PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Six youth emerged out of a field of 46 competitors to advance in the Elks Hoop Shoot foul shooting competition held December 14 at Presque Isle Middle School. The event was sponsored by Presque Isle Elks Lodge #1954.
Isabella Edgecomb of Limestone made 15 out of 25 free throws to take the top spot in the 8-9 year-old girls category. Placing second was Adaline Cheney of Mapleton.
Nick Hopkins of Easton topped eight other competitors by sinking 21 shots and taking the 8-9 boys division. The runner-up was Jayce Clockedile of Mars Hill.
For 10-11 girls, Evangeline Chalou of Easton claimed the win by netting 16 of her attempts. Alivia Deprey of Caribou took second place.
Aaron Cloukey of Presque Isle Middle School was victorious in the very competitive 10-11 boys division. Cloukey’s 22 successful attempts put him ahead of runner-up Collin Robertson, also of Presque Isle and representing Zippel Elementary.
Taking top honors in the 12-13 girls category was Annalise Griffeth of Caribou Middle School with a total of 16 makes. Claiming second was Sophie Blackstone, representing Easton.
Jackson Brooks-Buck of Presque Isle Middle School won in the 12-13 boys division by totaling 21. The runner-up was Colby Browning of Easton.
All six first-place winners earned the right to advance to the next round, which is the district competition. That event will take place Sunday, January 5 at the James F. Doughty School in Bangor.
Capturing the William Sewall Outstanding Shooter awards, which go to the boy and girl with the highest totals among all the age divisions, were Cloukey for the boys and Chalou for the girls, She outlasted Griffeth in a shootout that went two rounds before being decided.
The awards are presented in honor of Sewall, who directed the Presque Isle lodge Hoop Shoot program for nearly 40 years. He passed away in 2023.
A total of 829 youth participated in preliminary contests held at Ashland, Caribou, Easton, Limestone, Mapleton, Mars Hill, Presque Isle (PIMS and Zippel), Washburn and Woodland. The winners of those preliminaries qualified for the lodge competition.
