WHS baseball avoids shutout in preseason matchup

By Matt Pascarella

In preparation for the start of the regular season, Windham varsity baseball played Monmouth Academy at Windham High School on Monday, April 20. Monmouth Academy scored a run early but then crossed the plate several times. Windham scored a run in the fifth inning and lost, 16-1.

Windham senior Cameron Damon bunts during a preseason
varsity baseball game against Monmouth Academy at
Windham High School on Monday, April 20.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

Freshman Sullivan Nappi said mental errors and being unprepared led to the loss. The team thought Monmouth Academy wasn’t as good as they were and Windham was unprepared for the game. He said if they were more energetic in the dugout, cheered each other on and picked each other up, they might have turned things around. Little things, little plays need work. They have moments on the field where they connect as a team, but more moments when they do not. He said that he wants the team to win more games than they did last year.

Monmouth Academy scored a run in the first inning, but Eagle defense sent three batters back to the dugout in the second inning.

In the fourth inning, sophomore Mason Rulman hustled and reached first after a dropped third strike. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it home.

“We made a bunch of errors and mental mistakes, just not smart baseball,” said Rulman. “We need to clean things up, we need to clean up the errors and come to practice everyday ready work hard, it’ll show in the game. I thought our approach at the plate was good, we were all swinging the bats, and our pitchers pitched good. We could have changed our mindset; you are never out of the game; anything can happen in baseball. Last year we weren’t very good, my goal is to turn it around (this year).”

In the fifth inning, Windham freshman Matthew Morgan singled. Sophomore Justin Saunders reached first base on an error, and Morgan scored.

“I don’t think we really pulled anything from today as far as positives,” said Windham varsity baseball coach Chris Doughty. “The only thing I learned today was we didn’t show up ready to play. We thought we were going to have a scrimmage against a Class C team and dominate them. It’s time for everybody to just wake up. If we act and play like we did today, we’re not going to go very far. We got a lot of talent, but talent only takes you so far – culture, competitiveness, that’s what really separates good teams from bad teams. Hopefully they take a little bit of a lesson from this and build a little fire in their bellies and come back ... ready to play baseball. We’re going to find out who wants to be a part of the culture we want to build and who wants to watch from the sidelines.” <

Windham girls’ tennis falls in season opener

By Matt Pascarella

Windham varsity girls’ tennis played their season opener against Scarborough at Windham on Thursday, April 16 and the Eagles showed the Red Storm they could compete and played a very strong match, but narrowly fell with a 3-2 loss to Scarborough.

Windham senior Jasmine Lucas returns a serve during the 
varsity girls' tennis season opener against Scarborough
at Windham High School on Thursday, April 16.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“My goal was for our girls to give Scarborough a competitive match and that’s exactly what they did,” said Windham varsity girls’ tennis coach Katy Dresnok. “It sets the stage for the season, and it looks like we’re going to have a strong season. My singles players are strong and consistent players. My one doubles have a very strong net game and my two doubles are rising. Their consistency of moving the ball around (went well), they can work on their serves a little bit more and make them a little stronger. Their sportsmanship and their attitude (also went well) whether they win or lose, they’re happy with their performance and that’s all I really care about.”

In the singles matches, Windham senior Jasmine Lucas lost 7-5 and 6-2, junior Denali Momot defeated Scarborough 6-2, 6-4.

After a tough-fought battle that was pushed into split sets, where each team has won one set, Windham senior Ellise Gallop lost 6-4, 4-6 and 6-2.

“The first set, I think we were just getting comfortable and it was going slow and she won,” said Gallop. “But then my team started coming over, my coach came over and I was like ‘alright I got to win this one,’ and I did. The thing with Scarborough though is they tend to come back strong that first set. I was getting in the mindset of it’s not over, I can win. And then it was just the last one to survive, basically. My goal was to get a point, because this was my first time playing singles. I was really nervous and I just wanted to give them a good game and that’s exactly what I did.”

