WISCASSET

Last season was a struggle for the Wiscasset High School boys soccer team. Graduation gutted the program, with those early 2017 games featuring a large group of young athletes trying to find their way as the Wolverines finished 1-13.

This year, head coach Chris Cossette hopes a new partnership will help. Wiscasset players are joined by Boothbay athletes for the first time, giving Cossette both numbers and some talent as his team prepares for its opening contest at Mountain Valley on Thursday.

“It’s been exciting, seeing this mix happen,” said Cossette. “Over the last few years, these kids have gotten to know each other in track and basketball. They have that relationship. Now they can take that competitive relationship onto the field together. It has been seamless.”

In the past few years, the Wiscasset-Boothbay rivalry has cooled off. Years ago, especially in basketball, getting into the gym to watch a game was no guarantee, as the fans on both sides wanted to view the latest chapter. However, both schools have seen enrollment numbers drop significantly, leaving athletic programs in the lurch in numbers.

“During my career the rivalry has decreased,” said Wiscasset senior Matt Chapman. “I expected more of a rivalry with Boothbay, but a lot of the kids know each other.”

And, at Wiscasset, former athletic director Mandy Lewis resigned earlier in the summer, and the school’s principal recently departed, leaving scheduling in a bit of flux.

“Getting that final schedule in has been a challenge, but (school secretary) Beth Smith (Cossette’s sister) in the office has been a big help. The other schools, the ADs have really been good, communicating with us. It has been hard, but we’re getting through it and working together,” said the Wiscasset coach.

On the soccer field, Cossette has seen athletes from both schools come together easily.

“These kids have been taken right in,” Cossette said. “They played together during the summer, and the first couple days I had more Boothbay kids than Wiscasset. My concern early on has been communication, and once school starts we’ll have to work out logistics on transportation. So far, so good! I am just happy to have them, and it gives those students an opportunity to play this sport.”

“I was on the cross country team and track teams, and there was always a lot of competition between the two schools,” said Boothbay’s Bayly Gaughan-Carrasco, a midfielder/defenseman. “I am very excited to play here, and I have seen several of these players from other sports. At least I get to play soccer. Our school hasn’t had a team. I think we can do well here.”

“They played summer soccer with us, so that made the beginning of practice that first day a lot more comfortable,” Chapman said. “The last couple of years, we went from 30 players to last year with just 11-15 kids depending on the day. You couldn’t do much.”

Cossette has 14 players from Wiscasset and five more from Boothbay so far. Wiscasset seniors Chapman, Josh Gabriele, Caleb Gabriele, CJ Loyola, Matt Smith and James Hodson, along with junior Josh Jones, and sophomores Brian Foye and John Hodson return. Freshmen Gavin Loupe, Mason Davenport, Garrett Cossette, Chance Blagdon and L.J. Travis are newcomers.

From Boothbay, look for seniors Tim Chappelle, Andre Espeut and Gaughan- Carrasco, junior Rowen Kristain and freshman Adam Hobson to contribute.

“This will still be a transition year for us,” said Coach Cossette. “They’re still learning, and the Boothbay kids have experience with club soccer, which should go a long way. I see us being competitive, but we’ll still be a young team. Our numbers are not quite where I was hoping. We lost some kids to work schedules and that impacts us as a couple were starters. We will fill those voids with younger people. Boothbay also helps fill that void.

“There is still that newness, and we’re keeping the door open until I have to submit my roster.”

Brunswick

Mark Roma’s Dragons had an up and down season last year, finishing 7-6-1 before falling to eventual State Class A champion Lewiston in the A North quarterfinals.

Five losses to start the season put the Dragons in a hole, but seven straight victories and a tie allowed Brunswick to finish seventh in the region.

This year, Roma, despite a tough early schedule that opens at Mt. Blue on Thursday (6 p.m.), hopes for a better start.

“We’ve talked about the need to start strong, but right now we are just focused on getting better every day. It doesn’t get any easier this year with the same beginning gauntlet, and four of the first five are on the road,” Roma said.

Graduation claimed 12 players from last year’s squad, including standout Henry Doherty, a four-year starter, and as Roma said, “like another coach on and off the field.”

Emmet Taub is a senior captain, along with classmate Kian Murrray. Junior captain Everett Horch is back, and sophomore Lane Foushee will man the midfield. A key newcomer, according to Roma, is sophomore midfielder Luke Cheseldine.

“We have a lot of new players in the starting lineup, so we need to come together as a team,” said Roma. “I expect us to compete every training session and every match. I expect them to do the hard work necessary to come together and be the team I know they can be.”

Mt. Ararat

Jack Rioux’s team started strong last year, led by then junior Travis Nadeau, who had 10 goals in his first four games.

In the fifth contest, Nadeau went down with an injury and was lost for the season as the Eagles finished 7-4-3, good for the No. 4 seed in Class A North. A tough 2-1 loss to Mt. Blue in two overtimes followed in the quarterfinals.

Nadeau, now a senior, is back. Despite going down last season, Nadeau earned Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference First Team honors and was placed on the All Northern Maine Class A team.

“Last year’s early injury was tough,” said Rioux, whose Eagles visit Skowhegan for their KVAC opener on Friday (3:30 p.m.). “Staying healthy is key for everyone.”

Seniors Max Spelke (midfield), Maximo Varela (MF), Alex Bryant (defense), Kody Noyes (D), Hayden Libby (D), Ethan Rac (striker), Jax Hollenbach (S), Nate Taylor (S/MF), Dakota Lopez (D) and Will San Pedro (MF) give Rioux a good senior core after losing five key players to graduation.

