The Sports Year in Review — Part 1

What were the top sports stories of the region over the past year? Our staff reviewed the past 12 months as documented by the Observer and came up with the highlights from 2015.

January

Several Foxcroft Academy wrestlers marked milestones in their young careers on the mat. Junior Antonio Ayala won his 100th career match by defeating Dexter’s Tyler Beem, 6-1, and teammate Brooks Law won his match against Jason Paradis of Oxford Hills to set the new school record for overall wins at 168. The previous FA wrestling record was held by Brooks’ older brother, Forrest.

Meanwhile in swimming, Pony freshman Jenna Clukey established a new school record in 500-yard freestyle during a meet at Hampden Academy. Her time of 5:42.8 was 0.39 seconds better than the mark set by Marley Clark in 2008.

File photo January Milestone — At the Warrior Clash in Newport Foxcroft Academy’s Brooks Law earned the 168th victory of his Pony wrestling career, surpassing the mark set by his older brother Forrest. The elder Law was on leave from the U.S. Army Airborne Rangers and he was the first to congratulate Brooks.

File photo May Race — The Bob Darling trophy went to the person or team with the fastest canoe and kayak in the Kiwanis Club Piscataquis River Race. Pictured, from left, are Doris Darling; canoeist Ray Wirth of Belfast kayakers Barry and Lori Dana of Solon.

FA junior Brandon Brock collected his 100th win on the mat during a tourney in Caribou when he defeated Dexter’s Daniel Wallace.

The cheerleading team from Dexter Regional High School finished atop the 2015 Class C East competition during a Jan. 25 competition at Bangor’s Cross Insurance Center. It was their third regional title since 2012.

February

Martin Massicotte of Saint-Tite, Quebec captured the winning trophy in the Plum Creek 60-mile sled dog race with a time of 5:33.30 while Rico Portalatin of Milo and his team won the 30-mile Greenville event with a time of 1:46.22.

The FA 200 medley relay team of Julia Annis, Avery Carroll, Jenna Clukey and Jillian Annis smashed their school record with a time of 1:57.94 minutes during a regional meet at Husson University.

FA basketball player Hunter Smith was voted the Big East Player of the Year following a successful junior season that saw him average 18.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

March

Foxcroft junior Connor Holmes finished third in the 285-pound bracket at the All-State Wrestling Tournament at Sanford and qualified for the New Englands in Massachusetts.

FA Swimming Coach Jody Annis was named Coach of the Year in Class B Girls ranks.

Named to the Maine McDonald’s All-Star basketball teams were Bailey Spack of Dexter RHS, Nate Burns and Tristan French of Piscataquis Community on the boys’ side while Alex Speed of PCHS was named to the girls’ squad. In addition, Abbey Jordan and Michaela White, both of Dexter, received all-academic honors. Jamie Russell, the boys coach at PCHS, was named one of the coaches of the East team.

April

Former Dexter resident Whitney Sinclair, who played her high school soccer career at John Bapst High School and graduated from the University of Maine at Fort Kent in 2014, was named to the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

May

Officials with Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife got an earful during a public hearing in Greenville on a proposal to increase the number of moose hunting permits in Wildlife Management District 9. The overwhelming majority of those attending the session opposed the change, suggesting the Greenville region economy depended a lot more on living moose and moose watchers than hunters in search of a trophy animal for their wall or kitchen table.

In related news, Dan Legere of Greenville was recognized by IF&W officials as the 2015 recipient of the Wiggie Robinson Legendary Guide Award.

Ray Wirth of Belfast won the Bob Darling Trophy as the fastest paddler in the 43rd annual Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis Club Piscataquis River Race on May 30.

June

While his team placed second in the Penobscot Valley Conference championships, individually Foxcroft Academy’s Hunter Smith was named Outstanding Performer as he swept the hurdle events and earned a pair of jumping first-place finishes.

Hunter Smith of FA picked up two State titles in the Class C Outdoor Track and Field championships in Yarmouth with a first-place finish in 110 hurdles and high jump. Joining Hunter as All-Conference selections were teammates Fern Morrison, Jason Eubanks, Julian Zepeda, Sebastian Zepeda, Dylan Richards, Justin Diamond, Cooper Nelson and Peter Boyer. Other picks from the area included Jordan Durant and Joshua Martin of Penquis Community HS, and Valentin Nekrasov, Brandon Allen, Tyler Beem and Zachary Caron, all of Dexter Regional HS.

Named to PVC Class C honors in softball and baseball were Peyton Watson of Dexter and Alex Speed of PCHS, first team; Macie Melvin, Christie Nicholas, Abbey Jordan and Michaela White, all of Dexter, Courtney Dean and Jewel Lamb, both of PCHS, second team; while in baseball it was Brandon Young of Dexter named to the second team and Nate Burns of PCHS was an honorable mention. Rachael Baker of Penquis Valley HS was named to the all-academic team as a baseball player as her school did not field a softball team.

Earning all-conference tennis recognition were Fernando Caceres of Foxcroft Academy, first team Class B; Jarrod White and Will Willard of PCHS, second team Class C doubles; Dillon Drew and Damyon True of PCHS, third team doubles; Lucinda Wingert of PCHS, Class C first team and teammate Alana Page, third team. Named to the all-academic team were Devon Gudroe of Dexter and Carolyn Mumley of PCHS.

Making the all-academic track and field team were Joseph Hubbell, Valentin Nekrasov and Torin Smith, all of Dexter; Natel Feleke, Zach Johnson, Fern Morrison and Anna Sedleckova, all of FA; and Sheridan Clements and Mariah Priest, both of Piscataquis.