By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
Longtime area coaches Steve Gray of Greater Houlton Christian Academy and Vaughn Farrar of the Hodgdon Lady Hawks will not be returning for next year’s basketball season. Gray has coached the GHCA girls’ program for seven years. He assisted with the GHCA boys varsity basketball team, as well.
Taking over for Gray is Clyde Warman, who moves up after heading the junior high school program for the last three years.
“We will greatly miss Coach Gray in the years to come and thank him for his dedication to the program the last seven years,” said GHCA Athletic Director Barrett Potter. “He was an excellent basketball coach and more importantly is great man of character. All of us in the athletics program are thankful for his work and wish him the best in his future endeavors.
“We are also excited to have Coach Warman as our new varsity girls coach after a very successful time as our middle school girls coach,” he added. “We look forward to his work with our varsity student athletes in the years to come.”
Also getting done this year is Vaughn Farrar, who guided the Hodgdon Lady Hawks to the Class D semifinals this season.
“This was not an easy decision,” Farrar said. “I have truly enjoyed my time here at my alma mater. It was a great run. I live here, went to school here, played here and got to coach here. I was right at home here with a group of players that allowed me to be myself.”
Farrar said his players gave everything they had and allowed him to push them to be the best they could be.
“That is why this is very hard on me, but I know there is a time and place to come and then there is a time when you have to maybe take a break,” he said. “Am I torn? You bet, but I know that right now this is the right decision. I will miss Hodgdon.”
In his four seasons at Hodgdon, the Hawks made it to Bangor twice. The Hawks appeared in the Eastern Class D finals two years ago and bowed out in the semifinals this past season.
“The reason you coach is to try and make a kid better,” Farrar said. “That is what I will miss most.”
