One of the drawbacks of the 50 percent rule for tourney qualification is that some pretty good teams and players get left out. One player who comes to mind is Windham’s Nolan Allen, who led the SMAA in scoring at 24.8 points per game and was voted the league MVP. The Eagles were on the cusp of making the Western Class A tournament but finished ninth in the Heal point standings after losing their season finale against Bonny Eagle.

Allen got to play in the regional tournament as a sophomore and may get another chance next year. With a year’s experience under their belts, the Eagles, many of whom were seeing their first varsity action this season, should have a better chance of making the 2012 tournament.

Zach Bean of Scarborough is another top player whose season ended last week. The Red Storm were in position to make the tourney but faded at the end, finishing 10th. Bean, a senior, averaged 15.6 points.

Allen is the only member of the all-SMAA first team who won't be playing this weekend at the Portland Expo. The rest of the first team is Jon Amabile of Deering, Dustin Cole of Bonny Eagle, Louie DiStasio of Cheverus, Andrew Shaw of Thornton Academy and Vukasin Vignjevic of South Portland.

Cole, a freshman, was chosen as SMAA Rookie of the Year, and Bonny Eagle's Phil Bourassa is the Coach of the Year.

About this Blog

VarsityMaine The Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram put a priority on high school sports coverage, and this blog is a place for all our reporters to put news and notes from around the state.

From football to field hockey, from cross country to volleyball, our goal is to keep you informed of the happenings in all high school sports.

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About the Author

Maine High School Sports Bloggers

Paul Betit is an Augusta native and graduate of the University of Maine. He has covered Maine high school sports for more than 30 years and is entering his seventh season as a beat writer covering the Portland Pirates. In his spare time, Betit writes mystery-suspense novels. Occasionally, he tries to sink his second career hole-in-one.

Glenn Jordan came to Maine in 1994 to cover the nascent Portland Sea Dogs. After eight baseball seasons and three children – the last two within 18 minutes of each other – he became a part-time writer. Among the sports he covers are now are tennis, skiing, swimming and running. He has a degree in philosophy from Dartmouth, a decent forehand and a penchant for checkers.

Mike Lowe is a Massachusetts native who feels he's lived long enough in Maine (since 1982) to have roots here. He graduated from Boston University and has worked in New Hampshire and Maine, covering everything from the Little League World Series to the Summer Olympics. When he has free time – Ha! – he likes to read, collect comic books and watch the grass grow from his hammock.

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