WHS girls’ lacrosse captures first-ever Class A state title

By Matt Pascarella

WHS varsity girls’ lacrosse team had already shattered records when it won its first-ever Regional Championship by defeating Falmouth on June 18. But it was far from finished and faced the team that had given Windham its only loss of the season, top-ranked Kennebunk, on Saturday, June 21 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland with the Class A State Championship on the line. Windham emerged as State Champions with a 12-9 win and secured the first-ever state championship for the program.

Windham freshman Brooklyn Roy winds up to take a 
shot at goal and scores early during the Class A Girls'
Lacrosse State Championship Game against Kennebunk
in Portland on Saturday, June 21. WHS won, 12-9,
and won the program's first-ever state title.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

Second-ranked Windham had a strong start and scored four goals in the first quarter. Windham’s defense held off Kennebunk and the Rams had a much harder time scoring than in their previous game against the Eagles.

“The connection we have with each other is unmatched; everyone trusts each other to the full limit,” said Windham senior Grace Joly. “We have girls stepping up that at the beginning of this season that couldn’t have – they really just jumped a step. Everybody looks for everybody; it’s not just two players running the whole field. Everybody is setting everyone up. (Comparing the two games) we were a little nervous, coming into our first game of the season, but we came into this game with a lot more confidence, knowing that we could do it and that set the tone.”

Windham won the draw and freshman Brooklyn Roy scored very early in the game. Seconds later Windham sophomore Morgan McLain scored and was assisted by junior Mady Donnelly.

The Eagles’ defense remained strong, and Kennebunk struggled to score, although they did tally one in the first quarter.

Windham remained intense throughout the entire game. They were first to the ball and passed well throughout. With just 18 seconds left in the first half, senior Grace Joly scored for the second time and WHS led at halftime, 7-4.

Junior Abby Trainor scored twice at the beginning of the second half against Kennebunk, once unassisted and once assisted by Roy.

“I think all parts of our team are really strong,” said Trainor. “Our defense is so locked down and we make quick adjustments and offensively, all seven people on the ball can score. They might not score, but they can score and anyone on the bench, too, can score. A lot of our goals are assisted ... it’s just very team ball. We’re patient and everyone is so skilled ... always being in the lead displaced (Kennebunk’s) momentum. We’ve been phenomenal on the draw all season.”

Going into the fourth quarter, Windham led by six.

“We were definitely tired (going into the fourth quarter), said Joly. “When you’re 12 minutes, six minutes, four minutes away from winning a state championship that really pushes you to dig inside the deepest part of you that wants to leave everything out on this field – especially since it’s your last game.”

Kennebunk made a little headway down the final stretch, but not enough. Windham led by three with 30 seconds remaining in the game. As the clock ticked away, Windham had possession, it became more and more evident that it was about to win its first state title and it did.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Windham girls’ lacrosse coach Matt Perkins. “I’m just so happy for these kids and this program. The kids and coaches that came before us to help build it and start it and all the work that’s gone into how we do things, how we work and how we treat each other, just really special to see it happen today. We did a much better job taking care of the ball (compared with when they played Kennebunk earlier in the season.) We took care of the ball well, we ... controlled the tempo, even when it was up three points, we still had control.” <

Windham High wins second Class A State Softball title in three years

By Matt Pascarella

Windham High’s varsity softball team derailed top-ranked Cheverus in the Regional Championship Game and then took on seventh-ranked Edward Little at Saint Joseph’s College on Saturday, June 21. Windham got the bats going early and immediately put runs on the scoreboard, ultimately winning 7-0 and capturing its second state championship in three years.

Windham junior Addison Caiazzo swings at a pitch while
batting against Edward Little during the Class A Softball
State Championship Game at Saint Joseph's College
on Saturday, June 21. WHS won, 7-0, to earn its 
second state softball title in three years.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA
 

“I think our chemistry as a team (led to the win),” said senior Stella Jarvais. “We all love each other; and I think we were doing it for each other. It’s just amazing, having this bond with the kind of people that you love and cherish and getting to practice and seeing everyone’s face is the highlight of my day. Being able to get in this game, the final game of the season, that’s what we wanted to do because we wanted to spend as much time as we could together. We’ve prepared and we’ve worked so hard. Obviously knowing this is our last game, just keep it simple; we know how to play together.”

Windham defense sent the first three Edward Little batters back to the dugout in the top of the first inning. But in the bottom of the first inning, Windham scored when junior Addison Caiazzo tripled for Windham and was followed by a single by Jarvais scoring Caiazzo. Junior Oakley McLeod reached first base and when freshman Yani Kostopoulos doubled, McLeod scored.

Windham would eventually put runs on the scoreboard in every inning but the fourth and fifth.

In the third inning, senior Kennedy Kimball reached first base following an error. McLeod singled and Kostopoulos singled. Sophomore pinch runner Abhilasha Jain scored. Later in the inning, McLeod scored on a passed ball, as did Kostopoulos.

Kimball had 11 strikeouts, no walks and no errors in the game and she only allowed three hits. She threw 84 pitches, 63 of which were strikes.

In the sixth inning, Windham senior Chloe Edwards singled and Jarvais grounded out, scoring Edwards.

“Our main goal for today was communication and keep talking to each other ... that was a big key for us”, said Caiazzo. “Once you get quiet your mind starts to wander, so just talking to everyone, talking on every pitch, kept us in the game. It feels amazing; I’m so blessed that we have the seniors we have this year – so thankful, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”

In the top of the seventh inning, Windham was three outs away from another state title and recorded a strikeout, a fly out before allowing several singles. A final strikeout started the championship celebration for Windham.

“Surreal (to win a second state championship in three years),” said Windham varsity softball coach Darcey Gardiner. “I never thought taking this job I would have the caliber of athletes that I have. I can’t say enough about this team. They show up to work ... to get better and they show up every day to compete. This is where they want to be. They want to be playing the last game every year, and I couldn’t be prouder of my team. 17 girls in that dugout today, we don’t win it without one through 17 supporting us all.”

Gardiner said a lot of practice and preparation led to the victory. Their biggest focus was the change in pitchers it expected to face. The team had been prepared for a while to face Cheverus’ Addison DeRoche and now they had to turn the page and face a pitcher who wasn’t her. The coach said having pitchers like Lydia Marden, Lacie Higgins, Abhilasha Jain made their offense better by pitching to WHS batters during practice. She said the championship game wasn’t just won on Saturday, rather it was won throughout practice all week long. <

Windham softball wins second Class A Regional Championship in three years

By Matt Pascarella

Second-ranked Windham varsity softball made program history again when it won its second regional title in recent years, ousting top-ranked Cheverus at Saint Joseph’s College on Tuesday, June 17. Cheverus had beaten Windham twice in the regular season, but Windham came in ready to go and sent the Stags packing 1-0 as the Lady Eagles advanced to the Class A State Championship.

Windham Senior Chloe Edwards slides into home plate to
score Windham's winning run in the Class A Regional
Championship Game against Cheverus at Saint Jospeh's
College on Tuesday, June 17.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“It felt like we deserved it; it was a team win; we came here as a team and that’s how we executed it was together,” said Windham senior Chloe Edwards, who scored Windham’s winning run. “I saw that the ball was in the air, I had a good lead on it, and I had to go. It went past her, and I went.”

Windham defense only allowed four Cheverus hits. Windham senior pitcher Kennedy Kimball struck out eight and only walked two; she threw 69 strikes out of 98 pitches.

Cheverus loaded up the bases in the first inning, with one out; strong pitching by Kimball, plus stellar Windham defense left those bases loaded as they ended the inning.

