Cole Anderson, Camden Hills junior: Already a two-time Class A state champion, Anderson has taken his game to another level over the past year. He verbally committed to play for Florida State, won the New England Junior PGA championship, qualified for and competed in the U.S. Amateur, and won the American Junior Golf Association event at Sugarloaf Resort against an international field by six strokes.

Anthony Burnham, Scarborough junior: Like Anderson, Burnham was a Maine Sunday Telegram all-state pick in 2016 after a strong season as the Red Storm’s No. 1 player and tying for third in the Class A tournament. He’ll again play in the top spot for Scarborough.

Reed Foehl, Portland senior: A very consistent player and returning all-state pick, Foehl was sixth last year at the Class A individual tournament after averaging 37.9 shots per nine-hole round in the regular season.

Ian Jarvis, Bonny Eagle junior: A returning first-team pick in the competitive SMAA Central, Jarvis has opened this season by shooting three straight sub-40 rounds to earn medalist against Windham, Greely, and Thornton.

Elizabeth Lacognata, Scarborough senior: Extremely long off the tee, the athletic Lacognata tied for fourth in the 2016 girls’ individual championship. Since then she’s improved her short game and gained competitive experience, finishing tied for second at the Maine Junior event and fourth at the Maine Women’s Amateur.

Jordan Laplume, Thornton Academy senior: Thornton’s captain is in her second season at the No. 1 position and has finished in the top five in the girls’ individual competition for three straight years, including placing third in 2016. She’s coming off a strong summer that included placing third in the Maine Women’s Amateur.

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Caleb Manuel, Mt. Ararat sophomore: A returning all-state player, Manuel tied for third in Class A as a freshman. He’s grown some and added length off the tee but his best traits stem from his top-notch mechanics and cool demeanor. Manuel did not get to play as much this summer because he was recovering from a broken ankle.

Alex McGonagle, Deering senior: Deering’s top player finished tied for seventh in the 2016 Class A individual tournament and showed Tuesday he’s ready to compete with a 2-under round in a home loss to Falmouth.

Lucas Roop, Gorham senior: The Class A runner-up as a junior, he’ll again team with classmate Ryan Kaczmarek to give the Rams a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup. Roop won the Maine Junior title this summer, beating Tom Higgins of Cheverus in a playoff.

Rachel Smith, Greely junior: Smith will move into the No. 1 spot for the Rangers this season after two years as a top-five player. A year ago she tied for the team’s low round as Greely finished fifth at the Class A state meet, then tied for sixth in the girls’ individual tournament.

– Steve Craig


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