Editor’s Note: The following is the first of two articles highlighting some of the Crown of Maine’s top sports stories from 2023. This article highlights events from January through June. The second installment will appear soon.
January
Fort Kent’s Ethan Daigle scored 42 points in a Jan. 2 basketball game, leading the Warrior boys to a 73-70 victory over Wisdom in double overtime. The victory propelled the boys team to the top position in the Class C North rankings.
The Wisdom girls basketball team faced off against Fort Kent on Jan. 2, narrowly defeating the Warriors with a 41-40 victory. The victory left the St. Agatha team with a record of 6-0 for the season.
The Fort Kent Warrior boys maintained their number one spot in the Class C North standings after defeating Hodgdon on Jan. 10 with a 59-35 victory. This game also marked the second time in the season that all but one player scored on the 11-man team.
The Fort Kent Warrior boys continued their winning streak as they defeated Van Buren in a late January game with a 66-20 victory.
February
The town of Fort Kent hosted an international biathlon event. Athletes from the United States and Canada competed at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center for the 2023 International Biathlon Union Continental Cup.
Fort Kent Community High School hosted the Nordic and alpine state championships. The events were held at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center. Statewide events aren’t often held in the northern Maine town, but its reliable snow made it a clear choice for hosting the event.
The Fort Kent boys basketball team finished the last regular game of the season by defeating Central Aroostook. The victory earned the boys a third seed spot in the Class C North standings. They finished the regular season with a record of 14-4.
The Fort Kent girls started off the postseason with a 72-41 victory over Woodland on Feb. 14. Their next game was set for the Class C North Tournament at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, where they will play against the Dexter Tigers.
March
Fort Kent Ski teams earned state titles during the Maine Class B state alpine ski championships. The Fort Kent girls secured their first Alpine championship. The event consisted of slalom races at Pine Trails in Fort Kent as well as giant slalom runs in Mars Hill.
The Fort Kent boys lost to Calais in the Class C North boys basketball championship. Calais defeated the team with a 80-49 victory. Fort Kent ended the season with a 16-5 record.
The Wisdom girls were narrowly defeated by Southern Aroostook, who won by 53-49. It was Southern Aroostook’s fifth consecutive Class D North Championship victory.
A New Brunswick musher, Katherine Langlais, 39, of Glenwood, became the first woman to win the Can-Am 250 race. The Can-Am is an annual sled dog race held in Fort Kent. It brings in spectators and racers from Canada, Maine and beyond.
The Aroostook League held its annual Senior Scholar Athlete Banquet at Caribou High School. The event featured guest speaker Tracy Guerrette, who graduated from Wisdom High School in St. Agatha and excelled in sports.
April
Abbie Lerman, a graduate of Wisdom High School in St. Agatha, will play soccer for the Thomas College Terriers women’s soccer team. Lerman said she chose the college because of its business program.
Howard Paradis, who has a decades-long career as the Madawaska High School ski coach, was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame. Paradis was instrumental in the development of the Four Seasons cross-country ski trails in Madawaska. And he also helped lead the Madawaska girls to 15 championships and the boys to nine. His most iconic moment, however, was letting a female student compete in a boys high school ski race.
May
Athletes from the St. John Valley traveled all the way to Liatoppen, Norway to compete in a biathlon against players across the world with about 1,200 athletes. This also marks the first time that local athletes competed in the event since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Students such as Aiden Rearden, Vanessa Wing, and Ayuu Roesch placed seventh in the mixed relay.
The Fort Kent Warrior boys won their first home baseball game of the season against the Wisdom/Van Buren Pioneers by 16-5.
June
Law enforcement officers carried the Maine Special Olympics torch throughout Aroostook County. The torch started out in Fort Kent at the U.S.-Canada border and traveled to Van Buren, and then from Caribou to Mars Hill. The International Law Enforcement Torch Run has raised more than $500 million for the Special Olympics throughout the United States, Canada, and 35 other countries. Roughly 85,000 officers participate each year.