Windham was able to get the bats going in the second inning when junior Nola Bryant doubled to left center field.

The game was scoreless until the top of the third inning. Windham loaded up the bases when Edwards walked, junior Addison Caiazzo singled and senior Stella Jarvais singled. A hit from Kimball to center was a fly-out, and Edwards didn’t tag up to score. She corrected the mistake on a passed ball and crossed home plate for the only run of the game.

“It definitely helped us that we’ve seen (Cheverus pitcher) Addison (DeRoche) for two games, that was a bonus for us,” said Windham varsity head coach Darcey Gardiner. “They stayed together and constantly played together and that’s why in moments like the first inning (Cheverus) bases loaded, seventh inning runner on – we talk about give and not break, that’s the composure that we want our girls to have, and it was awesome to see them show up with it and act like we’ve been here before.”

While Cheverus shut down Windham in a few innings, Windham returned the favor and never let them cross the plate.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, a walk put a Cheverus runner on first base with one out. Kimball struck out one and then a ground out ended the game.

“We had timely hits when we had runners in scoring position,” said Kimball. “We had good at-bats and were able to get more people on base than we had before, which was good. We did well in the field, we made all our plays in the infield and that was nice.”

In preparation for the state championship, Kimball said they need to make sure the team stays healthy and to brush up on any mistakes the coaches might have noticed during this game.

“As much as you say there’s not nerves, there always is,” said Gardiner. “If we keep communicating, that helps settle our nerves. We say in the dugout ‘stay within ourselves.’ Going into that seventh inning we said, ‘it’s a 0-0 ballgame, let’s keep playing like it’s a 0-0 ballgame.’ It goes back to us having composure with baserunners on. We can give a little without breaking and that’s exactly what we did today. It’s very hard to break this team.”<

Windham boy’s lacrosse falls in playoff quarterfinals

By Matt Pascarella

Fourth-ranked Windham boys’ lacrosse came into their Class A quarterfinal with fifth-ranked Cape Elizabeth ready to get the win at Windham on Friday, June 13. Unfortunately, Cape took control early and kept a commanding lead for most of the game. Windham stuck with it, but Cape Elizabeth defense was intense. The Eagles lost 14-3 after 48 minutes.

Windham junior Garrett Winslow watches as his shot heads 
for the net and into the goal against Cape Elizabeth in
the Class A boys' lacrosse quarterfinal playoff game
at Windham High School on Friday, June 13.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“I think our team’s a great team,” said Windham freshman Liam Reinbold, who scored a goal for Windham in the second half. “We came into this, we had a lot of practice, and we were all positive, it just didn’t go our way. I think we planned for the right things, just unfortunate turns; Cape is a solid team. We knew it was going to be hard ... we got to work harder in the offseason, and we’re going to beat them next (time). They came out of the gate strong, but offensively we looked great; we got our opportunities. It’s just how it fell. I love these boys, we came together, and we had some tough games, it was a great season. We’re going to come back stronger and stronger and hopefully win it all.”

Despite Windham’s intensity on the field, Cape Elizabeth jumped to an early lead and scored six times in the first quarter.

In the second quarter Windham junior Garrett Winslow scored. He scored again before the end of the first half.

Windham continued to take shots at goal, but not much got by.

“We came into this game, we prepared for it all week,” said Winslow. “We knew what we needed to do, who we needed to guard, who we needed to lock off. We did what we needed to do; we just weren’t necessarily awake at the beginning of the game. It started off super slow and then we got a couple man-ups, which helped us out, got some momentum from that and then it really started to unravel when we all started to put our heads down. Not necessarily giving up, but we already played this team once and it went the same way. In a sense we were all trying to still comeback – we’ve come back in plenty of games this year. We kept putting each other up, we weren’t arguing; it was a team game for sure. Some things didn’t go our way. We were doing anything we can to get a shot off.”

In the second half, Windham sophomore goalie Zachary Gagne had several nice stops.

Windham defense was able to slow down Cape Elizabeth’s offense a bit and they scored less in the second half than the first.

In the fourth quarter, Reinbold scored.

“The mindset going in was, do the things we need to do,” said Windham boys’ lacrosse coach Peter Small. “Focus on our things; we know what we think they’re going to try to do, we just have to then play it as best we can. At the end of the first quarter, they were still of that mindset ‘just one goal at a time’ ... and even at halftime they recognized the mountain has gotten bigger, but you can’t think about the mountain you have to take it one at a time and Windham is very good at that. I think Windham elevated their character over the season; they took what we did last year and built on it and worked together as a team. The seniors will be dearly missed – they helped lead this foundation of who we are. We’re going to carry that tradition on for them.”

Windham senior Levi Hayman said this season meant so much to him because of the team’s chemistry.

According to Windham senior Cole Heanssler, this season was all about how well Windham worked together and drove to be the best they could possibly be. The team this year has definitely been the most connected group that he’s been a part of during his lacrosse career; the team was great at putting in the work, and it showed during the season.<

Windham track team unstoppable in State Championship meet

By Matt Pascarella

Windham’s entire outdoor track and field season was working up to this point all spring as its boys’ and girls’ squads competed against teams from all over the state in the Class A State Championship meet at Lewiston on Tuesday, June 10.

Windham senior Rory Good leaps over a hurdle during the 
Class A Track and Field State Championships at Lewiston
on Tuesday, June 10. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

Windham boys finished fourth with a score of 49 and Windham girls finished 10th with a score of 37.75.

Boys

In the pole vault, Windham senior Carter Engelman became a state champion with a height of 15-feet, a new personal record and a new school record.

“For the last two years at a state meet Carter has not met his expectations in a heartbreaking way as being able to come and perform,” said Windham pole vault coach Jeff Neal. “So, to see him do this, 100 percent huge personal record; it’s all the hard work. I couldn’t be prouder of him, a class act.”

Engelman had been tied with an injured Scarborough pole vaulter. They were given the option to break the tie or be co-champions.

Coach Neal said Engelman was steadily improving and probably could have beat him. Engelman said he would not beat an injured guy, showing in addition to skill, class and sportsmanship.

“It feels good; I feel like I’ve earned it, I’ve had a lot of help,” Engelman. “Track is one of those things where everything builds on each other. I just wanted to perform to the best of my ability and not have regrets about how I performed.”

Engelman was also the 110-hurdles state champion with a time of 14.72 seconds. Right behind him was Windham senior Rory Good with a 14. 85 time, a personal record.

Good finished second in the 300-hurdles with a 39.98 time.

In the 200-dash senior Karl Longstreth finished fifth with a time of 22.53.

Windham’s 4x100 relay team placed fourth with a 43.98 time.

“I think we’ve been really excited,” said Windham boys’ coach Paula Pock. “We’ve been working hard up until this point and to see them pull it all together – Carter and Rory in the 110, Rory had a huge personal record, he took almost two seconds off from what he did last year. I think it’s been a strong day.”

Girls

Windham senior Marina Schwarz finished second in the shotput with a distance of 35-6.5. She also finished fourth in the discus with a massive throw of 107-11.

“As a coach, watching Marina throw in her second full year with so much development was just amazing to see. As a dad, it was very emotional,” said Windham throwing coach William Schwarz.

According to Marina Schwarz it felt really good for her to have such a great throw in the shotput; she went from placing 10th to placing second.

Senior Tayla Pelletier kept moving forward after a fall in the 100-hurdles. She finished second in the 300-hurdles with a 46.33 time and first in the triple jump with a distance of 37-9.25.

“It’s definitely not how I wanted it to go,” said Pelletier. “My goal for today was to give it what I’ve got and do everything I can to get the best marks at the end of the day. After the fall ... was hard. You have to brush it off and focus on the next thing ... getting to change my mindset and getting back into what I know I can do, was my win for the day.”

