Editor’s Note: The following is the first of a two-part series highlighting some of the top sports moments from the year 2016. This article covers January through June. The second installment will appear in the Jan. 4 edition.
The first six month of 2016 were filled with a number of memorable sports stories. From the Houlton girls basketball team winning its second consecutive gold ball to a pair of Southern Aroostook boys cracking the 1,000-point scoring plateau on the hardwood, there were plenty of exciting moments in the world of sports.
The following is a highlight of some of the more memorable stories.
January
– At long last, success came to the Hodgdon girls basketball team as the Hawks overcame a 12-0 deficit to beat visiting Easton 41-40, ending a 42-game losing skid dating back to the 2013-14 season.
– The Houlton Middle School cheering squad that finished as runners up in the 2016 Aroostook League championship, placing second to Central Aroostook. Team members for Houlton included Paige Ford, Grace Violette, Amelia Findlater, Wendy Smith, Emmalyne Drake, Josie Ford, Morgan Harris, Autumn McNinch, Sidney Peabody, Kahlia Reeves, Amanda Thorne, Grace Toupin, Lexi Crouse, Emily Shaw, Alyssa Drake, Aryus Desjardins, Hannah Foster, Rachel Hatfield, Kalle Neureuther, Alex Reed, Hailey Hipsley and Lindzi Nelson. The coach was Michelle Hathaway and the manager is Rachel Toupin.
– The Houlton cheering squad picked up a pair of runners-up trophies finishing second in the Aroostook League cheerleading championship in Caribou, followed by a second-place finish at the Penobscot Valley Conference Championships at Stearns High School. The cheering squad also earned a spot in the state competition by virtue of a third-place finish at the Class C North regional event and placed fifth at states. Members of the Houlton squad included: Taylor Barnes, Abby Fore, Katie Knights, Chloe Davis, Sarah Delano, Medinah Diane, Hannah Foley, Lexi Fore, Hannah Jacobs, Toni MacDonald, Rachel Toupin, Alexis Miller, Cassie Butler, Anessa Wilde, Taylor Cowan, Breanna Croxen, Makenzie Fitzpatrick, Gabby Guiod, Yasmine Hatch, Hannah Pierce, Claire Gilpatrick, Jillian Haggerty and Emma Huot. The coaches were Renae Foley and Julie Dunn.
– Southern Aroostook junior Jackson Mathers joined the exclusive 1,000-point club thanks to a stellar 28-point effort in a game against Central Aroostook. The sharp-shooting guard tallied his historic point on a free throw with 16 seconds remaining in the game. His father Bill was also a 1,000-point scorer. Jackson and his father are the only father-son duo in school history to reach 1,000 points.
February
– Nolan Altvater became the second SACS boys basketball player in the season to reach the 1,000 point scoring mark. Altvater,in a hard-fought, 66-61, loss to Fort Fairfield, scored his historic point the same way he has scored the bulk of the points in his career — from inside the low post. Altvater’s older sister Sable scored her 1,000th career point as a senior back in 2014.
– Many local basketball squads advanced to the postseason thanks to stellar play on the hardwood. In girls basketball, East Grand, Katahdin, Houlton and Southern Aroostook all qualified for the postseason, while for the boys Southern Aroostook and Hodgdon qualified.
– In Class B North, the No. 1 Houlton girls beat No. 8 Foxcroft Academy 61-52; defeated No. 4 Winslow 49-38; bested No. 7 Hermon, 51-35, in the regional championship and won their second straight gold ball with a 48-35 win over Gray-New Gloucester. The Shires won the Class C gold ball in 2015.
– The Southern Aroostook girls, with a roster comprised of mostly freshmen and eighth-graders, became of the youngest squads in the history of Maine high school basketball to win a playoff game. The young Warriors, who were the top seed in Class D North, beat No. 8 Wisdom 38-32 in overtime in the quarterfinals. SACS fell to No. 4 Central Aroostook 54-49 in the semifinals.
– After beating East Grand in a preliminary playoff, the No. 7 Katahdin girls were eliminated from the postseason with a 67-62 quarterfinal loss to No. 2 Washburn.
– The No. 7 Hodgdon boys beat No. 10 Narraguagus 62-59 in a preliminary playoff and bested No. 2 Fort Fairfield, 45-38 in the quarterfinals before falling to No. 4 Bucksport, 49-44, in the Class C seminials.
– In Class D North, No. 3 Southern Aroostook boys beat No. 6 Central Aroostook 51-45 in the quarterfinal; bested No. 2 Machias 67-59 before falling to No. 1 Easton, 57-52 in a hard-fought regional championship.
