BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Coach: Phil Conley (sixth year, 46-41 overall record)

2019-20 record: 9-10 (Lost, 71-48, to Bonny Eagle in Class AA South quarterfinals)
2020-21 record: 2-4 (no postseason, COVID)

Top returning players: Reid Deniso (Senior), Rowan MacDonald (Senior), Jack Simonton (Senior)

Pivotal games: Dec. 14 @ Thornton Academy, Dec. 17 BONNY EAGLE, Dec. 23 GORHAM, Dec. 29 @ Bonny Eagle, Jan. 6 THORNTON ACADEMY, Jan. 8 @ South Portland, Jan. 17 @ Gorham, Jan. 21 LEWISTON, Jan. 25 SOUTH PORTLAND, Jan. 28 @ Edward Little, Feb. 10 DEERING

Coach’s comment: “It’s great to be back. I love my team. It’s a young team with great senior leadership and solid team chemistry. We have six seniors, three juniors and seven sophomores and our sophomore class is very good. We play defense extremely well and we move the ball well on offense. Our end goal is to play our best basketball at playoff time and to get to the Civic Center. Our schedule will help get us ready. I know we’ll play our best at the end because of these kids’ work ethic.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Scarborough was short-changed even more than most teams a year ago, when an already shortened campaign of 10 games was limited six due to COVID complications. It was essentially a lost season, but the program is still in good shape and the Red Storm believe they can compete this winter thanks to a few returning veterans who are bolstered by some promising additions.

MacDonald is a captain and the point guard. He’ll run the show and can score as well. Deniso is the other captain and he’ll be the shooting guard. He’s capable of hitting long-range shots. Simonton, who stands 6-foot-6, is the other returner. He’ll be a force in the post and his presence will be critical considering Scarborough will have to battle some excellent big men this year. Senior forwards Ryan Kelly and Cade Sullivan bring additional leadership and four sophomores project to step right in and help the cause. Brayden Couture is a 6-5 center who will be a menace to opposing offenses. Liam Garriepy can play guard or forward and he has a nice scoring touch. Nate Glidden and Blake Harris add to the depth in the backcourt.

The Red Storm are always competitive under Conley and this winter will be no exception. While South Portland and Thornton Academy are the favorites in the region, by season’s end, Scarborough will also be in the discussion. If this team hits its upside, it could knock off anyone in February and the future is bright as well.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Coach: Mike Giordano (ninth year, 88-57 overall record)

2019-20 record: 12-8 (Lost, 43-36, to Sanford in Class AA South semifinals)
2020-21 record: 0-4 (no postseason, COVID)

Top returning players: Una Djuranovic (Senior), Lindsay Fiorillo (Senior), Elisabeth LeFebvre (Senior)

Pivotal games: Dec. 14 THORNTON ACADEMY, Dec. 23 @ Gorham, Jan. 4 CHEVERUS, Jan. 6 @ Thornton Academy, Jan. 8 @ South Portland, Jan. 14 MASSABESIC, Jan. 17 GORHAM, Jan. 25 @ South Portland, Feb. 8 MASSABESIC

Coach’s comment: “I like my team. They work hard. We’re ahead of where I thought we’d be on the defensive end. I’m pleased with our size. We’re leaning on our three seniors. We’re very young after that. We hope to overachieve. We want to play well at the end of the season and have an opportunity to get to the Civic Center.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Scarborough essentially had a lost season a year ago, as an already shortened season was limited to just four games by COVID complications. This year promises to much better for the Red Storm, who have been very competitive under Giordano.

Djuranovic, Fiorillo and LeFebvre are all returners and captains who bring different skill sets. Djuranovic can play guard and forward and is a strong defender. Fiorillo can hit shots from the wing. LeFebvre, who stands 6-foot-2, will be a force in the post. Freshman Emerson Flaker, who features great speed, will be the point guard. Sophomore Caroline Hartley, who stands 5-10, is another guard to watch.