Junior Addison Shanholtz placed second in the pole vault with a height of 9-0.

Senior Olivia Smith ran 52.58 in the 300-hurdle, a personal record.

“Tayla Pelletier learned the hardest lesson is sport. Her response was her lesson and opportunity at the state championships – pretty amazing response because it was a devastating situation,” said Windham track and field coach Jeff Riddle. What went really well was that we showed up, we were prepared for the situation. Marina ... epic mental game growth, and a massive shotput personal record; very consistent and impressive results at discus. The 4x800 relay team was able to get on the podium (10:40.96-minute time). Our 4x100 team was incredible with their handoffs they worked for two weeks on that and today was super smooth and super great.” <

Windham Middle School baseball savors amazing season

By Matt Pascarella

Windham Middle School’s baseball team had an incredible season, in which they only lost one game. Windham played their final game of the season at Gorham on Thursday, June 5. Windham held a lead for the first half of the game, but Gorham pulled ahead in the end and Windham narrowly lost 8-6 to the Rams. More importantly, this is a great group of young men who skillfully played the game and had a very strong season.

Windham eighth grader Ryan Manning bats against
Gorham during a middle school baseball game on
Thursday, June 5. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“It's a team effort, and we would not have been 6-1-1 without the contributions from everyone,” said WMS baseball coach Charlie Reiniger. “We’re aggressive on the bases, everybody can hit, but everybody contributed. Our pitching was really good ... our baserunning was huge – I mean everything was absolutely outstanding; these guys were dominant all year. These guys worked so hard at practice every day, this was unbelievable; I’m so happy I took this job, a great decision for me to come to Windham for sure. I loved coaching these guys this year.”

Reiniger, a 2024 Cheverus High School graduate, was new to Windham baseball this season. He said to the parents of the players that he may have learned more from his players than they learned from him. He said that he learned it takes a community, a family, to build success. He wants to thank his assistant coaches Bryan Harvie and Ralph Gallagher for their hard work this season. He’d also like to thank the parents; whether the game was home or away the Windham section was always filled with supporters, cheering on their team.

Windham started their season with an 8-4 win against Scarborough, tied Southern Maine Catholic 6-6, got by Bonny Eagle 12-9 – in which all 12 runs were scored in the first inning. Windham creamed Lincoln 20-4 and Moore 14-2. They sent Lewiston packing 9-3 and knocked down South Portland, 10-4. Collectively, the team had 70 hits and scored 85 runs.

“I think we played as a team, we never got down on each other,” said Windham eighth grader Brady Legere. “During the season, we hit the ball well, I think that was a big factor we were always putting up runs early in the game. In the future (we can remember) that we lost one game in our whole entire eighth grade season and going up to high school, that’s a big thing to have.”

Windham eighth grader Riley Gallagher said they stayed together, even if they were down. They played good defense too, if they needed stops; they hit the ball, got runs as they needed them. Gallagher said they will be able to keep this team together as they go into high school and it feels good knowing that they’ll have a majority of this team for four more years.

As Reiniger looks ahead to next season, he has a great group of seventh graders who are talented and will spend their time growing and getting better at the game during the off season. He will miss his eighth graders but wishes them nothing but success in the future. Reiniger said that Windham varsity baseball coach Chris Doughty has a solid group of players who can contribute greatly next year. <

WHS girls’ lacrosse star reaches major milestone with 200th goal

By Matt Pascarella

Windham junior Abby Trainor made Windham High School varsity girls’ lacrosse history when she became the first player ever to score 200 career goals at Windham High on Tuesday, June 3 in a game against Gorham. She was only two goals away from this monumental achievement and reached her 200th goal in the first quarter. The Lady Eagles won this game 16-6; Trainor scored six goals and along with several other teammates helped earn Windham its 12th consecutive win.

Windham junior Abby Trainor, center between both signs, 
celebrates with her teammates after she scored her 200th
career lacrosse goal at Windham High School on Tuesday,
June 3 against Gorham. PHOTO NY MATT PASCARELLA 

“I think the stats just come as the season goes on,” said Trainor. “The more we progress it’s just so easy for the ball to get in my stick because there are so many teammates and almost all of our goals are assisted, and that’s why the 200th goal stat was reached so much earlier than most other teams. It felt amazing especially on an eight-meter penalty shot; there’s the intensity ... and once I heard the ping (of the ball hitting the goalpost and going in) all of my teammates jumped up and I kind of got excited; inside I know that my team supports me and the fans and everyone from Windham – everyone supports each other. That’s why it felt so good because everyone was around me.”

According to Trainor, to reach this point in her athletic career took a lot of hard work, on and off the field in the summer and fall. It also helps that the team is closeknit and spends time together outside of the season, which only makes them stronger and builds up their chemistry – which is why they have been so successful this season.

Trainor scored her 199th goal in less than the first minute of play. Shortly before the end of the first quarter, Trainor scored goal 200 on a penalty shot.

“(Abby hitting this milestone as a junior) is incredible,” said Windham varsity girls’ lacrosse coach Matt Perkins. “Our program has been around 15 years, give-or-take, we’ve never had anyone over 150 goals and she’s a junior, so that’s pretty incredible. She works so hard on the ride, she causes turnovers. If you watch our ride, she and Morgan and the rest of them, they work their tails off and Abby’s steering that like ‘push, push, push, get the ball back, get the ball back.’ She’s so good in there which raises us at that level. The other thing about her game is she and Neve and Grace have elevated everyone around them. We have kids who weren’t varsity players last year who are scoring, and they’re scoring from all different areas and different players and it’s just unselfish play – if it’s there I’ll score, if I can pass, I’ll pass. That unselfish attitude has been so huge for this team.”

Roughly a year ago, Trainor achieved her 100th career goal. After this, Trainor did not set out to achieve another 100 goals. She credited her teammates for making it so easy for her to score.

“Abby is such a fun player to work with, I’ve played with her since middle school,” said Windham senior and teammate Grace Joly. “I’ve learned so much from her, everybody looks up to her on the team and she contributes so much on the field. She’s always setting everyone else up and also taking the best drives for herself. She’s so talented and I can’t wait to see where she goes ... I’m so sad I’m going to miss her next year when I’m not here. It’s just an incredible accomplishment.”

Trainor’s goals for the future are to help Windham win a state championship.

“That would be better than any personal accolade ever,” said Trainor. <

Windham Unified bocce ends season showing improvement

By Matt Pascarella

During the final game of the season, Windham’s Unified bocce team showed they have kept improving game-after-game. Windham tied Gray-New Gloucester 3-3 on Tuesday, June 3 after falling to GNG 2-0 less than a month ago.

Windham senior Colby Schmid keeps his focus during the 
final Unified bocce game of the season against Gray-New
Gloucester at Windham High School on Tuesday, June 3.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

Since it was the last game of the season, Windham players were geared more toward having fun and celebrating a successful season. It was also Senior Night; Windham’s TJ McAllister, Colby Schmid along with unified partner Talia Campobasso and each of their parents were presented with a gift and thanked for their time and dedication to Windham Athletics. Jacob Smith was not present for the game but coaches say he deserves recognition for his time with the team.

“It’s really important to me to be involved in the unified programs because I see how much it means to them,” said Campobasso, who has been a partner for unified bocce and basketball; her job is to assist the players in learning the game and guide them if they need help. “With other people helping out it makes their day and their year. I’ve definitely seen a lot of improvement in how they work together. I saw how well we worked with the other team; we played Gray New-Gloucester a few weeks ago, but the chemistry and sportsmanship today was a lot better.”