March
– Dewey Dewitt and the 1947 Patten team were among those elected to the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame’s third induction class.
– Houlton senior Billy Phillips won the Most Valuable Player award at the Class B Maine Winter Classic boys’ hockey senior all-star game Saturday at Norway Savings Bank Arena. Phillips, who was named to the team just three days earlier, scored four goals for the North in a 5-1 victory.
– The Houlton varsity girls undergrad team won the Harbor House tournament on Mount Desert Island March 19-20. It marks the second consecutive year that the Shires have won the tournament.
– Allison Wheeler was enjoying tremendous support for her All-Star gymnastics program in Houlton. What first began in 2008 with 20 children in Bridgewater had ballooned to more than 350 children in three communities, offering gymnastics, cheerleading and dance.
April
– Tom Zimmerman, head of school for Greater Houlton Christian Academy, announced that Michael Matheson has accepted the position of athletic director for the school.
– The Harlem Superstars returned to Aroostook County, bringing their comedic basketball skills to a large crowd at Houlton High School.
– Spring athletes were gearing up for another busy season in tennis, track, baseball and softball. The weather was far more cooperative this year, than in year’s past when snow still blanketed the area.
– Houlton sophomore Kolleen Bouchard was announced as a first-team honoree on the 40th annual Bangor Daily News All-Maine Schoolgirl Basketball Team.
May
– A sunny, warm morning provided the perfect backdrop for the annual Meduxnekeag River Canoe Race. A total of 89 participants competed in this year’s race in 54 boats. That number is down from last year’s totals of 58 boats and 101 paddlers.
– Midway through the season and the Houlton baseball squad remained unbeaten on the diamond. The Shires (8-0, 40.6250 Heal Points) had a comfortable grasp on the No. 1 seed in the Class C North region.
– More than 300 athletes, representing more than 30 schools and organizations, converged at the Gehrig Johnson Athletic Complex at Presque Isle Middle School for the 40th annual Aroostook County Special Olympics Spring Games.
June
– Houlton baseball finished the regular season unbeaten at 15-0 and was the top-ranked team in Class C North. The Shires earned a first-round bye for the postseason and beat No. 7 Washington Academy, 12-9, in the quarterfinals and defeated No. 6 Bucksport, 5-4, in the semifinals before losing to No. 1 George Stevens Academy, 9-8, in the regional championship.
– In Class D North baseball, Hodgdon finished 12-2 and was the No.2 seed in the region, while Southern Aroostook (6-7) was eighth; Katahdin (4-9) was 10th; and East Grand/GHCA (2-11) was 15th. Hodgdon beat Katahdin 4-1 in the quarterfinals, but fell to No. 3 Fort Fairfield, 12-1 in the semifinals. Southern Aroostook lost 14-5 to No. 9 Stearns in a prelim game.
– In Class C softball, Houlton (12-4) was fifth and lost to No. 4 Mattanawcook Academy, 14-9, in a quarterfinal game. In Class D softball Southern Aroostook (10-4) was No. 2 but lost to No. 10 Highview Christian, 16-10, in the quarterfinals. Katahdin (10-4) was fourth and No. 13 Fort Fairfield, 7-0, in the prelims, beat No. 5 Penobscot Valley, 19-7, in the quarterfinals, but fell to No. 1 Stearns, 14-6, in the semifinals. No. 8 Hodgdon (6-8) beat No. 9 Shead 17-3 in the prelims before falling to No. 1 Stearns, 21-3, in the quarterfinals. No. 11 East Grand (7-7) lost to No. 6 Ashland, 12-0, in a prelim game.
– In her final season as Houlton’s tennis coach, Jean Maunder has stressed the importance of “having fun” to her players on a number of occasions. And if winning is considered fun, than the Houlton girls experienced plenty of enjoyment this spring. Houlton (7-6 overall) qualified for the postseason, earning the No. 6 seed. The Shires beat No. 11 Calais 4-1 in a prelim match but fell to No. 3 Penobscot Valley of Howland, 4-1, in the quarterfinals.
– A number of Houlton track and field athletes had strong showings at the state meet. The top Shire athletes were Rylee Warman who was seventh in the 1,600 with a time of 5:40.49 and Isaiah Brown was third in the 1,600 with a time of 4:42.72.
– Two champs were crowned after a busy day of Soap Box Derby racing in Houlton. Sara Heath won the Super Stock division, while Caden Foster won the Stock division. Both qualified to go the nationals in Akron, Ohio.
