Scarborough standout Sam Rusak led the Red Storm to another Class A boys’ indoor track championship last month.

Phil Tarling and his Cape Elizabeth boys’ hockey teammates had a successful season, winning 12 games.

South Portland’s Callie O’Brien scored in the high jump at the Class A state indoor track meet.

(Ed. Note: The basketball season was recapped in last week’s Forecaster)

The winter sports season will be remembered for triumph and thrills.

On the ice, Cape Elizabeth and the South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete co-op team were eliminated from the boys’ hockey playoffs in the quarterfinals. Defending regional champion Scarborough advanced to the semifinals.

On the girls’ side, Cape Elizabeth/South Portland/Waynflete and Scarborough reached the postseason.

Cape Elizabeth’s girls’ swim team won the Class B state title in absolutely decisive fashion. Several local individuals did quite well.

Scarborough swept the indoor track state titles and several individuals stood tall.

Skiing and wrestling also produced top individuals.

Here’s one last look at the winter sports season that was:

Winter team state champions

Cape Elizabeth Capers girls’ swimming, Class A
Scarborough Red Storm boys’ indoor track, Class A
Scarborough Red Storm girls’ indoor track, Class A 

Winter team regional champion

South Portland boys’ basketball, Class A South

Winter individual state champions

Skiing
Devon Lathrop, Cape Elizabeth, Class A boys’ giant slalom

Swimming
Emily Ecker, Cape Elizabeth, Class A girls’ 200 freestyle
Emily Ecker, Cape Elizabeth, Class A girls’ 500 freestyle
Olivia Tighe, Cape Elizabeth, Class A girls’ 100 butterfly
Olivia Tighe, Cape Elizabeth, Class A girls’ 100 freestyle 

Track
Darcy Cochran, Cape Elizabeth, Class B’ girls’ 55 hurdles
Ben Batoosingh, Scarborough, Class A boys’ 400
Jarret Flaker, Scarborough, Class A boys’ 55
Emily Labbe, Scarborough, Class A girls’ 55
Sam Rusak, Scarborough, Class A boys’ 200
Sam Rusak, Scarborough, Class A boys’ high jump
Sam Rusak, Scarborough, Class A boys’ pole vault 
Bethany Sholl, Scarborough, Class A girls’ two-mile
Juliana Selser, South Portland, Class A girls’ 800 

Michael’s Top Five Stories

5) Repeat ski title for Lathrop

Cape Elizabeth’s Devon Lathrop won the Class A boys’ giant slalom as a freshman and did it again this winter, with a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 33,26 seconds, helping the Capers to a second-place team finish. Lathrop was also the runner-up in the slalom.

4) Girls’ hockey squads win postseason games

The Cape Elizabeth/South Portland/Waynflete co-op girls’ hockey team knocked off Gorham/Bonny Eagle in a South Region quarterfinal before being eliminated by Scarborough in the semifinals. Scarborough, the defending regional champion, was then ousted in the regional final by Falmouth.

3) Boys’ hockey teams make playoffs

All three local boys’ hockey squads got to the postseason. In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth hoped for a deep run, but was upset by defending regional champion Yarmouth in the quarterfinals. In Class A South, the South Portland/Waynflete/Freeport co-op team gave Cheverus a scare in the quarterfinals before going down to defeat. That left Scarborough, the defending regional champion, which held off Biddeford in the quarterfinals before losing in overtime to Cheverus in the semifinals.

2) Scarborough sweeps track titles

Scarborough has a rich track legacy and the Red Storm added another triumphant chapter this winter as it swept the Class A titles for the first time since 2012. The Red Storm boys and girls won championships in the same season for the seventh time since 1986. Scarborough produced several individual champions as well, as Sam Rusak won the boys’ 200, high jump and pole vault, Ben Batoosingh was first in the boys’ 400 and Jarret Flaker won the boys’ 55. The Red Storm girls got first-place showings from Emily Labbe in the 55 and Bethany Sholl in the two-mile.

1) Cape girls’ swimmers leave field in their wake

Domination. There’s no other way to explain what the Cape Elizabeth girls’ swim team did to the opposition at last month’s Class B state meet. The Capers produced a staggering 440 points to finish 175 ahead of runner-up Morse. Cape Elizabeth had a pair of multiple event winners, as Emily Ecker took both the 200 and 500 freestyle and Olivia Tighe managed to pull off the difficult combination of taking the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle. A rival coach said of the Capers, “The Cape girls are by far the finest high school girls’ team ever.” Hard to argue.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.