The Students who represented Lincoln Academy at the 2025 Four-Square World Championships were: Sam Scott, Braden Bessey, Felix Cunningham, Joseph Levesque and Hamilton Pierpan.

By Kristie Houghton

Four square is a thing at Lincoln Academy.  During lunch, you can always see and hear a long boisterous line outside the DC, with either the purple library ball or the green CAC ball in motion.  There’s a lot to admire about this game involving strategy, quick reflexes and showdowns. Lo and behold there is also a championship.

This past Saturday, a team of 5 Lincoln Academy students-Sam Scott, Braden Bessey, Felix Cunningham, Joseph Levesque and Hamilton Pierpan-braved the rain and traveled almost two hours to Bridgton, Maine for the Four Square World Championships. How did Bridgton, Maine get to host the World Championships? They simply decided it was so, and have been hosting Championships for the past 20 years. Lincoln Academy came to participate because there was no reason not to do so.

Entering Bridgton, the team expected celebratory welcome signs for the Championships, but only found an unadorned and soggy Main Street. The GPS finally led them to the dirt driveway of Bridgton’s Town Hall where the team was surprised to see a variety of license plates in the back lot, notably New York and Texas! While there were no international players, there were upwards of 200 players of all sizes and ages already warming up in the old town hall gym.

For LA’s trailblazing team, there were certainly some adjustments to be made from their experience of the “midcoast style” ball played at LA, like playing against other players that were three times their age.  Also, the rules were more structured than at Lincoln Academy, but easy to understand? Inside lines are out, outside lines are in (down is not up). When you got out, you joined the line to record your out, and then returned to the next line to rejoin the play. After the first and second rounds, the players with the fewest outs made it to the final round.

The fully funded LA team, complete with custom designed t-shirts, did not disappoint. Sam Scott hit a streak as soon as he took his first square. Wearing a shark hat and a calm demeanor, Sam played with a sense of spirit for the game. Braden was a steady-handed, steely-eyed competitor in his dragon hat. Felix Cunningham’s tiger resolve led to many successful plays and alliances throughout rounds 1 and 2.  He’s already pocketed some takeaway strategies for next year.

Captain Hamilton Pierpan moved with a strength and power on the court that caught the attention of many players, making him a target to get out. He regularly employed strategies that would catch other players off guard. Seemingly out of nowhere, Joseph Levesque found his game and stuck to it, all the way through rounds 1 and 2.  Hamilton and Joseph both made it into the final round.

Four Square fans pulled up their metal chairs around the final competition. Hamilton Pierpan lasted until the top seven, leaving Joseph to represent LA. With one more out available to him, Joseph managed to stay in until the final two. His competitor, a physical player from Boston, had been competing for some years. Joseph held out as long as he could but his opponent prevailed. The whole team agreed that he was a nice guy and a deserving winner.

Players have plans to return next year, but are thinking about possibilities for a regional tournament to celebrate our local talent. “Midcoast Mayhem,” has a nice ring to it.

Kristie Houghton is a School Counselor and advisor to the Four-Square FLB.