Gallop’s match lasted roughly two and a half hours. Dresnok said that’s a lot of tennis, and a lot of concentration for Gallop’s first varsity singles match. Play like this sets the stage for a strong season.

“I moved her around really well, which helped get her tired when that was the aspect of the game,” said Gallop. “I was good with my placements and knew when to go easy and when to go hard. Endurance and recovery (need work). She got me with those really good shots where I was nowhere near them. If I can work on getting back to the center, maybe I have a shot at getting those really good returns.”

During the doubles matches, Windham seniors Sydney Harmon and Grace Hansen won their games 6-3, 7-6 and (7-4).

In the second doubles match, Windham sophomore Mollie Malone and senior Anna Lane played together for their first time as a pair in their first varsity games ever. They left it all on the court, but lost 6-7, (7-3) and 6-2.

“We had personal and team goals of not double faulting, communication and being more aggressive, which I think we did accomplish,” said Lane.

Lane said she thinks her serves are getting stronger; that was something she was working on improving. She said she thought their workup at net needs work.

“For the very beginning, first match ever, we did pretty good,” said Malone. “I think my returns are getting better, that was one of my goals going into this match. I could work on being more aggressive.” <

WHS softball takes field for preseason game against Edward Little

By Matt Pascarella

Windham’s varsity softball team took the field for the first time in a preseason game against Edward Little at Windham on Thursday, April 9 and the Eagles quickly found their groove and jumped to a 5-2 lead after the end of the fourth inning. Windham defense held back the Eddies as Windham continued to knock in run after run and at the end of nine innings Windham had earned its first preseason win by a score of 11-2.

Windham senior Nola Bryant makes a stellar catch just inside
the infield and near first base during a varsity softball
preseason game against Edward Little on Thursday, April 9.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA        

“I saw a lot of what I wanted to see - a lot of girls able to play multiple positions,” said Windham varsity softball coach Darcey Gardiner. “I think we feel like a new team because we graduated so many seniors ... let all the other teams get the fanfare. The one thing about my girls is they don’t need the press. They just show up every day and work. It was really nice to see everyone supporting each other.”

After a scoreless first inning, Windham senior Oakley McLeod walked. Senior Lacie Higgins reached first base on an error, then junior Kaylee Napolitano singled to right field and drove in McLeod and the Eagles led, 1-0.

Edward Little scored two runs in the third inning, but Windham defense would not allow them to score again.

In the fifth inning, Windham led 5-2. Junior Kiley Card walked; junior Abhilasha Jain singled. Card stole third base and Jain stole second base. Junior Evelyn Anderson hit a double and brought in Card and Jain.

Freshman Courtney Cloutier singled in the sixth inning. Senior Ashley Cloutier was hit by a pitch. A pop-up and senior Addie Caiazzo reached first on an error. Cotter was at third base, with Cloutier at second base.

“We’re just trying to get everybody around and see where everybody is able to go,” said Cotter. “We’ve been moving players around seeing what fits best. I think we did really well, especially in the dugout, it wasn’t quiet at all, it helped a lot with batting and fielding. For me, I was really nervous. I thought I did pretty well and the team did amazing. I couldn’t ask for a better team to begin my freshman (spring) season with. Communication in the field needs work; we did good but could probably work on that.”

Senior Nola Bryant singled in the sixth inning and Cotter and Cloutier scored. Caiazzo advanced to second base, then to third base on a passed ball; she scored on an error. Bryant stole her way around the bases and scored on a passed ball. 

In the ninth inning, Bryant had an amazing catch by first base just inside the infield.

Belle Pinto, a senior, said going into their first game of the preseason the plan was to keep the energy high and that players would play a variety of positions. Players needed to be ready, ask questions. Pinto said the energy went well and she didn’t think there was single dip in it throughout the game. Pinto saw a lot of players adjusting to new positions. Maybe communication needs work, she said.

