Editor’s Note: Here are highlights of some of the Houlton region’s top sports stories from 2023.
January
A stellar second half lifted the Katahdin boys basketball team to a 51-16 victory over Hodgdon.
Houlton varsity football coach Jon Solomon stepped down after three years with the club. He left the post in December to give the school district ample opportunity to find a suitable replacement. Solomon finished with a 5-8 overall record with the team.
The RSU 29 board of directors voted to add boys and girls varsity lacrosse to spring sports, as a cooperative effort between Houlton, Hodgdon and Southern Aroostook schools. The teams, nicknamed the Northern Maine Moose, were to be the only varsity lacrosse teams north of Bangor.
The Houlton High School cheering squad captured the Aroostook County Cheering Championship.
A Maine Principals’ Association’s committee unanimously opposed the Basketball Committee’s five-class proposal, which included a Class S for small schools and removed the highest Class AA.
February
The 27th annual Moosestompers weekend was plagued by brutal wind chills on Friday and Saturday, but revived on closing day with activities and hot chocolate for everyone.
The Houlton Shires and Caribou Vikings formed a kinship when they shared a bus to the Feb. 6 regional cheering competition in Ellsworth as a way to save on expenses. They had so much fun they rode together to the state Class C competition in Augusta.
The fifth-seeded Houlton High School-Greater Houlton Christian Academy girls basketball team forced a ton of turnovers with tenacious pressure defense and cruised to a 54-32 victory over fourth seed Washington Academy of East Machias in a Class B North quarterfinal.
March
The Southern Aroostook Warriors won double victories as both boys and girls basketball teams captured the Class D North championships. The girls beat Wisdom 53-49 and the boys defeated No. 2 Machias 78-46.
The Warriors did a double repeat when they brought home two state championship gold basketballs. The Warrior boys overwhelmed Forest Hills in a 83-56 victory for their second gold ball in a row. The Warrior girls made it four state championships in five seasons by topping South Berwick-based Seacoast Christian 68-30.
The Aroostook League Scholar Athletes from the Houlton area were: East Grand: Emma Davis,Jathaniel Lindsey; Hodgdon: Madison Smith, Andrew Duttweiler; Houlton: Kenzie Hodgkins, Cody Johnston; Katahdin: Maggie O’Hara, Grady Ritchie; Southern Aroostook: Madison Russell, Camden Porter.
April
The Houlton Parks and Recreation Department rolled out summer programs, including something new: Houlton Bikers. The department received 15 new Specialized mountain bikes, paid for by a $13,000 donation from the Christopher and Nancy Pierce Charitable Foundation. The program was offered to fifth- to eighth-graders at the center.
Kayaker Fred Ludwig was first to cross the finish line at the annual Meduxnekeag River Canoe Race. The race, an annual rite of spring, drew nearly 100 paddlers. Experienced paddlers competed for points in the Down River Points Series, and recreational paddlers came out to have fun and be challenged.
May
The Houlton/GHCA track and field team rounded out the Aroostook County schedule with the league championships hosted by Caribou High School. Ariana Ardell claimed the individual title in the girls 200 race, running a time of 27.89 seconds, just .05 seconds shy of a new school and program record.
At the track and field championships, Teanne Ewings was the top female athlete of the meet, scoring 38 points and setting two new meet records in the 1,600 and 3,200. She received her second consecutive Howard Lello Trophy which recognizes the top female performer of the meet.
June
In its inaugural season, the Northern Maine Moose boys lacrosse team pushed toward a tournament position with a five-game winning streak, including a 14-5 victory over John Bapst.
The Houlton/GHCA girls cross-country team earned fifth place at the state championships, held at Cony High School. Teanne Ewings ran to two individual state championships, in the 1,600 and 800.
Later in the New England championships in Bangor, Ewings set a personal, school, Aroostook League, PVC and Maine Class C record of 4:56:23 in the 1,600. She became the No. 4 all-time fastest Maine high school girl ever at the distance. Overall she came in third and earned all-New England honors.
July
In a thrilling twist in the history of the S.W. Collins 5K road race, Teanne Ewings of Houlton outpaced 54 other runners and made history by becoming the first woman to secure the overall win in the 29 years of this road race. Ewings clocked in at 17 minutes, 42.7 seconds, a significant improvement of over 2:30 from her last year’s race time.