This match consisted of three 15-minute games played on two separate courts. Gray New-Gloucester won the first set of games, 5-4 and 9-1. Windham answered GNG when they won the next sets, 5-2 and 5-4. In the final set, Windham won a game, 5-3, and Gray New-Gloucester won the other, 8-1, resulting in the tie.

Windham junior Zach O’Brion thought the team played very well. They had more wins than last time and played a lot better as a team. It was fun for him to play one last game with the seniors. O’Brion said he likes learning the game and having fun with his team.

“I think it’s been really exciting (to be part of the season),” said Windham’s new Unified bocce coach Kendall Dolan. “Getting involved in the unified sports was always something I really wanted to do, but unified sports happened the year after I graduated high school, so I wanted to find a way to get involved and luckily ... I was able to step in with Connor as the co-head coach, and it was just really nice to be able to do that. Even against Gray New-Gloucester I think they shut us out in all games the last time we played them, but we won a handful of matches today and we’ve just really learned more about the rules of the game and creating the amount of force on your throws. I’m really proud of them; they did a great job today.”

Dolan said sportsmanship will stand out when she reflects about this season. There were a lot of teams that Windham mixed and mingled players and partners in and out and she believes that it is a really important piece of social interaction involving different kids from different places; this was her favorite thing about the season. Windham was really standing behind the seniors and making it a special day for their senior game; they are going to miss Colby, Talia, Jacob and TJ.

Congratulations are in order for Colby Schmid, TJ McAllister, junior Mary Jean O’Brion, freshman Tristan Stanley, junior Jack Shirley, freshman Maddi Small and Jacob Smith on another great season of fun and good sportsmanship. <

Windham grad establishes Strong Girls United Golf Tournament fundraiser

By Matt Pascarella

Windham graduate Tara Flanders benefited greatly from athletics growing up and because of this she began working with the nonprofit “Strong Girls United” whose mission is “to empower girls through sports, mentorship and mental health programming.” Flanders, who began volunteering for the program in summer 2024, is helping to organize the first ever SGU Golf Tournament fundraiser at Point Sebago in Casco on Saturday, Aug. 23.

Windham High graduate Tara Flanders
high-fives Strong Girls United participants
after she completed an obstacle course 
the girls set up for her in York on May 20.
Flanders has organized the first SGU Golf
Tournament fundraiser which takes place in
Casco on Saturday, Aug. 23.
SUBMITTED PHOTO   

“I got involved with Strong Girls United, whose average range of girls in the program are typically kindergarten through eighth grade, through my passion for youth sports and women empowerment,” said Flanders. “I was drawn to SGU’s mission of combining athletics, mentorship, and mental skills development for girls. I ... soon took on a larger role within the organization full time. I focus on building awareness, partnerships, and funding opportunities that support the growth of our programs. I work to ensure SGU can continue offering high-quality, accessible programming to more girls – especially in our local communities like Windham.”

One of the ways Flanders has helped to spread the mission of SGU is through an after-school program she recently launched for second and third graders at Windham Primary School. The six-week program aims to engage girls in a mix of movement activities, like yoga, relay races and games paired with group discussions focused on confidence-building, friendship, and positive self-talk. Each session ends with a reflection prompt, helping the girls build strong mental habits along with physical ones.

SGU centers around three fundamental pillars, physical activity and sports, mental health and well-being activities, and mentorship of strong female role models. They partner with communities, volunteers, universities, and athletes from around the country to run teams, events, conferences and other programming all rooted in their motto: “Strong bodies. Kind hearts. Unstoppable minds.”

“I’ve seen how tournaments bring together people of all ages and backgrounds, whether they’re athletes, families, coaches, or local business leaders,” said Flanders. “These events build community, spark conversations, and create shared memories. They also offer a chance to rally around a cause. With the SGU Golf Tournament, it’s more than just a day on the course, it’s an opportunity to support girls’ confidence, connection, and growth through sport.”

Flanders wanted to start the tournament to create a fun, inclusive and impactful way to raise money and awareness for SGU. She had also worked at Point Sebago since she was 16 and knows this tournament will be a great way to spread SGU’s mission while having fun. Point Sebago is a beautiful course with strong ties to the community and golf offers a relaxed social setting; the two felt like the perfect fit to bring community together in support of empowering girls in Maine.

Community members who participate will enjoy a day of golf while supporting local programming that builds confidence, leadership and mental resilience in young girls. Every registration helps SGU expand their reach, especially in areas like Windham.

The best way to register is online through their website: https://www.sgunitedfoundation.org/golf

SGU is also looking for sponsors, raffle donations, and volunteers. If any local businesses or individuals are interested, please visit the website.

You can also contact Flanders with questions at: Tara@sgunitedfoundation.org. <

Windham High School Playoff Scoreboard

Complied by Matt Pascarella

Boys’ tennis

11th-place Windham traveled to Apex Racket and Fitness in Portland on Friday, May 30 to play sixth-place Scarborough in the Class A South preliminary playoff.

Windham battled but lost to the Red Storm 5-0.

In the singles matches senior Zachary Noonan lost 6-0, 6-1, junior Nolan McPhail lost 6-1, 6-0, and junior Carter Mathieu lost 6-4, 7-6 (7).

In the doubles matches seniors Asher Knott and Brian Gilheany lost 6-2, 6-1; juniors Padrick McGuire and Nate Paulding lost 6-0 and 6-1.

Girls’ tennis

Fifth-place Windham headed to fourth-place Scarborough on Monday, June 2 where they played in the Class A South quarterfinal playoff.

Windham left it all on the court, but Scarborough got by 4-1.

In the singles matches, junior Jasmine Lucas lost 6-4, 6-2, senior Katelyn Cotter lost 6-2, 6-3 and sophomore Denali Momot won her match 8-6 in a pro-set match where the match is won by the first player to win eight games, with a margin of at least two games.

In the doubles matches, senior Afomiya Timerga and junior Ellise Gallop lost 7-5, 6-1 and senior Zoe Dries and junior Sydney Harmon lost 6-2, 6-3. <

Windham varsity baseball drops road game to Sanford

By Matt Pascarella

In a hard-fought road game against Sanford on Saturday, May 24, Windham varsity baseball tied the game 1-1 early on and later Windham freshman Aiden Rinaldi hit his first varsity homer, but Windham ultimately lost to the Spartans, 9-2.

Windham freshman Aiden Rinaldi receives congratulations
from his teammates after hitting his first home run during
a varsity baseball game at Sanford High School on
Saturday, May 24. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA
 

“You saw the momentum shift,” said Windham varsity baseball coach Chris Doughty. “We had a 1-1 game; in the third you drop an infield pop-up, walk, two guys on, hit, they score two runs – things like that tend to compound on each other and swings the momentum. We kind of got it back ... when we tied it up, gave it back to them, had a couple of errors and had some stuff not go our way. Once that momentum shifts, if you don’t do something to stick your foot in the ground and grab it back quickly, it can go downhill fast. Some of the mistakes we made today were mental ... we’re a young team, building toward the future. Aiden Rinaldi hitting that homerun – great attitude, great kid, coachable, in the gym, little things like that pay off, you can always take some positives from our failures. We can’t let fastballs go by early in the count and then swing at the other team’s pitch. We got caught doing that a lot today and that’s why we struck out a lot today. Just being aggressive and trusting themselves and having confidence (needs work), because we’re young that’s something that’ll come with time.”

Sanford scored in the second inning on a passed ball.

Windham was quick to answer in the third inning when senior Grant Coppi walked. Then freshman Mason Rulman reached first base on an error after he hit a ground ball to the shortstop and Coppi scored.