“Things we do need to focus on like backing up bases, hitting cutoffs,” said Gardiner. “I think this first scrimmage helps nail down what the rest of our practices will look like leading up to the regular season. I was really happy with the hitting. Trying to get the batters to understand that with less than two strikes on them, they’re the ones in charge at the plate.” <

Offense powers Windham varsity boys’ lacrosse to victory

By Matt Pascarella

Windham’s varsity boys’ lacrosse team was down three or four goals late in the third quarter during their first preseason scrimmage against Greely at Greely High School in Cumberland on Saturday, April 11. The Eagles fought back and tied the game, 7-7, after three quarters and were then able to keep the Rangers at bay for the remaining quarter to win, 10-9.

Windham senior Mason Arbour keeps his eye on the opposing
defense as he makes his way toward the goal during a
preseason varsity boys lacrosse game against Greely at
Greely High School in Cumberland on Saturday, April 11.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“In the first quarter we came out strong and in the second quarter we were a little flat,” said Windham junior Colin Mckenna. “By halftime we talked it over and in that third quarter we really picked it up. I give a lot of credit to coach Small for hyping us up and getting our head back in the game. I think we have a lot of potential and there’s a lot of chemistry behind our midfield and attack. Our energy was well, in that second half, we had really good team camaraderie. A couple things we could work on are fundamentals ... getting that locked in.”

Windham took the field with intensity and began with multiple shots at goal. It wasn’t long before senior Jack Henry scored. Defense kept the Rangers from scoring too much in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Greely ran up the scoreboard a bit, but Windham kept their heads up. Sophomore Liam Reinbold scored and was quickly followed by junior Landon Wyman. The gap was closing, but Greely led 5-3 at intermission.

“We had to slow it down (to come back), take it step-by-step,” said Henry. “We were going a little bit too fast at first. Once we realized that it just clicked ... everyone keeping their energy up that’s what helps the most. When we slowed everything down, we didn’t complicate it. Defense got better shots to the offense, we got clears, saves, everything just happened. Fundamentals need work. We can only go up from here and the team morale is really high, and we have really good chemistry.”

The third quarter was a real turning point for the game. Windham was down by three or four goals. They knew if they worked hard, the goals would come. Henry scored, senior Mason Arbour scored. Mckenna scored twice and tied the game 7-7.

Arbour broke the tie and the Eagles took the lead for the first time in the second half. 

Greely was held back by Windham defense. Mckenna scored again then senior Brad Muse scored.

As the clock ticked down, Windham made sure Eagle defense prevented Greely from getting this win.

“This is our first scrimmage, and I think the intensity in the second quarter got to guys and they started to doubt themselves and at times doubt their teammates which isn’t a good thing,” said Windham varsity coach Peter Small. “They quickly turned on that in the second half and said we are just looking to be better tomorrow than we are today ... guys started to believe in themselves and (that generated goals) and it kept going and going. Slow the game down in your mind, focus on your team, focus on the fundamentals; when they did that, things went really well in the fourth quarter.

The kids know they can’t get down on themselves when they get behind, and it was nice to hear them say that – it turned things around. Once they got flowing, the passes happened the groundballs happened. They played better once they actually had confidence that they could. We’ve got to get better at fundamentals. You can never get enough passing and catching, you can never get enough groundballs; we need more experience with spacing.” <

WHS girls’ lacrosse starts preseason showcasing strong skills against Mount Ararat

By Matt Pascarella

In their first game of the preseason, the Windham girls’ varsity lacrosse team took the field against Mount Ararat in Topsham on Monday, April 6. Windham was ready to get it done and scored 11 goals in the first quarter alone. Windham fired another eight more goals between the pipes to end this game with a 19-0 shutout.

Windham junior Morgan McLain looks to pass the ball
during a preseason girls' lacrosse game against Mount
Ararat in Topsham on Monday, April 6.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

“We wanted to see where the gaps that we need to fill in practice are; I think we take this game and reflect on what we need to do,” said Windham senior Abby Trainor. “Coming into the game we were trying to use as many people as we could on offense and incorporate a lot of new players onto the field, so we have a lot of depth in the regular season.”

