SOUTH PORTLAND

Football

Coach: Steve Stinson

Last year: The Red Riots finished 0-8.

Players to watch: Seniors Chris Biskup (LB/TE), Nick Gaddar (DB/QB), Alex LeBlanc (DL/RB), Sam Harmon (DB/WR), Justin Towle (LB/OL), Corey Schwartz (DL/OL), Phil Paglio (DL/OL), Patrick Russell (DL/OL), Jamie Boudreau (DB/WR), and Caleb Mulkern (LB/TE); and juniors Tuan Tran (DB/RB), David Hardison (DB/QB), Matt Hebert (DL/RB), Ryan Skillings (LB/OL), Andrew Gerry (DL/OL), Sebastian Lombardi (LB/OL), and Brandon Emerson (DL/OL).

Outlook: A small turnout of just 30 players for the varsity does not give the Red Riots much depth, but the squad is filled with lots of determination and plenty of enthusiasm. What they lack in numbers they make up for in spirit and the Riots expect to improve on last year’s disappointing season.

After a winless season in 2006, the Riots have nowhere to go but up as they look to get back to their winning tradition.

This past Saturday, South Portland finally got back in the win column with a 14-6 triumph at Cheverus. Sophomore running back Ryan Curit ran in for a score and Matt Hebert caught a fourth quarter touchdown pass from Nick Gaddar to give the Riots their first victory since 2004.

They opened the season against the defending West A champs from Gorham and the Riots did a nice job against the Rams. Although they lost by a 36-12 score, the Riots battled with the Rams and stayed close until they ran out of steam in the second half of play.

Gorham scored two touchdowns in the first half and South Portland answered with scores both times. What some expected to be a blowout was only a 16-12 game at the half with Gorham less than a touchdown in the lead.

With a very tough schedule, the Riots will be hard pressed to get that elusive win, but they’ll battle till the final whistle against every foe they face.

Field hockey

Coach: Heather Seavey

Last year: The Riots finished eighth in the final West A Heal Point standings and they reached the regional quarterfinal round before falling at Sanford. They ended the year at 8-7-1 overall.

Players to watch: Seniors Brittany Plummer, Emily Aitkenhead, Sam Story, Erin Coyne, Alison Reddy and Kathrine Ambrose; and juniors Jen Reddy, Sarah Eppich, Christie Lee Carr and Kaylee Newcomb.

Outlook: The Riots have struggled to begin this year with a 6-1 loss to Westbrook in the season opener and a recent 2-0 setback to Cheverus. Ali Dolbow had the Riots’ goal against the Blazes.

South Portland has enough upperclass leadership and enough young, skilled players to start winning some games and get into contention for a tournament berth.

Boys soccer

Coach: Bryan Hoy

Last year: 3-10-1

Players to watch: Nick Link – senior striker, Will Furbush – senior midfielder, Bryce McOsker – senior sweeper, Nick Lagios – senior midfielder, Brody Preston – senior midfielder, and Ryan Chapin – junior goalkeeper.

Outlook: “The team’s goal is to make the playoffs and compete in them,” said Hoy. “We are really focusing on working on the possession aspect of soccer and trying to get away from the direct attack. In order to be successful, we will need strong senior leadership and younger players to step up off the bench. We will also need to capitalize on our opportunities during the season and instill confidence.”

The Riots fell to 1-2 this season with a 3-1 loss to Gorham last Friday evening. Nick Link gave the Riots an early 1-0 lead before the Rams rallied with three straight scores. Ryan Chapin played well in net for South Portland.

The Riots picked up a 3-0 win over Biddeford on Sept. 5. Link, Will Furbush and Brian Arsenault all scored for the Riots.

Girls soccer

Coach: Andy Pappas

Last year: 8-5-1

Players to watch: Jessica Aceto (senior captain) – midfielder and leader of the Riots’ offense. She’s an outstanding playmaker and passer and can also score. Stephanie Masters (senior captain) – midfielder who’s a very skilled and determined player who scores goals. Cassie Lyons (junior mid/ defender) – an all-around player who’s adept at offense and defense, and she raises the level of her teammates’ play. Briana Hawkins (junior goaltender) – this is her first time playing goalie, but she has the ability to be a strong keeper.

Outlook: The Riots are looking to build on last year’s success. In 2006, South Portland won their first playoff game in six years (only the second playoff win in team history), before losing to eventual three-time state champion Gorham.

The South Portland girls are at 1-2 this year after Saturday’s 5-0 loss at Gorham. The Riots earned a 7-0 win at Biddeford on Sept. 4 with Jess Aceto (3), Danielle McCusker (1), Kim Roast (1), Stephanie Masters (1) and Emma Haas (1) all scoring goals.

“Our goal is getting further in the playoffs, and continue to build a contending program,” said Pappas. “We are a young and athletic team that will improve with more experience.”

Cross country

Coach: Andrew Lupien (boys) and Karen Reardon (girls)

Last year: The girls finished seventh in the West A regional and 12th in the state meet and the boys placed ninth in the West A regional.

Runners to watch: The boys cross country team will be led by seniors David Knowland and Sean Esten, and sophomore Jonathan Clement. Seniors Tom Biskup, Brian Huynh, and Mike Welch will add depth and experience to the team.

Seniors Olivia Hendry, Lindsay Boyle, Meagan Knowland, Kirsten Bakke, and Kendall Morong will lead the girls team and the team expects good things from Tanya Wilkes, Bobielynn Fisher, Maureen Blanchard and Annelise Donahue.

Outlook: “The (boys) team put a lot of work in this summer, and they hope it will show when the meets begin,” said Lupien. “The team missed qualifying for states last year by one place and that has really fueled their efforts. If the team can continue to work hard, stay healthy, and add some more depth then they can have a very successful year. The team is aiming to finish in the top five at the regional meet and the top 10 at the state meet, but most importantly to all run personal best times by the end of the season and to have an enjoyable experience.”

The girls won their first regular season meet last week when they topped Noble and Windham with the Riots placing seven of the top nine runners. Hendry won the race with Kirsten Bakke third, Donahue fifth, Boyle sixth, Maureen Blanchard seventh, Raina Benfata eighth and Maria Letourneau ninth.

Golf

Coach: Ernie Lamson

Last year: The Riots went 0-10 in 2006.

Players to watch: Josh Kennedy, John Carey, Aidan Boyce, Anthony Canarie, Jordan Drown, Adam Maietta, and Chris Verrill.

Outlook: The Riots are 0-3 to start this season with consecutive losses to Cheverus (11-2), Scarborough (10-3) and Portland (13-0). Drown earned both points in the first match of the year at Cheverus with a score of 45 from his No. 6 position. And Kennedy picked up a pair of points against Scarborough by firing a 41 from his No. 1 spot.

South Portland is playing decent golf, but they are finding that in a very competitive SMAA North division, two or three strokes can mean the difference between winning points and losing them. If the Riots can trim some of those scores, they’re likely to start winning some matches the rest of the way.

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