GORHAM
Football
Coach: Dave Kilborn
Last year: The Rams reached the Class A state championship game in just their second year of Class A play.
Players to watch: Seniors – Duncan Allen, Isaac Barnes, Kevin Boucher, Shawn Connolly, Matt Doak, Scott Ekin, Aaron Gile, Jonathan Gomez, Daniel Hanson, Mike King, Eric Lewis, Ryan McMullen, Ilunga Mutombo, Evan Nash, Travis Plowman, Nate Sturgis, Justin Towle, Justin Villacci, and Michael Walrath; juniors – Frank Didonato, Tyler Hillman, Kyle Irish, Ryan Junkins, Clayton Lubier, Michael Mathews, TJ Mathieu, Lucas Merrifield, Ben Moody, Derek Nelson, Ron Verrill, Carson Walker and Doug Woods.
Outlook: With a number of players returning from last year’s squad, the Rams are again considered one of the favorites in Western Maine Class A. They opened this season with a win at South Portland and then shut down Portland for a 36-0 victory last week. The Rams have a big test at Deering (2-0) this Friday. The last time these two teams met was in the West A regional championship game in 2006.
“We need to play team football. Everyone needs to do their assignments,” said Kilborn, who emphasized that the players must take care of all the basics to be successful again this season.
Field hockey
Coach: Amber Hatch
Last year: The Rams went 15-1-1 in 2006 and they reached the Class A state championship game before falling to Skowhegan.
Players to watch: Seniors Kate Bowring at sweeper, forwards Corey Perkins and Leigh Maniscalco, and Monique King in the midfield all bring composure, skill and experience to the team. Juniors Melanie Hallsworth and Ellen Footer on the front line will likely be the Rams’ top goal scorers. And sophomores Hannah Prince at center-mid and Kayleigh Ballantyne at wing are both standouts.
Outlook: “We need to work hard to maintain a positive team chemistry, which feeds our passion for the game and our determination to give our best each day,” said Hatch. “We need to prepare for some of the considerable challenges through the regular season in a league which promises to be stronger all around. We also need to stay healthy and get our young players ready to step up in pressure situations.”
The Rams will be among the top teams in the region and they could find themselves going deep into the tourney once again.
“We would certainly like another shot at the state title and will need to keep honing our skills through each week to put ourselves in that position,” added Hatch. “But more importantly, we want to be able to walk off the field each day feeling proud of our effort and lucky to be a part of this team.”
Boys soccer
Coach: Tim King
Last year: The Rams were the top-ranked team in Western Maine Class A entering the tournament. Fifth-seeded Westbrook upset the Rams in the regional semifinals.
Players to watch: Seniors – Jonathan Ackerwolfhagen, Andrew Arena, Alex Chase, Kyle Donaldson, Justin Earley, Mike Greatorex, Joel Mundy, Isaac Pease and Zachary Stover; juniors – Christopher Esposito, Brandon Patten, Billy Sutherland, Luke Van de Krol, and David Warren.
Outlook: Gorham is 3-1 already this season and they will again be a factor when the post-season rolls around. The Rams have knocked off Deering, South Portland, and Marshwood and they dropped a 2-1 decision to the defending regional champs from Scarborough.
Joel Mundy leads the team with five goals scored so far this year. And Brandon Patten and Zach Stover both scored a pair of goals in the win over Marshwood.
The Rams have a nice combination of offense and defense with athletic players at both ends of the field. Look for the Rams to be among the top teams again this year.
Girls soccer
Coach: Jeanne Zarrilli
Last year: Went undefeated and won the Class A state championship.
Players to watch: Seniors – Katie Bem, Samantha Owens, Luci Pike, and Katie Zarrilli; juniors – Nicole Belhumeur, Rachael Burns, Caitlin Caldwell, Molly Folan, Amy Hodgkins, Ashley Martin, Samantha Martin, Aimee St. Germain, and Taylor Sullivan.