Trainor said things that went well were their ability to possess the ball, which was a game-changer in the first and second quarters, their ability to cut and move, the whole team worked as a unit. She also said every single person worked hard on the ride, no matter the position; getting those turnovers and fastbreaks every time, was really successful for them. They could work on the outside passes to the adjacent defenders; slow their eyes down, catch the ball and have patience in the offense instead of forcing a pass to the first cutter they see in the middle.

Windham senior Neve Ledbetter scored in the first 15 seconds. After that it was a revolving door of Windham Eagles scoring one after another, many more than once. Trainor scored, as did sophomore Brooklyn Roy and juniors Morgan McLain and Grayson Cornish. Ledbetter found the back of net at least once more.

Windham passed well and had solid defense. They kept the ball away from their goalie for a majority of the game.

“I think our communication ... (went well) and is key after winning states last year,” said McLain. “We all have a really strong relationship. I think our defense is really locked down. Our game plan was to see where everyone’s heads were at and how well we play together.”

The second quarter brought more intense Windham offense with senior Mady Donnelly scoring. Roy scored twice. At the half Windham led, 16-0.

In the third quarter, Windham focused on moving the ball, while keeping up their defense.

“I think our gameplan was to give it our all and to see who worked well with each other. We all got an opportunity to work together (throughout the game),” said Roy. “Our communication was really good; we were hardworking and fast paced and I think that really paid off. I think our communication on defense needs work, it’s definitely hard because we have a good backer defense. So, getting that all organized and once that all comes together, that’ll be really good.”

Senior Olivia McPherson scored as did McLain in the fourth quarter.

“The biggest thing for us in the preseason is we got to worry about us and things we got to fix,” said Windham varsity girls’ lacrosse coach Matt Perkins. “We’re trying to build chemistry ... we have new people stepping in and we’re trying to figure out those pieces of the puzzle. I thought they were good (on the field as a team). We have had six days where we’re renting and borrowing (space) and going all over the place; it was good to just get out and go. I thought we did a good job of getting going and moving around. I thought we gelled fine, we just need to build consistency. We got a little lackadaisical in the ride and that’s not us; our whole team is built around ... forcing (our opponent) to drive the length of the field, so we got to do a better job on the ride.” <

Youth Baseball clinic gives young players opportunity to prepare for upcoming season

By Matt Pascarella

Windham’s varsity baseball team conducted its final night of the youth baseball clinic offered at Windham High School on Sunday, March 29. The final night of the six-week clinic ended in indoor scrimmages and field work, giving participants the opportunity to utilize the skills and baseball knowledge from the previous weeks while also having fun.

Windham fifth grader Grayson Matthews returns home to
congratulations after hitting a home run during an indoor
scrimmage at the Windham Youth Baseball Clinic on
Sunday, March 29. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“I love sports and baseball has always been a passion for me,” said Windham fifth grader Grayson Matthews. “I think I started when I was 6 and just wanted to keep playing. (It gave me a refresher course on) catching, pitching, hitting and how fast and accurate I am at pitching. I’ve gotten more accurate pitching and can throw faster. It’s cool to see how good (the varsity players) are and learning from what they are teaching and trying to put it into a game.”

Over the six-week course, Windham varsity baseball coach Chris Doughty, his coaches and his players have done a lot of station work and fundamental training. In the final week they get to work on applying those fundamentals to real-game situations. Some of these situations may include knowing where to go when the ball comes to you, picking up (signs) from the third base coach, and taking a proper route around first base on a ball hit to the outfield.

The goal of the clinic is to help the younger kids understand the game and apply the IQ fundamentals they’ve been working on for the last few weeks, while making them smarter baseball players and know how to apply their skills to game situations.

Windham fourth grader Garrett Dansereau said he loves baseball and has learned a lot about hitting, catching and baserunning. He likes working with the varsity players and likes the opportunities provided by the clinic.

