Esports have surged in popularity worldwide over the past five years or so, and this fall they have debuted as a varsity sport in Maine.
Drew Bonifant
Staff Writer
Drew Bonifant covers sports for the Press Herald, with beats in high school football, basketball and baseball. He was previously part of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel sports team. A New Hampshire native and 2010 graduate of Northeastern University, he came to Maine in September 2016 after four years at the Concord Monitor, where he covered NASCAR, University of New Hampshire hockey and high schools and won a NH Press Association award for his work. He also worked for two years as a college co-op at the Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Mass. An avid golfer, frequent skier and consumer of sports, movie and music trivia, he’s a fan of the New England Patriots, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Flyers and Miami Heat – and yes, he’s aware of how random those teams seem.
College hockey notes: UMaine looking to build on last year’s improvement
Black Bears bring back experienced defense while replacing Jeremy Swayman; team faces lack of home crowd advantage.
Mourning hockey community remembers Travis Roy and his life of tragedy, then triumph
After career-ending injury, Roy left an indelible impact as a fundraiser and motivational presence.
Girls soccer: Winthrop/Monmouth adjusting well to life as a co-op team
Normally rivals, the neighboring schools combined this fall to form what’s been a strong team.
Cross country: Monmouth girls win MVC championship, qualify for Class C states
Newcomer Allen leads the way for the Mustangs; Maranacook, Boothbay also make the cut for November meet.
Cross country: Runners, coaches embrace opportunity to compete at state championships
Maine Principals’ Association will offer state meets, adding ‘closure’ and motivation for end of unusual season.
Golf: Freeport rolls in Class B championship for program’s first title.
Orono prevails in Class C; Kempf and Haylock, Fahey and Flanagan individual champions.
Golf: Individual champ Kempf leads Freeport to first Class B title
Matt Kempf and Leavitt’s Ruby Haylock earn individual titles in Class B, Waynflete’s George Fahey and Monmouth’s Abby Flanagan win in Class C, and Orono captures the Class C team championship.
Football: Players try to bolster recruiting profile at high school combine
Over 20 players attend a session in Augusta, running drills with hopes of impressing college coaches.
Boys soccer: Richmond topples Temple in matchup of top D South programs
There’s no tournament this year, but competitive nature between teams still shows in Bobcats’ victory.