Austin Theriault announced he will return to the racetrack for the 50th annual Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway Aug. 27. Theriault appeared through a partnership with the Travis Mills Foundation and Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. The race marked his first time on the track since 2019 when he raced in the NASCAR Cup Series.
August
Learning the fundamentals of football is crucial for success on the gridiron. The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians partnered with the newly formed Maine Sports Training Academy to bring those football fundamentals to area children. Youths in grades 3-12 from throughout Aroostook County attended a summer football clinic in Houlton.
It was a rambunctious evening Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Mars Hill Community Center as independent pro wrestlers fought for the hardcore championship title. In the final round of the Crown of Maine Wrestling’s Summer Hardcore Havoc 2, last year’s champion J.P. O’Reilly took home the title after a lengthy hardcore match against Pete Corvus.
Wisdom beat Van Buren 6-2 in the nation’s first official game of boys eight-player soccer. In April, more than two dozen Maine boys and girls high school soccer teams switched to eight-player, due to decreasing enrollment and the desire to remain competitive. Maine was the first state in the country to adopt the sport.
September
The Houlton/GHCA cross country team displayed an outstanding performance at the Presque Isle Invitational, securing a decisive win in the girls race and an impressive second-place finish in the boys race.
The Greater Houlton cross country girls team secured a historic victory at the 73rd Old Town Sectional Invitational on Sept. 23. Taking the individual honors in the varsity girls race was Teanne Ewings. Natalie Johnson won 3rd place and Leanne Ross 4th. Andrea Ross was 15th, Katie McQuarrie earned 23rd and Amelia Drake was 47th.
October
The Houlton girls soccer team picked up a 1-0 win over MCI in Class C North quarterfinal action on Oct. 24. The lone goal came from senior Gabby Gentle off an assist by freshman Reagan Wright. Houlton moved on to play Bucksport in a semifinal match-up.
November
The Houlton Shires 7/8 football team dominated the season and went undefeated with an 8-0 record this fall. Team members are Garrison Albert, Charlie Campagna, Justin Corson, Isaiah Foster, Micah Gilmour, Brayden Hallett, Liam Kellerhals, Noah Lloy, Lincoln Lovely, Hunter Sanford, Bentlee Sirois, Brody Sirois, Damion Stewart, Colton Sylvain, Colby Tapley, Isaac Watson, DJ White and Mason White, and coaches: Kris Kellerhals, Andrew Tapley and Mike White.
The Aroostook League announced its fall All-Aroostook teams in soccer, cross-country and golf. Boys Class B/C Soccer: Houlton: Brandon Barton, Konnor Lynds, Adrian Norton. Boys Class D Soccer: Hodgdon: Hunter Duttweiler, Oisin Gardiner; Katahdin: Calvin Richardson; Southern Aroostook: Ethan Collier Trafton Russell. Girls Class B/C Soccer: Houlton: Gabby Gentle, Mylee Sylvia. Girls Class D Soccer: East Grand: Jayden Williams; Hodgdon: Meghan Peters, Anna Oliver; Katahdin: Hunter Hartsgrove; Southern Aroostook: Emmalee Landry, Ally Shields, Cami Shields, Madison Shields. Boys Cross Country: Houlton/GHCA: James Brady, Braden Drake, Malachi Witmer. Girls Cross Country: Houlton/GHCA: Teanne Ewings, Natalie Johnson, Katie McQuarrie, Andrea Ross, Leann Ross. Golf: Hodgdon: David Tuttle, Jacob Tuttle; Houlton: Thadeus Gentle, Patrick Marino.
December
Three high school athletes from southern Aroostook County reached the 1,000-point benchmark. Hodgdon junior Anna Oliver scored her 1,000th point in a Dec. 13 road game at Washburn; Katahdin senior Hunter Hartsgrove reached her scoring mark Dec. 16 at home against Van Buren; and Southern Aroostook senior Dylan Burpee joined the 1,000-point club Dec. 19 in a home game against Hodgdon.
An 83-year-old Hodgdon man crossed the Millinocket Half Marathon finish line in three hours and 26 minutes. In a field of more than 2,300 runners, Clinton Cushman, the oldest registered runner in the 13.1-mile race, beat his 2021 time by three minutes.
