High school sports coverage is proudly supported by Maine State Credit Union.
The Portland Press Herald won three awards in the 2025 Associated Press Sports Editors contest.
The Press Herald, which competed in Division B — the second largest print circulation and website audience — earned top 10 honors in Print Portfolio (daily and Sunday sections) and the Digital categories.
Press Herald photographer Daryn Slover also earned a top 10 honor in sports action photo.
APSE, a prestigious national organization, announced the contest winners last week in Las Vegas.
The judges included a team of sports editors and journalists from across the country, who recognized work that was published in 2025. The Press Herald will be honored in July at the APSE summer conference in Arlington, Virginia.
“It’s an honor to see an array of our outstanding work recognized by our peers across the country,” Press Herald sports editor Bill Stewart said. “It takes a strong team throughout our newsroom — including writers, editors, producers, designers, photographers and graphic artists — to produce captivating content. I couldn’t be more proud of our entire team.”
In the Digital category, the Press Herald was recognized for a several Instagram posts, including one on Cooper Flagg. Videos of the Hearts of Pine and the annual high school football senior all-star game also were recognized.
Slover earned a top-10 honor in best sports action photo category for a shot he took during the Class B boys soccer state final between Yarmouth and Oceanside. Slover captured Oceanside goalie Grady Geretz leaping to try to stop a Yarmouth shot.
Slover said that he actually moved away from his favored spot during a close game to escape a “know-it-all parent standing along the fence behind me, yelling at who I think was his son,”
“I questioned where to shoot from next, but with Oceanside High School hanging on to a 1-0 lead late in the Class B state championship game, I knew the pressure that their goalie was facing,” Slover said. “Standing behind the goal is always a gamble and I always lose when I gamble.”
Not this time.