In the fourth inning, Sanford added more and more runs to the scoreboard.

In the fifth inning, Rinaldi blasted a home run to left field.

“The home run felt great,” said Rinaldi. “If we made some better fielding (to flip the score), pitchers threw fine, really, it’s fielding. We had better attitudes, but getting more hits (needs work). We were nervous (at the plate), eager to hit the ball.”

In the top of the sixth inning, Windham sophomore Alex Pastore singled, but was left on base.

“We’re all just trying to get hits and I’m just trying to put the ball in play to help the team,” said Rulman. “I feel like our team could do better at that. We need to start swinging more earlier in the count. Personally, I’m not swinging for the best pitches, and I know a lot of the kids in the dugout aren’t either. If we get our mindset right and swing for the first pitch, we’ll see that’s good and then we’ll have better outcomes. The other team put a bat on it and did their job. I feel like everyone is mad at themselves, performance-wise. When one person gets mad and there’s no cheering in the dugout, we have no chance to go on a rally. We just need to hit the ball, we can’t score without hitting.”

Windham starting pitcher and junior Anthony Rinaldi said he didn’t think they were fully prepared. He agreed with his teammates and said he thought that some were more focused on getting a big hit than just trying to hit the ball. There was a lot of waiting for the perfect pitch. Anthony Rinaldi said they need to work together as a team and be more prepared. <

WHS varsity girls’ tennis falls in indoor match against Cheverus

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham varsity girls’ tennis team left it all on the court during an indoor match at Foreside Fitness in Falmouth on Friday, May 23, but fell to Cheverus High School, 4-1.

Windham sophomore  Denali Momot focuses on the ball 
before returning a serve during a girls' prep tennis match
against Cheverus on May 23.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“Our match went really good,” said Windham senior and doubles player Afomiya Timerga. “Our placement was the best part of playing; we kept hitting it down the alleys, so it was just picking up our feet and hitting it right where it needs to be. Playing with Callie was really good; our communication was really good. Whenever I called a switch or she called a switch, our dynamic was really good. I’m glad I was able to play with her today. You don’t have to hit strong balls as long as where you place it is good. Getting to the ball and our mindset on the game (needs work). Tennis is a lot of mindset and focusing; I think that just needs a little bit more work.”

In the singles matches, Windham junior Jasmine Lucas lost her match, 6-0 and 6-0; senior Katelyn Cotter lost 6-2, 6-1, sophomore Denali Momot lost 6-3 and 6-2.

“Today was not my best match,” said Momot. “I think I played well, but the score says something else. My opponent had really good skills, nice hits and I’m proud of how I played. Mentally I stayed positive and that’s a big part of singles tennis, you’re the only one on the court ... and I was just telling myself to stay with it. Placement (needs work) because sometimes I hit right to my opponent, and it gives them an advantage.”

In the doubles matches, senior Zoe Dries, and junior Sydney Harmon lost their match 6-4 and 6-2. Timerga and senior Callie Barber won their match, 6-1 and 6-3.

Windham had had several matches during the week, so it was impressive to see them give such a strong effort, even if the result wasn’t what they hoped for.

“It’s been a really busy week,” said Windham girls’ tennis coach Katy Dresnok. “The weather hasn’t helped, we haven’t had many practices, but it’s the same all around. The girls played really well today for the competition; I’m really pleased with every single match I watched. I’m super happy for my second doubles who won, Callie has been swinging junior varsity to varsity, and she’s a senior just graduating, so it’s great to see her finish the season with a win. I thought my singles players ... had super long matches, lots went to deuce. They really got some good practice in with hard heavy hitters, and in front of my eyes I watched them improve. I’m happy with the results even though it was a loss; I’m leaving the court today really proud of my girls.” <

Windham boys’ varsity lacrosse downs Lewiston

By Matt Pascarella

Windham boys’ varsity lacrosse came out strong in a game against Lewiston on Friday, May 16 at Windham High School with the Eagles scoring five goals in just the first quarter and its defense was stingy, keeping the Blue Devils from putting much of anything on the scoreboard. After the final buzzer, Windham won 12-3.

Windham sophomore Colin McKenna surveys the field as he
makes his way toward Thornton Academy's goal during a
boys' lacrosse game in Saco on Friday, May 16.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

It was also Windham Youth Lacrosse Night and Windham Youth Lacrosse players from first grade all the way up to eighth grade got to take the field with the varsity team before the start of the game.

“Since the beginning of the season, I think we’ve really grown as a group, on both sides of the ball, defensively and offensively,” said Windham sophomore Luke Drottar. “We’re really starting to click – we just came off a dry spot with our team, but this game really helped us bounce back; it was good for team morale. We all like to play with each other; we know we want to win. On the offensive side, passing went really well. On the defensive side, they talked really well and slid really well. We were all on the same page tonight.”

Windham came out ready to go and after they intercepted a pass from Lewiston, Drottar scored in the first 90 seconds of the game. Windham junior Garrett Winslow followed up a short time after that when he scored, assisted by junior Jack Henry.

The Eagles connected on passes and moved the ball well. They caused several turnovers to move the ball in their direction.

Drottar found the back of the net once more. Defense kept Lewiston’s scoring to a minimum. Senior Lukas Hammond scored before the end of the half, where Windham led 7-2.

“Tonight, we stayed pretty good together,” said Hammond. “For the most part, we stayed out of the box, it’s been an issue of ours and we’re working on it. Any team is beatable every day and today was us trying to come back from previous losses. We were moving the ball really well offensively. At Cape Elizabeth we struggled to take shots and tonight we took a lot more, which was great – it gave us more opportunity to score. We went in tonight hungry. We still need to work on our fundamentals and make sure we got our plays down and repping them constantly.”

Sophomore Trevor Baillargeon kept up Windham’s strong offense when he scored early in the second half. Then Hammond scored from Drottar.

Windham defense continued to make it very difficult for Lewiston to score.

Sophomore Colin McKenna scored in the fourth quarter and Windham continued to command the field.

“We’ve recognized coming off the last game some things we need to improve and more than anything they collectively got the idea of being able to work together,” said Windham varsity boys’ lacrosse coach Peter Small. “We’ve had some growing pains about figuring out how to work with each other – they like each other, but it’s also ‘how do you work with each other?’ Tonight, they just worked with each other really, really well. They needed to elevate and show they can do some of the things they had let slip (in the past two losses). Nobody plays a perfect game and tonight we had a few errors, and when that happened, the kids themselves fixed them on the field. It’s so cool to see, the lacrosse IQ is getting higher, that they are able to adjust on the field together as a group. They were committing to each other even more so ... I couldn’t be more pleased with how they played – that’s a team win.” <

WHS varsity girls’ lacrosse win streak continues by defeating Thornton Academy

By Matt Pascarella

What started as a close game became quickly overpowered by Windham when its girls’ lacrosse team met Thornton Academy in Saco on Monday, May 19. Windham kicked it into high gear and turned a tied game into a solid 11-7 win, as they held off the Trojans in the fourth quarter and secured their seventh consecutive victory.

Windham junior Abby Trainor maneuvers by a Thornton
Academy defender during a girls' lacrosse game on
May 19. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

“I think the prep before, like watching the film, contributed to the win,” said Windham junior Abby Trainor who scored five goals during the game. “When we practice against our own defense on what TA’s going to do, I think it really helps, because if you can go against our scout offense than you can go against any team. From the draw to the work in the midfield between 30 to 30 definitely went really well; every single attacker and midi pressured out. We saw defenders like Lauren who came up and ran the whole field. We took what we needed to improve on (after the Kennebunk loss) turnovers and how we’re executing on both sides of the ball to all these games; no matter who the opponent is we don’t let up.”

