Ashland, Easton, & Presque Isle Embody Aroostook County; Be Proud

Be proud of these kids, Aroostook County 

The Maine Principals Association not only handed out gold balls this past weekend to high school basketball teams, but also sportsmanship awards to a team from each gender and class for the past season.

Presentations of the awards were conducted during halftime of State Championship games throughout the weekend. Three teams and schools from Aroostook County were recognized on Friday night as the recipients of the 2022 MPA Sportsmanship Award for their respective classes. A committee of coaches and administrators, along with each team nominating an opponent, go into the final decision to determine the winner. 

Class D Girls  

The Easton Bears girls’ team have been named the 2022 sportsmanship award winners for Class D North. This is a team whose difficulties this past season were well documented and the group became the topic of discussion across the country after a hot mic situation from two local broadcasters. These girls were able to rise above the situation and have handled the spotlight with a great deal of class and dignity. I think we all feel this award is more than deserved, and you all represented the town of Easton well! After all of the controversy, the Bears were able to grab a buzzer-beating overtime at the Barn in Easton as highlight in their tough season.

 Class D Boys 

The Ashland Hornets boys’ team is the MPA Sportsmanship winner for Class D North. This team has a difficult schedule and has been dealing with a low number of boys currently enrolled in the school. There was doubt weeks before the season was to begin, if Ashland was going to be able to get the turnout to field a team. Despite all of that, they approached each game with a positive attitude, and it resulted in a couple of wins on the season.  

Class B Boys 

The Presque Isle Wildcats boys’ team is the 2022 MPA Sportsmanship award recipient for Class B. There is no team that is going to work harder than this current group of Wildcats. Through an up-and-down regular season, they kept their heads high and played together as a team. The heal-points were unkind to the Cats’ as they finished #8 and faced the eventual Class B North champions Ellsworth, in the quarterfinal round. In their loss to the Eagles, Presque Isle fought them to the final seconds diving for any loose ball they could find and lifting up one another from the floor.  

You are all a great reflection of Aroostook County 

The three teams that won this award all reflect the Aroostook County way of life in their own way. The Easton girls showed perseverance that no matter what comes your way, you can rise above the noise. By showing up each day, the Ashland boys represented the County's determination to get the job done, even on days we don't have our “A "game. Presque Isle displayed the grit and hard work that we pride ourselves on in Aroostook County. The seasons for these 3 teams might not have gone as well as they wanted them to, but we are all proud of how well you represented Aroostook County.