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2009 Spring Sports Slideshows

June 10, 2009 - Softball Playoffs vs Leavitt

June 6, 2009 - Outdoor Track State Championship

June 4, 2009 - Boys Playoff Tennis vs Mt Blue

June 1, 2009 - Girls Lacrosse vs Brunswick

May 30, 2009 - KVAC Track Championships

May 26, 2009 - Baseball vs Morse

May 22, 2009 - Track - Brunswick et al

May 19, 2009 - Track - Under the Lights Qualifier

May 15, 2009 - Girls Tennis vs Edward Little

May 12, 2009 - Boys Tennis vs Lewiston & Morse

May 9, 2009 - Run for Congo Women

May 9, 2009 - Girls Lax vs Brunswick

May 8, 2009 - Boys Lax vs Messalonskee

May 8, 2009 - Softball vs Edward Little

May 8, 2009 - Baseball vs Edward Little

May 1, 2009 - Boys Lax vs Brunswick

May 1, 2009 - Baseball vs Morse

April 16, 2009 - Girls Tennis vs Brunswick

April 16, 2009 - Boys Tennis vs Brunswick

April 17, 2009 - Boys Lax vs Oxford Hills

April 16, 2009 - Girls Lax vs Oxford Hills

April 15, 2009 - Baseball vs Medomak

April 15, 2009 - Softball vs Medomak

Mar 28, 2009 Science Olympiad

2008 Winter Sports Slideshows

Indoor Track

Hockey

Boys Basketball

Band

Girls Basketball

Nordic Skiing

Swimming

Boys Basketball vs Cony

Cheering vs Cony Wrestling

2008 Fall Sports Slideshows

Cross Country

Girls Soccer

Boys Soccer

Field Hockey

Cheerleading

2007-8 Sports Slideshows

Use the Archive menu option to view slideshows from the 2007-8 Sports Season

Welcome to Mt Ararat High School Sports

Stay tuned for a recap of all spring sports. Next up: Girls Lacrosse

RECAP OF BOYS TENNIS SEASON

Mike Hill Closes Out Sensational Career - Boys Team Impresses

A recap of the Boys tennis season needs to be divided into two sections. Let's call the first section the Team report and let's call the second section the Mike Hill report. We'll talk about the team first. By any standard, the Boys had a great season. The only team that could play with them was five-time defending state champion Lewiston. Unfortunately, the Eagles could not find the magic wand (racket) to beat the Blue Devils as they lost during the regular season and twice in the playoffs. Each time the score was 3-2. It does not get much closer than that.

The Eagles had a lot of depth this year. They had a strong Senior contingent, but they had a lot of pressure from the younger classmen also. The Senior class was so strong, there simply was enough openings for them to play. Mike Hill, Josh Dennison, and Nate Rohman, the top three singles players, were dominant throughout the season. Josh Dennison, sleight in stature, belied his physical appearance with a combination of terrific conditioning, powerful strokes, and his euclidian understanding of court angles. Nate Rohman is a big hitter, tall and powerful on his serve and aggressive in his game. These were three extremely talented players. Stalwart Josh Bryant headed up the Doubles squad. Christian Swanholm and Ryan Kittle either picked the wrong year in which to be born or the wrong town in which to be born as they would have been stars on any other high school team in the state. As it was, when they played their way into competition, they performed well (as in they won), when they got the opportunity.

Despite the graduation of such a talented and classy senior class, the under classmen are well positioned to continue Mt Ararat's development in the high school Tennis stratosphere. Call it the Mike Hill Effect. Juniors Francis Meisenbach, Ryan Nesbitt and sophomore Adam Levesque had great seasons and look to step up to fill the vacant positions. Sophomore Malcolm Marshall had an impressive season and freshman Shane Will, injured most of the year, could be the next Mike Hill. In fact, if he had been healthy, he may have tilted the scales against Lewiston. Nick Ciminiello, Zach Jackson, Dennis Johnstoe, and James Oliver rounded out the team y playing well in Exhibition play and gaining experience for future years.

