Fall Previews: Gray-New Gloucester

Cross Country
Coach: Adam Zukowski
Last year’s results: Boys 10th at Regionals; girls seventh at Regionals, 12th at States
Key athletes lost: Erica Schlichting, Abbey Chandler
Key athletes returning: Wyatt Fessler, Raymond Woodworth, Will Fournier, Elijah Libby, Cameron Landry, Madison Garcia, Alison MacDonald, Abby Dulac, Ruby Pfeifle
Key matchups: Regionals
Outlook: Zukowski’s boys have the simple goal of running their best at Regionals. Presumably, they hope to improve on their 2018 performance at that meet; whether or not reaching States is a viable outcome for the Patriots this autumn remains up in the air. Zukowski’s girls, on the other hand, mean to return to States for the second season running. (Last year, the Lady Patriots’ earned their first trip to the big stage since the late 1980s.) “We bring back a strong core of veterans and add some strong newcomers,” Zukowski says of his girls. “Our goal is to be in the mix and compete with the traditional Class B powers.”

Field Hockey
Coach: Christa Roddy
Last year’s results: 4-10
Key players lost: Madie Post, Alex Shaw
Key players returning: Madelyn Cote (sr., M); Jasmine French (sr., F); Ashley Garcia (sr., B/M); Sydney Garcia (sr., F); Trizzie Ha (sr., F); Jaida Patterson (sr., F); Mack Baston (jr., GK); Tiffany Ha (jr., F); Kassidy Plummer (jr., B); Sydney Pelletier (so., M); Makenna Powell (so., B)
Key newcomers: Cady Kluck (so., F); Ginny Drew (so., M/B)
Key matchups: Cape Elizabeth, Poland, Yarmouth
Outlook: “With a lot of returning players, the Patriots are excited for the upcoming season,” Roddy says. “All of the starters have at least one year of varsity experience, allowing the team to continue to build on the positive progress made last season. An increased focus on teambuilding will improve on-field dynamics and encourage productive play. The team is looking for more wins this season and seeking an opportunity to complete in the post-season.”

Football
Coach: Brian Jahna
Last year’s record: 0-8
Key players lost: Andrew Topham, Connor Myatt, Paul Hewey
Key players returning: Gabe Gendreau (sr., RB/LB); Mikey Foster (sr., TE/LB); Sabin Merrill (sr., C/DT); Danny Stash (sr., QB/DB); Ben Wildes (jr., OL/DL/LB); Trent Overcash (jr., RB/LB)
Key newcomers: Matt Johnson (sr., TE/DB); Mitch Adams (sr., OL/DL/LB); Isaac Haskins (sr., WR/DB); Connor Saunders (jr., RB/DB); Noah Patriquin (jr., RB/DB)
Key matchups: Mt. Ararat, Yarmouth, Maranacook, Old Orchard Beach
Outlook: G-NG (along with numerous other schools) transitions to eight-man football this fall, a switch that should benefit especially those teams with comparatively short rosters. “The move to eight-player football will help greatly with our depth at all positions,” Jahna says. And in fact, the Patriots’ headcount gets a bit of fleshing out in 2019. Per Jahna again: “We’ve had several students come back this year to join our returners, so roster numbers are good.” Happily, the bolstered G-NG lineup logged productive hours in the off-season. “We had a great summer program, strong preseason practices and we have positive energy,” Jahna says. He continues: “We match up against multiple teams that we lost to last year, so that will be a good barometer to check our growth. Player energy is high, players are having fun and we believe that if we focus on getting better each day, then we can be a strong playoff team in the end.”

Golf
Coach: Wayne Martin
Key athletes lost: Campbell Macomber, Josh Magno, Cam Andrews
Key athletes returning: Al Doughty (jr.), Reid Forman (so.)
Key newcomers: Aubrey Lincoln (so.), Anthony Prescott (so.), Dylan Crawford (so.), Colin Mulry (so.), Jack Hardiman (fr.)
Key matchups: Lake Region, Poland
Outlook: Graduation 2019 did a number on the Patriots, claiming five of the squad’s top six contributors. That means the program this year is about as green as it gets. Still, they’re also eager, and chasing lofty aspirations: “We have one junior, six sophomores and two freshmen,” says Martin, himself new to the program. “Goals for the season are to gain valuable match-play experience for our younger players, and for our top players to qualify for the State Championship.”

Boys Soccer
Coach: Kyle Fletcher
Last year’s results: 7-7-2, fell 3-0 to Greely in playoffs second round
Key players lost: Brannon Gilbert, Jake Kackmeister
Key players returning: Jacob MacCallum, Drew Lacerda, Tristan Fogg, Keegan Brooks, Alec Brooks, Nick Pelletier, Logan True, Kyle Martell, Austin LaLiberty, Alex Farrington
Key newcomers: Adam Huang, Jay Hawks, Colby Dehetre
Outlook: Fletcher takes over the Gentlemen Patriots from Andrew Higgins, who guided the team to a number of successful seasons. G-NG’s goal in 2019 will be, first and foremost, to maintain last year’s level of play – specifically, to return to the tournament. Fletcher highlights his boys’ defense as a strength. “The biggest question mark,” he says, “is in the final third. While [we] have a solid first goal-scoring option, [we’ll] need someone to step up and be that second option.”

Girls Soccer
Coaches: Marcella Francoeur (head), Stephanie Virgilio (asst.), Mike Foley (asst.)
Last year’s results: 8-6, fell 3-0 to Cape Elizabeth in the tournament second round
Key players lost: Abby Ross (D), Alexa Thayer (F), Bri Jordan (M)
Key players returning: Eliza Hotham (M), Sam Fortin (D), Jordan Grant (F), Mady West (M)
Key newcomers: Amber Fortin (D), Ashleen Perkins (F)
Key matchups: Freeport
Outlook: “The Patriots worked hard throughout the summer to come together as a team,” Francoeur says. “As preseason progressed, the chemistry on the team expanded. We look forward to a competitive season with many returning role models for the younger players to look up to.”