Football Huskies winless, but still making strides
The Aroostook Huskies recently completed its season and while it was not a successful year in the win-loss column, this year’s squad managed to narrow the gap against the other teams in the league.
The Huskies were winless in league play with an 0-6 record and lost its first-round playoff game. The squad did manage victories over the Medomak Valley and Houlton JV teams.
Coach Stu Wyckoff said this year’s group Huskies squad was much more physical and better able to compete on the field, losing several close games. He added that there were only a couple of games that were totally out of reach.
The offense featured skill position players equal to those of any team in the league. Quarterback Apollo Grondin, running backs Victor Negron, Jed Grant, Tre Caudill, Jason Gurley and Lucas Doucette and wide receivers Malcolm Langner, Andrew DeChaine and Evan Leach all demonstrated ability to move the ball down the field.
The offensive line struggled at times, being overpowered at the point of attack too often for sustained success. Still, this group showed promise for the future. Captain Dustin DeMerchant led a group that included Kevin Bither, Carter Conley, Andrew Kirk, Bryce Roix, Garrett Halley, Maxx Langille, Lucien Belanger, Karson Albert and Tom Peterson.
Graduating senior wide receiver Josh Prestwood was injured early in the year and his loss was felt all season long.
The defensive front featured Bither, Conley, DeMerchant, Kirk and Roix and they were backed up by Halley, Belanger and Peterson. Prestwood would have been a key at defensive end. The linebackers were Grant, Gurley and DeChaine, with Langille and Albert backing them up. The secondary featured Negron, Grondin, Langner, Caudill, Doucette and Leach.
The end of the year pizza party was held Nov. 14, with UMPI Athletic Director Mike Holmes and John Huard, a University of Maine standout and former NFL player, serving as special speakers. Awards were handed out to Grondin, the team MVP; Negron, best offensive player; Grant, best defensive player; Leach, most improved player; and DeChaine, President’s Award recipient.
With 14 of 20 players returning, Wyckoff said 2016 looks promising for the Huskies. Grant was named captain and Grondin the junior captain.
