Joey Pompeo of Cheverus, center, is one of the state’s best midfielder on a team that has lost one game in the last three seasons. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

1. Cheverus: The defending Class A champions have lost one game in the past three years, and until further notice, all roads go through the Stags. Lucy Johnson is back for her senior year after a 40-goal campaign in which she set the state record for career goals, and she remains the most dangerous player in the state with the ball on her stick and space to work. Joey Pompeo emerged as a sophomore and now as a junior will be one of the state’s best midfielders (easing the graduation of Lily Johnson), Sydney Brunelle, Zoey Radford and Caroline Rousseau are promising forwards, and Ellie Skolnekovich is back in goal. Another key player is senior Lillian Magda, a versatile player who can be plugged in anywhere and flourish in all three areas of the field.

2. Biddeford: Coach Caitlin Tremberth believes this might be the deepest Tigers team she’s had since her 2019 Class A championship squad, and seven players named to the national coaches’ association watch list supports that notion. There are good players everywhere, including leading scorers in Ayla Lagasse (16 goals) and Corinne Ramunno (10), top-level midfielders in Hannah Loranger, Kayla Magnant and Eliza Doyon, and a defensive ace in Cordelia Kane. Eight starters are back, but a big impact will come from incoming freshman forward Mia Mariello, whose mother Kerry coached at Scarborough for 22 seasons and who should be one of the state’s best rookies. Mariah Villandry, an ice hockey goalie, takes over in net. The Tigers stand as the biggest threat to Cheverus’ Class A South reign.

3. Freeport: After winning the Class B championship, the first in program history, the Falcons are perfectly positioned to make a run at another. Freeport graduated just two players and none from the core of last year’s team, and expectations will be high. Emily Groves (47 goals in two years) is back as the top scoring threat, Lizalyn Boudreau may be Class B’s best midfielder, and Reed Proscia, Liza Flower, Sophie Bradford, Anna Maschino and Sydney Gelhar are all back after playing key roles a season ago. Furthermore, Freeport has talented underclassmen vying for starting spots, who will likely get plenty of reps at the end of one-sided games. Freeport could be strong for a while.

4. Gorham: Between Hannah Bickford, Emerson Homa and Brooke Farquhar, the Rams graduated more than 50 goals, so they’re bound to sink in the standings, right? Not so fast. Second-team all-SMAA pick Annabelle Collier was a scoring threat at forward and will slide into the center midfield position, Abby Chamberlain (injured last year) and Reese Leclerc have gotten plenty of reps and should be ready for big roles up front, Sophie Kaczmarek is a three-year starter at midfield, and Kayla McLean and Emily Beal are experienced defenders in front of Madison Tibbals, one of the top goalies in southern Maine. Will the Rams be as explosive as last year? Probably not. Count them out in A South? No way.

5. Sanford: The Spartans have been moving closer to a spot in A South’s top four, and could have the mix to get it done this season. It starts with do-it-all center midfielder Audrey Payeur, a Varsity Maine all-state pick who scored 16 goals with 19 assists, but Sanford also brings back a deep, skilled scoring group led by Zoey McCann, Miah Mondor and Paige Sevigny. The key will be on defense; Sadie Sevigny was a second-team all-SMAA pick at back and Megan Sheppard returns in goal, but the team needs to find depth. This should be a team that scores goals and is a problem for opponents on the attack, and with eight seniors there’s a veteran core leading the way.

6. Windham: After falling below .500 and snagging the last playoff spot in A South, the Eagles are poised for a bounce-back season. The team has a returning all-SMAA forward and true leader in senior Zoe Dries, a player in Ava Gerrity who has the ability to score and distribute, but will instead use her speed and stick skills as a defensive midfielder and stopper, and a potentially dynamic scorer in Abby Trainor, who led in points last year. Windham also returns starters in forward Grace Joly and center back Deanna Cooper, and has new players like defender Belle Stoll, who should contribute right away. The Eagles aren’t deep, and can’t afford the kinds of injuries other teams can absorb. With a clean bill of health, however, this should be a contending team.

7. Yarmouth: The Clippers will have to figure out life without WMC Player of the Year Sophie Smith and her 27 goals, but several key pieces are back from a team that came one goal from a Class B championship appearance. Junior forward Celia Zinman (10 goals, 10 assists) will likely become the top scoring threat, and junior Madison Niles (four goals) and sophomore Erica O’Connor (seven) have also shown they can finish around the cage. In all, seven starters – including senior defenders Zoe Sammon and Harper Featherstone, and junior midfielder Sally McGrath – are back, and several new starters earned valuable minutes in spot starts and junior varsity games last year. Expect the Clippers to be in the mix atop Class B South again.

8. Falmouth: Robin Haley’s Navigators are always in the A South mix, making the playoffs 26 straight seasons. She’ll have a team that should extend that streak this fall. Falmouth saw four players graduate who were all-SMAA picks or honorable mentions, but eight others who started games are back and there are enough reserves from last year’s squad who should be prepared for bigger roles. Senior forward Allie Sweetser and junior midfielder Violet Westburg are club players who will lead the way, and juniors Keira Kelly and Jaelyn Meader, and sophomore Ani Bush will also help form a forward group that should make the Navigators a good offensive team. The defense is newer and will need to come along, and the team will need to bounce back from early injuries.

9. York: Low numbers last year caused the normally pacesetting Wildcats to fall back into the middle of the B South pack, but Coach Barb Marois still got her team above .500 at 8-6-2 and playing its best field hockey late. Now York hopes to build on that and be back on the upswing. The Wildcats’ biggest class last year was their junior class, and now seniors in midfielder Emma Joyce, and backs Sophia Luchette and Lindsay Rivers will lead a returning core also consisting of junior forwards Nya Avery and Bella Santini. Sophomore Sarah Orso will take over in goal, while sophomores Amelia Parks Scully, Chloe Ridley and Taylor McIntire also look to make an impact. The key for York will be finding and developing goal scoring. But one early victory? York’s numbers went up from 16 players to 25 this fall.

10. Massabesic: The Mustangs were 8-7-1 last year and should have the pieces to match or exceed that finish. The key player in the mix is all-SMAA pick Paige Stephenson, a junior who plays an attacking center midfield and who is both a smart distributor of the ball, and a tenacious and energetic defender. Senior Lydia Desrochers adds a steady hand at defensive midfield, Eliza Rogers (nine goals) is a senior who can score and Kenzie Nason adds senior leadership in back. Massabesic will look for contributions throughout the roster as opposed to leaning on production from a few key players, and Coach Katherine Fournier said a key will be players’ versatility, and being able to adapt to whatever positions their skill sets point them toward.