By Kalle Oakes,Staff Writer

Football probably isn’t the sport that comes to mind when you think about homegrown talent excelling at the University of Maine.

In the case of Shawn Demaray, however, the 6-foot-2, 270-pound offensive lineman has made a name for himself on and off the gridiron at the NCAA Division I-AA level.

Only a sophomore, Demaray earned himself a spot in Maine’s starting lineup during summer workouts. The new obligations didn’t slow Demaray’s academic progress, however. He was recently named to the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Academic Team.

It isn’t the first classroom honor for Demaray, a kinesiology and physical education major. He was recognized as a Maine Scholar Athlete as a redshirt freshman in 2004.

Starters and key reserves with a grade point average of 3.00 or greater are considered for all-academic laurels.

Demaray was the youngest of five Black Bears among the 79 players selected to the team. He was joined by senior wide receiver John Bartemus, junior defensive back Alex Goyins, junior punter Rocco Navarro of Portland and senior defensive back Joe Vanidestine of Bangor.

On the field, Demaray was one of three local players who made a significant contribution to Maine’s 5-6 season. Jacob Folz, a sophomore from West Paris (Oxford Hills), shared time with Demaray on the offensive line. And unlike most freshmen, Jon Pirruccello of Turner (Leavitt) didn’t sit out his first year. He logged his first collegiate tackle in four games as a defensive end.

Leopards pick their spots

Seven freshmen played an integral role in steering the Wentworth Institute of Technology men’s basketball team to a 6-3 mark during the first semester. Two of those first-year Leopards have local ties.

Brad Bryant, who played football with Demaray at Livermore Falls, appeared in eight of Wentworth’s first nine games. Bryant averaged two points per game while dishing out 11 assists and sinking four 3-pointers. Twice, the 5-11 guard notched five points and three assists in a single game for the Boston school.

Also providing a spark in the backcourt was Matt McDonnell of West Paris. The Oxford Hills product scored nine points against Lyndon State in the season-opener. McDonnell averaged 19 minutes per game in three appearances, producing 6.3 points per night and burying four shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

Out of the blocks

The University of Maine women’s indoor track and field team celebrated the start of its season with a 102-74 home victory over New Hampshire earlier this month.

Lauren LaRoche of Auburn (Edward Little) picked up pivotal points for the Black Bears. She finished second with a time of 3 minutes, 12.81 seconds in the 1,000-meter run.

Another EL graduate, Ally Thomas, took fourth in the pole vault. Lisbon’s Stephanie McCusker and Nerissa Gross ran to fourth in the 60-meter dash and ninth in the 3,000, respectively.

Heather Groder of Wilton (Mt. Blue) also is on the Maine roster as a sophomore middle distance runner and hurdler.

Both the men’s and women’s track rosters at the University of Southern Maine are well stocked with local talent. Forrest Tobie of Mt. Vernon (Maranacook) picked up a win in the 800 at the USM Preseason Invitational. Tobie also competed with Greene’s Steve McCarthy (Leavitt) on the victorious 4×800 relay squad.

James Spaulding of Lewiston ran a leg with the second-place 4×400 relay team.

Among the USM women hoping to make a splash this season are senior Emily Geismar of Minot (Hebron Academy), junior Ashley Jensen of Kingfield (Mt. Blue), Turner sophomore Desiree Dufault (Leavitt) and freshmen Stephanie Jette of Lovell (Fryeburg) and Emily Poliquin of Lisbon.