Carolyn Todd and the Greely’s girls’ indoor track team had no peer in Class B this winter.

Theo Hembre and the Falmouth boys’ hockey team made it to the Class A South semifinals.

Allison Greuel and her Freeport’s girls’ Nordic ski teammates placed fourth in Class B.

(Ed. Note: The basketball season was recapped last week)

The winter sports season had its share of memorable performances by local athletes.

Greely’s girls’ hockey team surged at the right time and won an unexpected state championship.

On the boys’ side, Greely made it to the state final, but dropped an overtime heartbreaker to Old Town/Orono. Falmouth also lost in OT, in the semifinals to Biddeford, and Yarmouth was ousted in the semis, by Greely.

Greely’s indoor track teams swept Class B and there were moments of individual glory as well.

In the pool, Greely’s girls’ were second to Cape Elizabeth while several other teams and individuals impressed.

Skiing once again saw local excellence, as Falmouth’s boys’ Alpine squad and Yarmouth’s girls’ Nordic team won championships. Several individuals turned heads as well.

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

Winter team state champions

Falmouth Yachtsmen boys’ Alpine skiing, Class A
Greely Rangers girls’ hockey
Greely Rangers boys’ indoor track, Class B
Greely Rangers girls’ indoor track, Class B
Yarmouth Clippers girls’ Nordic skiing, Class B

Winter regional champion

Greely Rangers boys’ hockey, Class B South

Winter individual state champions

Skiing
Ethan Livingood, Falmouth, Class A Nordic, boys’ freestyle
A.J. Noyes, Falmouth, Class A Alpine, boys’ slalom
Nick Neveu, Maine Coast Waldorf, Class B, boys’ freestyle
Sophia Laukli, Yarmouth, Class B Nordic, girls’ classical
Sophia Laukli, Yarmouth, Class B Nordic, girls’ freestyle

Swimming
Julia Bisson, Greely, Class B girls’ diving
Sean Whynot, Yarmouth, Class B boys’ diving

Track
Eliza Brown, Greely, Class B girls’ high jump
Carolyn Todd, Greely, Class B girls’ mile
Carolyn Todd, Greely, Class B girls’ two-mile
Matthew Todd, Greely, Class B boys’ mile
Luke Laverdiere, Yarmouth, Class B boys’ two-mile

Michael’s Top Five Stories

5) Another strong winter on the slopes and trails

Every winter, local ski teams dominate and February saw more of the same. Not only did the Falmouth boys win a Class A Alpine title and the Yarmouth girls capture a Class B Nordic crown, Falmouth’s Ethan Livingood was first in the Class A Nordic boys’ freestyle, Falmouth’s A.J. Noyes won the Class A Alpine boys’ slalom, Nick Neveu of Maine Coast Waldorf took the Class B boys’ Nordic freestyle title and Yarmouth’s Sophia Laukli won the Class B Nordic girls’ classical and freestyle. The beat goes on.

4) Greely boys fall just short

Greely’s boys’ hockey team lost in overtime to York in the 2017 Class B South Final. This season, the Rangers were bound and determined to finish the job and they came oh so close to doing so. After a stellar 15-2-1 regular season, top-ranked Greely had a bye into the semifinals, then defeated Yarmouth and Cape Elizabeth to get to the state final where it took a quick 2-0 lead over Old Town/Orono. The Rangers wouldn’t score again, however, and the Black Bears rallied to force overtime, then get the goal that broke Greely’s heart. Don’t be surprised if next year’s team takes that final step.

3) Greely sweeps track hardware

Greely’s girls’ indoor track team won the Class B state title last winter, but this time around, the boys joined in the fun. The boys’ squad finished first for the first time since 2009 behind a pair of first-place relay teams and Matthew Todd’s victory in the mile. The girls repeated thanks in part to Lizzie Brown winning the high jump, Carolyn Todd taking the mile and the 4×800 relay squad coming in first. This winter marked the first time in 15 years that both Greely track teams won state titles. It won’t be the last.

2) Greely girls win surprise hockey crown

Greely’s girls’ hockey team (which included a player from Gray-New Gloucester) was very good all season, but the Rangers only entered the playoffs as the third seed in the North Region. Greely had no trouble with Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland in the quarterfinals, then upset two-time defending state champion St. Dom’s with relative ease in the semifinals. After outlasting top-ranked Lewiston in an overtime thriller on Leah Walker’s goal in the regional final, the Rangers completed their spirited run with a 3-1 victory over Cheverus/Kennebunk, behind standout Courtney Sullivan’s hat trick, to win the third championship in program history.

1) Cumberland is Titletown                                         

In case you haven’t noticed the theme, Greely was the high school of champions this winter, tying Falmouth (spring 2012) with five state titles in one sports season (both Greely basketball teams also won championships). The Rangers finished one goal shy of a sixth and it’s likely we won’t see dominance like this for awhile. At least until next winter.

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