CARIBOU, Maine — The boys in the rising freshmen class at Caribou High School can look back at the 2016-17 school year with plenty of pride regarding their success as part of athletic teams at Caribou Middle School.
Caribou teams compete in the Aroostook League, which also includes Houlton and Presque Isle in the sports of soccer, basketball and baseball and Union 122 (New Sweden area), Greater Houlton Christian Academy, Fort Kent and Van Buren in cross country running, freestyle Nordic skiing, classical Nordic skiing, tennis, and track and field.
Out of those eight sports, CMS 8th-graders were part of seven championship teams. According to Steve Perreault, who coaches the soccer and eighth-grade boys’ basketball teams at the school, it marked the first time Viking teams won championships in soccer, basketball and baseball in the same school year.
“They consistently strive for excellence, share a willingness to achieve and challenge each other to improve and compete and have hung tight and have been supportive of each other throughout the year,” said Troy Barnes, a teacher and coach at CMS.
“They have benefitted from being able to participate in thorough recreation department programs and activities and solid programs such as [Aroostook Youth Basketball League] and many attend camps to improve their skills and develop team unity and friendships,” he said. “Plus they have parents that value and understand the importance of competition and they support their children through the process.”
Last fall, the soccer team compiled a 10-3 record, scoring 57 goals while allowing only 14 in a dominating season. During the winter, the boys’ basketball team went 9-2 and dominated by outscoring opponents 602-415 in total, with only four opponents scoring more than 40 points in a game.
Also last winter, the Nordic ski teams went undefeated and featured five skiers in the top 10 during all three races.
This past spring, the track team won three of its final four meets, including the league championship, and the tennis team went a perfect 6-0 and had the top two singles players. In baseball, the Vikings went 12-1 and scored 160 runs compared to 32 by the opposition.
The only sport they did not secure a league title in was cross country running.
