Sport: Football and Basketball

Grade: Junior

“If Jarvis is on your team you are not going to lose,” senior Jack Quinn said.

Jarvis Thomas can been seen walking the halls of Orono towering at 6’5 above the student population. Thomas’ iconic blond tips and athletic build have been know to joke with fellow students and grace both the football field and the basketball court.

In sixth grade Thomas began his football career as a lineman. This year Thomas proved vital to the Orono team’s postseason, beginning on the team for the last regular season game. Of the four games he played as a wide receiver, he scored four touchdowns, averaging of one per game. His impressive record of 18 catches and 463 yards in only four games speaks for itself as far as his skill.

When it came time for game day, like any serious athlete Thomas had his own gameday rituals, “For football I used to wear my bucket hat, my old shades and my red patagonia. I also have a lucky pair of underwear I wear for basketball,” Thomas said.

The gameday apparel seemed to pay off when the football team won the section final game leading them to their spot in the state tournament.

“The section championship game was definitely a highlight, that was awesome,” Thomas said about the football season. Looking to next year, Thomas hopes to lead the state in receiving yard and break a receiving yards record for Orono.

The winter season is now in full swing and the Orono boys basketball team is 10-1, currently on a nine game winning streak. Thomas began his basketball career in eighth grade as a center on the B-team after being cut in seventh grade when he first tried out. In high school, Thomas has soared past those first games on a middle school B team.

“He brings a really good attitude and presence, defensively he is very athletic, he is 6’5 and he blocks a lot of shots. Then offensively he is very fast and gets a lot of fast breaks. He gives up an inside presence that really toughness us up and gives opportunity because we have a lot of great shooters,” basketball Coach Barry Wohler said.

Coming to Orono at the end of his sophomore year after attending five different schools, Thomas didn’t miss a beat getting to know his teammates.

“It helped that he transferred last spring and got to know the guys, and he has played some basketball with some of the guys over the summer,” Wohler said.

Looking forward to the rest of the season the boys will play regular games until sections begin in March after their final regular season game.
Outside of Orono basketball Thomas plays for the club team, Howard Pulley’s Nike UIBL team, an elite basketball team that is sponsored by Nike. Already being scouted by many Division 1 basketball programs, when asked where he sees himself after college Thomas responded, “the NBA.”

Sport: Soccer and Hockey

Grade: 10

Being only a sophomore, Sarah Johnston has already had an immense amount of success in athletics at OHS. Playing two varsity sports since she was a freshman, Johnston has never shown anything less than excellence whether she is running on the soccer field or skating on the ice.

Johnston has been playing soccer since she was four years old and has enjoyed every minute of it. Impressively, she made the Orono Girls Varsity Soccer team freshman year as a forward. Johnston helped the team to a second place finish in state last year (2015), and an amazing 2016 season. Another one of her achievements is that her club team (Maplebrook) won the regionals tournament.

“Playing on multiple teams has taught me how important teamwork is and I’ve learned how to handle the successes and failure as a team,” Johnston said.

Not only did she make the varsity team in soccer as a freshman, but she made a quick turn around from the fall to the winter and made the varsity team in hockey as well. Playing hockey since she was nine years old, Johnston has always been a quick skater similar to her speed on the field. She is one of the top scorers on the team and has contributed to their 4-5 record so far this season.

“She is different than other players in that she is dedicated to playing hockey, but she is more dedicated to having fun while doing so. She always looks to make people smile and enjoy themselves while playing,” senior Madeline Carlson said.

Johnston is not always so serious about her sports and adds a lot of happiness and fun to the team even at the most stressful of times. It is important for a successful athlete to not only be good at the sport they play but have a good relationship with their teammates, and Johnston is excellent at both.

“My favorite part about being on a team with her is how funny she is. If she makes a mistake or takes a bad shot, she is able to laugh it off and make a joke about it which keeps the mood light and makes her fun to be around,” senior Emma Sternberg said.

Johnston is aspiring to play soccer in college, and plans on working very hard throughout her next two years at Orono to achieve that goal.

“She’s like a little energizer bunny and makes our team stronger! I especially love playing with her and she is one of my greatest teammates,” junior Grace Limesand said.