Mike Hill capped a career in tennis that won't soon be repeated anywhere (at Mt Ararat or anywhere in the state). His stats become irrelevant against his opponents because he often did not play against opponents whom he might embarass. Undefeated in three years (including the playoffs), he never even lost a set. He won over 90% of his games. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal can't come close to match ing that. What a privilege to have seen him play and we'll be watching his progress at Brown.

Mike Hill (surprise, surprise) was named to the KVAC South First Team, as was Josh Dennison. Nate Rohman was selected to the second team. Josh Bryant and Josh Dennison were named to the All-Academic team.

RECAP OF GIRLS TENNIS SEASON

Girls Progress, Look Forward

In case you hadn't noticed, every Eagles spring sport team improved their results from a year ago. The Girls Tennis team contributed to this achievement by posting a solid 7-5 season, a two game swing from last year's 5-7 record. This year's team was led by co-captain Tegan Talbot. Now you have to understand that in tennis, it is practically mandatory that you play year round if you want to compete at any level. That's what makes Tegan's performance so remarkable this year. After a successful basketball season, Teagen was able to attain a level of excellence in Tennis based on her sheer athletic ability. She had a great season.

Number 2 seed was freshman Sarah Hill. (I'm not even going to mention whose sister she is). Sarah's poise and shot making prowess served her well as he also had a very successful season losing only to the best seniors in the conference. Sophomore Caroline Tufts and Emily Cromwell split time as the #3 seed. Both girls played through some injuries, but both competed well throughout the year.

In Doubles play, Junior Linda Fogg and Freshman Anna Rohman established a synergy that netted a successful season and bodes well for next year. Seniors Emily Zurcher, Samantha Plunkett teamed up with younger players in the #2 Doubles slot with Jenna Herrick, Callie Tufts, and freshmen Amanda Levesque, Hannah Hauser, and Megan Schofield playing well. Senior co-captain Amanda Hart-Hempstead (a former neighbor and personal favorite of mine) and senior Parry Ying provided the leadership for this relatively young team. Katrina Cornish, Maggie Thomas, and Jesse India rounded out this successful team.

Amanda Hart-Hempstead and Piaoyu (Parry) Ying won All-Academic honors while Linda Fogg was presented with the Coach’s Award and Tegan Talbot was recognized recognized with the Senior Award.

RECAP OF BOYS LACROSSE SEASON

Boys Enjoy Winning Season

The Boys recorded an 8-5 record this season, which is a marked improvement over last season's 5-10 record. In fact, the Boys only lost to two teams this season: Messlonskee (3 times) and Brunswick (twice). The Boys had a strong senior contingent that anchored a rock solid defense. Goalie Dan Toth played his way onto the team as goalie and had several games that were memorable for his stonewalling saves. Toth also earned All Academic honors. Charlie Richards was assigned the opponents leading scorer throughout the season and his defensive efforts were recognized with a first team selection to the All KVAC team. Trigger Lalonde, playing long stick middie position, also earned All KVAC first team honors as well as All Academic accolades. Steve Tringali, an All Academic selection, Kane Kuchinski, and Noah Hill all contributed solid play in the defensive end of the field for the Eagles. Seniors Nick Dempsey (19 goals and 5 assists), Ian Messier (5-3-8 and an All Academic selection), Ethan Menard (2-1-3), Scott Dumas (1-0-1), Charlie Rothbacker, and Phil Francine all toiled tirelessly at midfield doing the little things that win games. Dempsey closed out his notable athletic career at MTA with a second team placement on the All KVAC team. Rolando and Johnny Carpenter played lots of quality minutes and will anchor the defense next year.

Offensively, the Eagles attack relied heavily on their underclassmen, which bodes well for next year. Dylan Bousquet-Smith was the leading offensive force for the Eagles. He made first team All KVAC and ended the season with 36 goals and 13 assists. Will Bouchard showed poise and skill while accumualating 17 goals and 13 assists as he improved continuously over the course of the season. Sophomore Nick Parsons (9-14-23) and freshman Josh Richards (6-17-23) also made major contributions to the Eagles offense. Mike Rinaldi (8-1-9) and Nick Frizzle (5-1-6) added scoring depth. Look to them for increased production next year.