If some other girls can step up and contribute, Scarborough could be in the mix with favorites like Thornton Academy and Gorham. Look for this squad to make up for lost time and be competitive throughout.

BOYS’ HOCKEY

Coach: Eric Wirsing (first year)

2019-20 record: 15-5-1 (Lost, 2-1, in 2 OT, to Lewiston in Class A state final)
2020-21 record: 2-1 (no postseason, COVID)

Top returning players: Jack Carlista (Senior), Jack Matthews (Senior), Sam Rumelhart (Senior), Thomas Hassett (Junior)

Pivotal games: Dec. 11 ST. DOM’S, Dec. 15 CHEVERUS/YARMOUTH, Dec. 23 EDWARD LITTLE, Jan. 5 CAPE ELIZABETH, Jan. 8 BIDDEFORD, Jan. 20 @ SP/Freeport/Waynflete, Jan. 22 @ Greely, Jan. 27 @ Biddeford, Feb. 10 @ Falmouth, Feb. 12 @ Lewiston, Feb. 19 SP/FREEPORT/WAYNFLETE, Feb. 22 FALMOUTH

Coach’s comment: “We hope to finish in the top half of the league and put ourselves in a competitive position for the playoffs.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Scarborough nearly won the state title two years ago, only got to play three games under coach Dan McGovern in a COVID-shortened campaign last winter and now, welcomes its third coach in three seasons and Wirsing, who played at the University of Southern Maine and previously coached at Cape Elizabeth, York and the University of New England, along with the youth level, has plenty of talent to work with as the Red Storm figure to be among the top teams in Class A yet again.

This winter, Scarborough’s offense will be led by Matthews and Rumelhart, who bring experience, as well as junior Jordan Sheppard and freshman Wyatt Grondin. Defensively, Carlista and Hassett will hold down the fort in front of a pair of capable goalies, senior Chris Lafferty and junior Keegan Weed.

The Red Storm will be tested by the state’s best teams, but will be up for the challenging schedule and should be battle tested by the end of the regular season. Look for another deep playoff run and this year’s squad might just finish the job.

GIRLS’ HOCKEY

Coach: Taylor Fowler (third year, 19-4-2 overall record)

2019-20 record: 16-2-2 (Lost, 3-2, in overtime, to Cape Elizabeth/South Portland/Waynflete in South Region Final)
2020-21 record: 3-2 (no postseason, COVID)

Top returning players: Evelyn Boardman (Senior), Gwen Diaz (Senior), Meagan Donovan (Senior), Ashley Farrington (Senior), Lillian Finley (Senior), Calynn Gendreau (Senior), Morgan Scoville (Senior), Ariella Swett (Senior)

Pivotal games: Dec. 15 @ Lewiston, Dec. 23 CAPE/WAYNFLETE/SP, Dec. 30 LEWISTON, Jan. 8 @ Cheverus, Jan. 10 FALMOUTH, Jan. 23 @ Cape/Waynflete/SP

Coach’s comment: “We have a very small team, 11 skaters, so our goal for the season is to finish every game to the buzzer and improve each day. Also, we want to make sure the nine seniors we have enjoy their season.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Scarborough is small but mighty this winter and when all is said and done, the Red Storm will be one of the last teams standing, like usual.

Scarborough has some goal scorers in Boardman, who scored 13 goals as a sophomore, Farrington, who scored 10 goals and had six assists in 2019-20 and scored four times in five games last winter, and Donovan, who had seven goals and 13 assists two years ago. Gendreau, along with senior Katherine Gross and sophomores Isabella Cosma, Maeve Davis and Jamie Kemper, add offensive depth. Defensively, Diaz, Finley and Scoville will lead the way. All can help out on the offensive end too. Swett returns in goal. She’s one of the top goalies in the state and was named Scarborough’s Winter Athlete of the Year last year. Sophomore Talia Borelli is the goalie of the future and will also see time between the pipes.

