Winthrop field hockey players Maddie Perkins, left, and Carolin Corgan run along the fence in front of fans after winning the Class C state championship on Nov. 6 at Cony High’s Fuller Field in Augusta. Perkins will be among the players participating in the McNally Senior All-Star game Saturday at Thornton Academy in Saco. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

The field hockey futures are finalized for Gracie Moore, Francesca Caccamo and Maddie Perkins, who all will be the game collegiately in the fall.

Before then, however, comes another opportunity to compete against some of the best Maine has to offer in the Moe McNalley Senior All-Star game.

The game, which will feature 40 players from around the state, is Saturday at 12 p.m. at Dr. Paul S. Hill Stadium on the campus of Thornton Academy in Saco.

Moore and Caccamo were selected for the North team, along with Eva Stevens of Mt. Blue, Alaina Lambert of Winslow and Leah Pushard of Gardiner. Perkins was selected as a member of the South team, along with Averi Baker of Hall-Dale.

Theresa Hendrix (Cheverus), Wanda Ward McLean (Leavitt) and Sharon Coulton (Winthrop) will coach the South team, while Paula Doughty (Skowhegan), Courtney Lanham (Old Town) and Nancy Hughes (Maine Central Institute) will coach the North. Each player was also selected to the 2021 Maine Field Hockey Association All-State team.

“It’s nice to have it again, it’s been a few years (because of the COVID-19 pandemic),” Coulton said. “We don’t have any kind of a practice scheduled (for the game) or anything like that. Everybody just shows up and then we put them out on the field.”

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The game is part of the 13th Maine Field Hockey Festival, with 31 teams playing 30-minute 7-on-7 games from 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m.

“It’s fun,” Coulton added. “It gives the kids a chance to go out and play against their peers. It’s really nice that it’s part of the Maine Field Hockey Association Field Hockey Festival, so that all the current players can have a chance to cheer on the girls from their school and, hopefully, see some great examples of play out there.”

Moore — who will play on an athletic scholarship for Division II Bentley University in the fall — led MCI with a school record 40 goals last season. The Huskies finished 15-2, falling 3-2 to Winthrop in the Class C championship game.

“It was exciting (to be selected),” said Moore, who will not be able to play due to a schedule conflict. “It’s sad that I can’t play, but just being picked is pretty cool… It’s a really amazing feeling. I never really knew if I’d get (to go on and play college field hockey). Now that it’s there, it’s really cool and all the hard work is really paying off.”

Perkins, who scored the deciding goal for the Ramblers in the Class C title game, will play at Husson University in Bangor in the fall. She scored 33 goals and added 22 assists for Winthrop last fall, becoming the school’s all time leading scorer with 81 goals. To top it off, her No. 11 jersey was retired by the school in the spring.

“I was excited (about the jersey retirement),” Perkins said. “I was surprised, I had no idea about it, and then it got announced at our class night. I got a jersey and everything. It was pretty exciting. It’s crazy.”

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Messalonskee’s Francesca Caccamo, right, defends against Lewiston’s Allison Lavallee during the first half of an Oct. 26 game in Lewiston. Caccamo will participate in the McNally Senior All-Star game on Saturday in Saco. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Perkins added that knowing that she’ll be playing in college allows her to enjoy the McNally game, knowing it won’t be the last time she steps on the field.

“It’s not going to be the end of the world if I have a bad day or anything, because I know I’ll playing again,” Perkins said.

Caccamo, who led the Eagles to an 11-6 mark and a trip to the Class A North semifinals in the fall, will continue her career at the University of New England. She also plans to play for the women’s hockey team at UNE.

“I’m very excited,” said Caccamo, who also played in the Maine Lacrosse Senior All-Star game last month. “Field hockey has always been one of my favorites to play out of all my sports, so I’m pretty excited to get the opportunity to play again this summer.

“It’s motivating (to play against the best seniors in the state). Playing my senior year, we always played good teams. But now, it’s a lot bigger. It’s the best of the best, so each team is going to have really good players. I think it’s going to be really cool to see how everyone (measures up) to that.”

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