At the Awards banquet, Trigger Lalonde took home the Senior Award and Nick Dempsey received the Coach’s Award.

Click here to view final season stats or here to view highlites from the season.

RECAP OF SOFTBALL SEASON

Girls On Right Path

The Girls softball program continued its upward spiral as they improved from a 5-11 record last year to a 7-9 record this year and a playoff berth. And the Eagles won their first playoff game in more than 20 years with a big 9-3 victory over Leavitt in the quarter finals. The Eagles season ended when they lost to eventual Eastern Class A runner-up Cony in the semis.

The Eagles had a strong senior contingent that contributed both with their performances and their leadership. Brooke Graffam's play was deserving of selection to the All-KVAC second team and as winner of Mt Ararat's Outstanding Senior Award (in softball). Lisa Rogers provided stability at second base, gritty at-bats, and speed on the base paths. She attained All Academic honors as well as receiving the MIAAA Scholar Athlete Award. Fleet-footed Laurent Vachon patrolled centerfield with grace and as if she had a magnet that attracted balls to her glove. She also received All Academic accolades. Kaylee Kowalcyzk was always smiling and delivered some big hits, including perhaps the biggest hit of the season, a base-clearing rope to right in the Eagles' playoff game against Leavitt. And Sara Taylor, who was injured most of the year, provided needed fan support.

Two younger players were true standouts on this up-and-coming team. Sophomore Miranda Riendeau looks like a ball player, acts like a ball player, and is a ball player. She led the league in slugging, played a great defensive shortstop, and has a rocket for an arm. She had to have led the league in intentional walks as teams quickly adopted the stratey of pitching around Miranda. She was named to the first All KVAC team. The other star, perhaps overlooked by some, was pitcher Meghan Carr. She kept the Eagles in every game she pitched. She threw strikes and let her defense, which continuously improved during the course of the season, do their jobs. Tess Hitchcock is a pitcher's best friend at first base. She can pick em and she uses her stretch to take half a step away from the opposing base runners. Liz Andreasen is the antithesis of the prototypical catcher in appearance, but not in results. She is quiet leader who is very comfortable donning the 'tools of ignorance'. Shauna Williams was outstanding defensively throughout the season.

Congratulations to Coach Bartlett who from the start emphasized fundamentals and defense. His philosophy paid off.

RECAP OF THE OUTDOOR TRACK SEASON

Girls, Boys Enjoy Successful Season

There were plenty of reasons to celebrate the Girls and Boys track season on both a team level and an individual performance level. One way to measure accomplishment is to record wins and losses. A better way is to look at the improvement over the course of the year. The Lady Eagles fared well by either measurement.

The Girls team was talented and deep. They had a nice blend of seniors, a strong junior class, and the dynamic duo of sophomores Colby Gail and Randi London, as well as several other emergant athletes. The Girls finished fourth in the State Championship and the individauls who traveled to the Loucks games and the New England Championship performed well.

First, let's give a nod to the seniors. These six girls are all first-class citizens. Logan Prescott capped off her sensational high school career with season best performances in both the Long Jump and Triple Jump at the State meet. Logan is one of the best all around athletes to perform at Mt Ararat in recent years. She's fast, strong, and coordinated. She also is the consumate team player. Christina Erving is another very talented and versatile runner. She has run every event from the sprints to long distances and done it well. She also was a very sucessful high jumper before she decided to concentrate on the running events. She also reached her goal of running a 2:18 800 Meters at the New Englands. That's smoking. Anyone who saw Christina run through the pain in the Relays at the State meet understands the character and type of person that Christina is. Krislyn Hyatt joined the track team late (as a junior), but quickly established herself as another versatile, quality runner. In her senior year, she concentrated on the distances and submitted strong results throughout the season. Morgan Wing very quietly turned in a superb season in the Jumps. And although Kelsey Frank and Deborah Gary can't match the athletic achievements of the above-mentioned teammates, they take a back seat to no one in the personality and attitude competition.

