Boys Basketball
Coach: Dan LeGage
Last year’s record: 10-9; fell in the postseason quarterfinals Falmouth
Key players lost: Curtis Knapton, Anderson Kavutse
Key players returning: Zac Manoogian, Miece Loureiro, Landon Sjoberg, Deng Jany, Bailey Sawyer, Kyle Champagne, Jack Haggerty, Hamza Hanifi
Key matchups: Greely, Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Marshwood, Biddeford, York, Kennebunk
Outlook: The Blazes posted a strong 2015-16 season, reaching the playoffs and earning a bye through the first round before falling to eventual State Champions Falmouth. Thankfully, the team welcomes back a substantial contingent of experienced players this winter. “[We] return leading scorer Zac Manoogian from last year’s team,” says LeGage, “[and] Miece Lourerio, Bailey Sawyer and Landon Sjoberg all saw significant game action last year. The Blazes will look to play at a fast pace, and will rely bigly on pressure defense.” Look for these boys to compete hard in every game, and to perhaps turn in an upset or two.

Girls Basketball
Coach: Todd Day (first year)
Last year’s record: 10-10; fell in the tournament quarters to York
Key players lost: Madi Mullett, Sarah Wagner
Key players returning: Morgan Rice (sr.), Julia Symbol (sr.), Julia Martel (so.), Avery Tucker (so.), Mikayla Van Zandt (so.), Nyagoa Bayak (so.)
Key matchups: Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Greely, York, Fryeburg
Outlook: The Lady Blazes face a long list of unknowns this season. In particular, Day is new to the program, meaning his girls will be adapting to a new system. Moreover, the girls are quite green overall. “We have an inexperienced roster,” Day says, “with a few returnees with varsity experience.” The team will measure its success “in consistency and the ability to play our style,” he says. That style won’t necessarily be characterized by huge point tallies. “Defensive pressure and rebounding will be keys to our season. We expect our team and program to grow together and have a positive outlook on the season and future.”

Boys Hockey (a co-op with Windham)
Coach: Greg Leclair (fifth season)
Last year’s record: 13-6-0; fell to Bangor in A North quarterfinals
Key players lost: Zack Callahan, Tyler Johnson, Alex LeBlanc, Gage Chenard, Greg Buotte, Alec Whalen, Jacob Coro
Key players returning: Matt Kelley (sr., F); Anthony Morrison (sr., D); Keegan Pock (jr., F); Logan Heckman (jr., D); Derek Corbett (so., F); Sean White (so., G)
Key games: Dec. 15 @ Portland/Deering; Jan. 14 @ Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse; Jan. 21 @ Massabesic/Bonny Eagle/Old Orchard Beach; Feb. 8 vs. Massabesic/Bonny Eagle/OOB
Outlook: Windham/Westbrook’s 2016-17 is up in the air, as the team’s roster is undergoing a good deal of turnover. “Graduation took a heavy toll on the program,” says Leclair. “Twelve seniors moved on at the end of the season.” These included All-Stars in Callahan, Johnson and LeBlanc. Still, another dozen players with “significant playing time at the varsity level” return for this season. “We’ll need to be disciplined and take care of the puck in our defensive zone,” Leclair says. “Sean White will need to perform well between the pipes for us to be successful.  Goal-scoring will need to come from a number of players, as we do not have a pure goal-scorer.  If we play to our potential, we should be in the mix for one of the final playoff spots, but we’ve got our work cut out for us.” The team has taken impressive strides in recent years; fans should dutifully cross their fingers for another respectable run.

Indoor Track
Coaches: Angie Lally (co-head), Frank Lynham (co-head)
Last year’s record: Boys 8-8, fourth at SMAAs and sixth at States; girls 15-0, SMAA Champions and fourth at States
Key athletes returning: Josh Lombardo, Shammah Gahomera, Dominic Creenan, Brandon Whitlock, Brandt Herbert, Ytabarek Hailegiorgis, Kelsey Cavanaguh, Nyagoa Bayak, Kelly Dyer, Samantha Thompson, Linnaea Miller, Kiersten Hilton, Afton Turnbull, Hope Higgins, Sophia Williams
Outlook: Lally – new to the head coach’s post this year – offers a simple, optimistic assessment of the coming winter, saying: “[We have a] great group of athletes, and hope to continue our outstanding work from last year.” The Blazes have been on the rise in recent seasons; expect another strong outing from them.

