Editor’s Note: The following is the second of two articles highlighting some of the top sports stories from 2017. This article highlights the events from July to December.
July
Lance Bernier of Boothbay shot a 4-under-par 140 over 36 holes to defend his title at the Coca-Cola Spudland Open Golf Tournament held at Presque Isle Country Club.
Connor DeMerchant releases a pitch during the late innings of the Pony League championship baseball game played Monday, July 24. DeMerchant threw a complete-game one-hitter, leading Presque Isle to a 7-2 victory. (Staff photo/Kevin Sjoberg)
Cushman’s of Presque Isle defeated AFSL/CFCU of Caribou, 7-2, in the finals of the NMCRA Pony League baseball tournament played in Presque Isle. Winning pitcher Connor DeMerchant tossed a complete-game one-hitter and struck out nine batters.
Emily Straetz of Presque Isle, Drew Lamoreau of Easton and Landen Leavitt of Fort Fairfield won three individual events apiece at the NMCRA state track and field meet held in Bangor.
Patrick Cote of Grand Falls, New Brunswick, and Tracy Guerrette of Bangor ran to victories in the Maine Potato Blossom 5-Miler held in Fort Fairfield. Also at the annual festival, Presque Isle won the junior softball tournament and Thad LaVallee of Sharon, Massachusetts, placed first in the Spud Cycle Classic 25-mile bicycle race.
Mars Hill’s Joshua Thomas had a chance to compete in the Pitch, Hit and Run youth baseball skills competition held at Fenway Park in Boston.
The Fort Fairfield Athletic Hall of Fame honored its six newest inductees during a banquet at the high school. They are Patricia Adams (Class of 1974), Kirk DeMerchant (1994), Amanda Hotham (2012), Jon Nichols (1996), Dr. Stephen Nightingale (1973) and George Solomon (1967).
August
The Central Aroostook boys and Ashland girls concluded the first month of the season with undefeated records in high school soccer.
The Swedes finished with a 13-1 record and won the Caribou-Presque Isle co-ed softball playoff tournament. T.W. Willard of Caribou took the title in the men’s league.
Gavin Kane, who amassed over 500 victories at the high school level and is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, was hired as the new women’s basketball coach at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Tim Whiton was selected as the new ski coach at the university.
James “Chico” Hernandez of Washburn won three gold medals at the Maine State Senior Track and Field Games in Scarborough and won two gold medals in his age group in wrestling at the Sunflower State Games in Topeka, Kansas.
Fort Fairfield won the junior girls softball title and Caribou dominated the singles and doubles tennis tournament in sporting events sponsored by the Northern Maine Community Recreation Association.
After competing against each other for years, it was announced the Caribou and Presque Isle varsity golf teams would combine to form a co-op squad under the name Carlisle. They will be a Class A program and coached by Marc Weeks, who had previously been the Vikings’ head coach.
September
Carlisle’s Libby Boone tees off at the Houlton Community Golf Course Monday afternoon in a match with Houlton and Calais. (Staff photo/Joseph Cyr)
Central Aroostook was victorious at the Aroostook League golf championships, held on their home course at Mars Hill Country Club. The Panthers beat Hodgdon by 69 strokes to earn the title.
The Presque Isle soccer teams finally opened their season with road victories over John Bapst. Wildcat sports teams started tryouts and practices two weeks later than usual due to a school-imposed “hands-off” period during the summer.
October
The Washburn and Central Aroostook girls and the Ashland and Fort Fairfield boys chalked up Class D preliminary playoff soccer victories. The Beavers beat Wisdom and the Panthers toppled Shead on the girls’ side, while the Tiger boys downed Schenck and the Hornets got past Jonesport-Beals. The Easton boys were eliminated in their first-round contest.
Presque Isle picked up its second shutout victory of the season over Caribou in boys’ soccer action, this time by a 3-0 score at the Johnson Athletic Complex. The Wildcats ended up earning the top seed in the Class B North playoffs and joined seven other local squads who reached the post-season. The Presque Isle girls are seeded No. 2 and one of their players, junior Madison Michaud, established a new career goal-scoring record at the school.
Jon Poisson was hired as the girls’ basketball coach at Washburn District High School. The Limestone native, who is a teacher at the high school, replaces Tyler Putnam, who coached the Beavers for one season.
Four gained induction into the University of Maine at Presque Isle Owls’ Athletic Hall of Fame, which held its induction ceremony during homecoming activities. Claudia Labrie, Rachel Larlee Bousquet, Adam Smith and Jeremy Von Oesen were honored during the event.
November
Eva Callioras, an eighth-grade student at Easton Junior-Senior High School, won the Elks Soccer Shoot regional competition, which comprised all six New England states. The event was held in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Ben Lothrop was hired as the new girls’ basketball coach at Ashland. Lothrop had coached the team for nine seasons until 2005, but decided to return as Whitney Flint’s replacement.
The UMPI men’s cross country team and women’s team runner Emilia Churchill all competed at the USCAA national championships in Virginia Beach.
The Presque Isle girls’ soccer team reached the state championship game for the first time since 2011 with a 1-0 victory over Hermon in the Class B North title game. The Wildcats went on to lose to Yarmouth in the state finals, 9-0.
The Ashland girls fell short in their bid for consecutive state championships in Class D soccer, losing to Richmond, 2-1.
Presque Isle’s Max Bartley and Madison Jandreau turned in top-20 performances at the Class B state cross country championships held in Cumberland. The Wildcat girls and boys qualified as teams, while three Washburn runners earned a berth in the Class C state meet.
It was announced that the University of Maine at Presque Isle will join the North Atlantic Conference beginning in the summer of 2018. UMPI sponsors 12 NCAA Div. III sports.
December
The Presque Isle hockey team opened with a home loss to Camden Hills, but went on to win three straight games for some early-season success with a young team, coached by Carl Flynn.
University of Maine at Presque Isle senior basketball player Kevin Collins tallied the 1,000th point of his career during a victory over Fisher College in Boston.
Madison Michaud of the Presque Isle girls’ soccer team earned All-New England honors as announced at the Maine Soccer Coaches awards banquet in Bangor.
Chandler Guerrette, a 2013 graduate of Presque Isle High School, was honored as the winner of the Clara Swan Female Athlete of the Year at Husson University in Bangor. Guerrette was a standout basketball player with the Eagles.
Basketball season opened for local squads and Presque Isle senior guard Griffin Guerrette earned the first Big East Conference player of the week award after scoring 98 points in his first three games, including 40 in a road win over Belfast.