OK, enough with the sentimental stuff. Let's recognize some accomplishments. Colby Gail tied a school record in the High Jump while winning the State Championship. She is now the reigning indoor and outdoor State Champion in the High Jump. She was named to the All-State team. That selection was a no brainer. Rebecca Merritt established a new school record in the 300 Meter Hurdles besting a record held by Jess Wilcox set five years ago. She also starred in the sprints, the 400, and the relays. Randi London continued to develop into one of the finest throwers in the state. She was undefeated in the Shot Put until the state meet where she finished third. She threw in a fifth place finish in the Discus as well. Meanwhile, Ellen Pinette continued her emergence as a top flight sprinter in the 200 and 400. Katrina Gelwick, Molly Meehan, and Erin Fitzsimmons are all talented runners who had strong seasons. And Ariel McNett continued her recovery from a serious leg injury and showed she is ready to regain the form she had as a freshman. Brie Martin excelled in the Jumps. Sophomores Kate Spies and Chloe Emerson established themselves as competitive runners with promising futures in the distance events as did Jess Leeman, Mikaela Melcher, and Shelby Vance in the Sprints and Jumps.

Ryan Holmes's crew of pole vaulters consisting of Valerie Johnstone, Jamie Merriam, Lindsey Smith, and Shannon Richards continued to improve their technique. Look for continued improvements over the coming years. Freshman Morgan Martin delivered on her athletic potential with continued improvement throughout the year in the 400 and the Jumps.

In summary, the entire Girls team supported each other and worked together and that is a major reason for their success.

On paper, the Girls performance far surpassed the Boys accomplishments. After all, the Boys finished last in the State meet. But if you look just a little deeper you see that the Boys are young, talented, and had many performances that were just outside podium finishes.

First, a nod to the seniors. Luc Pham is one of those people that you just have to like. Friendly, outgoing, and full of encouragement, he is a great teammate. And he is a pretty good hurdler, jumper, and pole vaulter. Luc overcame a serious pole vaulting injury early this year to complete a very successful season. Joe Miller joins Luc as one of Mt Ararat's finest ambassadors. And he was a solid performer in the distances. And the throwing contingent of Sam Ludwig, Jack Chutchian, and Will Greenwood all lent their expertise to their younger teammates. Sean Perkins, who was injured most of the season, showed his love of the sport by returning for the final meetsand performing well.

The returning Pole Vaulting crew of Tyler Lessard, Alex Robinson, Brent Kramer and Brian Nolan look to reap the benefits of three years of training under Coach Holmes. Add Joey Fournier to the mix and you have a some serious potential in the Pole Vault next year. Kramer, Robinson, and Fournier all had solid hurdling seasons. Dan Van Note adds leadership capabilities and middle distance expertise. And Jamie Clark really emerged as a serious thrower this year with KVAC podium finishes in the Shot Put and Discus. And he seems to really enjoy the race walk. Matt Pelletier emerged as a premier sprinter and Long Jumper this season. Look for continued improvement next season. Will Gerencer, Keith Getch, and Josh Hurt, B-ballers all, had good seasons in the mid distance and jumping events.

The younger classes give particular promise to upcoming seasons. Sophomores Collin Swan and Nick Demosthenes are talented and versatile runners who improved tremendously over the course of the season. Jamie Rosenberg had an excellent season tossing the Javelin and Jared Cielinski posted promising results in the throws. Freshman Mckenzie Gary had a truly outstanding season in the sprints and the jumps. He should be fun to watch develop in the coming years. Other promising freshman include Alden Talbot in the Jumps and Jake Letourneau, Andy Reifman-Packett and the Bryant twins in the distance events.

Congratulations to Coaches Fournier, Ludwig, Palmer, Homes, Petkus, and Higbee for a great season. View a complete summary of this season's results by individual athlete (Boys or Girls) or by individual event (Boys or Girls).

Christina Erving, Colby Gail, Katrina Gelwick, Randi London, Mikaela Melcher and Rebecca Merritt were chosen to the all KVAC squad. All-Academic honors went to Luc Pham, Sean Perkins, Christina Erving, Deborah Gary, and Krislyn Hyatt.

