Cape Elizabeth’s Killian Lathrop skis his way to victory in the slalom at last week’s Class B state meet. The Capers repeated as team champions.

Scarborough’s Anthony Clavette clears the bar to win the high jump at 6 feet, 4 inches at the Class A state track and field meet. The Red Storm won the team championship for the eighth time in nine seasons.

Local teams stole headlines in swimming, indoor track and skiing last week.

Here’s a look back at the week that was and a look ahead to the boys’ hockey playoffs:

Skiing

Cape Elizabeth’s boys captured the Class B Alpine ski championship last week for the second year in a row. Killian Lathrop won the slalom with a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 24.55 seconds and was second in the giant slalom (1:43.95). Devon Lathrop won the GS (1:42.93) and placed fourth in the slalom (1:27.31). Tiernan Lathrop was fifth in the slalom (1:28.58) and fifth in the GS (1:45.05). Gannon Stewart came in 10th in the GS (1:48.18). Cody Labonty placed 13th in the slalom (1:34.67). 

“They had a showing today, didn’t they?” Cape Elizabeth assistant coach Andrew LaBonty said. “They all came to race and they raced hard. I have known those boys since they were 3 years old and they all can ski great. The team works hard they’re dedicated to the sport and I think they have proven that and their hard work has paid off.”

Cape Elizabeth’s girls’ team finished eighth (Maranacook won the title). Dana Schwartz was fifth in the slalom (1:38.33) and seventh in the GS (1:52.2).

On the Nordic side, Cape Elizabeth’s boys were ninth (Marancook was first). Peter DiNinno was fourth in the freestyle (14 minutes, 32.3 seconds) and tied for seventh in the classical (18:17.9).

Cape Elizabeth didn’t field a girls’ team (Yarmouth won the title).

Swimming

Cape Elizabeth girls’ swim team won the Class B state title for the third year in a row, scoring a whopping 487 points to easily outdistance runner-up Greely (300.5). The Capers won the 400 freestyle relay, as Olivia Tighe, Alicia Lawrence, Hope Campbell and Caroline Mahoney set a new state-record time of 3 minutes, 30.27 seconds, and also captured the 200 free relay, as Lawrence, Mahoney, Campbell and Tighe set a new state-record with a time of 1:35.24.

Individual winners included Tighe (state record in the 200 free, 1:50.21, and first in the 100 free, 50.79 seconds), Mahoney in the 50 free (23.58) and 100 backstroke (55.12) and Jade Lindeneau in the 500 free (5:19.65).

Cape Elizabeth’s medley relay team (Casey Concannon, Ali Bragg, Lindeneau and Emma Frothingham) was second to Morse in 1:54.96. Bragg was second in the 500 free (5:19.79) and was also runner-up in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.07). Lawrence finished runner-up to Tighe in the 100 free (53.41) and placed third in the 50 free (24.33). Lindeneau came in third in the 100 butterfly (1:00.67).  Campbell placed fourth in the 50 free (24.54) and fourth in the 100 free (54.53). Frothingham was fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:19.93) and fifth in the fly (1:01.77). Abigail Wolf came in fourth in diving (294.95 points). Stephanie te Boekhorst placed fifth in diving (284.25 points). Isabella Eremita came in sixth in the 500 free (5:50.61). Corinne Wight was seventh in the 100 backstroke (1:04.6). Concannon placed eighth in the 200 IM (2:24.76). 

“Half our team, it’s their last year,” Mahoney said, of Cape’s dozen seniors, three of them recruited to swim in college next winter. “So we really wanted to go out with a bang. Last one, fast one. That was our main motivation.”

“It may be the best team ever,” Cape Elizabeth coach Ben Raymond said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever have a group of girls as quality as this, in the pool, out of the pool, the time they spend together, the relationships they’ve made with each other. They’ve just been really, really special.”

In the boys’ meet, won by Mt. Desert Island with 381 points, Cape Elizabeth (239) placed third (Ellsworth was second with 312). The Capers got wins from their 200 free relay team (Ethan Smith, Keegan McKenney, Matt Yim and Rohan Freedman, 1:30.94), Freedman in the 200 free (1:45.13), Smith in the 100 fly (52.26) and McKenney in the 500 free (4:50.86).

Freedman was also runner-up in the 100 free (48.35). McKenney came in third in the IM (2:00.97). Smith finished fourth in the 50 free (22.54). Yim was sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.1) and seventh in the IM (2:09.76). Cape Elizabeth’s 400 free relay team (Smith, McKenney, Yim and Freedman) was third (3:21.32).

In Class A, South Portland’s boys had 227 points to finish second to seven-time champion Cheverus (318), its best state meet finish since 1998.

The Red Riots got third-place finishes from Momchil Dagarov in the 200 IM (2:04.56) and the 500 free (5:01.92) and Dennis Slobodzian in the 100 free (49.06). Slobodzian was also fifth in the 50 free (22.95). Calvin Comeau placed fifth in the 500 free (5:08.26) and was eighth in the 200 free (1:53.8).  Logan Kavangh was sixth in the 500 free (5:08.66) and seventh in the 200 free (1:53.04). Brayden Gilbert was seventh in the 100 fly (54.6) and came in eighth in the 50 free (23.48). South Portland’s medley relay team (Slobodzian, Dagarov, Jacob Ramos and Gilbert) finished fifth (1:44.2). The 400 free relay squad (Kavanagh, Comeau, Ramos and Dagarov) was fifth (3:31.58). The 200 free relay team (Gilbert, Slobodzian, Comeau and Kavanagh) came in eighth (1:36.64).