Juniors Mason Brigham (S), Trevor York (D), Elias Theberge (S) and James Singleton (goaltender) are joined by classmate newcomers Marcus Steinman (S), Tristian Zell (MF) and Eli Ouellette (S). Sophomore Jace Hollenbach (D), and freshmen Nolen Timberlake (D) and Sebastian Varela (S) round out the roster.

Rioux feels his squad will need to play solid defense to have success in the challenging KVAC.

“We lost our goalie and our two center-backs to graduation,” said Rioux, whose squad will play home games on the Riverside Field at the Foreside complex in Topsham as the new high school is constructed. “We have a lot of talent back, and Travis and Max have been four-year starters for us and will provide leadership. We have a great senior class that have seen it all in their first three years. I look for that class to lead us. Every game in our league is going to be a battle.”

Morse

It was a tough season for the Shipbuilders in 2017, with several close losses dotting the schedule during a 2- 11-1 campaign.

Fifth-year head coach Chuck Reece sees a Morse team, which opens at Medomak Valley on Thursday at 5 p.m., that can compete.

“If we can develop good habits in certain areas, we will be a much better team,” said Reece. “Our schedule is tough right out of the gate. We will have challenges that we need to meet in every game this season. I don’t see a team on our schedule we can take lightly, which sets us up nicely. If we can pick a few off, we can make our way into the postseason.”

Reece lost 11 players to graduation, seven who were starters. Over the past two years, 24 Shipbuilders have graduated.

Senior center-back Ethan Pascuzzo is a player to watch, along with senior center-midfielder Jacob Brochu. Junior Asa Hodgdon, an outside midfielder, is solid.

From there, several newcomers will be looked upon to provide big minutes.

Freeport

First-year coach Bob Strong takes over the Falcons, who finished 8-6 last year during the regular season. Entering the Class B South postseason as the No. 8 seed, Freeport rolled to a 7-0 win over Oak Hill in a preliminary before falling to topseeded Yarmouth, 3-0, in the quarterfinals.

This year, the new coach has a veteran cast, with 14 seniors and nine juniors on the roster.

“Our team is both athletic and technical, which should give us the opportunity to adapt to the playing styles of any team in our conference,” said Strong, whose Falcons visit Gray-New Gloucester in their Western Maine Conference opener on Thursday (6 p.m.). “For us to be successful, we must play smart and show consistency. Everything should fall into place.”

Key returnees including seniors Caleb Arsenault, Wes Goodwin, Eriksen Shea and goalkeeper Atticus Patrick. Owen Patrick will help anchor the back, with juniors Sam Larochelle and Damon Butler. The midfield consists of junior Jesse Bennell and sophomore Ethan Prescott. Up front, look for Will Winter and Bill Antoine to tickle the twine.

The schedule is tough, with two matchups against talented teams from Yarmouth, York and Cape Elizabeth.

“Being in a conference with Yarmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Greely and York, most outsiders will consider Freeport to be an underdog again this year, and we’re perfectly content with that,” Strong said. “Our focus in the preseason has been heavy on team chemistry. For everyone to be on the same page, they need to spend a lot of time with each other, on and off the field. Hopefully that is the glue that keeps us together in the weeks to come.”

Richmond

Co-coaches Peter and Ryan Gardner saw several solid Bobcats graduate after advancing to last year’s State Class D championship game (a 1-0 loss to Bangor Christian).

“Right now we are kind of finding the right fit of where they go and where subs will be placed when entering a game,” said longtime coach Peter Gardner. They’re working hard and doing their best to do what we want them to do. We lost 11 kids and gained four.”

Back are seniors Nick Adams (Captain, midfield/ forward), Dan Stewart (Captain, MF/defense), Mitchell Couturier (D/MF) and Ford Strout (striker, injured, but expected to return in late September). Juniors Adam Beaulieu (D), Logan Bickford (goaltender), Ben Gardner (MF), Dakotah Gilpatric (MF/S), Brendan Roberge (S), Kyle Underhill-Tilton (GK) and Justin Vachon (D/MF) have experience.

Sophomores Derek Barrett (D), Kial Beckim (D), Will Miller (D), Andrew Vachon (MF/S) and Owen Stewart (D), along with freshmen Cole Alexander (S), Chance Taylor (MF/S) and Taegan Myrick (MF), gives the coaches some depth.

“We have a good nucleus, but will have to work around playing with a few less kids,” said Peter Gardner, whose Bobcats visit Rangeley on Saturday.

Lisbon

The lineup has changed a ton at Lisbon, where coach Dan Sylvester has seen 23 players depart via graduation over the past two seasons.

“We are rebuilding, however this group is scrappy and just doesn’t stop working,” said the Greyhound coach, whose squad opens Friday at home against Oak Hill. “They are stepping into their roles, knowing they have some big shoes to fill.”

Only two seniors return — Noah Austin (center midfield) and Cam Poisson (striker) — while juniors Jacob George (defense), Jack Tibbetts (MF) and DJ Douglass (MF) are back.

The biggest turnover for Lisbon comes at defense, where Sylvester must replace all but George. Newcomers for the Greyhounds are junior Levi Levesque (goaltender), sophomore Dan Poulin (MF), and freshmen Ethan Brown, Elijah Fullerton, Hunter Brissette, Caleb Phillips, Darien Davis and Sean Moore (GK).

Levesque fills big shoes after four-year starter Jonah Sautter graduated. Sylvester is confident in his goaltender.

“Every year we ask our goaltenders to make the saves they should make, and hope they will make the fabulous ones when needed,” said the coach. “Jonah was a good leader, but we are asking Levi and his teammates to be the players they are. So far, all of them have stepped up.”

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