School districts in Maine have been wrestling with the dilemma, balancing financial concerns with the desire to reward coaches for work they do with student-athletes throughout the year.
Freeport scores after 10 minutes and Fryeburg ties it on a corner after time expires in the half.
She led the Tigers' field hockey team to a Class A state championship by toppling powerhouse Skowhegan, then guided Biddeford to its first-ever playoff victory in girls' lacrosse.
The senior, bound for the University of Michigan, led Falmouth to a second consecutive Class A state championship.
Our team is dominated by juniors and seniors, including three All-America selections.
A free-position goal from Caitlyn Camelio snaps a late tie and sends Falmouth to a 5-3 victory over Kennebunk.
St. Dominic uses just 12 players, but gets eight goals from Avery Lutrzykowski and pulls away from the Lakers to win the championship, 11-8.
The score is identical to last year's Class B state championship game, with Karli Chapin's fifth goal deciding the outcome.
The Yarmouth boys and girls and the Greely boys are looking to make up for overtime losses in the 2018 playoffs.
The top-seeded Rams rely on outstanding defense and goaltending to advance to the state championship game.
Shauna Hancock scores six goals and Katie Keenan adds three to lead the defending state champions to an 11-10 win.
Falmouth returns to the state championship game with a 13-6 victory.
No. 2 Cape Elizabeth never trails in a 10-4 victory over the No. 3 Rangers to set up a state championship rematch with No. 1 Yarmouth, which lost in overtime last spring.
The Clippers are tested by Biddeford, but pull out the win and now look ahead to another matchup with Cape Elizabeth in the state final.
The second-seeded Eagles score the first seven goals on the way to a 10-5 win over No. 3 Portland.
After losing a five-goal lead in the second half, the top-ranked Yachtsmen use a late goal for an 11-10 victory and a spot in the Class A North championship game.
Karli Chapin scores five goals and and Brooke Harvey has three in Cape Elizabeth's win over Waynflete.
The Bulldogs extend their winning streak to 11 games with a 15-5 win in a Class A North quarterfinal.
Softball: Lake Region scores three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to slip past Wells and into the Class B South quarterfinals.
Previously unbeaten Windham never gets possession in overtime after never trailing in regulation.
The Yachtsmen end the regular season by winning a rematch between last season's state finalists.
The Flyers, competing for the final berth in the Class B playoffs, roll to an 11-2 victory against St. Dominic, a contender in Class C.
Baseball: Garrett Tracy gets lots of offense support in a 15-0, five-inning win over Sanford.
The Scots are 8-1 and have built a sustainable program.
This spring she's returned to lacrosse after a two-year absence, and is helping the Mustangs in their quest for a Class A state title.
The Eagles overcome a three-goal deficit in the second half and beat the Mustangs for the first time, 10-9.
Halfway through the regular season, the Eagles' boys and girls teams are both 6-0.
The top-ranked team in Class B overpowers the No. 1 team in Class C, 17-7.
Raegan Kelly comes through as a pitcher and hitter to help the Knights defeat Windham, 4-1.
The No. 1 team in the Class A South Heal point standings improves to 11-0 with a 3-0 victory over Massabesic.
Oliver Leonard pitches a seven-hitter as the Rams improve to 5-1 with a baseball victory.
The Yachtsmen score the final two goals in regulation, then win it with a goal 35 seconds into OT.
Mia Banglmaier gives the Rams a spark in her return from a knee injury, helping her team roll past Greely, 11-4.
These are the most notable girls' lacrosse players in southern Maine entering the season.
Falmouth, the defending Class A champion, returns 17 players from last season.
A one-goal loss in the Class A South final last year ended what had been a perfect spring for the Rams, who have their eyes fixed on a third state title in four years.
Seniors dominate the selections on this year's squad.
The junior led the Yachtsmen to their first state title in program history.
There were fewer blowouts on the schedule, and six schools played for state championships for the first time.
Four goals from Caitlyn Camelio pave the way for Falmouth to win its first state championship, in its first year in Class A.
Emily Healy scores with 42.9 seconds left to give the Capers their first state title.
The top-seeded Lakers rout No. 2 St. Dominic, 19-9.
Massabesic tries to make it back-to-back titles in Class A, while Yarmouth seeks its seventh state championship in Class B.
A capsule look at the girls' final between Lake Region and St. Dom's, and the boys' final between Lincoln Academy and Waynflete.
The Yachtsmen advance to face Massabesic in the state championship game.
The Capers jump to an early lead, never trail and hold off the Rangers down the stretch to secure a date with Yarmouth in the state title game.
The Clippers advance to the state championship game for the sixth year in a row with a 17-10 win over Messalonskee.
The reigning state champions end top-ranked Kennebunk's season with a 10-9 victory.
Charlotte Gastonguay scores six goals for the Saints in a 15-2 semifinal victory.
Rachel Shanks scored five times as the Lakers advance to beat St. Dominic.