Some of us are planning our final camping trips of the summer. A few of us will take another week or two of summer vacation. And still others are making plans for a Labor Day bash with family and friends. But since Monday morning, your local high school athlete now has only one thing on his or her mind – the fall sports season.
The Maine Principals’ Association always sets a date for when high school sports teams are allowed to officially practice together and begin their seasons. And Monday, Aug. 13, marked the opening to the 2007 fall sports season for most Maine high schools.
Young athletes from Scarborough, South Portland and Cape Elizabeth have all been busy this week preparing for the upcoming autumn campaigns. Some of the teams will be looking to improve on last year’s performance while others will try to defend league, regional and state championships.
The Scarborough and South Portland football teams were both winless a year ago. The Red Storm and the Red Riots will certainly look to get back in the win column and the playoff hunt. Meanwhile, the Cape Elizabeth football team has established itself as a power in the Western Maine Class B ranks. The Capers reached the regional final in 2006 before falling to the eventual state champions from Mountain Valley.
Scarborough’s boy soccer team went 13-0-1 last fall to earn the second seed in the West A tourney and the Red Storm marched through regional play and reached the state final where they were beaten by Bangor. Cape Elizabeth got to the West A semifinals where they were knocked out by Scarborough.
The Red Storm girls soccer team went 11-2-1 during the regular season and they reached the regional final before falling to Gorham. South Portland’s girls finished 9-6-1 overall after a prelim win against Thornton and a quarterfinal loss to Gorham. And Cape ended the year at 5-6-4 with a prelim loss to Windham.
Last fall, the Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth boys cross country teams won their respective Class A and Class B state championships. It was the third straight state crown for the Scarborough boys and the second straight state title for the Capers.
After winning the 2005 Class B state championship, the Cape Elizabeth girls took the runner-up spot last year.
The 2006 Scarborough and South Portland field hockey teams both made it into the West A quarterfinals before getting bumped from the tourney. And the Cape Elizabeth field hockey squad ended the year with a West B prelim loss at Wells.
The Cape Elizabeth golf team went 8-2 and the Scarborough golf team went 7-3 as both squads enjoyed successful seasons.
And Scarborough’s volleyball team went 11-3 during the regular season before falling in the regional semifinals to Cony.
The fall sports seasons officially get underway Friday, Aug. 31, with seemingly every team in every sport in action on that day.
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