2019: The year in sports, part two – The County

David Marino Jr. • January 1, 2020

The following is the second of two articles highlighting some of 2019’s most important and interesting sports stories.  This article highlights events from July through December.

Editor’s Note: The following is the second of two articles highlighting some of 2019’s most important and interesting sports stories.  This article highlights events from July through December. January-June was published on Dec. 25. 

July

Both the girls and boys track and field teams at Presque Isle Middle School won their respective Aroostook County championship after being undefeated in all of their meets for the season. The coach of the boys team said the championship was a team effort, with students at various levels (sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders) scoring points.

Mars Hill native Dick Durost retired after 18 years as executive director of the Maine Principals’ Association. In that position, Durost supervised the governing board for all of the interscholastic sports in Maine. He had been a long-time school administrator in Easton and Presque Isle when MPA picked him for the spot in 2001.

Presque Isle participated in the 7-on-7 soccer tournament at Caribou High School on July 13. The Caribou II team had a 2-1 victory over Presque Isle, allowing them to capture the High School Summer Soccer Trophy. 

Ralph Michaud of Presque Isle won the 36th annual Cary Classic Benefit Golf Tournament in Caribou on July 6, after beating out Jamie Leavitt in a tiebreaker. The tournament is the largest fundraising event for the Jefferson Cary Foundation, a non-profit that raises funds for Cary Medical Center.

Tim McCue replaced Joe Greaves as coach of the reigning state champion Presque Isle boys soccer team. McCue, who has worked as a varsity assistant boys coach for 11 years, said he was excited to build upon the team’s success. Greaves stepped down after eight years as coach upon being appointed assistant principal at Presque Isle High.

August 

On Aug. 2 and 3, the 15th annual Nordic Trail festival brought hundreds to Presque Isle. The event, which is hosted by the Nordic Heritage Center, is a celebration of the location’s trail network, as well as the outdoor sports community across The County. According to one of the organizers of the event, the festival drew about 150 registered mountain bikers.

The ninth annual Maine Basketball Hall of Fame Golf Scramble was held on Aug. 3 at Aroostook Valley Country Club in Fort Fairfield. It featured former and current Aroostook County athletes and coaches, with all funds going to the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame. There were also teams represented from outside The County, including those from Orono, Bangor and Dexter.

Farm Credit East hosted another installment of its annual golf tournament in early August. The event, which is hosted by the Northern Maine Agricultural Foundation, raised $12,000 for local charities, including Bridges to Hope, the Aroostook Veterans Alliance and Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum.

September 

Ilijaha Fortres of the Aroostook Huskies gets tackled by two Berlin Gladiator defenders during a Sept. 14 game in Berlin, New Hampshire. (Contributed photo)

The Aroostook Huskies football team won its season opener on Sept. 14 against the Gladiators of Berlin, New Hampshire. The Berlin team, which the Huskies had to take a lengthy bus ride to reach in New Hampshire, had not lost a regular season game in two years. Yet, the Huskies, which includes students from Central Aroostook, Presque Isle and Washburn, beat the team 16-15.

More than 1,000 people attended the Big Woods Grass Drags snowmobile race on Sept. 21 and 22. The event, established in 2017, will raise money to maintain snowmobile equipment and trails in the Presque Isle area.

Many in the Presque Isle area won big at the Aroostook League County Regional Tournament in Houlton on Sept. 26. Those who performed successfully qualified for the state tournament at Natanis in October. Fort Fairfield received The County crown after shooting at 379, qualifying themselves for the team tournament. 

October

Several cross-country runners from across the Presque Isle area took part in the Aroostook County League Championship in Presque Isle on Oct. 8. The Caribou boys team came in first, with a score of 19, followed by Washburn, 47, and Presque Isle, 88. 

On Oct. 12 and 13, the University of Maine at Presque Isle men’s golf team took part in the 36-hole North Atlantic Conference Championship. UMPI players Christian Mumley and Payton Jones tied for a 40th-place finish.

Fort Fairfield player Jessica Halsey kicks the ball down the field during the prelim game against Wisdom on Friday, Oct. 25. (Nina Mahaleris | The Star-Herald)

On Oct. 25, the Fort Fairfield girls soccer team beat Wisdom 2-0 in the Class D North prelim game. While both sides put on strong defensive performances throughout the game, Fort Fairfield was able to score two goals on Wisdom to propel themselves to victory. 

On Oct. 26, the Easton boys soccer team defeated Southern Aroostook in the Class D North preliminary 6-0. The game was dominated by Easton throughout, as the team was able to put out strong performances on offense and defense alike.

For Central Aroostook High School, both the boys and girls soccer teams had successful runs during the Class D North semifinal contests at Presque Isle Middle School. The Central Aroostook boys beat Van Buren 6-0, while the Central Aroostook girls team beat Ashland in a tight 4-3 game. 

November 

A goal by Bryan Anthony propelled the Central Aroostook boys soccer team to its first Class D boys soccer state championship. The Mars Hill team defeated North Yarmouth Academy 2-1 on Nov. 7, after Anthony scored twice in the last seven minutes of play.

The Maine Principals Association chose two coaches from the Presque Isle area for Coach of the Year honors in their respective sports. Represented in the celebrations were Presque Isle soccer coach Joe Greaves and Central Aroostook High cheering coach Sami Jo Allen.

December

The Presque Isle boys basketball team won 63-59 in its season opener against Old Town, after a big comeback in the fourth quarter. Though Presque Isle trailed for most of the first three quarters, Presque Isle was able to open the match up with a 25-point performance in the fourth quarter, driving the team to a narrow victory. 

The Presque Isle girls basketball team lost against Old Town 48-41 in its season opener against Old Town, after failing to respond to a late offensive surge from its opponents. Though the Wildcats started strong, helped by a big game from sophomore Faith Sjoberg, a dominant performance from Old Town was enough to drive the Wildcats to its first loss of the season.

Colby Bonville, left, of Presque Isle squares off against Noah Reynolds of the Houlton-Hodgdon-Southern Aroostook-Katahdin Black Hawks during a Tuesday,  Dec. 10, game in Houlton. Presque Isle won 10-3. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)

The Presque Isle hockey team had a massive offensive performance against Houlton-Hodgdon-Southern Aroostook, beating the team 10-3 in an away game. The Wildcats scored quickly and often, getting 4 points on the board by the end of the first quarter.

The Houlton girls basketball team beat Central Aroostook after Mars Hill failed to put up a sizable offense against Houlton. Along with good offensive play, Houlton was able to minimize a Central Aroostook comeback by keeping up on defense, including holding the Panthers to only five points in the second quarter.