Windham senior Grace Joly scored very early on in the game. Thornton Academy matched Windham goal-for-goal until the game was tied 4-4. Windham junior Neve Ledbetter scored before the end of the first quarter and broke the tie.

In the second quarter Windham was unstoppable on offense and defense. Joly scored twice and Trainor scored three times. Windham controlled the field and won several face-offs. At the half, Windham led 10-4.

“We came into it really prepared, which is how we’ve been going into every game, taking each game one-by-one and that has really helped us keep our composure,” said Joly who also scored five goals during this game. “The energy was really good today and that is something we work on a lot. Before the game we were sitting down talking about goals, and all that stuff is really important for preparation. We had really smart plays, we were patient with the ball, we knew when to take it and when not to. Our defense needs a little bit of work still, when there’s a lot of people cutting at once it’s really hard to pick up everyone, so just knocking down some of those and picking up those cutters – but I think it’s all small things we can fix.”

Windham’s intensity dipped a little in the third quarter and allowed Thornton Academy to catch up some.

In the fourth quarter, Windham regained more possessions and while defense was strong on both teams and no one scored, Windham had several shots at goal, and they seemed to have regained the control they may have let up in the third quarter.

“We have some tough gritty kids,” said Windham varsity girls’ lacrosse coach Matt Perkins. “TA is a good, athletic team and they’re going to make runs, and you just got to weather the storm and play good sound team defense and team offense. Take care of the ball and we’re going to be fine. Composure was great; there were some things that didn’t go our way, and the kids handled themselves very well. The pass-catching and decision-making needs work, but we’re making steps, and we talk about each day, each game, each practice taking a step up the ladder; I feel like we’re doing that.”

Trainor said the momentum is propelling the team and she sees a longer winning streak ahead. <

Her Mainely Girl Adventures: Tips for Managing Ticks

By Staci Warren

May is one of my favorite months. Weekends are filled with fly fishing, turkey hunting, and finding fiddleheads and morel mushrooms in the outdoors, and with all those adventures it also means ticks.

Staci Warren recommends permethrin or
picaridin for exposed skin to ward off
ticks when hunting outdoors in Maine.
SUBMITTED PHOTO 

According to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab, May is peak season for deer ticks. Sitting in hardwoods turkey hunting means you’re going to get ticks on you, but that doesn’t mean you have to get bit. Since ticks are here to stay, we have to learn how to deal with them. The old saying, “the best defense is a good offense” couldn’t be truer when it comes to ticks.

Each season, in addition to my turkey hunting clothing and gear, I designate two pairs of jeans, socks, shoes/boots and t-shirts as my adventure gear that get treated with permethrin. Hang the garments outside and with plenty of ventilation to avoid inhalation, give them a good spray and leave to dry. Cover the entire garment but concentrate on the neckline and hem of the shirt, and the waistline and ankles of the pants. The treatment lasts for six weeks of sun exposure, or six washings. The manufacturer recommends storing out of sunlight to preserve the treatment. It’s important to know that you only treat clothing and gear with permethrin and never spray it on your skin. Be sure to keep permethrin away from cats as it can be lethal. I would advise keeping permethrin away from dogs and children as well. This means not only keeping treated clothing stored in a plastic bag once it has dried, but also where animals and children cannot access it.

In addition to permethrin, a good deet or picaridin spray used on exposed skin is essential, not just for ticks, but all the other biting insects out there. According to Consumer Reports, “products containing 25 to 30 percent deet or 20 percent picaridin typically provide at least several hours of protection, and any more than that and you’re increasing your exposure without improving the repellency.” It’s recommended that you wash insect repellent off once indoors, or at least before bedtime.

I often find ticks at my ankles, my waist and my neck. To reduce the chances of getting bitten, I do the following:

· Once dressed, wrap pant legs snuggly around ankles and pull socks over pants.

· Wear boots at least shin height so that pants stay tucked in socks.

· Layer clothing. I wear a tank top under my T-shirt. The tank is tucked in, and the treated t-shirt untucked.

· Wear long hair in a braid or bun if possible. I have found that a loose ponytail allows for hitchhikers more easily.

If you are in and out of your vehicle throughout the day, do a quick tick check before climbing back in. At the end of the day, a tick check is necessary. Just like muddy boots, leave your tick clothes at the door. Check clothing over before putting them into a gear bag for the next use, or place in the washing machine if it’s time for a wash. Inspect for ticks, paying attention to hairline, arm pits, back of legs, and the groin area. For those with long hair, I recommend brushing your hair and really feeling over the scalp for hidden ticks. If possible, use the buddy system and have someone help you check since it’s easy to miss tiny ticks.

Remember to keep your pets treated and to check them before letting them onto furniture or onto your bed. On more than one occasion, I’ve found a tick on my dog’s face or I’ve awoke with a tick on me that wasn’t there before I went to bed.

If you do find a tick attached, remove it as soon as possible; the longer a tick stays attached, the greater the risk is for developing Lyme disease or one of a number conditions no one wants. If you develop a rash or ring around the bite area, or feel ill, call your doctor to see if you need treatment.

A regimen of prevention will reduce your chances of getting bitten and will ease your concerns when it’s time to get out there. There are too many adventures to be had and I’m not about to let ticks take away my time in the outdoors. Just remember, it won’t be long before blackflies, midges, mosquitoes, horse flies, bees, hornets and brown-tail moths are here, so what’s a little tick?

-- Staci Warren provides a unique woman’s perspective and column on the outdoors every month. She is a freelance writer whose blog, My Mainely Girl Adventures, is about a woman hunting, fishing, trapping, foraging and living in the Maine outdoors. She also loves camping, star gazing, wildlife watching, and hunting for fossils. She’s an active member and board member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association and is a monthly columnist and feature writer for The Maine Sportsman Magazine. In her free time, she enjoys mentoring women hunters and trappers. <

Windham varsity softball squashes Portland/Deering in shutout game

By Matt Pascarella

Windham softball played Portland/Deering at Windham on Tuesday, May 13 and the Lady Eagles enjoyed an extremely strong start as they scored 10 runs in the first inning. They did not let up until the last Lady Eagle crossed the plate for a notable 15-0 win.

Windham junior Jezabelle Pinto connects for a hit during a
prep softball game at Windham High School on Tuesday,
May 13. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

“It was a little nerve-racking but exciting,” said Windham senior Lydia Marden who got her first varsity start in the circle; she had five strikeouts, let up one hit with no walks or errors. “I was really excited for this game; I got more confident as the innings went on, I started throwing a little harder and mixing pitches more. I feel like our pre-game energy was good. I think we need to talk a little more in the field, but in the dugout, we’ve been talking a lot and supporting each other. Nola’s catch in the outfield was amazing and everyone was super hyped for that. We’re going to continue to carry that energy through playoffs.”

Windham had a powerhouse first inning with junior Addison Caiazzo who singled on a bunt, then senior Stella Jarvais crushed the ball to center field. Senior Kennedy Kimball walked and after junior Oakley McLeod singled, Caiazzo scored.

From that point on, it was a revolving door of hits and Windham crossing home plate. Marden singled and courtesy runner sophomore Evelyn Anderson scored. Junior Lacie Higgins singled and McLeod scored.

Seven more runners crossed the plate before the end of the inning.

Windham defense wasn’t letting any runs, or many Portland/Deering hits in throughout the game. They sent three consecutive batters back to the dugout in the second inning.

In the third inning, Windham sophomore Sarah Smyth bunted and reached first base on an error. Sophomore Abhilasha Jain walked.