Scarborough will have its hands full with the likes of Cape Elizabeth/Waynflete/South Portland and Cheverus, but the Red Storm have enough talent to go head-to-head with and to beat anyone. This will be a team that no one will want to face in February.

INDOOR TRACK

Boys’ coach: Derek Veilleux (17th year, nine state championships)

Girls’ coach: Ron Kelly (25th year, 11 state championships)

2019-20 results: Boys’ Class A state champion (fifth in a row); Girls’ 5th @ Class A state meet
2020-21 results: No season (COVID)

Top returners:

(Boys) Zach Barry (Senior), Noah Batoosingh (Senior), Nick Connolly (Senior), Jayden Flaker (Senior), Justin Liang (Senior), Toby Martin (Senior), Adam Bendetson (Junior), Gavin Cote (Junior), Parker Killiard (Junior), Ian McKeen (Junior)

(Girls) Erin Bresnahan (Senior), Sophie Brooks (Senior), Emma Saraceno (Senior), Caroline Fallona (Junior)

Coach Veilleux’s comment: “We’re looking forward to competing again after only being able to practice last winter. We have an experienced group leading the way and they are hungry to perform at a top level this season and continue the excellence of the program. Our goal is to develop our younger kids and improve with each practice and meet. If we stay healthy, the coaching staff feels we can compete with anyone.”

Coach Kelly’s comment: “We’re a young team looking to improve.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Look for another very successful season from the Scarborough indoor track program this winter.

The only thing that’s been able to dethrone the juggernaut boys’ team was a global pandemic, as the Red Storm weren’t able to vie for a sixth consecutive Class A title last year because of COVID. Now that some normalcy has been restored, look for Scarborough to make another run at the top spot. Barry was third in the mile and fourth in the 800 as a sophomore and after a superb cross country campaign (which saw him named Scarborough’s Fall Athlete of the Year), he’ll look to finish first in his distance events. Bendetson, junior Joseph Cotta and sophomore Ben Bouchard will also be heard from in the longer races. Flaker is a top sprinter and hurdler. As a sophomore, he won the Class A title in the 55 hurdles and was second to his standout brother Jarrett Flaker in the 200. All eyes will be on Flaker this season. He’s joined in the sprints by Batoosingh, Cote, Klliard, Liang, McKeen and sophomores Dylan Brown and Lewis Moynihan. Martin and sophomore John Read are other hurdlers of note. On the field side, Scarborough boasts some strong shot put throwers in Connolly (seventh two years ago), Brown and Liang. Freshman Nate Murray and Cole Tomuschat add depth in the throws. Killiard, McKeen and Read will jump. Martin hopes to score in the pole vault. The Red Storm have some serious challengers this season, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them take home the hardware once more.

On the girls’ side, Brooks and Fallona return in the sprints. Fallona was fourth in the 55 and seventh in the 200 as a freshman and joined Brooks on a runner-up 4×200 relay team in 2020. Junior Julia Black and sophomore Bailey Stoddard-Baugh will be heard from as well in the 400. In the distance events, look for Bresnahan, junior Sofia Tierney, sophomore Kyleigh Record and freshman Rowan Driscoll to be top contenders. On the field side, Saraceno returns in the jumps, senior Darby Stolz, a three-sport athlete, will throw the shot put and sophomore Mary Thornton will compete in the pole vault.

SWIMMING

Coach: Eric French (12th year)

2019-20 results: Boys’ 3rd @ Class A state meet; Girls’ 10th @ Class A state meet
2020-21 results: No season (COVID)

Top returners:

(Boys) Brennan Farvert (Senior), Jack Pillsbury (Senior), Yandy Placeres (Senior), Brendan Amann (Junior), Ethan Schulz (Junior), Evan Wardrop (Junior)

(Girls) Risa Sanders (Senior), Lili Stone (Senior), Iman Ghosheh (Junior)

