Class of 2023 enshrined in PCHS Athletic Hall of Fame

GUILFORD — The sports history of Piscataquis Community High School continues to grow with the induction of a pair of athletes, a long-time coach, a state championship team, and a contributor into the fifth class of the PCHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2023 was formally enshrined during a late afternoon ceremony in the gymnasium on Sept. 30 as part of the school’s annual homecoming festivities.

The PCHS Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is composed of athletes Lori Priest Welch and Keith Dawson, coach Kevin Jordan, contributor Cindy Hoak, and the 1990 Class C champion baseball team. The team was made up of Jim French, Don Davis, Peter Drummond, Chad Graffam, Brook Carleton, Travis McKenny, James Oldfield, Shane Farrar, Nathan Foster, Brian Miles, Bill Rumery, Jason Miles, Ryan Kittridge, Argo Regan, and Brock Clukey, managers Melissa March and Shelly Higgins, and head coach Kevin Jordan.

Ryan White, a 1998 PCHS graduate who was inducted into the hall of fame in 2021, said Jordan spent close to two decades at PCHS after having played baseball at the University of Maine under legendary Black Bear coach Dr. John Winkin. White said Jordan coached 220 games on the diamond and only had one losing season with the Pirates.

Jordan — who is the long-time superintendent of the Dexter-based SAD 46/AOS 94 and has been working in education for 37 years — led teams to an average of 12 wins a season a season, under a 16-game regular season format. In 1990 the Pirates defeated Georges Valley High School of Thomaston 4-3 in the Class C championship.

The bulk of the 1990 PCHS team was present as the players’ coach stepped to the podium. “A coach is only as good as his players,” Jordan said in thanking those sitting before him – with the state championship banner on the wall to the left — and his other players for their dedication. 

“I insisted on mentally, we were going to do the right thing in every part of the game,” Jordan said. “Every minute of practice was meaningful and we were ready for every situation.”

He said the Pirates worked on several pickoff plays the pitchers could probably still run today just a bit slower, and his teams were ready to throw the baserunner out in a rundown. “We knew exactly what we were going to do in all situations,” Jordan said.

“I preached we win with class, we lose with class,” Jordan said about his coaching philosophy, mentioning players ran on and off the field and they helped maintain the diamond to have an ownership in where they played. 

Jordan said his strategies were utilized before and during the games. He said late in batting practice, after the visiting team arrived, some new baseballs would be slipped into the bucket to be thrown instead of the old, scuffed up balls. The Pirates star hitters would send some of these over the fence and just about into the Piscataquis River as the opposition watched from the dugout.

In the game Jordan’s teams would squeeze bunt, employ the hit and run and also steal. He said in one 16-game season the Pirates swiped 112 bags.

He said aside from the 1990 championship run, two other games stick in his mind. In a 1995 tournament game vs, Washington Academy of East Machias PCHS won 20-4 as the 1-5 hitters had 14 hits, including eight doubles, in 21 trips to the plate.

Another Pirate team scored 38 runs in the bottom of the first against Penquis Valley High School, with that day’s leadoff hitter – who was only a part-time starter — hitting a pair of grand slams in the inning.

Graffam praised Jordan’s attention to detail and emphasis on the mental side of baseball, saying for a lack of a better term his coach “made other teams look silly.”

Welch is a 1979 PCHS graduate and she was a three-sport star in field hockey, basketball, and softball. The audience learned Welch had the field hockey team built around her talents, she played point guard on the first Pirates girls team to reach the tournament at the Bangor Auditorium, and she is a former holder of the school home run record.

The new hall of famer told the audience during a field hockey practice early in her athletic career she made a promise to herself. “I would give it all to myself and my team.” 

Welch credited her field hockey and softball coach Donna Jordan – a part of the inaugural 2018 hall of fame class — as a driving force who led her to work hard and have a positive attitude on and off the field. Welch said the values Jordan instilled have guided her to be the person she is today.

Dawson starred in cross country, basketball, and outdoor track, while also at times doubling up in the fall by being part of the Dexter Regional High School football team. He reached the state championship in cross country and was part of the 2001 Eastern Maine Class C champion basketball team, a group inducted into the hall of fame last year.

Dawson would claim an outdoor 800 Class C title, running the half mile in 1 minute, 59.78 seconds.

He said his determination and grit began when he played rec sports in elementary school, and thanked his coaches and the community for all the help and guidance. Dawson said the hall of fame plaque is as much the community’s as it is his.

Hoak, a 1987 PCHS graduate, was honored for her contributions to the sports boosters, including spending a number of years as the organization’s president. Hoak’s contributions include running the concession stands, working to provide warm-up attire for Pirate teams, improving the playing fields, and annual basketball doubleheaders to “Fill the Gym for Childhood Cancer” to benefit the Aliza Jean Family Cancer Foundation. The memorial Harmony-based organization provides financial support for local families who have a child fighting cancer. The goal is to spread awareness about pediatric cancer and to advocate for advancements in research and treatment.

“As many of you know, I bleed blue and gold,” Hoak said, mentioning her children and daughter and mother are all proud PCHS graduates.

She said the community has always been great about supporting the students over the years. Hoak said helping the Aliza Jean Family Cancer Foundation is her pride and joy, and she wants the students to see how they can make a difference.

The names of the 2023 hall of fame inductees will be added to those of the four prior classes on a board in the lobby. A hall of fame committee meets annually to consider nominations, and nomination forms are available at https://www.sad4.org/page/athletics.