When Jesse Erickson weighs in for Saturday night’s NEF 42 mixed martial arts bout against undefeated Josh Harvey -- a Dexter Regional High School graduate -- at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, he won’t be giving away nearly the poundage he did for one of his most recent athletic competitions.

With a smattering of regular-season finales still to be played, the jockeying for position continues in the high school girls basketball Heal Points standings. That said, the top seeds in four of the five North classes have been established.

The forecast of an impending snowstorm on Thursday and Friday has led the Maine Principals’ Association to alter the starting times for the cheerleading and wrestling regional championship events scheduled for Saturday.

Dale Duff began his long and impressive broadcasting career in 1974 at WHOU radio (100.1 FM) in his hometown of Houlton. He has returned to WHOU, this time to work with the WHOU.live video streaming service to headline its sports coverage.

Piscataquis Regional YMCA Waves swim team members Jacob Cook and Dean Gallagher were invited to compete on a team representing Northern Maine Division swimmers in the Tom Manduca Memorial 19th annual YMCA All-Star Meet, hosted by the Twin Cities Swim Team at Bates College on Sunday, Feb. 2.

There was a lot of use of our trails during this past weekend/week. Our groomers were out over the weekend and spent multiple times grooming the trails. They are in good shape even with the little show that is under the trails

Squaretail. It’s been awhile since that word has been used around anglers, but I like it, and miss hearing people use it. It’s one of those words that triggers the synapses and gets gray-haired anglers thinking back to canvas-covered Old Town boats and bamboo rods.

Foxcroft Academy and Piscataquis Community High School had final tuneups before next weekend’s conference championship competition during the final Eastern Maine Indoor Track League/Penobscot Valley Conference meet Feb. 1 at the University of Maine.

The Dexter Regional High School senior ended a season of futility against talented Mattanawcook Academy freshman Isaac Hainer in the 145-pound final of the Penobscot Valley Conference championships at Parady Gymnasium, helping the Tigers capture their first league crown since 2010.

Most of us who hunt have heard a version of this quip many times before, generally offered up in a light-hearted way by a friend who doesn’t hunt: “You going out to shoot Bambi?”

Fat biking is becoming increasingly popular in Maine, but the cost of the equipment needed for the sport can be prohibitive for beginners. In response to this problem, some bike shops, outfitters and recreation centers throughout the state have started offering rental fat bikes, allowing people to test out the activity without making a big initial investment.

A Maine moose hunt can be one of the best adventures you’ll ever embark upon. Or, if you’re not careful and don’t do your homework, it could turn into a miserable experience. From the permit lottery to tagging your moose to choosing a meat cutter, here are many of the answers to questions that may crop up.

On Saturday, Jan. 25 the Foxcroft Academy wrestling team hosted its last regular season meet.  This event is always special as it is Senior Night, where all the senior wrestlers are recognized before the meet with flowers for their parents. This night became even more special as senior Rico Ayala was looking for his 150th career win.

Dexter Regional High School wrestlers Augustus “Gus” Irwin and Eric Bennett joined the 100-win club during recent matches.

Bucksport, Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill, Central of Corinth, Dexter and Fort Kent would move from Class C to Class B while Schenck of East Millinocket, Deer-Isle Stonington and Machias would shift from Class D to Class C.

The 13th annual Moosehead Lake Togue Derby with Ricky Craven was held this past weekend on Maine’s largest lake. We had great conditions on Friday, Jan. 24 with hardly a lick of wind. You don’t get many days like that on Moosehead.

Henry David Thoreau, beholding Moosehead Lake for the first time, wrote this: “a gleaming silver platter at the end of the table.” If only he could have seen the lake from the air! The first time that I saw the big lake from the air in a north-bound ski-plane my jaw dropped. The expansiveness, not only of the lake itself, but the entire north woods watershed, presents a panorama like no other.

We groomed all of our trails on Friday. They were in great shape for the weekend except for the 2-mile rough section on the CCC Road which needs more snow before we can groom it. The rain and sleet did not seem to damage the trails.