Coach’s comment: “Our boys’ team lost some key swimmers last season, but we’re ready to finish the job the Class of 2021 started. We are setting our sights for the top. Anything can happen and we’re ready to give it our all. It’s possibly Scarborough’s strongest team yet top to bottom. Strong senior leaders and a freshman class that will be making an instant impact. Any swimmer can fill in and be successful. The girls’ team got hit hard with graduation and with the lack of middle school swimming last year due to COVID, kids haven’t come out for the team. We’re down to 10 girls this year, which is by far the smallest team in my 12 years, but the heart and work ethic has been amazing. The girls are very focused on making states and having a great season. I’m excited to see what we can do. We’re small but mighty.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Scarborough is thrilled to be back in the pool, competing in meaningful meets and the Red Storm hope to excel right through February.

The boys’ squad was nearly championship-caliber two seasons ago and this winter, is primed to take that final step. Schulz is the top returner. As a freshman, he was the Class A champion in the 200 freestyle and placed runner-up in the 100 butterfly. Schulz figures to score a lot of points in the weeks to come. Wardrop was fourth in the backstroke two years ago. He’ll also be a force in the distance freestyle. Amann (sprint freestyle), Farvert (breaststroke and butterfly), Pillsbury (breaststroke and IM) and Placeres (freestyle) are also experienced. Keep an eye also on sophomores Owen Kasper (IM, breaststroke), Max Stillion (distance freestyle) and Ryan Vigue (backstroke, freestyle) and freshman Stephan Ranger (freestyle, backstroke).

On the girls’ side, Ghosheh (freestyle), Sanders (distance freestyle) and Stone (IM, backstroke) will lead the way with freshman Emerson Johnson (freestyle, breaststroke) primed to step right in and make an impact. Scarborough will hold its own in the regular season, as well as at Southwesterns and states.

WRESTLING (co-op with Gorham)

Coaches: Ben Watson (first year)

2019-20 results: No score @ Class A state meet
2020-21 results: No season (COVID)

Top returners: Joseph Kelsen (Senior), Keric Morgan (Senior), Jacob MacMillan (Junior)

Coach’s comment: “My biggest goal for this season was to create a family/team environment. This is the first year that Scarborough and Gorham will compete as a cooperative unit and given that the schools are rivals in other athletic activities, I was concerned that it could be difficult to create an atmosphere where there were no lines of delineation between the team members. This has seemingly taken care of itself. The participants are focused on the task at hand which is wrestling. In just two short weeks, they’ve already begun to jell and it’s been a blessing to watch. Next would be to finish. I want to get through the entire season while retaining all athletes that initially came out for the team and perhaps add a few along the way. I don’t feel that success will be measured in terms of wins and losses this season. Rather, I think the greatest success will be that everyone who began will be here at the end and those who aren’t graduating in 2022, will come back next year and bring a friend. I’d like to see us grow the program in numbers by making the sport appealing and this team a place where student-athletes want to be. I’m very excited for this opportunity and I think if we can increase our size over the next couple seasons, that will be the greatest achievement of all. My last goal is to be a positive influence. Wrestling is hard. It takes a lot of discipline to prepare for and it takes a lot of gusto to walk out on that mat alone, to face an opponent, alone with all eyes on you. As we navigate COVID and the adverse effects it may have had on numerous students throughout the country, it’s my will and pleasure that we can use this season to discover a lot about ourselves. They say, ‘The same hot water that softens the potato, hardens the egg.’ It’s not about the circumstances, it’s what you are made of and I hope that this season, our student-athletes are instilled with confidence and at the end of it all, believe in themselves and their capabilities on and off the mat.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Scarborough, which is a co-op team with Gorham this winter, will feature some athletes capable of doing big things.

Kelsen returns and will wrestle at 195 or 200 pounds. MacMillan (160 or 170) and Morgan (heavyweight) will be heard from as well. Sophomore captain Luke Burns (152 or 160) and classmates Bryce Jackson-Parise (heavyweight) and Miguel Torres (138) are other wrestlers to watch.

Scarborough should show steady improvement and don’t be surprised if a few athletes make their mark in the postseason.

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

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