“I really love to play baseball, and I think it would make me better and give me some practice for this year,” said Windham fourth grader Troy Doughty. “(I’ve learned to get) better at outfielding and fielding, getting better at hitting and I think it’s made an impact. It’s really good (practicing with the varsity players). They’ve been playing for a while and they’re really good at helping, because they know what they’re supposed to do.”

The benefit for the varsity players is getting to give back to their community and a lot of the varsity players went through a clinic very similar to this one.

“We get to show these kids how the game is played at the high school level; we get to teach them what we know as varsity players,” said Windham sophomore Mason Rulman. “Getting to teach these kids what I know just plays in my mind to remember what to do on every play.”

Windham third grader Zeke Bryant said he took part in the baseball clinic because he wanted to get better at baseball. Bryant learned more about the infield and outfield, catching and throwing. Bryant said it’s really fun for him to work with the varsity players and he’s learned a lot from them.

“I benefit from being able to give my experience to the kids,” said senior CJ McDonald. “We try to influence them to try to continue playing baseball throughout their life. We’ve been able to grow altogether – it’s gone really well. I focus a lot on hitting in the first half of the week. Then I switch over to first base, trying to teach footwork. It definitely helps me (prepare for the spring season). It’s beneficial to everyone involved.”

Fourth grader Chris Ashley of Windham said he’s learned to pitch and hit better, and the varsity players can teach you a lot.

“For me it shows buy-in,” said Chris Doughty. “They’re committed to the program and the community. It’s fun for them, it’s fun for us. We can sit back and assess and coach the player and have my players throw the flyball ... ground ball.” <

‘Arm Care Week’ prepares softball and baseball teams for upcoming season

By Matt Pascarella

Windham’s pitchers and catchers have begun preparing for the upcoming spring season. This year is a little different as the Maine Principals Association has renamed what used to be “pitchers and catchers week” to “arm care week” and is open to all softball and baseball players as they warmed up for the season during a week-long clinic at Windham High School.

Windham sophomore Maddix Mordridge works on pitching
in preparation for the upcoming spring athletic season 
during an Arm Care Week clinic at Windham High
School on Thursday, March 26.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

SOFTBALL

“The big thing for us this week with so many graduating seniors last year and so many new freshmen this year is getting the group to start to bond,” said Windham softball coach Darcey Gardiner. “While we do focus on building up pitches as the week goes on, we also put a lot of focus on the entire program's overhand throwing. We also work a lot on stretching; between "band work" for the arms and shoulders, all the way down to hip stretches for better sprinting mechanics – anything we can do to help keep these athletes' bodies healthy throughout a demanding season is important.”

Senior Addison Caiazzo knows she will be in the circle more than in previous seasons.

“Getting to know some of these new faces because we have quite a few freshman and new softball players coming in (is important),” said Caiazzo. “Throwing strikes and trusting the defense behind me (is her plan while in the circle) ... I play travel and I’ve really focused on pitching there rather than being a positional player and taking this week and the tryout week pretty seriously.”

Sophomore Yani Kostopoulos said she’s been to catcher clinics, and this arm care week is about getting everything finetuned.

“We’ve been working on some running,” said Kostopoulos. We’ve been doing some blocking drills, working with pitchers you might be catching for this season and just getting to know them and getting that relationship built. (Our goal is) to have fun, have a good team dynamic and to win as much as we can.”

BASEBALL

For Chris Doughty, Windham’s varsity baseball coach, he and the other coaches want to see who’s been working in the off season and whose arms are ready for this. They use this as a week of conditioning, endurance training, strength training, agility training while starting to build a foundation and a culture for this team.

Doughty said he wants 15 to 16 players who play for the name on the front of their jersey instead of the name on the back. 

