BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Coach: Richie Ashley (fourth year, 39-20 overall record)

2023-24 results: 16-4 (Lost, 49-48, in overtime, to Portland in Class AA North semifinals)

Top returning players: Leo McNabb (Senior), Sammy Nzeyimana (Senior), Jameson Fitzpatrick (Junior)

Coach’s comment: “We have a good core back and we’ve had a good start to the season. It’s a very close team. A fun group to be around. Our Achilles’ heel the past two years has been foul shooting and defensive rebounding. We’ve got to take advantage of our opportunities and play our game. We play defense well, we’re explosive and fast. When we do that, we’re tough to play against, but we know that teams will play zone against us to try to slow us down. We’ve knocked and now, we want to break down the door. We have to have the belief that we can get over the hump.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cheverus suffered an agonizing playoff loss to Portland last season, but that shouldn’t overshadow what was the Stags’ best campaign in over a decade. With some special veterans returning and some other key players seeing bigger roles, Cheverus could be primed to be best equipped to end Windham’s title reign.

McNabb was the Class AA North Player of the Year last winter after averaging a region-high 16.4 points per game. McNabb, a captain who plans to play next year at Catholic University in the nation’s capital, also averaged 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals per contest. McNabb (who scored 20 points on Opening Night) can hit shots from the outside and get to the rim. He’ll always be the focal point of the opposition, but few can slow him down. Nzeyimana, a four-year starter, is the point guard. He was an honorable mention all-star last season and will be another top contributor, racing up the floor, setting up teammates and getting to the rim himself. Nzeyimana averaged 5.5 points and 4.3 assists a year ago. Fitzpatrick (8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds per game last winter) is a top post threat. He scored 14 points in the first game. Senior guard/forward Shema Rwaganje was a key contributor off the bench last year and will see even more time this season. He’s also a captain. Sophomores A.J. Lauture and Nicola Plalum also will be heard from down low. The wild card could be senior captain Aaron Goodman, who sparked Cheverus’ dramatic comeback in a 66-60 overtime home win over rival Deering in last Friday’s opener with 11 points. Goodman can hit clutch shots and is never shy about doing the hard work that makes a difference between victory and defeat.

While the Stags are chasing Windham, there are several other top teams in both Class AA North and South to contend with and there will be few easy games. Cheverus welcomes every challenger and knows that a tough regular season slate will pay dividends down the road. After coming so close in recent seasons, the Stags are poised to take the next step. It’s been 14 years since Cheverus has appeared in a regional or state final. If this squad reaches its potential, those droughts could come to an end.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Coach: Billy Goodman (sixth year, 77-15 overall record, two state championships)

2023-24 results: 21-0 (Beat Gorham, 38-24, to win Class AA state championship)

Top returning players: Rachel Feeley (Senior), Anna Goodman (Junior), Rachel LaSalle (Junior), Addison Jordan (Sophomore), Abby Kelly (Sophomore)

Coach’s comment: “We spent a lot of time together over the summer. We need some leaders to step up. We have to be more consistent on offense and we need to rebound because we don’t have much size. Defensively, we have girls who play well and we need to continue that. Every night, we could have different scoring leaders. We just want to keep getting better.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cheverus was a perfect champion a year ago, an end result that was far from certain at the season’s onset. While everything came up in the Stags’ favor last winter, much of that success was due to the brilliance of Miss Maine Basketball winner Maddie Fitzpatrick, the finest player in program history, and Ruth Boles, who emerged as a standout in her own right. That tandem averaged 36 points and 18 rebounds per contest between them. Megan Dearborn was a critical, underappreciated contributor as well. Those top players have departed and while the Stags have a lot of question marks, the answers are in place for another triumphant campaign.

Jordan made the SMAA All-Rookie team as a freshman and is a top defender, averaging 1.5 steals per contest. She’ll look to get more involved on the offensive end, playing guard or forward. Anna Goodman has plenty of big-game experience in basketball and softball and could be a top scoring threat when all is said and done. Feeley, Kelly (a top foul shooter) and LaSalle (1.5 steals per game in 2023-24) are also veterans who can play multiple positions. The arrival of junior Kylie Lamson from Thornton Academy was a huge gift to the program. Lamson, a point guard who can also help fill the offensive void (she was fourth in Class AA South in scoring last season), will run the show. Junior forwards Immaculata Liwanga and Emme Peters and sophomore guards Maddy Nalls and Emilie Umland will look to play key roles as well in the weeks to come.

