An accomplished young bass fisherman from Biddeford died in a single-car crash late Thursday night.

Thomas Behen, 18, of Biddeford was driving a 2001 Nissan that crashed in the area of 85 Guinea Road around 11:30 p.m., according to Biddeford police. Police say it appears speed may have been a factor in the crash. Police are reconstructing to determine the cause.

Behen was alone in his car and no other vehicles were involved, police said.

Jeremie Sirois, the principal at Biddeford High School, said he has known the Behen family for many years and described Thomas Behen as a good student who was “friendly with just about everybody.”

“I’d characterize him as a world-class fisherman,” Sirois said. “That was his passion.”

Behen started fishing at age 2, according to an article about his fishing accomplishments published in 2014 in The Roar, the high school’s newspaper. At the time, his biggest catch was a 7-pound largemouth bass. Behen also founded the Bass Fishing Club at the high school.

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“You get nervous,” Behen told The Roar about his big catches. “Sometimes, you get the cold sweats.”

Behen won state fishing championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014. When he was a junior in 2016, he was selected to attend the B.A.S.S. Eastern Regional Fishing Championships on Douglas Lake in Tennessee. He was the first youth ever on the Maine state team as a youth and non-boater competing in the adult field, according to the Biddeford Center of Technology, where Behen attended the Engineering and Architectural Design program.

Behen graduated from Biddeford High School last June and was attending Southern Maine Community College in South Portland. Sirois said Behen had talked about transferring to a school in a southern state so he could join a competitive fishing team.

Behen was the oldest son of Sean and Erin Behen. He also is survived by two younger siblings.

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