January
The Caribou cheering squad captured the 2013 Aroostook League Cheerleading Competition crown. Team scores for the event were: 1, Caribou, 67.9; 2, Presque Isle, 66.3; 3, Houlton, 56.4; 4, Central Aroostook, 52.8; and 5, Fort Fairfield, 41.1.
A preseason mêlée has put Katahdin senior point guard Billy Livezey in a tail spin. While playing in the Lee Academy Preseason Tournament, Livezey and another player got their feet tangled up causing them to crash onto the hardwood. Livezey would undergo a scope of his knee to discover the extent of his injury.
Katahdin senior Colton Bivighouse will represent the northern region at the 2013 McDonald’s All-star game, as he broke the northern region record going a perfect 50 for 50 to move onto the state contest for the second year in a row. Bivighouse set the northern region record a year ago going 43 for 50 and at the state free-throw shooting contest finished second by making 47 of 50.
The first-ever Bill Weber Memorial Alumni Game drew 38 players divided into three teams for a double elimination tournament.
In Stacyville, in front of his family, teammates and a large Katahdin/Southern Aroostook crowd, Colton Bivighouse stepped into the Katahdin High School annals, as he broke into the 1,000-point club.
February
The Houlton High School cheerleaders competed in the Class C State Cheering Competition at the Bangor Auditorium and finished fourth out of 12 EM squads, with the top six teams qualifying for states. Dexter captured the Eastern Class C crown with 125 points, easily outdistancing second-place Sumner (118.8 points). Other team scores were: 3, Orono, 115.5; 4, Houlton, 113; 5, Bucksport, 112.3; 6, Central, 111.1; 7, Calais, 110.6; 8, Narraguagas, 99.4; 9, Mattanawcook, 97.7;10, Lee Academy, 85.9; 11, Penquis, 79.3; and 12, George Stevens, 76.2.
Caleb Lincoln and Olivia Lord have been selected to represent Greater Houlton Christian Academy as All-Aroostook Scholar Athletes.
Katahdin senior guard Billy Livezey had surgery on a torn meniscus and went for his check up with his surgeon on Jan. 30.
It was a unique happening at Hodgdon High School. Not only is it rare to have a 1,000-point scorer at any school during the basketball season, but Hodgdon celebrated two in one night. Seniors Mariah Wiley, daughter of Loreen and Larry Wiley, and Josh Hudson, son of Robin Hudson and the late Jerry Hudson, both reached their 1,000th high school point.
With the completion of the regular season, Houlton High School girls and boys are secured into the quarterfinal round of the Eastern Maine Classes B-C-D Tournament Feb. 15-23 at the Bangor Auditorium. In Class D boys’, the Hodgdon Hawks, Southern Aroostook Warriors and Katahdin Cougars are all facing playoff games.
The Houlton High School cheerleading team had a good showing at the state cheerleading contest in Bangor. The Houlton cheerleaders placed fourth with a score of 116.9 behind champion Dexter with a score of 129.3; runner-up Sumner, 122.9 and third place Lisbon, 120.
The No. 1 Houlton Shires (19-2 overall) dropped their hopes of a state title with a 46-41 loss to No. 2 Penquis in the EM Class C boys final. The Shiretowners earned a spot in the regional championship via a 51-38 victory over Calais at the Bangor Auditorium and in the quarterfinals, they picked up a 72-53 win over No. 8 Bucksport.
The Hodgdon Hawks pulled out a 47-33 win over Limestone/MSSM to advance to the Class D quarterfinal round against No. 4 Deer Isle-Stonington. The Hawks upset the Mariners, 46-42, at the Bangor Auditorium in the semifinals. The Hawks picked up a 26-24 victory over No. 8 Easton (16-5) in an Eastern Class D semifinal contest. In the finals, the Hawks and CAHS Panthers went into overtime before a winner was declared. The Panthers got past the Hawks, 58-55.
The Hodgdon girls basketball team punched their ticket to Bangor with a solid 67-33 win over East Grand of Danforth. No. 14 East Grand, under the tutelage of Mike Carlos, finishes its season with a 7-12 overall record, nearly doubling the win total from a year ago. No. 3 Hodgdon rolled to a 53-41 triumph over Van Buren in an Eastern Maine Class D quarterfinal game played at the Bangor Auditorium. The No. 3 Hawks (16-5 overall) nearly pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind upset, but ultimately fell just short of its goal of returning the regional championship with a 54-52 loss to No 2 Schenck (17-4).
No. 3 Central Aroostook used its depth to edge No. 11 Katahdin, 67-56, in Eastern Class D quarterfinal action.