“We want to improve on our baseball IQ,” said Doughty. “Two things we always demand from our players are max effort and good attitude. Those are the only two things you can control. So, this week gives us a good early look at the pitchers and catchers from that perspective. It’s a good opportunity to see how the team meshes and to work on the culture and attitude for the season. We got a lot of young players who are super talented so it’s exciting to see what they’re going to do.”

Sophomore Maddix Morgridge wants to pitch to be in control of the game and to trust himself enough to control the game. He has a goal of improving his accuracy as a pitcher and hopefully being able to start on Windham’s varsity team. He’s working to improve his velocity as well.

“Keep the ball in front of me, be the anchor of the team, be loud and be positive,” is the goal of freshman catcher Ryan Manning. “I’ve caught since I was 10. Now it’s a chance to be on the varsity team. Wins are nice but building team moral is a season goal.”

Manning says that he’s worked on a lot of conditioning, and a lot of agility which is nice to build up before tryouts and the new season.

This is shaping up to be good seasons for both teams, coaches say. <

WMS swim team finishes strong in dual meet

By Matt Pascarella

As the Windham Middle School winter II swimming season draws to a close, the team competed in their final dual meet of the season against Portland and Westbrook at Saint Joseph’s College on Wednesday, March 25. Windham gave 100 percent and the WMS girls crushed Westbrook, 59-13, but fell to Portland, 62-29. The WMS boys beat Westbrook, 40-35, but also fell to Portland, 70-28.

Windham eighth grader Samantha Scharf swims the butterfly
in a dual swim meet against Portland and Westbrook at
Saint Joseph's College on Wednesday, March 25.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“I want them to learn as much as they possibly can, but in the end, I care more about the humans that they are and the people that they’re becoming, more than what they’re doing in the water,” said WMS swim coach Anne Fougere. “Our goal is to always have the best possible sportsmanship we can have and be the best humans as well. We’ve seen a lot of time drops and swimmers from day one until now, swimmers start in events that they never thought they could do or be possible for them. We just need to make sure we’re dialed in on the small stuff and make sure that they’re finishing the way they’re supposed to and they’re (focused on) swimming fast and working hard.”

GIRLS

In the 100-yard Individual medley, eighth grader Samantha Scharf finished first with a 1:13.43-minute time. Not far behind her in the same race was sixth grader Danielle Johnson who finished second with a 1:27.80 time.

Scharf finished first in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:08.21.

“My goal was to have a good attitude and make sure the other kids felt like they were seen (and) getting cheered for ... to get a best time,” said Scharf. “And for my team to have a really good time. We’ve seen improvement in the pool and out of the pool, the attitudes toward the other swimmers, and how they’ve grown and made more friends. We dropped a lot of time as a team and we’ve done a lot better in the pool.”

In the 100 backstroke, seventh grader Madelyn Royer finished fourth with a 1:53.60 time, a personal record for her.

Johnson finished second in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:40.01.

Quinn Chapin, an eighth grader, finished first in the 50 butterfly with a 36.54-second time.

“Everyone has made improvements (during this season), just having fun,” said Royer. “Communication (needs work); having that mindset of bringing someone up – what can I do for someone else to improve their experience.”

BOYS

Byron Dansereau, a seventh grader, finished first in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:22.47. He also finished third in the 50 butterfly with a time of 37.75.

Eighth grader Darius Bean finished second in the 100 freestyle with a 1:12.12 time, a personal record. He finished second in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:23.68.

“At the beginning of the year, everyone was shy,” said Bean. “As the season has gone on, they got more confident and better in the pool. A lot of people dropped a lot of seconds.”

Colin Miller, an eighth grader, finished second in the 50 breaststroke with a 46.54 time. In the same race, sixth grader Clayton Chastain finished third with a time of 54.29.

Sixth grader Thanos Sotiropoulos finished third in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:54.90 time.

“I think the teams were excited to be cheering on their friends,” said Fougere. “We have a lot of kids who are friends with kids from other teams, so we were able to cheer on them as well. And we had a lot of best times today which was great for Windham.”<