Baseball

Coach: Bill Ridge

Last year’s record: 8-8, fell 1-0 to G-NG in the playoff prelims 

Key players: Jack Davenport, Colby Wagner, Caleb Rice

Key games: Lake Region, Yarmouth, York, Falmouth, Kennebunk, Cape Elizabeth

Outlook: After reaching the postseason ranked seventh in 2015, the Falcons mean to compete for a spot in the bracketing again this year. Direction from their seniors will be among the keys to achieving that aim. “We have good leadership in returning starters, Davenport, Rice and Caiden Shea,” says Ridge. “Davenport and Rice will eat up most of our innings on the mound, while Davenport and Wagner will be mainstays in the middle of the batting order.” Davenport’s stats from last year are impressive: At pitcher he earned a 4-3 record on a 2.39 ERA and 40 K, while behind the plate he swung his way to a .510 average, 26 hits, 18 runs and 12 RBI; he also stole nine bases. Rice likewise throws a strong ball – he finished with a 3.23 ERA last season– and wields mean lumber, having batted .320 in 2015. Wagner connect 15 times for a .333 average and nine RBI last year. Ridge’s key games are the Falcons’ opening six: “Our first six games are against playoff teams,” he says. “It will be important to get some success in those games.”

Boys Lacrosse

Coach: Geoff Arris

Last year’s record: 6-7, fell to Gardiner 12-6 in the playoff quarters

Key players: Zac Wogan (sr., Captain, G); Ed Lefebvre (sr., D); Jake Todd (sr., D); Brady LaFrance (sr. A); Eli Fox (sr., A); Perrin Davidson (jr., Captain, M); Evan Donald (jr., Captain, M); Connor Dostie (jr., A); Nate Thomas (so., M)

Key games: Waynflete, Morse, Kennebunk, Greely

Outlook: The Falcons are, headcount-wise, a small outfit again this year. “We’re shy on numbers, as usual,” says Arris. “We have 22 players on the roster.” Also to their disadvantage is their relative youth: “We’re also a very young team. Over half of us are either freshmen or sophomores.” That being said, however, the team is well coached and disciplined, and they’re squarely fixed on picking up where they left off at the end of last season. “We want to take what we learned from [last year’s playoff] game and move forward,” says Arris. “I truly believe that, with the leadership of our three captains, we’ll be a strong team. They’ve worked hard in the off-season and have really brought the team together. We’ve had issues in the past with our team being divided; this year might be the tightest group we’ve had. From a coach’s perspective, it’s a really unbelievable thing to see.” Arris and Co. are looking forward to several of their games, including Morse and Mt. Ararat; “We drew them as our crossover games,” he says, “and we’re looking to gain from those new challenges.” Given the energy the Falcons have brought to the preseason, Arris expects them to have a “very successful season on many different levels.”

Girls Lacrosse

Coach: Marcia Wood

Last year’s record: 8-7

Key players: Courtney Broderick (sr., A); Lily Johnston (sr., M); Jessie Driscoll (so., D); Chloe Davidson (so., M)

Key games: Yarmouth, Waynflete, Kennebunk, Falmouth

Outlook: The Falcons return most of their starters, so Wood is “hoping to be able to pick up where we left off last season.” Sam Jordan returns in the cage for Freeport, as are all her starting defenders. “They’ll have to step up this year and make some big players,” says Wood, highlighting the importance of the team’s D. On the other end of the field, Broderick, Davidson and Johnston will anchor the Falcon’s offense.

Outdoor Track

Coaches: Matt Greear (head), Halie Lyons (asst.), Ginger Ivanov (asst.)

Key athletes: Chandler Vincent (sr., Two Mile); Erik Brobst (sr., Mile); Hannah Schnyder (sr., Long Jump/800); Maddie Squibb (sr., 400); Henry Jaques (jr., Mile); Amber Smith (jr., Triple Jump); Johanna Bogue-Marlow (so., 400)

Outlook: “The Falcons have one of their largest teams in years,” says Greear. “Strong senior leadership and a crop of promising underclassmen will help Freeport consistently compete in meets this year.” The team is also deep, and should field strong relay squads. Among their promising newcomers are Yacob Olins, Griffin Agnese, Nick Mitch, John Giddens, Sophie Height, Abbi King, Lilly Horne and Katie Morrisy. Down the championship stretch, Greear expects many States qualifiers.

Softball

Coach: Jason Daniel

Last year’s record: 2-14

Key players: Bailey Karnes (sr.), Morgan Karnes (sr.), Elizabeth Wiest (sr.), Megan Cormier (so.), Brianna Welch (so.), Alexa Koenig (fr.), Abbye Koenig (fr.)

Key games: Yarmouth, Lake Region, Fryeburg

Outlook: “This season, we’re looking to be competitive,” says Daniel, who took over the Falcons in 2015 and is in the process of building them up. To that end, he and his girls are focusing on fundamentals: “Making plays and hitting well and being a factor in every game we can be.” Numbers are low for Freeport – as they are, Daniel reports, for other schools as well. “We’re getting back to basics and keeping kids interested in softball. The high school teams will be working with junior high kids more, and Little League.” Lake Region is Freeport’s home opener, so that game will be a good indicator of where the team stands early, and Yarmouth, of course, is a local rival. However the Falcons perform this season, they’ll no doubt respect their opponents and hold their heads high: the team won last year’s sportsmanship banner.

Boys Tennis

Coach: Jay Harper (16th season)

Last year’s record: Fell to Yarmouth in playoff quarters

Key players: Nate Smail, John Smail

Key matches: NYA, Yarmouth, Greely, York

Outlook: The Falcons are inexperienced this year, and are missing some key personnel. Elder statesmen Nate Smail, the team’s No. 1, and John Smail, their No. 2, return, but the team’s No. 3 slot is currently up for grabs. Juniors Emmett Smith and Jordan Grotz as well as freshmen Liam Gould and Sullivan Smith are all looking to fill that role and the doubles spots. Senior Painter Soule returns, too; he was away last season as an exchange student, but will compete alongside sophomore Evan McKittrick for a doubles spot in 2016.

Girls Tennis

Coach: Soph Lundeberg (first year)

Key players: Charlotte Eisele, Lindsey Dealman, Leah Harrison, Caleigh Breton

Outlook: The Falcons, with a robust roster of 12 JV and Varsity girls this season, have a good chance to be competitive. “We have a strong singles team and our doubles is shaping up pretty quickly, with players improving who have never played tournaments or high school before,” Lundeberg says. The competition is stiff, however, and Freeport will need to take Lundberg’s confidence and turn it into immediate momentum. Eisele, an exchange student from Germany, will likely hold down the team’s No. 1 singles slot.

Freeporter Courtney Broderick, seen here in a late-May matchup vs. Gould last year, returns to the Falcons this season.

Freeporter Perrin Davidson, who returns to the field again this year for the Falcons, shoulders into a Gorham opponent in a bout last season.

Caleb Rice should play a key role for the Falcons this season, on the mound, in the field and at the plate.

Morgan Karnes – co-captain of the Falcons alongside her twin sister Bailey – is the team’s utility player, versatile and capable of making a difference across the field.

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