The Southern Aroostook Warriors finished their season in Easton, as they were overtaken 61-54 in a playoff game. The Warriors complete their season with a 12-7 record.
The No. 4 Houlton Lady Shires (12-8 overall) fell 35-28 to No. 5 Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln (11-9) in an Eastern Class C quarterfinal game played at the Bangor Auditorium.
Youth participated in the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Shooting contest at Hodgdon High School. Winners of the event advanced to the regionals in Millinocket.
The Houlton-Hodgdon Black Hawks finished the season with a win and two losses to make their final record 5-13; just missing the playoffs by less than a point in the Heal Point standings.
March
The Bangor Daily News selected the All-Tournament squads with input from school administrators, media representatives, former coaches, Maine Principals’ Association officials and other dedicated observers. Local players selected to the Class C All-Tourney team for each class were sophomore Kyle Bouchard and junior Nick Guiod of Houlton. Bouchard helped lead the Shires back to the Eastern Maine championship game for the second year in a row. The 6-4 forward had the highest-scoring game of the Eastern Maine tourney when he totaled 41 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the quarterfinals against Bucksport. He then had 18 points and 10 boards in a semifinal win over Calais.
Junior point guard Guiod made three 3-pointers and scored 14 of his team-high 17 points during the first half of the regional final in staking the Shiretowners to a lead that held up until midway through the fourth quarter against Penquis. Earning honorable mention was Houlton’s Kole Buzzeo. Hodgdon countered with the smooth-shooting Chris Hudson in their tournament bid. The 6-5 forward had 28 points and 12 rebounds against the Panthers in the final after a 20-point quarterfinal effort against Deer Isle-Stonington. Hodgdon’s Mariah Wiley was the lone recipient of the Class D All-Tournament honor. She had 19 points in the quarterfinal and 17 in the semifinal loss.
The Greater Houlton Christian Academy boys varsity basketball team was selected as the recipient of the MPA Class D East Boys Basketball Sportsmanship award for the 2012-13 season. The Eagles also received the same award last year. The Houlton boys and girls basketball teams were selected as the recipients of the Sportsmanship Award for Eastern Class C.
The final buzzer has sounded for basketball games at the Bangor Auditorium. Events will now be held at The Cross Insurance Center, a state-of-the-art multi-purpose arena in Bangor. The old Auditorium had 5,948 seats for sporting events, with a maximum capacity of 6,800 for concerts. The new arena can hold up to 7,200 for basketball games and 8,300 for concerts, along with additional banquet rooms capable of seating 1,750 and an 1,100-seat ballroom. The Cross Insurance Center boasts 41,000 square feet of total exhibit space; 26,000 square feet for the arena area; and a 15,000 square foot ballroom. In addition, there are 18 meeting rooms, totaling 21,199 square feet.
The SAD 29 school board learned of Shawn Graham’s resignation from varsity baseball at its monthly meeting when a full slate of spring coaches were nominated by Superintendent Mike Hammer. The list originally included Graham’s name as the varsity baseball coach, but during the meeting, Hammer stated Graham had resigned from the position stating personal reasons.
Brittany Hagan, daughter of Dennis and Billie Jo Hagan of Houlton, represented the Houlton Recreation Department in the regional Hot Shot Competition in Caribou. She took first place in the girls 9-10-year-old division. She qualified for the state competition in Portland.
The Streinz siblings — Lydia, Hannah and Daniel — have posted high results in each of their cross-country ski races this season.
The Southern Aroostook Minor Hockey Association (SAMHA) Tier 4 Bantam hockey team ended their 2013 season by capturing silver at the MEAHA USA Hockey tournament in Rockport.
The 2012-13 Greater Houlton Christian Academy middle school girls finished the basketball season undefeated with a record of 16-0.
State foul shooting champions were decided with Katahdin’s Colton Bivighouse winning the boys’ competition by sinking 45 of 50 attempts.
At the RSU 50 school board meeting, David Day was appointed as Southern Aroostook varsity baseball coach.
This season, Greater Houlton Christian Academy filed with the Maine Principal’s that the school will not field a baseball team this season or a softball team again. East Grand is not offering baseball again.
Chris Rines won the Wild Katahdin Trust Snow Run with a time of 17:53 out of 45 runners, while Kyleigh DeMerchant, 13, was the top walker in a time of 25:49 from 11 participants braving the elements.
Senior Jimmy Fitzpatrick was among 38 male hockey players who earned Maine’s 2013 High School Hobey Baker Character Award. Sixteen females were also awarded.