“We had a great group of seniors come through and a great group of (underclassmen) come in at the same time,” Red Riots coach Ryan Green said. “Every now and then a program like ours has it come together like this.”

Scarborough (157 points) came in fourth. Gavin McLeod won the 500 free (4:45.51) and was third in the 200 free (1:47.38).

The Red Storm’s 400 free relay team (Sam Curtis, Andrew Pillsbury, Finn Davis and McLeod) was runner-up to Cheverus (3:29.08. Curtis was fifth in the 200 IM (2:07.92) and fifth in the 100 backstroke (57.18). Davis came in seventh in the 500 free (5:10.74). Scarborough’s medley relay squad (Davis, Nolan Orff, McLeod and Pillsbury) placed seventh (1:45.51).

The Class A girls’ meet was won by Bangor with 274 points. South Portland (67 points) was 14th and Scarborough (51) tied Westbrook for 17th place. The Red Riots were led by Margaret Jones, who was runner-up in the 200 free (1:59.68) and seventh in the 100 fly (1:01.92). The Red Storm featured Leah Desveaux, who placed fourth in the 100 free (56.94) and fifth in the 50 free (26.11). 

Indoor track

Scarborough’s boys’ indoor track team made it eight Class A championships in nine years, scoring 104 points to outdistance runner-up Thornton Academy (70). The Red Storm were led, as usual, by standout sprinter Jarett Flaker, who set a new record in winning the 55 (6.46 seconds), and also won the 200 (22.65) and the 400 (50.2). Scarborough also won the 4×800 relay (Harrison Osborne, Zachary Barry, Tristram Coffin and Noah Drapeau, 8 minutes, 14.25 seconds), Ben Hatch came in first in the long jump (21 feet, 1 inch) and Anthony Clavette won the high jump (6-4).

Jayden Flaker was third in the 55 hurdles (7.98). Ian Gott finished third in the pole vault (12-0). Coffin was third in the two-mile (9:55.87). Clavette was fourth in the triple jump (41-2.5). Ben Hatch finished fourth in the 55 (6.64). Nathan Mars placed fourth in the shot put (49-5.5). Drapeau came in fifth in the 800 (2:03.31). Osborne finished sixth in the two-mile (10:00.11). Barry placed seventh in the mile (4:38.02). The Red Storm’s 4×200 relay team (Hatch, Salvator DeBenedetto, Jayden Flaker and Drapeau) was runner-up to Brunswick (1:35.26). 

South Portland (9 points) tied Portland for 14th. Joseph Emery finished fifth in the long jump (20-1.75), sixth in the high jump (6-0) and seventh in the triple jump (40-9). Nathaniel Ellington came in fifth in the shot put (48-10).

In the girls’ meet, won by Cheverus with 72 points, Scarborough (37) finished fourth. Anna Gardner won the pole vault (10-6). Emily Labbe won the 55 hurdles (8.44). Madison Marinko placed second in the 55 hurdles (8.63). Megan Randall finished fifth in the mile (5:28.58). The Red Storm’s 4×800 relay team (Randall, Emily Johnson, Erin Bresnahan and Ryanne Cox) finished third (10:25.43).

South Portland (18 points) came in 11th. Rebekah Hunnewell-Dunphe won the shot put (36-3.25) and Anna Folley finished runner-up in the 800 (2:24.44). 

In Class B, Cape Elizabeth’s girls scored 28 points and tied Penquis Valley for fourth place (Brewer won the title with 71 points). Darcy Cochran was first in the 55 hurdles (8.41) and was runner-up in the 55 (7.63) and the triple jump (34-9.25). Samantha Olsen finished sixth in the 200 (28.02). 

Cape Elizabeth’s boys had 4 points and tied Leavitt for 20th place (York was first with 77.5 points). Peter DiNinno finished third in the mile (4:44.87) and placed seventh in the two-mile (10:43.26).

Boys’ hockey

The boys’ hockey postseason is underway.

In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth finished 13-5 and second to defending regional champion Greely. The Capers hosted No. 7 Yarmouth (7-9-2) in the quarterfinals Wednesday (see theforecaster.net for game story). The Capers won both regular season meetings, 2-1 and 7-1. Yarmouth had won six of the nine prior postseason meetings, with Cape Elizabeth’s 4-1 victory in the 2017 Class B South quarterfinal the most recent.

In Class A South, the South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete co-op team finished 10-8 and third and hosted No. 6 Cheverus (8-10) in the quarterfinals Wednesday (see theforecaster.net for game story). The Stags won the regular season meeting, 4-1. Cheverus won both prior playoff meetings with a 5-2 victory in the 2017 Class A South quarterfinals the most recent.

Scarborough wound up 10-7-1 and fourth in Class A South and hosted No. 5 Portland/Deering (8-10) in the quarterfinals Wednesday. The teams met for the third straight game. On Feb. 18, Portland/Deering won, 3-1, in Gorham and in the regular season finale Feb. 21, Scarborough prevailed, 5-2, in Portland. The Red Storm had taken all three prior playoff encounters with a 4-2 victory in the 2014 Western A quarterfinals the most recent.

The Class A South and B semifinals are Friday and Saturday. The Class A South Final is Tuesday, the Class B South Final is Wednesday and the Class A and B state finals are Saturday, March 9. All of those games will be held in Lewiston.

Press Herald staff writers Glenn Jordan and Kevin Thomas and Sun Journal staff writer Tony Blasi contributed to this story.

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

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