Cheverus opened its title defense in style with a 59-16 win over Deering, as Lawson debuted in a Stags uniform with 20 points and Goodman added 10. Coach Goodman won his 250th career game in the process. Cheverus’ road to a repeat won’t come easily. Class AA has no shortage of tough teams, including Oxford Hills, Edward Little and Bangor in the North and multiple squads in the South, and there will be a learning curve throughout. The Stags will stumble at times, but by season’s end, they’ll be one of the last teams standing once again and will be difficult to dethrone.

BOYS’ HOCKEY (co-op with Yarmouth)

Coach: Dave St. Pierre (14th year, 139-95-14 overall record)

2023-24 record: 18-2-2 (Beat Camden Hills, 4-3, to win Class B state title)

Top returning players: Brady Martin (Senior), Quinn McCoy (Senior), Owen Walsh (Senior), Johnathan Weinrich (Senior), Colby Carnes (Junior), Ethan Tucker (Junior), Hakon Yeo (Junior), Owen Cheever (Sophomore)

Coach’s comment: “We have some depth, but we have some big shoes to fill. We lost six guys who were our heart and soul. We need to fill their leadership roles. It’ll take time. The boys are aware that they’re wearing the bullseye this year. We hope to stay healthy and have the younger kids grow. Class B South is always tough and it’s a deep league again. We’ll take our lumps, but we’ll grow and be in a position to take a stab at it at the end.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cheverus/Yarmouth has become the model co-op program and after several close calls, it broke through and won an elusive state title last winter. Cheverus/Yarmouth was hard-hit by graduation, as Defenseman of the Year David Swift, league all-stars Andrew Cheever and Ian O’Connor, and Sam Bradford, Evan Hankins and Lucas Soutuyo all departed. The cupboard is far from bare, however, and this squad is poised to steal more headlines.

Offensively, Martin, McCoy (a third-team league all-star last season), Walsh and Yeo (who made the All-Rookie team as a sophomore) will factor into one of the top two lines. Freshman Charles Hughes will be heard from as well. On the blue line, Carnes, the assistant captain, along with Owen Cheever, Weinrich and freshman Griffin Zinman, look to limit the opposition’s chances in front of Tucker, who was a second-team goalie as a sophomore and has plenty of big-game experience. Seniors Brayden Fitch (a transfer from NYA) and Johnny Wallace and freshman Milan Polianchev will also have opportunities between the pipes.

Cheverus/Yarmouth has the pieces in place to do great things again, but it will be a process. For starters, a daunting schedule will test the team on a regular basis. Several players have to get comfortable in either new or more expansive roles and the squad will have to be up for every challenge. Teams like Cape Elizabeth, Gorham, Greely, York and the PLOG (Poland/Leavitt/Oak Hill/Gray-New Gloucester) Kings all hope to end Cheverus/Yarmouth’s reign, but the champions won’t go quietly and if all goes well, they’ll be on the big stage again come March.

GIRLS’ HOCKEY

Coach: Scott Rousseau (ninth year, 116-33-2 overall record, three state championships)

2023-24 results: 18-1 (Beat Yarmouth/Freeport, 4-0, to repeat as state champions)

Top returning players: Lucy Johnson (Senior), Zoey Radford (Senior), Briella Doherty (Junior), Caroline Rousseau (Sophomore)

Coach’s comment: “We’re a completely different hockey team. Sixty percent of last year’s roster is gone. We graduated the best goalie we’ve ever had, a Player of the Year on defense, another All-State defender and our top scorer is now playing at Salem State. No one is going to feel sorry for us. We have three good freshmen who are fitting in and getting comfortable and we have a core of older players who could have played last year on other teams. It’s really hard to win three in a row, but Lucy is one of the best female athletes that the state has ever seen and I didn’t think Caroline would be this good playing forward. She’s a natural defender. We have good leadership and the kids expect to win.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Despite losing some of the finest players in program history to graduation, Cheverus, which includes players from Windham and Medomak Valley, is poised to make a run at another state championship. The Stags will certainly miss the brilliance of departed players like Jaylee Coleman, Maddie Doherty, Lily Johnson, Ella Lemieux and Brynn McKenney, Charlotte Miller and Mikayla Talbot, but the Stags are out to a 3-0-1 start (beating York, Falmouth/Scarborough and the Beacons co-op team by a composite 23-1 score and tying the Gorham co-op, 3-3), suggesting they just might be the team to beat once more.