Several Houlton-Hodgdon Black Hawks players received end-of-year hockey awards. Named to the Academic All-stars were: seniors Jimmy Fitzpatrick, Brandon Ward, D.J. McGary, Alaina Stewart and Cole McLaughlin; and juniors Gage Hunt, Lucas Grant and Alex Casillas. Fitzpatrick, Ward and McGary were named to the Senior All-star team and recognized for the Second Team Defense was Fitzpatrick, while garnering honors for the All-Rookie Team was Cam Clark. Selected for the Class B All-star team with Honorable Mention were Ward, McGary and Payton Porter.
Jordan Miller, an 8-year-old second-grader at Houlton Elementary School, was among 17 youth hockey players selected to participate in the Perth-Andover Local Legends hockey event, which featured members of the Boston Bruins Alumni.
Colton Bivighouse, a senior at Katahdin High School, has committed to play basketball for Central Maine Community College.
Parker Sanderson, son of Debbie and Chuck Sanderson formerly of New Limerick, garnered the Travis Roy Award. The award is presented by the Class A coaches’ association each year to the state’s outstanding senior ice hockey player.
Jon Ellis of Patten caught a king salmon on the Copper River in Glen Allen, Alaska. The trophy weighed 50 pounds and was 47 inches long. Ellis was with Dickie Sommers, also of Patten.
April
Elizabeth Ward, daughter of Steve and Jodie Ward, and Payton Porter, son of Joe and Misty Porter, both of Houlton, have returned home from Rhode Island where they participated in the New England District hockey festivals.
Kenzie Clark, daughter of Bruce and Jayne Clark of Houlton, is on the national stage at Copper Mountain in Colorado. Clark, a senior at Gould Academy in Bethel, competes in snowboarding as part of the Maine Mountain Series, which generates national-ranking points to help athletes receive an invitation to compete at the annual largest snowboard “freeski” championship in the world.
The SAMHA Peewees, sponsored by Grand Rental Station, came in second in the Casco Bay Spring Hockey Tournament to end the season.
Brittany Hagan, daughter of Billie-Jo and Dennis Hagan of Houlton, won first place at the state MRPA/Red Claws Hot Shot Basketball Competition.
Members of the Houlton team winning the Caribou Indoor Soccer Tournament were Jake Carter, Gaige Hunt, Jimmy Fitzpatrick, Dan Swallow, Brandon Ward and Nick Guiod.
Houlton High School spring athletes will have new coaches on their sidelines as the season opens. Mark Faulkingham, third-year softball coach, and Shawn Graham, seven-year varsity baseball coach, have resigned their positions. RSU 29 school board hired James Castner to replace Graham, while they also approved Travis Gentle to the varsity girl’s softball position.
Greater Houlton Christian Academy’s Steve Gray and Vaughn Farrar of the Hodgdon Lady Hawks resigned their basketball positions. Gray has coached the GHCA girl’s program for seven years. He assisted with the GHCA boys varsity basketball team, as well. Taking over for Gray is Clyde Warman, who moves up after heading the junior high school program for the last three years. In Farrar’s four seasons at Hodgdon, the Hawks made it to Bangor twice. The Hawks appeared in the Eastern Class D finals two years ago and bowed out in the semifinals this past season. Cody Tompkins replaced Farrar.
An impressive field of 73 runners took to the streets of Presque Isle for the annual University of Maine at Presque Isle Spring Runoff 5K, the second race in the County Challenge Series.
Evan McCarthy was a three-sport athlete at Katahdin High School and the 2009 graduate has transferred from the University of Maine Orono to Missouri Western State to continue his education in political science, while also becoming a student in the game of golf. McCarthy’s high school golf team qualified for the Class C States his sophomore, junior and senior years, and he competed in the individual meet those years, as well, at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro.
Runners in southern Aroostook County gathered at Houlton’s Community Park to participate in the “Run for Boston” solidarity event. Similar runs were held throughout the nation. Participating were Melissa York with her dog Ozzy, Julie Tribou, Erica Davis Rockwell, Sarah Sternlieb and Martha Bell.
Houlton’s Kyle Bouchard was named to the Second Team of the 58th annual Bangor Daily News All-Maine basketball.
May
The Houlton Recreation Department in cooperation with the Southside Afterschool Program sponsored the Pitch Hit & Run competition. Those participating in the event were Alexis Larson, Milyha Kinney, Hannah Foster, Jason Collett, Logan Swallow, Jonathan Hare, Cameron Callnan, Carson Grant, Jesse Hare, Colby Callnan, Darrien Henderson and Jaron Brewer.
