GIRLS
Cheverus teammates Emma Gallant, right, and Victoria Bossong are the state’s top two sprinters. John Ewing/Staff Photographer
1. Cheverus: Senior Emma Gallant and junior Victoria Bossong provide two-time defending Class A champion Cheverus with the best 1-2 punch in the state. From their sprinting alone, they outscored the entire point total of runner-up Thornton Academy. Graduation claimed hurdler/jumper Emma White, but among four multi-sport additions are Lauren Jordan (shot put) from soccer and Alex Hammond (jumps) from softball. Helena Bolduc adds strength in the middle distances.
2. Scarborough: The Red Storm return all their scorers from a squad that finished within two points of second place in Class A. Seniors Anna Gardner (pole vault) and Emily Labbe (hurdles) are reigning individual champions. Classmate Madison Marinko (hurdles) and sophomore Megan Randall (distance) lead a host of veterans that include senior Emily Johnson and sophomore Erin Bresnahan, all of whom contributed to a strong 3,200-meter relay.
3. Thornton Academy: Scoring came from a variety of sources last winter when the Trojans edged Bangor and Scarborough for the runner-up spot in Class A. This year looks like more of the same. Seniors Noelle Conlon (high jump), Mia Taranko (long jump) and Jaigan Boudreau (shot put) and junior Tiana Snyder (pole vault) scored in field events. Junior Kylie Bedard (400) and sophomore Mia-Claire Kezal (800) did likewise in middle distances. Sophomore Jaclyn Vanderhoof was on the 3,200 relay team.
4. York: The Wildcats’ roster doubled from the team that finished second to Brewer in Class B last February. Senior Hayley Smith (200, hurdles), junior Phoebe Slovenski (pole vault) and sophomore Lexi Brent (400, hurdles) lead a group of returning scorers that also includes senior Grace Beecher (sprints). The victorious sprint relay team lost only one member. Seniors Mara Lamprey and Mary Kocev and sophomore Olive Gaetano return from a distance relay team that placed third.
5. Gorham: The Rams are poised to move up from seventh in Class A with a large roster that should cover most events. Seniors Kate Tugman and Iris Kitchen lead the way in distance events. Junior Nevaeh Moore and sophomore Sydney Connolly do likewise in sprints. Sophomores Alyvia Caruso (hurdles and jumps), Emma Green (jumps, sprints) and Elizabeth Loranger (middle distance) also return. Freshmen Rachel Cummings (middle distance) and Mayla Wilson (hurdles, jumps) add depth.
BOYS
Scarborough senior Jarett Flaker won three events – the 55, 200 and 400 meters – at each of the past two Class A indoor state championships. He also won the 55 as a freshman. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
1. Scarborough: The four-time defending Class A champion Red Storm have won eight of the past nine state titles and remain the team to beat. Senior sprinter Jarett Flaker won three events (55, 200, 400) last winter, and the distance runners, led by returning scorers Tristram Coffin and Zach Barry, are solid. The loss to injury of long jump state champ Ben Hatch is a blow, but Scarborough has substantial depth in field events, with shot putters Nathan Mars and Jacob Goff, pole vaulter Ian Gott and triple jumper Aiden Joyce.
2. Brunswick: The Dragons return the bulk of a squad that placed third in Class A last winter, with graduation claiming only two points from individual scoring. The senior class is particularly strong, led by defending 2-mile champ Will Shaughnessy and sprinter Mitch Lienert, who along with Jack Harvey and Josh Musica made up three legs of the victorious 800 relay team. Classmate Samuel Cenescar (high jump, long jump) and junior Tyler Patterson (mile) also figure in the scoring mix.
3. Thornton Academy: Coming off a runner-up finish in Class A, the Trojans sustained significant losses to graduation (Jason Montano and Travis Snyder accounted for 32 of the team’s 70 points). Still, Max Spaulding (sprints, hurdles) leads a solid returning group. Dawson Desrosiers (800) is the only other individual scorer back, but Simon Di Matteo, Julien BaileyCottle, Isaac Ofielu and Parker Redlon all contributed in relays.
4. Falmouth: Falmouth placed fourth in Class A last winter and retains a top-flight distance pair in junior Ben Greene and senior Ben Potter, as well as senior shot putter Joshua Bradford, the only returning thrower in either class to surpass 50 feet in a state meet. Juniors Faran Igani and Connor Quiet and seniors Adrian Friedman (sixth in the outdoor long jump) and Michael Smoluk contributed to relays and appear poised to break into individual scoring this season.
5. York: The defending Class B champion Wildcats are hoping that back-to-back titles in 2012-13 and 2015-16 are bellwethers for this winter. The biggest challenge is finding a way to replace all their individual scoring, which graduation completely wiped out. Rollan Lemieux, Cavin McNamara and Gabe Sarno made up three legs of the 3,200-meter relay team, and Hayden Henriksen ran on the 800 relay team – both of which finished second. With a roster of 75, Coach Ted Hutch is bound to uncover a few more gems.
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