Windham junior Jezabelle Pinto singled; junior Lacie Higgins singled. Smyth and Jain scored. Higgins scored on a wild pitch; Windham led 14-0.

In the top of the fourth inning junior Nola Bryant made an incredible diving catch from center field.

“With the diving catches, that was my second one of the year, it’s me just wanting to have my pitcher’s backs and give them less hits in a game,” said Bryant. “It really makes the whole team hyped up when I make those catches; I love having my team’s back and making those plays. We were motivated to come in and win today; We started high, and we kept it up at a high the whole game. I think that we could definitely sit back on pitches – that needs improvement – wait a little bit longer with the slower pitching. What we did well was cheering our teammates on with the successes, we had our pitcher’s back really well and made all of the routine plays, I think that was very good.”

Marden crossed the plate in the fourth inning to end the game.

“I really challenged my batters to see how much of a disciplined batter they can be,” said Windham varsity softball coach Darcey Gardiner. “Can they stay back on their legs long enough, can they let that ball travel deeper in the zone, or are we going to be swinging out of our shoes trying to hit homeruns and swinging way early? I was really proud to see the adjustments they made from one pitcher yesterday (against Cheverus) to another pitcher today. All five seniors started today, and they have come into this year with this is all business. You had Lydia Marden getting her first varsity start out there in the circle; to see her teammates pump her up, that is everything you can ask and more. The score doesn’t show it, but for her to keep her composure not only in the circle but also up to bat, she was absolutely phenomenal today.”

Gardiner said it was nice to see both under and upperclassmen supporting each other and keeping the energy up throughout the game. <

WHS unified bocce displays excellent efforts, sportsmanship against Gray New-Gloucester

By Matt Pascarella

Halfway through the season, Windham’s varsity unified team traveled to Gray New-Gloucester High School where they took on the Patriots on Monday, May 12. Windham showed a great deal of sportsmanship and both teams cheered for their opponents.

Windham senior Colby Schmid gives his bocce ball an
elevated throw during a Unified bocce game at Gray New
Gloucester High School on Monday, May 12.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

Despite a 2-0 loss the Eagles showed that the game of bocce is more about making friends, having fun and improving at a game that you enjoy playing, rather than winning.

“I think they did really well today,” said Windham varsity unified bocce head coach Kendall Dolan. “They were really excited, and they were taking pointers from the other team which is just really nice to see two different schools working together; a really great game.”

In bocce, one team throws a small white ball called the pallina, and the goal is to throw larger balls, called bocce, to get as close to the pallina as possible. Only the team closest to the pallina scores points. This match consisted of two 20-minute games with the winner being whoever has the most points when time is up.

Although the score is kept, the object of the unified bocce game is more geared toward having fun and being part of a team.

Everyone on the Windham team, including junior Mary Jean, junior Zachary O’Brion, freshman Tristan Stanley, senior Colby Schmid, junior Jack Shirley and senior TJ McAllister displayed good throws and there was a lot of laughing and high-fiving with both teams cheering each other on.

Schmid said one of the things that went well during the game was teamwork. He said both teams showed great sportsmanship. Schmid said if the team had maybe focused more it might have ended differently for Windham. The season has been going well.

In the first game, Gray New-Gloucester took an early lead and stayed ahead to win that game, 9-2.

In the second game, Windham stayed strong, but Gray New-Gloucester won 11-0.

O’Brion said things went well and he had fun. He wasn’t happy with the loss, but he said WHS will try and beat Gray New-Gloucester the next time they play them.

“We have a really good group this year,” said Windham varsity unified bocce assistant coach Connor McNeill. “Honestly, our team is super flexible, and they are really good about going with the plan whatever it is – one thing that’s hard about bocce is sometimes we don’t know how many players the other team is going to have – so they have to adjust to playing for a different school or playing with a different group that they may not be used to playing with. They are always willing to do whatever we need. In terms of improvement, the more we play the better we’ll go, and Gray New-Gloucester is just really good.” <

Windham High’s outdoor track and field teams showcase skills in early season meet

By Matt Pascarella

Windham High School’s boys and girls outdoor track and field teams headed to Noble in North Berwick to compete against Noble and South Portland in the second meet of the season. Windham girls finished second with a score of 70 and Windham boys finished second with a score of 47.

Windham senior Marina Schwarz sets up to throw the javelin
during a track meet against Noble and South Portland
in Berwick on Thursday, May 1.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA   

Girls

Windham senior Marina Schwarz threw the discus for 100 feet for the first time ever, with a distance of 100-0, and a third-place finish. Her sister, freshman Jennifer Schwarz, did the same, with a throw of 100-7, and finished second.

Marina Schwarz also placed third in the javelin with a throw of 74-11, shattering a previous personal-best record of hers. She placed third in the shot put with a throw of 30-04.50 and qualified for the Southern Maine Activities Association’s competition, as well as the state championships.

“After doing this for three years it felt good to break that boundary and then I watched my sister do it,” said Marina Schwarz. “I broke one personal record last year in javelin and this is my second this season, and this is only our second meet, so it felt good. The more people push each other the more they get better; I think our team is doing great this season.”

Windham senior Ava Gerrity finished second in the long jump with a 15-03.75 distance.

In the 1600-racewalk, Windham senior Monica Farley finished first with a 10:58.25-minute time. Windham sophomore Leana Robbins finished second with a time of 11:08.21.

Many WHS athletes tried new events including Sydney Broadbent in her first 300-low hurdle race; Stephanie Roghelia in first pole vault; Addison Shanholtz, Olivia Smith, Eva Vancelette in their first-triple jumps; Brooke Tuttle in the high jump; Myla Vercoe running the 4x400 relay; Sarah Inman in her first ever 1600-racewalk and Lexie Beach in the open 400.

“A very, very impressive and important outcome for us as we work weekly to build our championship meet rosters,” said Windham outdoor track and field girls’ coach Jeff Riddle. “Truly the team is uniting, smiling, and trying new things, all while giving everything they have, their very best, on that day.”

Boys

Windham senior Carter Engleman finished first in the pole vault with a 12-00.00 height, first in the javelin with a 151-05 throw, and first in the long jump with a mark of 21-00.50. He was first in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.07 – a new WHS school record.

Windham senior Rory Good finished first in the 300 hurdles with a time of 41.71 and second in the 110 hurdles with a 15.50 time.

“I think the meet went well,” said Good. “A lot of us set personal records pretty good. We kept our heads up, a few of our teammates got personal records, but they’re still looking to drive more – they’re passionate, they’re ready, I think it’s going to be a good season for us. For me, my blocks need improvement. For the team, in the relay we can work on being loud, because we had a mess up; as a team I think we could pick each other up a little bit more, other than that I think we’re doing great.”

Windham junior Karl Longstreth placed second in the 100-dash with an 11.11 time. He had set a new record in the 200-dash in a previous meet and placed second in this meet with a 22.68 time.

“Overall, the team had a great performance with a lot of personal records,” said Windham outdoor track and field boys’ coach Paula Pock. “Including Aaron Sanborn in the 400, Noah Saucier in the triple jump, Ethan Fletcher in the 100, Brayden Bean in the javelin, Mason Bragdon in the 1600. Overall, we had a great meet, and a lot of athletes did an amazing job and tried new events. Our goal is to carry on the momentum and continue to build on our early performances.” <

WHS girls’ tennis win streak continues after sweeping Biddeford

By Matt Pascarella

Windham girls’ tennis went into a home match against Biddeford after winning two matches in a row and they made it three straight by defeating the Tigers 5-0 at Windham High School on Monday, May 5.