GIRLS PLAYOFF LACROSSE

Brunswick Leaves Little Doubt, Beats Eagles 20-8

Whatever dreams the Girls might have had of upsetting Brunswick were quickly dashed as the Dragons scored on their first five shots. The undefeated Dragons roared to a 10-2 half time lead. The Eagles staged a mini comeback in the second half with three straight goals and a couple of more goals interspersed with Brunswick tallies narrowed the lead to 12-7. But in the end, Brunswick re-established its dominance as it finished the game with an 8-1 run. The Eagles' Meghan Dano finished her illustrious career with three goals and 46 for the season. Returning sister Whitney had a goal and two assists. Other Eagles goal scorers included Rowley Jones, Hayley LaPointe, Kristina Johnson, and Haley Michaud. Michaud also had an assist as did Gabby Bryant. It was a bittersweet end to a very successful season for the Eagles.

Click here to view final season stats.

PLAYOFF LACROSSE

Girls Win 11-10

The Mt Ararat Eagles, who twice lost to the Messalonskee Eagles during the regular season, scored a mild upset with an 11-10 victory in the first round of the playoffs. Meghan Dano scored four goals and added two assists to lead the Eagles. Mt Ararat scored two goals late in the first half that led to 4-4 tie at the break.

The Eagles came out inspired in the second half as they rattled off 5 straight goals. Messalonskee came back strong to make the game interesting, but the Eagles held on for the 11-10 victory. Mt Ararat will face Brunswick for the Championship

Bangor Ends Eagles Streak, Season

After recovering from a disasterous 2-6 start, the Eagles had reeled off 8 straight wins, many of them against the iron of the conference. So it was with confidence that they traveled to Bangor (13-3) for the opening playoff contest. The Eagles had met Bangor once during the regular season dropping a 3-2 decision at Bangor. It promised to be a ballgame and it was.

The Eagles opened the game with their hot bats smoking. Tim Bickford and Scott Rogers singled before Anthony Farrell cleared the bases with a two run triple giving the Eagles a 2-0 lead. Farrell was on the mound for the Eagles and he breezed through the first three innings. But Farrell, still recovering from a bout with the flu, started to tire. Bangor scratched back for single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Meanwhile, the Eagles were unable to deliver the big hit when they needed it. They left two on in the second, three in the third and two in the fourth.

Farrell left after five, and Bangor rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-2 lead. The Eagles couldn't counter in the seventh as Bangor won 4-2.

Eagles Head into Playoffs on a Roll - Beat Edward Little 12-8

Would you want to play Mt Ararat in the opening round of the playoffs. The Eagles have reeled off 8 straight wins. They have won the pitching duels and the slugfests. And they have done it against the iron of the league. Projected to be a top team in a very competitve league before the season began, the Eagles got off to a dismal 2-6 start. Ouch! But they never lost faith and have rallied for 8 straight victories. Yesterday'a 12-8 win over Edward Little (now sporting a 12-4) featured hot Eagle bats that scored first, ran up a comfortable margin during the middle innings, got 4 solid innings from John Frey before he tired, and held on with some solid relief pitching by Torrey Charnock and stellar defense by Anthony Farrell.

Tim Bickford tripled in the first and scored on a wild pitch to give the Eagles an early 1-0 lead. EL's Cody Goddard lofted a high fly ball that landed just over the left field fence for a three run homer and gave the Eddies a 3-1 lead. John Frey settled in and pitched scoreless ball until the fifth. Meanwhile, the Eagles bats produced another big inning highlighted by a Brian Sherwood double into the gap and a Scott Rogers two-run shot to center to give the Eagles a 7-3 lead. The Eagles added 3 more runs keyed by Cam Morrell and Matt Bickford singles. Frey started to tire in the fifth and the Eddies erupted for 5 runs to narrow the gap to 10-8. Shortstop Anthony Farrell made a diving stop in the hole and came up firing a bullet to Matt Bickford at first to limit the damage.

The Eagles added a couple of insurance runs on a Farrell RBI single and a wild pitch in the top of the sixth. Torrey Charnock submitted a Papelbon-like finish in relief with 2.1 scoreless innings.

Last updated: 7/3/2009

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