Once again, the offense will be led by Lucy Johnson (who was just named Miss Maine Field Hockey) and Caroline Rousseau. Johnson, a captain, scored 33 goals and had 13 assists last season and Rousseau had 19 goals and 37 assists in 2023-24. Each standout has scored nine times in the teams’ victories this winter. Juniors Scotlyn Buxton and Ashley Cloutier and freshmen Anna Bowie and Taylor Lucas figure to be involved in the scoring fun as well. Doherty and Radford, a captain, along with sophomore Grace Townsend, are top defenders, who can also get involved on the offensive end. Junior Ellie Skolnekovich, who has won a pair of state titles in field hockey and served as Lemieux’s backup the past two seasons, will be in goal this season. She’ll steal the show from start to finish, signing the national anthem, then turning away scoring threats.

Cheverus figures to have more competition this time around, as there are other formidable teams in South and North regions. Even if the Stags prove mortal over the course of the regular season, their goal is to be at their best in February. Nothing will come easily, but there is still enough firepower on this roster to get this squad to the pinnacle. Again.

INDOOR TRACK

Coach: John Wilkinson (sixth year, one state championship)

2023-24 results:
(Boys) tie-12th @ Class A state meet
(Girls) 4th @ Class A state meet

Top returners:

(Boys) Cash Kellen (Senior), Rocco Deschambault (Junior)
(Girls) Finley Brown (Senior), Grace Alexander (Junior), Stella Hang (Junior), Alaina Holmes (Junior), Lucy Olson (Junior), Paige Alexander (Sophomore), Macey Weisberg (Sophomore)

Coach’s comment: “The girls are the defending conference champions and we return all but one scoring athlete. We have a very deep and athletic team that has only two seniors. Many conference and state meet scorers return a year stronger and more experienced. Staying healthy and injury-free will be the keys to a very good chance at being one of the last teams standing come February.

“We have a very young and inexperienced boys’ team with a heavy upside. A few very athletic newcomers that do not have any track experience, but are key contributors in other sports such as football, soccer and lacrosse, will be fun to watch and develop. Look for the team to have a few individual surprises come championship time.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cheverus-Waynflete is going to be a force to be reckoned with on the track this winter.

The girls’ squad looks to build on last year’s solid performance and there are some big-point athletes ready to make their mark. Weisberg had a breakout season as a freshman, placing runner-up in the 200 and third in the 55 at the Class A state meet. She’ll look to move up even further this year. Holmes will also be in the sprint mix, while Brown will contend in the 400. Waynflete runners Grace Alexander (fifth in the two-mile last season) and Paige Alexander (third in the mile and eighth in the two-mile a year ago) are top distance threats. Olson will be a force in the 800 and sophomore Annabel Kimball is another runner to watch in the distance. Hang hopes to score in the hurdles and in the jumps (she was seventh in the long jump last winter). Sophomore Dylan Walker could be heard from in the jumps as well. The Stags are vying with Portland and Scarborough for top honors in Class A South and will be very formidable both in the league and at states.

On the boys’ side, Kellen hopes to score in the 400 and the relays. Sophomore Jackson Holmes could be a top sprinter. Waynflete senior Pi Crosby hopes to build on his strong cross country season and score in the distance races. Holmes is a jumper of note, while Deschambault and freshman Nicholas Deschambault will compete in the shot put. While Falmouth and South Portland appear to be the favorites, Cheverus expects a season of growth. Some athletes could turn heads at states.

SWIMMING

Coach: Lia Langeveld (second year)

2023-24 results:
(Boys) 14th @ Class A state meet
(Girls) 11th @ Class A state meet

Top returners:

(Boys) Barohn Dockendorf (Senior), Arman Gurcan (Junior), Peter Jones (Junior), Devrim Gurcan (Sophomore)
(Girls) Caoimhe Oliver (Senior), Kali McCarthy (Junior), Anica Hickey (Sophomore), Kimmy Stoddard (Sophomore)

Coach’s comment: “We are still a young, developing team.  The boys’ team is larger this year and should be competitive in meets and the girls’ team has many standout performers. We hope to see a large percentage of the team make individual state cut times.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cheverus’ swim teams look to move into the top 10 this season.

