Boys Basketball
Coach: Jim Ray
Last year’s record: 11-8
Key players: Eddie Galvin, Ethan Murphy
Key games: Lake Region, Yarmouth, Falmouth, Poland, Greely
Outlook: “Cautiously optimistic,” says Ray. “It’s never easy playing in the Western Maine Conference.” However, the Capers return 12 players from last year’s roster. The team’s wealth of experience brings high expectations, but should also translate to welcome success.
Boys Hockey
Coach: Matt Buotte (third year)
Last year’s record: 7-11-1; lost in prelims to Greely
Key players: Curtis Guimond (sr., F); Jack Drinan (sr., F); Ben Shea (sr., F); Eli Babcock (jr., D)
Key games: Kennebunk, Greely, Camden Hills
Outlook: Buotte is optimistic about the coming season, calling his group of seniors “very small, but strong” and adding: “We expect to compete for the top spots in Class B West, and hope to make a deep playoff run.” Despite being young, the Capers have “leadership everywhere you look,” and are a “hard-working, dedicated bunch.” Guimond and Drinan combined for 32 goals and 22 assists last year, and though Babcock, on defense, didn’t score, he did tally five assists. The lesson: Never underestimate the contributions of a playmaker. “I really believe the sky is the limit,” says Buotte.
Girls Hockey
Coach: Bob Mills
Last year’s record: 10-8
Key players: Kathryn Clark (sr., F); Julia Ginder (sr., F); Allison Mills (sr., F); Lily Jordan (sr., G); Hannah Bosworth (so., F); Kate Ginder (so., D)
Key games: Falmouth, Scarborough, Yarmouth
Outlook: The Capers should be a considerable force on the ice this year: They feature eight seniors and several returners. “We look to compete with the top teams in the state,” says Mills. Last season, the team made playoffs for the first time in its history, and is naturally looking to build on that success. Mills sees three solid lines, “with skill and experience at every position” on his roster. Captain Julia Ginder, Assistant Captains Kathryn Clark and Allison Mills, and Bosworth are especially dangerous forwards, all having hashed double-digit goal tallies last year. Kate Ginder contributed impressively to the scoring as well, despite operating mostly, on the attack, from the blue-line. Mills adds that he and his girls are happy to have two South Portlanders join them this year; Waynflete is represented again in the lineup as well.
Alpine Skiing
Coach: Jeff Davis
Last year’s record: Girls Class B State Champions
Key athletes: Emma Landes, Emma Dvorozniak, Caroline Paclat, Kinnon McGrath, Jon Fiutak
Key meets: WMCs, States
Outlook: While the girls side of Davis’ squad has lost some important personnel since last season’s win at States – Sarah Paclat to graduation and Sophie Hewitt to Gould Academy – Davis is nevertheless confident in his 2014-2015 squad. “We still should be able to contend for States with very strong skiers – Emma, Emma, Caroline and Kinnon.” On the boys’ side, though, the Capers are young. Fiutak, along with Captain Thomas Rioux, return, and several new faces – freshmen – will join the fray, likely making this a growth year for the program. Still, many teams post major successes even in growth years, and Cape should never be underestimated on the slopes.
Nordic Skiing
Coaches: Stanis Moody-Roberts & Shawn Guerrette
Last year’s record: Seventh in Class B, boys & girls
Key athletes: Daniel Menz (sr.), Andrew Thomas (sr.), Walker Grimes (sr.), Amelia Morrisey (sr.), Emily Faria (sr.), Rhoen Fiutak (sr.)
Key meets: WMCs, States
Outlook: Graduation 2014 claimed “two very talented skiers,” Guerrette says of former Capers Dana Hatton and Julian Pelzer while looking forward to the ongoing development of his new talent. “Several new members have joined the team,” he says, adding that, “with some time on snow, our younger skiers should continue their progression.” The team hopes to improve, come February, on its seventh-place finish at last year’s States.
Swimming & Diving (Cape’s home pool is Richards Community Pool)
Coach: Ben Raymond
Last year’s record: Boys fourth at Southwesterns, third in Class B; Girls Southwesterns Champions, Class B Runners-Up
Key athletes: Griffin Thoreck, Tony Demarco, Reese McFarlane, Wyatt Page, Stephen Bennett, Tommy Brett, Alex Mukai, RJ Sarka, Connor Thoreck, Owen Thoreck, Kyle Long, Elliot McGinn, Sam Loring, Harry Homans, Andrew Herrerra, Sam Berman, Sadie Stiles, Sarah Loring, Taylor Herrera, Sierra Bates, Haylee Walsh, Arden Wing, Micheala Pinette, Lexie Bakke, Katie Connolly, Phoebe Coburn, Jana Freedman, Mya Hodgdon, Gabby Lawrence, Sarah Merriam, Gabrielle Raymond, Nikita Wallace, Rose Baillie
Key meets: Cheverus, Scarborough, Greely, Deering (boys), Southwesterns, States
Outlook: A number of Raymond’s key boys return this year; add to that “a very strong freshman class who will have an immediate impact on the program” and the Capers look to post another strong season, matching, and possibly surpassing, their third-place finish at States last year. “With this combination of senior leadership and outstanding freshman talent, the team should be one of the tops in the League and State,” Raymond says. He has similar high hopes for his girls, who comprise “a good mix of distance swimmers and sprinters and stroke and freestylers.” He highlights his girls’ chemistry, and the bolstering mental-emotional effect they have on each other. “We should see lots of improvement and drops in time as we work through the dual meet season and once again challenge for Southwestern Championships and Class B Championships.”
Indoor Track
Coach: Doug Worthley (head, 19th year); Greg Marles (asst., fifth year); Andrew Lupien (asst., third year)
Last year’s record: Boys 19-6, fifth in Class B; girls 17-8, seventh in Class B
Key athletes: Mitchell Morris (sr.), Kyle Kennedy (sr.), Andrew Kelley (sr.), Nate Weare (sr.), Devon Stanford (sr.), Tim Brigham (sr.), Eva Brydson (sr.), Hayley Doss (sr.), Harry Queeney (jr.), Henry Shroder (jr.), Will Steidl (jr.), Tucker Wanzer (jr.), Jared DuPerre (jr.), Katie Oberholtzer (jr.), Morgan Carpenter (jr.), Lilly Norris (jr.), Sam Feenstra (jr.), Caroline Lengyel (jr)., Mac Huffard (so.), Jack O’Kelly (so.), Rachel Kriger (so.), Anna Friberg (so.), Jade Hunter (so.), Erin Thibeault (so.), Kristen Penley (fr.)
Key meets: States
Outlook: Worthley is optimistic about both his boys and his girls squads this year. The boys, he notes, lost some central contributors to graduation in June, “but look to be strong nonetheless.” The boys distance runners, sprinters and jumpers should all prove solid, but throwing, led by Kelley, Weare and Stanford, will likely anchor the Capers. “The team looks to gel and improve throughout the season and hopes to be in the top six again this year at States,” Worthley says. His girls “are returning many veterans as well as some hopeful newcomers.” Sprints and jumps look to be particular strengths, while throws get a boost in the form of Kriger, who joins Lengyel on “an emerging squad.” The team, according to Worthley, should be “competitive throughout the season,” and, like their counterparts on the boys team, “hope to edge into the top six” at States.
Girls Basketball coach Chris Roberts could not be reached.
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