Houlton’s Fred Ludwig was the overall winner of the annual Meduxnekeag River Canoe Race, paddling his kayak to a one hour, 18 minutes and 49 second finish.
Harris Tucker has officially resigned as varsity girls basketball coach at Southern Aroostook Community High School.
Paige Young, 13, of Weston, dropped a 22.77 pound Tom turkey on opening day. The spurs were one inch; beard eight and three-quarter inches.
Cruise Night began each week in Tim Hortons’ parking lot.
Phil Faulkner has been honored with the 2013 State Award of Merit by the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
Seventy-one took part in the East Grand Adventure Race and Baskahegan Stream canoe race in Danforth.
The County Renegades opened their inaugural season in the Greater New England Youth Football League (GNYFL), with 29 players.
Dave Wilson presented D. Brandon Dunn and Josh Malone with the G. Ivan Wilson Commissioner’s Award for the Southern Aroostook Minor Hockey Association (SAMHA).
Claiming first place for the second year in a row at the annual Merrill Canoe Race were Brian McDonald and his daughter Courtney, with a time of 1 hour 56 minutes 8 seconds; second went to first-time competitors, Trevor London and daughter Sarah (the youngest competitor) with a time of 2:05:08 and third went to first-time competitors Jamey Roy and son Dalton with a time of 2:14:41. Twenty-two participated in the race.
June
The Houlton High School boys tennis team was edged by Schenk, 3-2, in East Millinocket during the prelims.
The No. 4 Southern Aroostook Warriors (13-3) defeated No.5 Fort Fairfield (12-5) in the quarterfinals with a 17-7 shellacking in a five-inning, mercy rule game before defeating Katahdin 8-3 in the semifinals . The Warriors were shutout by Bangor Christian, 17-0, in the Class D final at Mansfield Park. Katahdin senior Matt Birmingham took a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh inning, as the Cougars upset top-ranked Hodgdon 8-0 in a Class D quarterfinal. Hodgdon junior Tyler Sherman broke up the no-hit bid with a one-out single in the Hawks’ final frame.
In Class C, the Houlton Shiretowners fell to Searsport, 3-0 in the Class C preliminaries.
The No. 10 Southern Aroostook girls softball team traveled to Danforth and overtook No. 7 East Grand, 15-5 in their preliminary game. The eventually lost 13-1 in the quarterfinals against PVHS.
In other playoff action, the No. 4 Katahdin Lady Cougars defeated No. 5 Fort Fairfield. 3-2 in a Class D quarterfinal matchup before falling to Limestone-MSSM, 7-6, in the bottom of the seventh inning in the semifinals.
The inaugural Aaron Henderson Memorial Softball Tournament at Houlton’s Community Park was a smashing success.
For the first time in three years, a new softball champion was crowned in the Houlton Little League, as timely hitting, solid fielding and superb pitching carried Hogan Tire to an impressive 31-12 victory over Katahdin Valley Health Center. The KVHC squad was two-time defending champs.
Three hundred and twenty six youngsters from 10 communities converged on the Caribou High School Track to compete in the Northern Regional Finals of the Hershey Youth Track and Field Games.
The Border League Majors Division held its championship game in Monticello, with T&S Market of Hodgdon picking up the win 19-9 over Pioneer Broadband of Monticello.
The annual S.W. Collins 5K Road Race was held and the event, the third in the County Challenge Series, featured a competitive field which saw four runners break the 16-minute mark. P.J. Gorneault of Caribou defended his title by finishing in 15 minutes and 23.3 seconds. He was followed by Spencer McElwain in 15:37.56, Russell Currier in 15:49.86 and Kris Freeman in 15:53.11. The first-place female was Gabrielle Naranja, whose time of 19:04.92 put her 19th overall. The women’s runner-up, and placing 25th, was Gabrielle Cyr in 19:58.5.
Winners of the Northern Maine Soap Box Derby were Leif Dahlk for Stock and Chris Bruen for Super Stock. Top eight racers in Stock were: Dahlk, Cole Winslow, second; Yvonne Henderson, third; Mallory Bruen, fourth; Holden Stoutamyer, fifth; Levi Brown, sixth; Anna Hogan, seventh and Caden Foster, eighth. Toop eight Super Stock racers: Bruen; Olivia White, second; Rachel Graves, third; Jessy Dickison, fourth; Jillian Haggerty, fifth; Jenna Rand, sixth; Adam Casillas, seventh and Emily Shaw, eighth.
