2023: Caribou area’s year in sports, Part 1|
Editor’s Note: Here are highlights of some of the Caribou region’s top sports stories from 2023. Part 1 presents events from January through June. The second installment will cover July through December and will appear soon.
January
The Caribou Vikings boys and girls took second place in the first Nordic ski race of the new year at Fort Kent. Fort Kent came in first. Viking Kaley Bell was first in individual results for the girls. George Ferland captured second place individually for the boys.
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.
The Viking cheering squad took fourth place in the Aroostook League Cheerleading Showcase.
Jackson Holdsworth of Caribou took first place in the boys ages 8-9 division at the Northern District Elks Hoop Shoot foul shooting competition. The event was held Jan. 15 in Bangor.
February
The Presque Isle boys varsity basketball team was ecstatic when they snatched a victory over Caribou in a close Class B match. The senior night game saw the Wildcats top Caribou 37-31.
In girls basketball action, the Caribou Vikings topped Presque Isle’s Wildcats for a 50-32 victory.
Final Heal Points were released, revealing playoff pairings for the upcoming basketball tourney. In Class B North girls basketball, Caribou finished 15-3 on the season and was ranked second. For the boys, Caribou finished sixth with an 11-7 record.
March
Fort Fairfield slayed the Dragons of Woodland with a late 52-50 victory to advance in the C North boys playoffs.
The Ellsworth High School girls basketball team ousted the Vikings girls in the Class B North schoolgirl semifinal, 71-51.
The Calais Blue Devils bested the fourth-ranked Fort Fairfield Tigers 70-47 at the Class C North boys basketball semifinal.
Racers traveled from Maine and other New England states to compete in 21 competition classes at The County’s first-ever Sno-Cross Races, held as part of Caribou’s SnowBowl weekend.
April
The Aroostook League Scholar Athletes from the local area were: Caribou: Kaylee Bell, George Ferland; Fort Fairfield: Kassidy Gorneault, Zakary Gerhauser; MSSM: Shelby Carson, Owen Dulac; Van Buren: Elyssa Violette, Noah Martin; Washburn: Lucy Tate, Christopher Tardie.
May
Competitors from Levant and Holden were overall winners in the third Aroostook River Spring Run-Off canoe and kayak race in Caribou. Around 31 canoe and kayak racers from around the state took off from the Lower Lyndon Street Boat Launch and traveled 6.2 miles down the Aroostook River, ending at the boat launch across from Main Siding Road in Caribou.
After four years of a pandemic lockdown and a cancellation due to bad weather, the Aroostook County Special Olympics returned and was held in Presque Isle. The parade of athletes was led by the Aroostook County Law Enforcement Honor Guard. Approximately 155 athletes from 18 different schools and agencies turned out for the 43rd games.
June
It was a hot last baseball and softball match between rivals Presque Isle and Caribou. Presque Isle topped the Vikings in softball 20-6, but Caribou took the baseball game 10-2. They were the final games of the Class B regular season for both the girls varsity softball and boys varsity baseball teams.
Fort Fairfield fell to Woodland in Class D baseball playoff action. The Tigers captured a preliminary win over Jonesport-Beals, 12-2, but then lost to Woodland 8-2.
Local officers led the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run leading up to the summer Special Olympics games in Orono. The international Torch Run draws about 85,000 officers every year and has raised more than $500 million for Special Olympics.
