We’ll never forget the thrills of 2023

It was a year that brought a little of everything.

Especially jawdropping athletic displays and all-time great championship teams.

Simply put, 2023 was unforgettable.

With the calendar about to flip to 2024, here’s a look back at the past 12 months of triumph and occasional heartbreak for local high school athletes, coaches and fans.

January

Stevie Walsh’s heroics helped reigning Class B boys’ basketball champion Yarmouth enjoy another strong season. File photos.

The new year arrived with a bang, with many local squads gearing up to make deep playoff runs.

South Portland’s boys’ basketball team, which won the Class AA state title in 2022 after a three-decade drought, again found itself in the title mix in the South region.. In the North, Portland was learning how to win key games, which would serve it well down the road, and Cheverus was also making a playoff push. Falmouth, which had lost in the state final to Cooper Flagg and Nokomis the year before, was clearly the class of Class A South again, but Greely was also in the hunt after winning a state-record eight-overtime game over Fryeburg Academy on the final day of the month. Yarmouth was looking to repeat in Class B, with Cape Elizabeth one of the teams in pursuit. Waynflete was hoping to make noise in Class C South.

On the girls’ side, Cheverus, the reigning Class AA state champion, was leading the way again, despite a loss at Oxford Hills on the 21st, which the Stags avenged 10 days later at home. Scarborough and South Portland were in contention in Class AA South, while reigning Class A South champion Greely, Brunswick and Falmouth were all competitive, as were Freeport and Yarmouth in Class B South and North Yarmouth Academy in Class C South.

On the ice, top boys’ contenders included Brunswick, Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Scarborough and the South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete and Cheverus/Yarmouth co-op teams.

On the girls’ side, Cheverus and the Yarmouth/Freeport co-op teams hinted at big things to come, leading their respective regions and splitting a pair of showdowns, with the Stags prevailing at home Jan. 4 and Yarmouth/Freeport taking care of business on its home ice on the 28th. The Cape Elizabeth/Waynflete/South Portland co-op squad was also in the hunt.

Local swimmers, track and field athletes, wrestlers and skiers were gearing up to make noise at the state championship meets.

February

Falmouth diver Jillian James won another Class A diving title in February.

The month of February saw an abundance of champions crowned.

Wrestling’s states saw Scarborough’s Luke Burns won the Class A championship at 182 pounds and Deering’s Pedro Lombi won a regional crown at 190 pounds before finishing second at states.

Sure enough, Cheverus and Yarmouth/Freeport did battle in the girls’ hockey state game and thanks to three goals from standout Lucy Johnson, the Stags ascended to the pinnacle with a 3-2 victory.

On the track, Scarborough’s boys won another Class A championship, thanks in part to victories from Adam Bendetson in the two-mile, Parker Killiard in the 200 and Nate Murray in the shot put. Other individual champions on the boys’ side included Falmouth’s Miles Gay (Class A 400) and Freeport’s Henry Horne (Class B mile) and Reese Perry (Class B pole vault) and Freeport’s Avery Baker-Schlendering (Class B high jump), Portland’s Samantha Moore in the Class A 800 and the mile and Scarborough’s Caroline Fallona (Class A 55) and Emerson Flaker (Class A 400) on the girls’ side.

Cape Elizabeth’s swim teams again stole the show in Class B, sweeping the state titles. Scarborough’s boys won the Class A championship for the second straight season. Individual champions included Cape Elizabeth’s Cookie Mahoney (girls’ 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle), Cormac McKenney (boys’ 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke), Graham Plourde (boys’ IM), Lucy Shaw (girls’ 200 free), David Steinbrick (boys’ 100 free and 200 free) and Hope Taylor (girls’ 500 free), Falmouth’s Jillian James (girls’ diving) and Katrina Waite (girls’ 50 free and 100 free), Greely’s Audrey Cohen (girls’ 100 breaststroke and 100 fly) and Asa Giffune (boys’ 500 free) and Scarborough’s Ethan Schulz (boys’ 100 free and 200 free) and Evan Wardrop (boys’ 100 backstroke).

The slopes produced championship glory as well, as Falmouth’s girls’ Alpine team and Freeport’s boys’ Alpine squad won Class A and Freeport’s boys’ and girls’ Nordic teams swept Class B. Individually, Cape Elizabeth’s Logan Schwartz won the Class B boys’ Alpine slalom and giant slalom, while Cheverus’ Annabelle Brooks was tops in the girls’ Nordic classic and freestyle in Class A.

As always, the basketball tournament provided thrills throughout. Ultimately, the Brunswick girls and Falmouth, Portland and South Portland boys all survived their respective regions and earned berths in the state finals.

The month ended with the puck set to drop on what would be an entertaining boys’ hockey tournament.

March

Cape Elizabeth’s boys’ hockey team ended a 17-year title drought with a 4-3 win over Messalonskee in the Class B Final.

