ROCKPORT (May 29, 07): Noah Burke is like a powerful cat in the batter's box, waiting to pounce on a pitch and send it soaring out of the park. He has done that since he was in Little League and that style has served him well � and generated a bundle of home runs � during his illustrious baseball career.

However, no one could have imagined what the Appleton youngster would do Sunday during the sixth annual Mikail R. Russo, More Opportunities for NEighborhood Youth, MONEY Athletic Foundation Home Run Derby at the Rockport Recreation Park on Route 90.

The Camden Hills Regional High School senior was literally and figuratively in the hitting zone Sunday and might still be batting in the first round of the event had he not decided to stop swinging to rest for the final round.

Burke, a powerful right-handed batter, won the high school division and Lucas Morrill, a Rockland District Middle School student, the middle school division of the popular fundraising event. Morrill bats left handed.

Players earned three points for hitting the ball over the regulation fence at the Babe Ruth field, two points for hitting it over a closer fence and one for clearing the closest fence.

Burke obliterated the event's first-round record with a whopping 178 points. In fact, he had six outs remaining when he decided to stop. In the first round, Burke belted 21 balls over the regulation fence at the field for 63 points. He also ripped another 51 balls over the second fence for 102 points.

The previous first-round record was held by Zach Durkee of Medomak Valley with 58 points. Ironically, Durkee smashed his own record with 88 first-round points before Burke came to bat and left Durkee's old and new marks in his wake.

In the finals, Burke won the high school division with 21 points and Morrill won with 10 points. Gabe Blodgett pitched both rounds to Burke.

Other hurlers for the event included Paul Russo, Casey Morrill, Burke and Derek Bernosky, who pitched to many of the Belfast hitters.

Camden Hills won the team home run contest. Heather Eaton of Lincolnville was the first girl to participate in the school portion of the derby.

Durkee was the top high school ticket seller (74 at $5 apiece) and received four tickets to a July 5 Red Sox game versus the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The overall top ticket seller was Logan Leach of Lincolnville with 146 tickets sold. He received four luxury box seats to a Red Sox game.

Lincolnville sold the most tickets as a team and won a trip to see the Portland Sea Dogs.

Each high school and middle school athlete had to sell at least 10 raffle tickets to be eligible to compete in the derby. Adults participated in the event by donating $20 to the foundation.

Proceeds benefit young local athletes. In six years, the MONEY Athletic Foundation has awarded $56,500 in grants, and, to date, has helped more than 220 children go to summer camp, participate on travel teams, attend Outward Bound and purchase equipment.

This year's home run derby raised $7,860, about $1,000 of it from t-shirt sponsors and $677 from food.

The event is held in memory of Mikail R. Russo, a former student-athlete in the Camden-Rockport area.

The individual home run derby results, with a batter's point total not home runs listed, were:

High school � In the final round, Burke, 21 points; Durkee, 19; Rick Bernosky, 17; Miles Davee and Christian Pieri, Camden Hills, both 11; Brian Cross, Belfast, 10; Jared Simmons, Medomak Valley, nine; A.J. Hunt, Camden Hills, seven; Zac Dufour, Camden Hills, six; Jake Arthers, Belfast, and Zach Pease, Medomak Valley, both five; and Dom Morrill, Rockland, four.

First round � Burke, 178 points; Durkee, 88; R. Bernosky, 52; Davee, 37; Morrill, 29; Cross, 27; Arthers, 22; Hunt, 20; Pease, 16; Pieri, Dufour and Simmons, all 14; Gordon Fischer, Camden Hills, 13; Blodgett, Camden Hills, 11; Keifer Lammi, Camden Hills, and Tyler Patterson, Rockland, both 10; Billy Ray Denman, Camden Hills, nine; D. Bernosky, Belfast, Josh Elwell, Rockland and Mykel Callaway, Camden Hills, all eight; Mike Crockett, Camden Hills, seven; Taylor Gartley, Camden Hills, and Dylan Meklin, Rockland, both six; Nick Lemieux, Georges Valley, five; Andrew Baxter, Camden Hills, four; Marcus Benner, Medomak Valley, three; Larson Platt, Georges Valley, two; Thomas Kennedy, Camden Hills, and Mike Steinort, Belfast, both one; and Matthew Shields, none.

Middle school � In the final round, Morrill, Rockland, 10 points; Adam Landwehr, Camden-Rockport, six; Chris Bryant, Lincolnville, three; Ian Cushing, Camden-Rockport, two; Max Niles, Hope-Appleton, one; and Sam Vail, Lincolnville, and Justin Dodge, Lincolnville, none.

In the first round, Morrill, 16 points; Vail, six; Landwehr, five; Cushing and Joey Bartlett, Lincolnville, both three; Dodge, Bryant and Niles, all one; and Jake Davee, Hope-Appleton, Chris Joselyn, Hope-Appleton, Riley Peterson, Lincolnville, Logan Leach, Lincolnville, Eaton and Sam Berry, Hope-Appleton, none.

Adults � John Bonney, 12; Rory O'Donnell, 11; Brian Fitzpatrick, 8; Matt Lash and Paul Russo, both eight; Keagan Russo and Ben Vail, both seven; Caleb Peats and Mike Curtis, both six; Matt Rector and Tim Crockett, both five; Tom Massey, four; Seth Cohn, three; Nic Cohn, Walt Crockett and Steve Hiller, all two; Ed Crockett, Seth Crockett and Dustin O'Brien, all one; and Laura Gross, Ted Crockett, Mattie Crockett, Ian Gemmell and Melissa Ostuni, none.

For more information, write to MONEY Athletic Foundation, 50 Bull Hill Road, Hope, ME 04847; call 763-2733 or visit moneyathleticfoundation.org.
 

VillageSoup/Knox County Times News/Sports Director Ken Waltz can be reached at 207-594-5351 or by e-mail at [email protected].