Outlook: Every team wants to beat the three-time defending state champions and every team wants to be the team that stops an unbeaten streak, which now stretches back to early 2005. Zarrilli knows this and she knows her players need to be at their best in each and every game if they’re going to contend for another state title.
The Rams won the Class B crown in 2004 and they’ve added Class A titles in 2005 and 2006 and it appears they might add another championship this season. They are 3-0 this year with wins against Deering, Scarborough and South Portland and it appears there are only a handful of teams who have a legitimate chance at knocking them off.
Gorham’s forwards are speedy and skilled, their midfield is quick and steady and their defense is always in the right spot at the right time.
The Rams still have to play Windham (3-0), Cheverus (3-0) and Portland (3-1) later this season.
Cross country
Coach: John Wilkinson (boys) is in his 22nd year and Kevin Jenkins (girls) is in his third year.
Last year: Boys finished fifth at the Class A state meet and the girls narrowly missed qualifying for the state meet.
Runners to watch: Key returning runners for the boys include seniors Brian Jenkins and Jimmy Moody; juniors Rob Marean, Joey Dalfonso, and Luke Seiferth; sophomores Alex Graves, Jon Foster, and Luke Tanguay. Top newcomers for the boys include seniors Matt McCullough, Nick Hodgkin, and Adolf Garrick; and freshmen Andy Turner, Jeremy Earl, Willie Ross, and Logan Marshall.
Key returning runners for the girls include seniors Liz Demski, Katie Foster, Jen Kovats, and Lindsey Tremblay; juniors Mia McGill, Annie King, and Lauren Cunningham; and sophomores Rachel Wilkinson and Kelsey Rex. Top newcomers for the girls include juniors Sarah McCullough and Julia Parmakian; sophomore Solange Carpenter; and freshmen Allison Mathews, Jenny Thuotte, Jordan Cunningham, Sarah Henderson, and Kenzie Tippets.
Outlook: The boys team has good numbers with 24 runners on the squad and many strong runners in the sophomore and freshmen classes. Cheverus, Scarborough, Portland, Deering, and Thornton look strong. And the goal for the Gorham boys is to qualify for the state meet.
The girls team also had a good turnout this fall with 26 runners. There are many inexperienced runners, but there’s also good young talent on the squad. Wilkinson and Rex had strong years last year as freshmen, and should be among the league’s best and McCullough and Carpenter looked strong in the pre-season. The girls hope to qualify for the state meet for the first time in several years.
The large numbers on both teams bodes well for the future.
Golf
Coach: Rocky Myers
Last year: The team went 8-2 during the regular season and finished fourth at the Class A state meet.
Players to watch: Senior Dan Chadwick; juniors David Gushee, Ian Ryan, Noah MacVane, Justin Bolinger, and Duncan Alden; and sophomore Tommy Stirling.
Outlook: This close-knit group brings back plenty of experience and Myers feels that they are “hungry” this year. He expects them to compete for the SMAA championship and the Class A state title.
David Gushee tied for the state individual crown last year and should be in contention this year as well. And Myers believes Dan Chadwick, Ian Ryan, Noah MacVane could hold it together to crack the top 15 as individuals.
Thornton Academy, Deering, and Portland will challenge the Rams.
Volleyball
Coach: Sheri Chapman
Last year: The Rams ended last year’s regular season as the No. 4 team in Western Maine. They lost to top-seeded Greely in the semifinals.
Players to watch: Seniors Athena Beaulieu, Chelsea Galipeau, Lindsay Hansen, Jess Portlock, and Brianna Verrill; juniors Megan Bilodeau, Sara Burnheimer, Chelsea Clark, Rachel Fogarty, and Nellie Stirling; sophomores Molly Lortie, Daisy Portlock, and Hannah Shorty.
Outlook: The Rams and all other Western Maine volleyball teams have been chasing Greely for the last several years. The Rangers have won the last four state championships and they are the standard by which all other teams compare themselves.
That being said, Gorham again brings to the court a group of experienced and talented players who can and will compete with anyone in the league.
Gorham already owns a 3-1 win over Greely this year and they will press the Rangers the rest of the way for the top seed in the region.
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