The Capers’ biggest news of the Spring season came from Sarah Boeckel’s girls tennis team, who picked up their first Class B crown since 2007. Cape went 9-3 in the regular season to finish second in B South, a slot back from Morse at 11-1 and a slot ahead of Yarmouth at 8-4. 

The Capers’ record earned them a bye through the prelims; in the quarters, then, they skunked No. 7 Greely 5-0, and in the semis, they likewise crushed Yarmouth 5-0. In the B South final, instead of matching up against Morse, they found themselves facing, of all teams, No. 8 York, who had managed to off both Morse  and No. 4 Lincoln. The Capers made short work of the Eagles, 5-0, and headed on to the Class B title bout.

“We had a great season,” said Boeckel, “finishing with a State Championship, beating Camden Hills 4-1. First state championship in nine years.” 

“We will miss our seniors,” Boeckel said, “Erin Whitcomb, Maddie Bowe, Sarah O’Connor, Taylor Hansen and Carter Harvey.”

Andy Strout’s tennis boys looked roughly as good as Boeckel’s girls: They amassed 10 wins and a mere two losses in the regular season to enter the bracketing ranked third. En route to an appearance in the State Championship, they knocked off No. 6 Yarmouth 5-0, No. 2 Morse 4-1 and No. 5 York 3-2. The Class B final, against Camden Hills, went against them, however, and they fell 3-2.

A couple of Cape’s toughest teams suffered unexpected upsets. Andrew Wood’s baseball boys, for instance, built a beautiful 11-5 regular-season record to enter the playoffs ranked first, ahead of York (also 11-5). The team earned a bye through the prelims, crushed No. 8 Wells 12-0 in six innings in the quarters, and walloped No. 4 Maranacook 7-1 in the semis. In their Regional final, however, they ran aground on a surging Freeport squad and ultimately fell 3-1.

Ben Raymond’s lacrosse boys were perhaps even more heavily favored than their baseball brothers to go all the way to States – and to win. The team trampled their way through the regular season, finishing No. 1 at 12-0, a record that included an 11-9 victory over No. 2 Falmouth. But when the two rivals collided again in the Regional Final, the Yachtsmen emerged victorious, 7-5.

Softball, meanwhile, went 10-6 through the regular season, good enough for fifth. The team, matched up with No. 12 Morse in the prelims, winning 7-5. In the quarters, however, they faced off with No. 4 Oak Hill – and bounced, 3-1.

Girls lacrosse, under the tutelage of Alex Spark, went 3-9 on the year. The team finished in seventh, behind Greely (6-6) and ahead of Fryeburg (also 3-9), but they unfortunately didn’t get a chance to test their mettle in the postseason. They did, it’s worth noting, pick up a particularly impressive win when they bested Gorham, who finished fourth in A South, 8-7, on April 30.

The Capers girls and boys track outfits, Doug Worthley’s teams, sent contingents to States this spring. Both groups, however, were quite young; each featured just one senior, and neither managed to grab any points. The teams’ freshmen, sophomores and juniors undoubtedly have the potential to break into the scoring in future seasons.

Alison Ingalls arrives home for the Lady Capers in an early-season softball matchup at Gray-New Gloucester.

Caper Jeb Boeschenstein helped propel his team to an undefeated regular season. In an unexpected twist, however, Cape fell in the B South regional final to perennial rival Falmouth – a very strong club indeed (and the eventual State Champions), but not favored in the matchup.