dickson helped his team beat Falmouth Force 54-52 in the Maine Hoops Town Team Championships at the Augusta Civic Center on Sunday, Feb. 25. Also in that tournament, fifth grader Kelenese Dickson and her team defeated Oxford Hills, 31-28.

(L to R) Windham junior Creighty Dickson, Windham fifth
grader Kelenese Dickson and Windham sixth grader Cooper
Dickson all celebrated championship wins last weekend 
after their teams won titles. Kelenese started playing
basketball after watching her brothers compete for Windham
teams and now has won another championship for her
family. PHOTOS BY MATT PASCARELLA
and KATIE DICKSON   

“It was so exciting to be at the Cross Insurance Arena,” said Creighty Dickson. “I was excited and nervous as it's been a dream of mine. I love my team, it’s my second family.”

Cooper Dickson’s team had never beaten their rival Falmouth and he said going into the game that he really wanted to. He loves playing with his team; they’ve been playing together for many years, and they keep getting better.

“I was really pumped to play Oxford Hills,” said Kelenese Dickson. “We beat them two times this weekend and before this weekend we had never been able to win against them. I had so much fun with my teammates.”

All three of them began playing basketball at a young age. Creighty Dickson began playing at age 5 with youth teams, Cooper Dickson started at age 4 with Windham Youth Basketball and trained with his big brother. Kelenese started at age 6 after she saw her brothers playing and wanted to join them. They all play Amateur Athletic Union as well as travel basketball and spend a lot of time competing.

“It took us not getting in our heads, not giving up and playing our hardest until the end of the game to win,” said Cooper Dickson. “The win felt good because it was the first time beating them. I was really excited; we move onto Rhode Island this month for a regional tournament.”

According to Kelenese Dickson, it took them to push through and work as a team to win the tournament. She said it felt good for her team to be in first place. She also will play in a regional tournament in Rhode Island this month.

Creighty Dickson was injured in the second half of the regional final game but only stayed out momentarily. He wanted to get back on the court and win.

“He’s a tough kid; he’s a true basketball player,” said Windham varsity coach Chad Pulkkinen. “He lives and breathes it; his energy is contagious with our group. He wasn’t going to just step off the floor, if he can still crawl, he’s getting on that court. He’s a great kid who tries his best for his brothers.”

They’ve all stuck with the game because of their love for it. Kelenese Dickson says she loves basketball because it’s full of enjoyment. She likes being aggressive and always wants to be better than her brothers.

“What makes her an exceptional player is her ability to score at will,” said Windham fifth grade girls’ basketball coach Chris Sargent. “She has great defense and understanding of the game and game situations. She has always been the happiest girl on and off the floor. A born leader, great all-around player.”

Creighty Dickson loves the sport and has set goals for himself and wants to accomplish them.

“I love to compete, and I have so much fun,” said Cooper Dickson. “I did drills with my dad and brother and that’s always inspired me.”

According to Windham sixth grade basketball coach Steven DePaolo II, Cooper Dickson is a team asset when he plays team basketball and keeps his head in the game, and everyone plays for each other. It is how the team has been so successful.

“I feel like their time and commitment is paying off as they practice daily and really work hard to be better,” said mom Katie Dickson. “Creighty is consistent, unselfish and good at everything he does ... he paves the way for the rest of them. Cooper is super competitive, and you see that when he is playing. He plays with big emotions and a big heart but really hates losing which makes him determined. Kelenese is so strong and energetic; as the baby of the family, she often can get drowned out in the noise in our home. She has learned to develop a very loud and passionate presence to make sure everyone knows she is with us.”

For dad Craig Dickson, it’s fun to watch them develop and to love the game like he does. It’s great for him to see their extra effort paying off. They play basketball year-round; it’s a daily part of their lives. They are good students. The best part for their father is their hard work on and off the court. <