The Piscataquis Community High School wrestling team put up a fantastic showing in Calais on Jan. 5. Top Pirate individual performances include Nate Bock, Fischer Cobb, and Ethan Chadwick, each in fourth place in their respective weight classes; Henry Rowell in third; and Ethan Moulton, Jacob Nadeau, and Zac Wilson all taking home first-place finishes. Pictured on the podium is Moulton and Rowell.

The Foxcroft Academy wrestling team had a busy Christmas break. The Ponies traveled down south to North Berwick on Dec. 29 to compete at the Noble Invitational Tournament, a two-day tourney with 28 teams from Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont taking part. Foxcroft finished ninth as a team in this very tough tournament.

It had all the intensity of a Little Ten Conference matchup between the rival schools when Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln met Dexter Regional High School in a battle of unbeaten Class C North contenders at Guiski Gymnasium on Thursday night, Jan. 3 -- minus the football pads, of course.

The Piscataquis Community High School wrestling finished in second place at a Dec. 27 holiday tournament at Penobscot Valley High School.

Penquis Valley High School senior Cymeria Robshaw won the 55 and long and triple jumps during a Dec. 29 Penobscot Valley Conference/Eastern Maine Indoor Track League meet at the University of Maine. Robshaw accounted for 30 points on her own, which was good for sixth place among eight schools taking part.

Eleven high school offensive linemen and 10 defensive linemen from around the state have been nominated for the ninth annual Frank J. Gaziano Memorial Awards, it was announced Thursday. Eighteen different high schools are represented among the nominees with three schools -- Brewer, Foxcroft Academy of Dover-Foxcroft and Portland -- having two nominees apiece.

There’s new life in the Depot Building in Greenville Junction. Amanda Hunt has opened a place to get fit – Balance Gym & Wellness Center. “I wanted to have a real gym for some time now,” said Hunt.  “My goal with this was to have a complete gym set up with top quality equipment.” The spacious interior is ideal. “It doesn’t feel crowded here,” Hunt said gesturing. “Even if a lot of members are here at the same time there’s plenty of space.”

Broadcaster Steve Martin and longtime football coaches Tim Wilson and Tom Austin are among 12 impactful people who have been selected for induction in the 2019 class of the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.

Two local wrestlers achieved a significant accomplishment Dec. 19 at Piscataquis Community High School. Zachary Wilson of PCHS and Caleb Weeks of Dexter Regional High School both earned their 100th career wins at the dual meet.

The Penquis Valley High School girls overcame an eight-point deficit to start the fourth quarter, taking advantage of being in the bonus well before the opposition and then getting into the double bonus, with a 19-7 scoring advantage in the final eight minutes of play to defeat Stearns High School of Millinocket 40-36 in a Class C North contest on Dec. 19.

Ten-year-old Slade Dauphinee of Rockwood is the winner in the youth big deer contest sponsored by KC’s Country Store of Parkman. Dauphinee hunted all season and brought in this 195-pound, 6-point monster with just a few days remaining in muzzleloader season.

Last week’s announcement of the first Maine Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at the Class B, C and D North tournament site, the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, is interesting, timely, beneficial, and exciting

The Foxcroft Academy wrestling team hosted its home opener Thursday, Dec. 13. Three teams from the Penobscot Valley Conference competed with the Ponies, Bucksport, Ellsworth, and Calais. This turned out to be a special night as Foxcroft senior Dustin Simmons reached a great personal milestone with his 100th career victory.

When Jamie Russell informed his players on the Central of Corinth girls’ basketball team that they would be playing a game at the Cross Insurance Center during the upcoming holiday break, the Red Devils reacted like they had just opened an extra Christmas present.

The Foxcroft Academy girls battled back to get within one at 29-28 late in the third quarter during the Ponies’ 2018-19 home opener in a Class B North matchup against Mount Desert Island High School on Wednesday, Dec. 12. The Trojans would then pull ahead and hold on for a 52-36 victory.

On Saturday, Dec. 9 the Foxcroft Academy wrestling team traveled to Bucksport High School for the annual Ryan Detour Tournament. This event was the regular season opener for all 12 Penobscot Valley Conference teams attending.

Piscataquis Community High School is the home of the Pirates, but over the decades the swashbuckler logo for the institution has varied. SAD 4 district officials have been seeking public input on the pirate design and lettering -- including posting four options on the PCHS Pirates Sports Central Facebook page -- for a new LED digital sign to be erected in the near future.

In Class C, with the graduation of Miss Maine Basketball Kolleen Bouchard and her 2,046 career points, four-time regional champ Houlton finds itself in a rebuilding cycle. That means Class C North runner-up Dexter, which took Houlton to overtime in the regional final with three freshman starters, is the team to beat.