Windham senior Afomiya Timerga returns a shot by her
Biddeford opponent during a girls' prep tennis match on
Monday, May 2 at Windham High School.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“The team is off to a great start,” said Windham girls’ tennis coach Katy Dresnok. “Our team is growing and rising up to more challenging matches. My goals for the doubles is to really work with strategy and to encourage proper placement and communication among the partners and really, really focus on placement over power. With my singles we’ve been working really hard on serving and recovering, and foot work; if they can get the fundamentals down, they seem to improve at a much faster speed. Tennis is a very mental game, so if the player can stay calm and just take it one point at a time, with a good strong mindset that’s going to overpower anything. Today wasn’t our normal ladder ... today was a really great win considering people played in different positions, showing team versatility.”

In the singles matches, Windham junior Jasmine Lucas won her sets 6-4 and 6-2; sophomore Denali Momot won her sets 6-2 and 6-0 and senior Afomiya Timerga won her matches, 6-4 and 6-2.

“At first the wind wasn’t great, but as I got into it, it was a good match,” said Lucas. “I think my ground strokes were pretty strong, my serve wasn’t as consistent as I’d like it to be, but towards the end it got good. I’ve definitely gotten more consistent, this is my first year being first singles, so that was kind of intimidating at first, but now I’m in a good rhythm.”

Lucas enjoys being in the first singles position for WHS and says it makes her play harder.

In the doubles matches, Windham senior Zoe Dries, and junior Sydney Harmon won 6-2 and 6-1. Junior Ellise Gallop and Grace Hansen won 6-1 and 6-1.

“We did pretty good,” said Dries. “We tried to play our game most of the time, we pulled through, we won; we were really good on net both of us; we had some really good long balls.”

Dries said that she feels communication needs improvement and making good solid contact on the ball, not wonky hits.

Harmon and Dries said they understand each other’s play a lot better, they know where each other’s going to be.

“Our serves were pretty good and consistent throughout the whole game and kind of reading where they were,” said Harmon. “If they were on one side making sure we go to the other side and finishing the point. Definitely the newer players have gotten more experience, and rallies have been longer from three or four weeks ago. Consistency with placement is a whole lot better and stronger now.” <

Windham varsity baseball drops season-opener to Biddeford

By Matt Pascarella

In the season opener. Windham varsity baseball took on Biddeford at Windham on Friday April 25 and while Windham was slow to swing the bat and didn’t cross the plate, resulting in a 10-0 loss to the Tigers, there’s plenty of time for improvement.

Windham senior Grant Coppi throws a strike during the
prep baseball season opener against Biddeford at Windham
High School on Friday, April 25.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

Windham senior Grant Coppi pitched four innings, had zero earned runs, one walk and six strikeouts. Senior Cayden McCartney pitched two innings, had one walk and one strikeout.

Windham varsity baseball coach Chris Doughty said these statistics tell him Biddeford scored one run that they earned. Windham made six errors and struck out 10 times, so 16 opportunities shifted in Biddeford’s favor, and the Tigers took advantage of that.

“I know we’ll shore up the defense,” said Doughty. “We just lacked that big hit today; if you don’t try, you’re going to fail every time, we just got to get going. We’re playing right now like we’re afraid to fail, and we just need to play confidently. When you start making error clusters, that’s when you get in trouble. You can’t play baseball being afraid to fail, it’s a game of failure. We don’t want to be peaking in game one, we want to be peaking in game 12, 13, 14, 15 – that’s when we want to be getting to our best baseball. We’ll get there.”

At the start of the game Windham sent three batters back to the dugout after two strikeouts and a fly out to shortstop was caught by Windham sophomore Alex Pastore.

McCartney singled and freshman Aiden Rinaldi walked. Unfortunately, they were left on base.

Biddeford scored one run in the second inning, to lead 1-0.

Windham kept after it. After a walk and senior Josh Plummer was hit by a pitch in the second inning, sophomore Mike Redlon singled.

In the bottom of the third inning, Windham freshman Mason Rulman notched his first varsity hit with a grounder to left center field.

“It felt good,” said Rulman. “I put the work in, and it shows when I go up there and hit off a good pitcher pitching. Our pitchers were throwing strikes, they were letting the other hitters hit it right to our defense, we just need to make the plays. We did OK swinging the bat, but we need to do a lot better. I feel like we could have a lot more communication. We could have beat them, we just need to lock in and not make errors.”

By the fifth inning, Biddeford was up, 7-0. Redlon had a diving catch in right field. Windham was unable to catch Biddeford, and the game ended after six innings.

“Right now, we’re stilling trying to figure out how to play as a team,” said Coppi. “We’re kind of playing scared; we got to focus on what we all want and that’s to win, but we just got some things to figure out. We had a couple young kids step up and make great plays. It definitely got harder, but I think we did a good job of not hanging our heads. I think we got to play with more confidence and make less errors, swing the bat more and us pitchers got to pound the strike zone.” <

Windham boys’ tennis falls to Marshwood in an unprecedented match

By Matt Pascarella

Windham varsity boys’ tennis played their second match of the regular season against Marshwood at Windham High School on Tuesday, April 29. Windham lost 5-0, but in this unique match four of the five sets were pushed to tiebreakers. Windham players gave their all and played with everything they had.

Windham junior Carter Mathieu hits the ball over the net
during a boy's tennis match against Marshwood on 
Tuesday, April 29 at Windham High School.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

In the single match Windham junior Nolan McPhail won 6-3, lost 1-6 and lost 6-10 in the tiebreaker.

“I knew I could beat him the first set, I felt really good,” said Windham singles player Nolan McPhail, who was recovering from being sick. “By the end of the first set, I was getting really tired and my stomach started hurting. And in the second set I just fell off and lost that one. By the end, I was trying to save my energy, because I knew we were going to tiebreaker; so, during the tiebreaker I was just trying to stay in there, but he outlasted me, it was still a good game, and it was really close. He got more aggressive, and I got more sluggish and that led to me losing, but I still feel I did well. The first-game nerves weren’t there. I had the mindset where it was like ‘I can win this,’ but it’s just not my day.”

Windham senior Zach Noonan lost his first singles set 4-6, won 6-4 and then lost his tiebreaker 10-2.

Carter Mathieu lost 4-6 and 0-6 in his singles sets.

In the doubles matches, juniors Padrick McGuire and Nate Paulding lost 2-6 and won 6-1. They pushed their sets to a tiebreaker and left everything on the court but unfortunately lost 10-4.

“We pushed so hard during the second set,” said McGuire. “We come into the tiebreaker trying to keep momentum, but going so hard in that second set kind of kills you; we’re going to work toward it and we’re better for it. I think they were a good team, they were definitely communicating, in the end they just pulled it through better than we did. We lost a little bit of the communication towards the end because of the exhaustion, and next time, we’ll be ready.”

Paulding said communication was a lot of it, they’ve known each other since like fourth grade; it’s fun playing together. Once you get to the point of losing that first set, it can be really hard to come back, but it can also be really easy. That can help communication and help play. He said he was a little nervous going into the tiebreaker.

Tiebreakers kind of drain Paulding, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t.

Windham seniors Brian Gilheany and Asher Knott lost their first doubles set 2-6, then won 6-7, then lost the tiebreaker 4-7.

“I’ve never lost a 5-0 match that was this close; four out of five going into a tiebreaker, it’s crazy, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Windham varsity boys’ tennis coach Garry Stone. “And in every case, our guys lost the first one but then won the second one – to me that’s showing some grit. They didn’t roll over, they faced some adversity, and they came back. I can’t be upset with the end result because every kid out there gave everything they had. I’m actually very proud of them even though it looks like we got crushed, we all know that we didn’t; it was very close.” <