The girls return four swimmers who could threaten to score at states. Hickey swims the individual medley and backstroke, McCarthy will compete in the 200 free and backstroke, Oliver in the 100 butterfly and backstroke and Stoddard in the sprint freestyle. Hickey and Stoddard were part of a seventh-place 200 free relay team a year ago. Freshman Liv Lundy hopes to make a mark in the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.

On the boys’ side, Jones is the top returner. He’s was eighth in the 100 fly last season and hopes to move up. He’ll swim sprint freestyle as well. Also returning are Dockendorf (sprint freestyle, backstroke), Arman Gurcan (IM, breaststroke) and Devrim Gurcan (sprint freestyle). Newcomers of note include sophomores Riley Butler (sprint freestyle, backstroke) and George Gay (distance freestyle) and freshman Timothy Slabbnick-Unser (IM, 100 free).

ALPINE SKIING (co-op w/Falmouth)

Coach: Evan Keefer (first year)

2023-24 results:

(Boys) 13th @ Class A state meet
(Girls) no score @ Class A state meet

Cheverus skiers:
(Girls) Mariella Caiazzo (Freshman), Penelope Knowles (Freshman), Norah Kronenthal (Freshman)

Coach’s comment: “There are several strong teams in Class A, but we tend to focus more on what we’re doing than the teams around us. Ski racing is a sport where you can’t play defense, so we build our season around how we are executing our targets and goals. We can’t stop someone else from having a great race and there are several fantastic racers we’ll come across through the course of the season. We’ll go into the season the same way we did last year. We’ll focus on improving our skiing looking for each athlete to hit technical and tactical targets  through the course of the season. If we do that, have fun, which is the real goal), and enjoy and support our teammates, we’ll be competitive. We have almost the same team as last year and they were a joy to coach on and off the hill.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cheverus joins forces with powerhouse Falmouth this year.

The Stags have three freshmen on the squad and they’ll look to make their mark and develop over the course of the season.

NORDIC SKIING

Coach: George Aponte-Clarke (seventh year)

2023-24 results:
(Boys) 9th @ Class A state meet
(Girls) 3rd @ Class A state meet

Top returners:

(Boys) Logan Whitmarsh (Senior)
(Girls) Anica Hickey (Sophomore), Mary McCartney (Sophomore)

Coach’s comment: “The girls are in a building stage after generating some strong results over the past few seasons, but Anica and Mary are determined skiers who love the sport and give it their all during training and at every race. Logan aims to use his experience and strength of mind, body and heart to bring about a fun and successful season.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cheverus has just three athletes competing in Nordic skiing this year, but all three will be heard from.

Whitmarsh was 17th in the freestyle and 33rd in the classic at states last winter and hopes to move up.

On the girls’ side, Hickey and McCartney hope to post strong results and build toward future success.

WRESTLING (Co-op with Falmouth)

Coach: Jason Barriault (12th year)

2023-24 results: 9th @ Class A state meet

Top returners: Liam Backman (JSenior), Jack Fenton (Senior), Corbin Richter (Senior), Evan Metivier (Junior)

Coach’s comment: “We are setting the bar high for our program this year. We have a strong senior class who not only provides experience, but leads by example to set the tone for a culture of hard work and constant improvement. Class A South is very competitive with a lot of talented teams, but we believe if we can stay healthy and get everyone on weight, our lineup can compete with the top teams in the region. We return four state qualifiers, including a returning state finalist in Metivier, depth to fill the remaining weights and some skilled freshmen coming into the program that will make an impact right away. We always put an emphasis on winning duals and qualifying for the state duals championship throughout the regular season. That won’t change this year. When the individual postseason begins, our plan is to make a run with a handful of medals and hope to find our team right there with the top finishers in the Class A state tournament.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cheverus/Falmouth will be a force on the mat this winter, as both schools feature state title threats.

Top Stags to watch include Metivier (the state runner-up at 215 last winter), Backman (who was fourth in Class A a year ago at 175 pounds), Fenton (132), and Richter (165). Three Cheverus freshmen will look to make their mark as well. That group includes Jacoby Andrews (113), Liam Siana (138) and Damian Skinsacos (113/120).

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

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