Swimming and Diving
Coaches: Dana Barrows (head), Kirsten Johansen (assistant), Jen Zwart (diving)
Last year’s records: Boys 2-8, 16th at States; girls 5-9, ninth at States
Key athletes lost: Josh Minor, Kari Brown
Key athletes returning: Josh Wescott (breaststroke, captain); Sidney Bartlett (sprints/butterfly, captain); Jakob Lynham (dives); Molly Sweet (fly/backstroke); Catherine Nutter (back); Emma Sperry (distance/breast); Cam LaPierre (sprints); Kallie Cyr (fly); Madison Damon (middle distance); Phoebe Adams (sprints/fly); McKenzie Dougherty (dives)
Key matchups: Dec. 9 vs. Yarmouth, Dec. 16 @ Scarborough, Dec. 22 vs. Greely, Feb. 3 vs. Cheverus
Outlook: The Gentlemen Blazes look to be competitive in 2016-17. “The boys have added some numbers this year and have a strong freshman class,” Barrows says. “The class is highlighted by two promising swimmers: Bradley Wallace and Cameron Reece. Both will add much-needed depth and provide a huge boost in relay swims.” Barrows’s boys anticipate gauging themselves against early-schedule opponents like Yarmouth, Scarborough and Greely. “The boys are looking forward to any opportunity to race,” he says. His girls, meanwhile, “are led by a great group of upperclassmen that are a year better and hungry to test their mettle against the best the Conference and State have to offer.” The Southern Maine Activities Association has restructured this year, so the Lady Blazes will meet a number of top-tier teams in the regular season they didn’t meet in years past, including Scarborough, Greely and Cheverus. Dougherty, Sperry, LaPierre, Cyr, Damon and Adams all put up points at States last year. Furthermore, the addition of a robust ninth-grade class to the lineup will bolster the squad. “We’ve added a good group of freshmen, led by Sophie Sweet,” Barrows says. “Sophie is a very versatile swimmer and will provide great depth to the team.”

Wrestling (three Gorham athletes wrestle alongside the Blazes)
Coaches: John Nicholas (co-head), Ryan Hutchins (co-head)
Last year’s record: 16-9, fourth at Regionals
Key athletes lost: Noah Featherson, Brandon Lajoie, Chris Kennie
Key athletes returning: Hunter Sprague-Nason (sr.), John Gilson (sr.), Connor Kerwin (sr.), Dante Edgerly (jr.), Jared Grant (jr.), Ryan Shackley (jr.), Gabby Taylor (so.), Nicco Pappalardo (so.), Max Kimmel (so.), Austin Fecteau (so.)
Key matchups: Dec. 10 hosting the Westbrook Invitational, Jan. 11 (Senior Night) vs. Portland, Jan. 16 Southern Maine Classic @ Cheverus, Feb. 11 Regionals @ Nokomis
Outlook: The Blazes face a bit of a rebuilding season, having lost eight seniors – including seven States qualifiers – from last year’s lineup. Thankfully, the team is off and running: “We’ve started the year with good numbers and should be able to fill all of the weight classes,” Nicholas says. A handful of veterans will lead the Westbrook/Gorham outfit, but on the whole, they’re a relatively green bunch. “This will be a young team, with many freshmen and sophomores filling the lineup. It’ll be a learning curve early on, but if they work hard and stick with it we could turn some heads by the end of the season,” Nicholas says. “Besides getting varsity experience, we have a nucleus of kids who have goals to qualify for States and look to get on the podium. We are also excited to combine with Gorham this season and hope to build on that for the future.”

Unified Basketball
Coaches: Mike Russell, Alison Carmichael
Last year’s record: 5-2, lost to Portland/Deering in tournament semis

Cheering coach Amber DiRenzo couldn’t be reached. 

Westbrooker Nyagoa Bayak was one of the best – if not the single best – high jumper in Maine last winter. Her return this season should prove thrilling to watch.

Zac Manoogian lofts up a ball vs. Falmouth in last year’s postseason.