BOYS’ TEAM

DAVID COUSINS – Yarmouth golf

Cousins

When you do something for the first time, you deserve attention and accolades.

Yarmouth’s golf team has been very competitive over the years but, prior to October, had never won a state championship. Then, the Clippers did exactly that, earning plenty of attention in the process and after guiding Yarmouth somewhere it had never been, coach David Cousins earned the accolades, and as a result, after molding a championship team, David Cousins gets The Forecaster’s nod as our Northern edition boys’ team Fall Coach of the Year.

Cousins, best known as a one-time basketball standout, has served as the Yarmouth girls’ basketball coach the past three seasons. He took over the golf program in 2020 and led the Clippers to a runner-up finish at the Class B state match.

This fall, Yarmouth was even better, shooting a superb team score of 322 at states, easily defeating runner-up Leavitt by 16 strokes. The Clippers were led by Andrew Cheever, who shot a 77. Nate Hagedorn (79), Quinn Federle (81) and Sebastian Martinez (85) also had stellar rounds.

“I know this state title means so much for the golfers, as they are well aware that the success of golf at YHS has been limited,” Cousins said. “This is just a fantastic group of young men and I could not be more proud of them. This is a very young squad that showed maturity during every challenge.”

With a lot of talent returning, don’t be surprised if excellence becomes the norm for Yarmouth’s golf program. With David Cousins, our Northern edition boys’ team Fall Coach of the Year, leading the way, the Clippers have a very bright future.

Prior winners:

• 2020 Jason Ouellette (Freeport golf)
• 2019 Dave Halligan (Falmouth soccer)
• 2018 Martyn Keen (NYA soccer)
• 2017 Mike Hagerty (Yarmouth soccer)
• 2016 Paul St. Pierre (Freeport football)
• 2015 David Higgins (Greely football)
• 2014 Brian Berkemeyer (Freeport cross country)
• 2013 Mike Andreasen (Greely soccer)
• 2012 Dave Halligan (Falmouth soccer)
• 2011 Spike Herrick (Falmouth golf)
• 2010 David Higgins (Greely football)
• 2009 Jim Hartman (Yarmouth football)
• 2008 Mike Hagerty (Yarmouth soccer)
• 2007 Mike Andreasen (Greely soccer)
• 2006 Dave Halligan (Falmouth soccer)
• 2005 Joe Heathco (Freeport soccer)
• 2004 Mike Hagerty (Yarmouth soccer)
• 2003 Dave Halligan (Falmouth soccer)
• 2002 Bob Gilman (Falmouth cross country)
• 2001 Mark Luthe (Falmouth golf)

GIRLS’ TEAM

RICKY DOYON – North Yarmouth Academy soccer

Doyon

North Yarmouth Academy’s girls’ soccer team didn’t just go undefeated and win a third straight Class D state championship this fall. The Panthers proved they were one of the state’s finest squads regardless of class, and this edition might very well have been the best in program history.

Making this story even better is the fact that as recently as 2016, NYA didn’t field a varsity team. The Panthers’ rapid return to glory is due to some superb players, but also to the dedication of Coach Ricky Doyon.

For his commitment to returning NYA to prominence and for producing this year’s masterpiece, Ricky Doyon is The Forecaster’s selection for our Northern edition Fall Coach of the Year of a girls’ team.

The Panthers won Class D in both 2018 and 2019 and a year ago, would have had a great shot to win again, but they were limited to an eight-game schedule (winning six of them), which was abbreviated due to COVID.

This fall, however, nothing was going to stop NYA and it rolled to a 13-0-1 mark, with the only blemish a 1-1 draw at Class B power Yarmouth, a game the Panthers had ample chances to win. NYA outscored the opposition, 83-4, during the regular season and the regional playoffs were more of the same, as the Panthers handled St. Dom’s (7-1), Richmond (5-0) and Rangeley (7-0) and after a long trip to the County, NYA blanked Wisdom (3-0) to capture another Gold Ball in overwhelming fashion.

“I’m not sure how to adequately label this team other than that they are a special group,” Doyon said. “The girls always played as a team and got the job done. We didn’t have any player who felt that she was the best player on the team. This team is comprised of pure athletes who had the same mission, to defend the 2019 title.”

NYA is far from done and with Ricky Doyon, our Northern edition girls’ team Fall Coach of the Year, leading the way, more hardware is imminent.

Prior winners:

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

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