Long road to Bangor: Excitement built at GHCA

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
EAGLE PRIDE — Brandon LaBlond, left, and Sam Hiscoe show their school spirit by painting themselves in the green colors of Greater Houlton Christian Academy prior to the start of Monday’s Eastern Class D quarterfinal game against Schenck. The Eagles fell 75-43. See story below and more from the tournament in Sports.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    After last Wednesday’s preliminary game in Hodgdon against Deer-Isle Stonington, the Greater Houlton Christian Academy Eagles went into the record books.
    “It’s a great accomplishment,” said GHCA Athletic Director Barrett Potter. “I’m very excited for all of the athletes, coaches and fans.”
    This year’s Eagles are the first boy’s team to reach the Eastern Maine Tournament in school history.
    “To play in the tournament for the first time is a sense of pride for all the hard work and effort the boys have put in,” said coach Sam Henderson. “These guys have had very little confidence and are starting to display something they can carry throughout the rest of their lives.”
    Monday’s game, according to Potter, is the culmination of “hard work by the boys, including the willingness to accept smaller individual roles for the overall benefit of the team,” he said. “It is also through the hard work, time and commitment of players and the coaching staff, tremendous support from the community, teachers, parents, and administration, along with the work of past coaches/athletic directors and players, who helped bring the program to this level. But most of all, it is the continued blessings from God.”
    Last Wednesday, the Hodgdon gymnasium was packed to capacity, as the Eagles defeated the Mariners, 55-49.
    “I was absolutely blown away by the crowd in Hodgdon,” said Potter. “To have such a large turnout was amazing and even more amazing to me was the diversity of the group, from GHCA friends and families to the Washburn boys team and coaches, to community members from all areas of southern Aroostook who just came out to see a great basketball game between two talented teams.”
    As the Eagles run onto the auditorium floor for the first time, more than a game is represented. It is the first step to hopefully many return trips.
    “This is very important for the future of GHCA,” said Henderson. “The younger kids will see the effort it takes to get to Bangor. The kids get to see the excitement created and hopefully will carry for many years to come.”
    Potter echoed Henderson’s sentiments.
    “I’m hoping that this will show the younger members of our team and students at our school that hard work does pay off in both athletics, academics, and life,” he said. “As a small Class D school, we will need to work hard to ensure similar success in the future.”
    Henderson added that the support his team gets has helped build a successful program.
    “Parents and support of the school play a large role,” he added. “We have their support all year round. The commitment of the players is another huge factor for the success. They put in long hours of practice and I think finally believe they are winners. We are also thankful to have an AD and headmaster committed and caring for the players.”