The month of March saw Cape Elizabeth’s boys’ hockey team ending a 17-year title drought with a 4-3 win over Messalonskee in the Class B state final. The South Portland/Waynflete/Freeport co-op squad upset Falmouth, which was on a 17-game win streak, in the Class A state semifinals, then took an early lead over Thornton Academy in the state game, but the Golden Trojans came back to prevail, 5-3.

Back to basketball, Falmouth’s boys nearly upset favored Brewer in the Class A state game, but its bid fell short by an agonizing point, 42-41. The season then ended with a Class AA showdown between South Portland and Portland, where for the first time in over four decades, the Red Riots went back-to-back, pulling away down the stretch for a 52-42 victory.

On the girls’ side, Brunswick’s bid for a first Class A championship was dashed by Lawrence in a 58-43 defeat.

April and May

Cheverus’ Brian Connolly had a strong baseball season and led the Stags to the playoffs.

The spring sports regular season saw area teams contend in everything.

On the diamond, Class A South baseball saw Falmouth, South Portland and Scarborough play so well that they wound up the three top seeds in the region. Cheverus also made it to the postseason. In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth and Yarmouth held the top two spots and were on a collision course, while reigning regional champion Freeport and Greely also lurked. The NYA/Waynflete co-op team enjoyed another terrific season in Class C South.

Turning to softball, Scarborough, Cheverus and the South Portland/Westbrook co-op team were all playoff-bound in Class A South, while in Class B South, Greely and Yarmouth made it to the postseason.

Lacrosse has long been a Forecaster Country specialty and 2023 was no difference.

In Class A, reigning boys’ champion Cape Elizabeth was once again steamrolled the opposition, en route to a perfect regular season. Hot on the Capers’ heels were Falmouth and South Portland. Portland, Scarborough and Deering also earned trips to the postseason. In Class B, reigning champion Brunswick, along with Yarmouth and Greely, were among the contenders. Two-time state champion Waynflete and rival NYA once again led the way in Class C with Freeport also in the hunt.

On the girls’ side, Yarmouth and Falmouth again were chasing perennial powerhouse Kennebunk in Class A. Portland, Cheverus, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth were also playoff-bound. In Class B, reigning champion Greely was the clear favorite, but the Rangers were being pursued by Brunswick. Freeport, reigning champion NYA and Waynflete were the class of Class C.

The tennis team tournament and the outdoor track state meet were just around the corner.

June

Liam Anderson and his Waynflete boys’ lacrosse teammates celebrated their third straight Class C title in June.

Spring sports coronations began the first Saturday of June with outdoor track, as Brunswick’s boys captured the Class A state title.

There were an abundance of individual champions, a list which included Falmouth’s Judd Armstrong (Class A boys’ high jump) and Miles Gay (Class B boys’ 400), Freeport’s Avery Baker-Schlendering (Class B girls’ high jump) and Henry Horne (Class B boys’ 800, mile and two-mile), NYA’s Sarah Moore (Class C girls’ high jump and long jump), Portland’s Anneliese Collin (Class A girls’ high jump) and Samantha Moore (Class A girls’ 800 and mile), Scarbroough’s Wyatt Martin (Class A boys’ pole vault) and Yarmouth’s Abby Noble (Class B girls’ 100 and 200)>

Xander Barber won the boys’ individual tennis state title, then led Falmouth to the Class A championship. Yarmouth’s boys and Greely’s girls won in Class B, while the Waynflete continued their mindboggling run of hardware, capturing Class C for the 15th straight season.

On the diamond, South Portland reached the Class A state final, then won a second championship in three seasons by virtue of a 5-0 victory over Edward Little. In Class B, Yarmouth reached the final game for the first time in six years, then fell one run short in a loss to Old Town.

Softball saw NYA, which didn’t even field a varsity team in 2022, surge to the first title in program history, edging Searsport in the regional final before defeating Machias in a rain-delayed state game.

Four local lacrosse teams wound up bringing home hardware.

Greely’s girls’ lacrosse team celebrated a repeat state title in dominant fashion.

Greely started things off by dominating Brunswick in the Class B girls’ game, 14-2. Freeport’s girls then won Class C for the first time ever, holding off NYA, 9-7.

Waynflete’s boys made it three titles in a row with a surprisingly easy 14-6 victory over NYA, then Cape Elizabeth three-peated as well, dominating South Portland, 17-6, to complete a best-ever 17-0 campaign.

July and August

High school sports were on hiatus for much of the summer before beginning again with fall practices in mid-August.

September

This fall in girls’ soccer, there was Scarborough senior Lana Djuranovic, then there was everyone else. Djuranovic scored goals in every game she took part and led the Red Storm to a repeat Class A state title.

A fantastic fall season saw local schools excel across the board.

