The 2020 fall sports season was truly one of a kind.
For starters, it took awhile for the season to even get the green light from the Maine Principals’ Association and various state agencies and once games began, COVID-19 precautions were front and center.
While football and volleyball weren’t permitted to play a countable, varsity schedule this fall, cross country, field hockey, golf and boys’ and girls’ soccer got the go-ahead.
The games themselves were the real deal and there were ample highlights.
Golf had a very short season, but Scarborough made the most of it, finishing second to Greely in Class A. Peter Malia tied for second individually with a round of 79, which was two shots off the lead.
Cross country saw both Cape Elizabeth teams and the Scarborough boys qualify for the state meet (Cape Elizabeth freshman Hadley Mahoney had the best time at the conference qualifier), but unfortunately, less than a week before the state meet was scheduled to be held, it was cancelled due to a rise in COVID cases and a new requirement for runners to wear masks while competing.
Field hockey featured Scarborough getting the most of a young roster, steadily improving and finishing 7-2, with both losses coming in overtime. South Portland wound up 2-5-1 and Cape Elizabeth went 3-4-1.
On the pitch, the two-time defending Class B champion Cape Elizabeth girls again had no peer, even if the Capers were only able to play seven games. They won them all, by a composite 35-1 margin, and once again standout Maggie Cochran put on a show. Scarborough, the three-time Class A South champion, was just 1-3-1 midway through, but won its final five games to post a winning record for the 24th year in a row. South Portland showed steady growth as well even if its final mark (2-8) didn’t necessary show it.
On the boys’ side, Scarborough was good enough to play for a title, but the Red Storm will have to settle for a solid 8-1-1 campaign instead. South Portland wound up 2-8, but did make a big statement late in the year. Cape Elizabeth finished the season 2-5-1.
A season like no other is in the books and hopefully by next fall (if not before), high school sports (and life) will return to normal.
There were some unforgettable moments this autumn and here’s one final look at the best of them:
Michael’s top five stories
5) SP boys get to “City Cup” final
Joey Perron and his South Portland boys’ soccer teammates made a run to the City Cup championship game to end the season. The Red Riots lost, 3-1, to Portland. File photos
South Portland’s boys’ soccer team had to go up against the likes of Cape Elizabeth, Cheverus, Deering, Portland and Scarborough and a developing squad understandably struggled to earn victories against that slate, but in the penultimate game, against Deering, in the “City Cup” semifinals, the Red Riots shocked the Rams, 2-1, on penalty kicks. South Portland gave Portland a battle in the championship game as well before losing, 3-1. Look for big things from the Red Riots in 2021.
4) Scarborough girls overcome sluggish start to excel again
Ali Mokriski and her Scarborough girls’ soccer teammates got better and better as the season progressed.
Scarborough’s girls’ soccer team, which had won the past three Class A South titles, picked the right year to be vulnerable, a season where there was no playoffs, but even after some early struggles, by the end of the year, the Red Storm were once again a handful for the opposition. After going 1-3-1 in its first five games, scoring just two goals and being shut out four times, Scarborough closed strong, as sophomore striker Ali Mokriski came to life and the Red Storm won their final five games, by a composite 11-1 margin. Rest assured that next autumn, Scarborough will be back near the top of the list of teams to beat.
3) Scarborough boys make you wonder what-if
By the end of the season, Scarborough’s boys’ soccer team had no peer when it game to hairstyles or winning games.
Scarborough never got a chance to measure itself against defending Class A champion Falmouth this fall, but the Red Storm sure made the most of the games they did play. Scarborough tied and lost to Gorham early, but closed on a five-game surge, blanking Bonny Eagle, South Portland, Windham and Kennebunk and edging Cape Elizabeth in a 3-2 thriller. A balanced, potent offense, highlighted by the play-making of sophomore Zander Haskell, and a staunch defense left no doubt that the Red Storm were one of the finest teams in the state when all was said and done.
2) Two Scarborough-Cheverus field hockey classics
Scarborough goalie Katherine Roy had her hands full on two occasions when the Red Storm played Cheverus this season. Twice, the Red Storm took the Stags to overtime, but each time, they fell short.
Scarborough and Cheverus have produced some memorable field hockey games over the years and in 2020, the Red Storm and Stags twice went to overtime. In nearly identical contests. The first encounter came Oct. 1 in Scarborough, where the Stags took a quick 2-0 lead, but the Red Storm rallied behind two goals from Lily Stone and forced overtime. There, in the second OT, freshman Lily Johnson rattled the cage to give Cheverus a 3-2 victory. The rivals met again 13 days later in Portland, where again, the Stags went up, 2-0, only to see Scarborough rally behind two goals from Maya Sellinger to force overtime, where again, Cheverus had the last laugh, as standout Lucia Pompeo scored the game winner.
1) Maggie Cochran’s game for the ages
Cape Elizabeth junior standout Maggie Cochran was simply unstoppable one day last month, scoring six goals against Greely.
On the afternoon of Oct. 17, Cape Elizabeth junior Maggie Cochran reminded everyone why she’s arguably the state’s finest player. The Capers hosted Greely and Cochran scored six goals and realistically could have had 10. She tallied four times in the game’s first 16 minutes, then added two more goals in the second half as Cape Elizabeth rolled to an 8-0 victory. Cochran (who wound up with 12 goals in seven games) set a new single-game program scoring mark in the process.
“Tonight is probably the finest goal-scoring effort in one game I’ve ever seen,” said Capers coach Graham Forsyth. “It’s not as if it was three good goals and three good tap-ins. All six goals were exquisite.”
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
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