Warriors back in the Class D playoff hunt

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    The Southern Aroostook Warriors are back in the hunt for a Class D title.
    The Warriors are third in the latest Heal Point Standings.
    Coach Murray Putnam wasn’t  sure how his squad would do in the early going, but they have put together a 13-1 record, with only one game left last Friday in Woodland.
    “What one has on paper one year does not guarantee in terms of personnel who is going to be back,” Putnam explained. “But, I certainly knew I had one youngster back who had some experience on the mound.”
    With pitching rules and weather, just having one player back with experience makes a rotation difficult. The Warriors played almost half of their counters from May 17 to May 24.
    “Everyone does what they have to do,” Putnam said. “But, that is pretty tough.”
    Junior Pat Goodall is the main starter with senior Chris Casey, junior Vance Gustin and senior Jake Lassonde doing quite well, Putnam added.
    “I even got several innings out of sophomores Dylan Porter and Jesse Boulier,” he said.
    Putnam is pleased with his pitching department and wants the defense to buckle down.
    “Overall, we have thrown strikes,” he said. “I would not say they are overpowering, but they put the ball around the strike zone. Another huge part is if you don’t get a called strike, you have the ball close enough that someone has to put it in play.”
    If the ball is in play, a coach hopes his defense works.
    “Sometimes, we struggle defensively,” Putnam admitted. “Teams that can put the ball in play, have put the ball in play, and sometimes we struggle. If we give a decent team four or five outs an inning, we are going to pay the penalty for that.”
    Besides pitching, another strength of the Warriors is their timely hitting keyed by senior Cody Robinson and Goodall.
    “Pat and Cody certainly have impacted the middle of the order,” Putnam said. “Jesse Boulier and Trent Cullinan are showing pretty good pitch selection. They are not swinging at a lot of bad pitches and they are becoming table setters.”
    Putnam also said of late, Porter, freshman Will McGary and junior Joe Frazier are becoming contributors from the plate, as well.
    “We’ve got some production out of them,” he said. “That is not to refute we haven’t had some others come through with timely hits.”
    The Warriors lineup includes: Frazier and McGary sharing first base duties; Cullinan, most of the time, but Boulier and freshman Ryland King are at second base; veterans Goodall, Lassonde and Boulier handle shortstop, while sophomore Mason Caron and Casey anchor third.
    Patrolling the fences for the Warriors are: Porter, senior Anthony Diaferio, Boulier, Gustin and sophomores Ryan Wescott and Dave Ireland, along with freshman Garrett Sommers.
    Doing the bulk of the catching is Robinson, who is also a four-year starter. Robinson has also gotten a chance to play first and third bases, while McGary, Frazier and Casey have taken their turns behind the plate.
    With the Warriors hovering around the top of the Class D Heal Points, Putnam is cautious of their standing.
    “Point standings can be very misleading,” he said. “You can’t always control the strength of who you have on your schedule.”
    An example is Bangor Christian and Deer Isle-Stonington, Putnam cited.
    “They hover around the middle of the pack, but may make their move late because they are playing a number of ‘C’ schools,” he said. “Wisdom, up in the Valley, is definitely a sleeper. They are solid. We got by them last year in the quarterfinals by a run. They are legitimate, as well as Bangor Christian, Deer Isle-Stonington, Central Aroostook and Katahdin. For anyone who gets the draw [of one of these teams], I’m gonna guess, they will have their hands full.
    “Going downeast, Machias, Shead or someone like that gets into postseason play, they are not there to take it easy,” Putnam added.
    With playoffs approaching, Putnam knows the road to a title bid can be bumpy, as he has been involved with 80 plus postseason contests.
    “We will have our hands full,” he said.
    Putnam cited the preliminary round will be June 7, but the quarterfinal games are June 9, which is the day of Class Night for Southern Aroostook Community School.
    “If we are to advance to the semis,” Putnam said, “That game will be the day after the chemical free all night graduation party. We have no idea who we will be facing yet. It depends on the seeding.”
    But the good news for the Warriors, is this is just a stepping stone.
    “We’ve been through it before,” Putnam said.
    The Warriors own 10 Eastern Maine crowns and five state championships.