CARLEY IANNETTA, Senior– Golf

Courtesy Falmouth Athletics.

• Class A girls’ state champion
* SMAA all-star

Iannetta’s season and high school career had the perfect ending, as she captured the Class A state championship with a superb performance.

Iannetta, who has also played tennis in high school, first made a run at a girls’ state title as a sophomore, when she shot an 18-hole round of 93 and placed fourth. As a junior, she produced a round of 87, but that left her third.

This season, after strong performances at the Maine Junior Championships and Maine Women’s Amateur over the summer, Iannetta ascended to the top spot. She went 6-1-1 during the regular season with a scoring average of 41 over nine holes. She tied for second at the girls’ state qualifier, then shot an 82 at states, five strokes better than her closest competition to bring home the trophy.

“It’s great,” said Iannetta, after becoming Falmouth’s first individual girls’ champion. “I’ve been playing for three years here for states and I’ve always been close. This year, I got it done, somehow. It just worked out. I was just like ‘It’s my last round of high school golf, let’s try to have fun today.’”

“To finally win after many close calls was a fitting end to her high school career,” said Navigators coach A.J. Simokaitis.

Carley Iannetta, Falmouth’s Fall Athlete of the Year, had a lot of fun during her high school golf career, never more so than on her final day, when she put it all together and made history.

Coach AJ Simokaitis’ comment: “Carley has been a tremendous addition to our program. She has put in so much time and effort into continually improving her game. To be able to have the dedication and energy to put in the work is a testament to her love for the game. Over her four years with the program, she has grown into a true leader of the group and it has been a privilege to have been her coach, but most importantly, it’s the person she is off the golf course combined with her passion for the game that makes her so special. Her senior project focused on growing the game for junior girls, by hosting two girls golf clinics/get togethers. In doing so, she was able to introduce this great game to 40 young girls here in Southern Maine.”

Andree Kehn / Sun Journal

Prior winners:
• 2023 Mallory Kerr (soccer)
* 2022 Valerie Rand (field hockey)
* 2021 Jordan Wolf (soccer)
* 2020 Sofie Matson (cross country)
• 2019 Sofie Matson (cross country)
• 2018 Liberty Ladd (field hockey)
• 2017 Sofie Matson (cross country)
• 2016 Malaika Pasch (cross country)
• 2015 Sydney Bell (field hockey)
• 2014 Elle Fitzgerald (field hockey)
• 2013 Riley Burfeind (volleyball)
• 2012 Cassie Darrow (soccer)
• 2011 Caitlin Bucksbaum (soccer)
• 2010 Kate Sparks (volleyball)
• 2009 Emma Wilberg (volleyball)
• 2008 Nicole Foley (field hockey)
• 2007 Maddie Grygiel (cross country)
• 2006 Emily Bowden (field hockey)
• 2005 Riley Haddock (field hockey)
• 2004 Riley Haddock (field hockey)
• 2003 Hannah Millick (field hockey)
• 2002 Ali Hollowell (field hockey)
• 2001 Whitney Huse (soccer)

TRES WALKER, Junior – Football

Courtesy Falmouth Athletics.

• Class B North, offense, first-team

Walker was brilliant for a team that produced the finest season in its history and after guiding the Navigators to the pinnacle, Walker is just beginning to get recognized for being one of the state’s elite signal callers.

Walker was the backup as a freshman, then became the starter as a sophomore, while being named a captain in the process. He helped Falmouth battle through a challenging campaign, one which included just two victories.

Everything came up roses this fall, however, as Spencer Emerson took over the program, the Navigators became a defensive juggernaut and on offense, Walker and company were close to unstoppable as they didn’t lose a single game.

During the regular season, Walker completed 70 percent of his passes, good for 1,452 yards, 21 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

Highlights included 102 passing yards and a touchdown in a season-opening win over Cheverus, 10-of-12 passing, good for 217 yards and a whopping five touchdowns in a victory over Skowhegan, two clutch touchdown passes in a come-from-behind win over eventual Class C champion Fryeburg Academy, 325 yards and a season-high five TD throws in a victory at Mt. Blue, 19 completions, 172 yards and a touchdown in a win over Gardiner, 150 yards and four TD passes in a victory over Lawrence and 186 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Messalonskee.

Walker was sensational in the postseason as well. In a semifinal round victory over Messalonskee, he went 7-of-11 for 136 yards with two touchdowns and he ran for a score as well. In a regional final win over Lawrence, he completed 11-of-16 passes for 144 yards with three scores. Then, Walker directed Falmouth to its first championship, beating Kennebunk, 26-13, behind 12-of-15 passing for 167 yards with a score.

“I still don’t believe it,” Walker said. “It’s so enjoyable. So many emotions are going through me. It’s just hard work. We pushed together and every step of the way, it was one rep at a time, one game at a time and that’s how we got here.”

For the season, Walker completed 70.1 percent of his throws for 1,899 yards, 27 TDs, four interceptions and a superb 137.45 rating.

“People don’t talk about Tres Walker, but when you look at the film, I’d make the case he’s the best quarterback in Maine,” Emerson said.

Best of all, Walker still has one more season to turn heads at the high school level and gain the attention of college scouts.

Keep an eye on Tres Walker, Falmouth’s Fall Athlete of the Year. His future is bright and his present is pretty darn impressive as well.

Coach Spencer Emerson’s comment: “Tres was phenomenal this season, and frankly, somehow, he went under the radar. Tres means the world to our program because he is the one who is responsible for controlling and leading our offense. We run a spread offense with over 20 formations with a lot of variations in the pass concepts. We run (run-pass options) where he needs to make a split second decision, and we throw the ball long, short and intermediate. Tres made all of the throws and really progressed mentally throughout the season. In his first year in this offense, he thrived. This is a nuances playbook and Tres is asked to do the same things I asked of my QBs at the University of Chicago. He handled it all very well and I purposely was harder on him than other players because I knew the standard that the QB needed to play at for us to be successful. Ultimately, he met that standard and allowed us to go 11-0 and win the state title. He is only a junior and I’m confident he’ll continue his mastery of this offense and be even better in 2025. And if he is better than he was this year, it will be impossible for people to bring up top QBs in Maine and not bring up Tres Walker.”

Courtesy Spencer Emerson.

Prior winners:

• 2023 Johnny Hwang (golf)
* 2022 Finn Caxton-Smith (football)
* 2021 Mason Farr (soccer)
* 2020 Ben Greene (cross country)
• 2019 Gus Ford (soccer)
• 2018 Riley Reed (football)
• 2017 Jack Bryant (football)
• 2016 Jeremiah Sands (cross country)
• 2015 Connor Aube (football)
• 2014 Bryce Murdick (cross country)
• 2013 Joe Lesniak (golf)
• 2012 J.P. White (soccer)
• 2011 Andrew Murry (soccer)
• 2010 Tim Follo (cross country)
• 2009 Gabe Hoffman-Johnson (soccer)
• 2008 Gabe Hoffman-Johnson (soccer)
• 2007 Jack Wyman (golf)
• 2006 Nick Ford (football)
• 2005 Adam Packard (golf)
• 2004 Connor Hollowell (soccer)
• 2003 Jimmy Velas (soccer)
• 2002 Brandon Bonsey (cross country)
• 2001 Brian Giggey (golf)

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.