For the past few years, the Houlton High School girls soccer team has been knocking on the door of a regional championship, but had been unable to make that next step. Finishing as regional runners-up three of the past four seasons, many of Houlton’s seniors were wondering if their time would ever come. On Nov. 1 it did as top-ranked Houlton defeated No. 2 Dexter Regional High School 4-2 for the Class C North crown. The Tigers end their season with a 12-5 record.

On Oct. 21 the Ridge View Community School boys soccer team defeated Sebasticook Middle School of Newport for the Penquis League Large School Championship. The Tigers of Dexter defeated Sebasticook 2-1.

When the high school girls soccer teams from Dexter and Central met in the regular season, each game featured a combined nine goals. The Class C North semifinal had only three goals but two of the youngest players on the roster accounted for Dexter’s pair of biggest plays in the Tigers’ 2-1 victory at the Jeffrey S. Parola Memorial Soccer Field on Oct. 27.

The first goal of the season for Houlton High School junior Nolan Porter turned out to be the most important of the season for the Shiretowners as he scored the game-winner in his team’s 3-2 Class C North quarterfinal victory over the Dexter Tigers at the Jeffrey S. Parola Memorial Soccer Field on Oct. 27.

A hat trick from senior Dillon Drew was not enough for the visiting Piscataquis Community High School Pirates to overcome the ball controlling offense the Fort Kent Warriors brought to the team’s opening contest of the Class C North boys soccer playoffs on Oct. 24. The Warriors won the game, 6-3, in dominating fashion.

The Winthrop Ramblers had two potential game-winning goals waved off in the second half of the Oct. 24 Class C North field hockey final against Dexter Regional High School. But the Ramblers shook it off and annexed their first regional championship since 2012, nipping Dexter 2-1 on junior midfielder Kate Perkins’ goal with 3:19 left in the first overtime.

A pair of goals in the opening half and a shutout effort by the defense helped the Piscataquis Community High School boys best Sumner Memorial High School of Sullivan 2-0 in a Class C North preliminary round soccer match between the eighth- and ninth-ranked teams in the region on the afternoon of Oct. 21.

The Foxcroft Academy boys cross country team finished in 13th place at the Class B North Championship on Oct. 20 at Troy Howard Middle School. The Ponies’ top five runners combined to score 339 points, besting the 371 accumulated by 14th place Oceanside High School of Rockland.

The Ponies (6-2) limited the Lynx to 97 yards of total offense en route to a 40-0 victory that should land coach Danny White’s club No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the upcoming Class D North/Little Ten Conference playoffs.

The Dexter Regional High School field hockey team had little difficulty opening the 2017 Class C North tournament as the second-seeded Tigers defeated No. 7 Orono High School 7-0 in a quarterfinal matchup on Oct. 18. Senior Hayley Rossman and freshman Cheyenne Beem both scored three goals to help their team earn the victory.

The Foxcroft Academy boys cross country team came in ninth place among a field of nine Class B schools with full squads at the 2017 Penobscot Valley Conference Championship on Oct. 14 at Orono High School. The Ponies scored 247 points at the meet.

Maine Central Institute used dominant play along the line of scrimmage and a three-pronged rushing attack to build an early lead and defeat Foxcroft Academy 34-20 in a crossover football matchup at Alumni Field on Friday night, Oct. 13.

When Penquis Valley High School and Penobscot Valley High School met nearly a month prior in Howland on Sept. 14 the two girls soccer squads combined for 10 goals as the host Howlers won 6-4. In the rematch on Oct. 12 at Harris Field the teams only had three goals between the two but Penobscot Valley scored early in both halves and then held on for a 2-1 victory.

Twenty-four runners took part in the 16th annual Camden National Bank Moose on the Run 5K on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 8, starting and ending at C.A. Dean Memorial Hospital. Nearly $2,0000 in net proceeds from the race will support the Greenville Rec Program.

With the Friday, Oct. 6 Class D North football game between Foxcroft Academy and Mount View High School of Thorndike serving as both the 2017 Homecoming contest and Senior Night for the Ponies, Foxcroft Academy personnel were already in a celebratory mood. The good times kept on rolling once the ball was kicked off as five touchdowns in the first half helped the Ponies earn a 49-3 win

As part of Homecoming festivities, the seventh class of the Foxcroft Academy Athletic Hall of Fame was formally inducted on Oct. 6. Over the last six years, 44 former Ponies have been enshrined and the Class of 2017 includes six new members

This probably will not surprise you, but having worked as a fish biologist for around 30 years I’ve heard a lot of fish stories. Sometimes I say, “Wow, that’s unbelievable!,” when my inner monologue is really saying, “Ok, now this is just not believable … but I’ll keep smiling.”

This year’s Moose on the Run events will be Sunday morning, Oct. 8 -- organized by the town of Greenville -- with the 1K at 9:30 a.m. and 5K walkers and runners departing at 10 and 10:30 a.m. respectively.