On the gridiron, Portland opened with a breathtaking win at Thornton Academy and emerged as the favorite in Class A North. Deering shot to a stunning 3-0 start, its best in years, in Class B South. Freeport was a contender in Class D South, while Yarmouth hoped to repeat in the eight-man large school division, with a school next door priming to steal its thunder.

Soccer boasted an abundance of title contenders, from the Brunswick, Cape Elizabeth, Deering, Falmouth, Greely, Portland, Scarborough, Waynflete and Yarmouth boys to the Brunswick, Cape Elizabeth, Cheverus, Falmouth, Freeport, Greely NYA, Scarborough, Waynflete and Yarmouth girls.

Cheverus’ field hockey team, still staggering from its stunning loss to Skowhegan in the 2022 Class A state final, surged out of the gate again and behind top scorer Lucy Johnson, crushed all foes. Yarmouth upset reigning Class B South champion Freeport in the opener and the rivals would jockey all season long for the top spot in the region. Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Greely and Scarborough were also in contention.

Yarmouth’s four-time Class B volleyball champion got off to a slow start and appeared mortal, while Greely was back in the upper echelon, along with Scarborough and Deering in in Class A. Cross country boasted some terrific individual talent, while local golfers geared up for the upcoming state match.

October

Yarmouth’s bruising senior running back Michael McGonagle was unstoppable for much of the season, leading the reigning eight-man large school champion Clippers back to the playoffs.

The first fall sport to bestow hardware was golf, where Falmouth won the Class A title. Freeport’s Eli Spaulding was the top individual in Class B, for the third year in a row, while Maddy Prokopius of NYA, won the Class C girls’ crown.

Volleyball was next, where Yarmouth completed a late-season surge with a 3-1 victory over Washington Academy to make it five consecutive Class B titles. Scarborough upset Biddeord in an epic Class A semifinal, but was beaten, 3-1 Gorham in the state final.

On the 25th of the month, Cheverus’ Lucy Johnson scored the 112th goal of her epic career to lead the Stags past Massabesic in the quarterfinals and she wasn’t done yet. That evening, with playoff action in full swing elsewhere in field hockey and soccer, high school sports came to a momentary halt after a gunman took 18 lives in a mass shooting in Lewiston.

November

Cheverus junior Lucy Johnson set a new state scoring record before leading the Stags to the Class A state championship.

There were no shortage of thrillers in the championship-heavy month of November.

The cross country state meet got pushed back a week to the 4th, where the Portland boys made history, winning Class A for the first time in 45 years, while Portland’s Samantha Moore was the Class A girls’ individual champ. Freeport’s boys won another crown in Class B.

In Lewiston, another Freeport team ascended to the pinnacle as well, field hockey, for the first time, as the Falcons took an early two-goal lead and held off seemingly non-stop penalty corners from Cony in the second half to prevail, 2-0. In Class A, Cheverus got another shot at Skowhegan and earned a sweet taste of revenge, as Johnson’s goal, with just under a minute left, produced a therapeutic and palpitating 2-1 win.

A week later, soccer produced some familiar champions.

Scarborough’s girls won Class A for a second year in a row, as Djuranovic bowed out with one goal to put the Red Storm ahead to stay in a victory over Bangor. Deering’s boys got to states for the first time, but lost in overtime to Lewiston, 3-2. In Class B, for the second consecutive season, Yarmouth swept the crowns, with the girls blanking Ellsworth, 2-0, and the boys making it four straight with a 7-0 victory over John Bapst. Waynflete’s four-year run on the boys’ side ended with a semifinal round loss to eventual champion Mt. Abram, but the Flyers girls were able to bring home the Gold Ball for the first time, surviving Fort Kent in penalty kicks, 1-0.

Portland and Greely’s football teams then brought the curtain down on the fall sports season by reaching the state final.

The Rangers, who went winless in 2022, then started 1-3 this fall, surged late and knocked off Mt. Ararat and Brunswick to get to the large school state final, but the dream ended there with a 28-0 loss to Mt. Desert Island.

Portland, which moved up from Class B to Class A, took an undefeated record into the state game against Thornton Academy, but despite leading at halftime, the Bulldogs fell short, 24-14.

December

Senior Maddie Fitzpatrick has Cheverus on track for another superb season this winter.

Now, we’re on the brink of saying goodbye to 2023 as another winter sports season is in full swing.

Cheverus, Falmouth, Freeport, Portland, Scarborough, Waynflete and Yarmouth’s boys’ basketball teams look good in the early going, and don’t sleep on Deering, Greely or South Portland, while the Cheverus girls appear primed to return to championship form, with Freeport, Greely, NYA, Scarborough and Yarmouth also in contention.

Boys’ and girls’ hockey will feature multiple local contenders and it’s going to be a strong season in track, swimming, wrestling and skiing.

Again.

That’s because the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Triumphant.

Happy New Year, everyone!