Northern: Winter sports season was one of triumph and thrills

The 2022-23 winter sports season featured high drama and best of all, there wasn’t a mask to be found.

On the ice, the Yarmouth/Freeport girls produced the finest season in program history, making a run all the way to the state game before falling one goal short.

On the boys’ side, Falmouth produced a 17-game win streak and earned the top seed in Class A, but was upset in the semifinals by the South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete co-op team, which was beaten in the state game by Thornton Academy. Cheverus/Yarmouth got to the semifinals in Class B South.

The basketball campaign was terrific from start to finish, as the Falmouth boys repeated as Class A South champion and fell one point shy of shocking favored Brewer in the state final. Yarmouth nearly got back to the Class B state game, but lost to Oceanside in an overtime thriller in the regional final. Greely lost in the quarterfinal round to Westbrook.

On the girls’ side, North Yarmouth Academy, despite being hindered by an injury to its best player, got back to the Class C South Final and lost a gutwrenching overtime decision to eventual champion Old Orchard Beach. Freeport pulled a shocker in the quarterfinal round, beating Mt. Ararat, then lost to Gray-New Gloucester in the Class A South semifinals. Falmouth got to that round as well, but lost to eventual regional champion Brunswick. Greely and Yarmouth were ousted in the quarterfinal round.

It was another triumphant year on the slopes and trails and Forecaster Country produced team champions in both Alpine and Nordic skiing.

On the track and in the pool, local teams and individuals made their presence felt.

While everyone is eager to get on to spring and (hopefully) warmer weather, let’s take one look back at the best performances and best stories of the wonderful winter that was.

Northern edition winter state champions

Falmouth Navigators girls’ Alpine skiing, Class A
Freeport Falcons boys’ Alpine skiing, Class A
Freeport Falcons boys’ Nordic skiing, Class B
Freeport Falcons girls’ Nordic skiing, Class B

Northern edition winter regional champions

Falmouth Navigators boys’ basketball, Class A South
Yarmouth/Freeport girls’ hockey, North region

Northern edition winter individual champions

Indoor track

Miles Gay, Falmouth, Class A boys’ 400
Avery Baker-Schlendering, Freeport, Class B girls’ high jump
Henry Horne, Freeport, Class B boys’ mile
Reese Perry, Freeport, Class B boys’ pole vault

Swimming

Jillian James, Falmouth, Class A girls’ diving
Katrina Waite, Falmouth, Class A girls’ 50 freestyle
Katrina Waite, Falmouth, Class A girls’ 100 freestyle
Audrey Cohen, Greely, Class B girls’ 100 breaststroke
Audrey Cohen, Greely, Class B girls’ 100 butterfly
Asa Giffune, Greely, Class B boys’ 500 freestyle

Michael’s top five stories

5) Freeport girls arrive a year ahead of schedule

Freeport’s girls celebrate after shocking Mt. Ararat in the Class A South quarterfinals. File photo.

With just one senior on the roster and with most minutes taken up by freshmen and sophomores, little was expected from the Freeport girls’ basketball team this winter, but despite some hiccups, the Falcons turned heads. Freeport closed the regular season on a 6-1 surge, including its first win over Greely this century. Then, the Falcons, ranked sixth, took on No. 3 Mt. Ararat in the Class A South quarterfinals and despite being a decided underdog, took care of business. Freeport had lost by 22 points in the regular season to the Eagles and trailed early by 11, but behind the brilliance of Angel Pillsbury (26 points) pulled off the stunner, 58-53. The Falcons were then eliminated by Gray-New Gloucester in the semifinals, but you can’t call their season anything but an unmitigated success. With more to come.

“We had a rough beginning of the year, but we came together,” said Freeport coach Seth Farrington. “Give the kids credit. They’re coachable. We were 3-6, but we stuck with the message of togetherness. We turned the season around.”

4) Falmouth hockey produces memorable win streak, state’s best player

Mitch Ham led Falmouth’s boys’ hockey team to the Class A state semifinals and won the Travis Roy Award this winter. File photo.

Falmouth’s boys’ hockey team dazzled this winter, doing everything but win the state title. The Navigators, who began the year 0-2, won their next 16 games behind high-powered goal scorers Mitch Ham and Aaron Higgins. As the top seed in Class A, Falmouth eliminated Lewiston in the quarterfinals, but in the semifinals, the Navigators were stunned by South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete, 5-1, and just like that, the season came to an end. There would be one more highlight, however, as Ham was named the Travis Roy Award winner as the state’s best senior player.

“We didn’t anticipate (our win streak) happening, honestly,” said Falmouth coach Deron Barton. “You show up and try to get better every day. We had a great group of kids. The success speaks for itself. There’s a lot to learn from this season and this experience will be a lesson for next year’s kids.”

3) Skiers steal the show once more

Falmouth’s Celia Geci helped her team to the Class A state girls’ Alpine championship. File photo.

Forecaster Country always produces an abundance of the best skiers around and the 2023 state meet was more evidence of that. The Freeport boys (led by top-10 finishes from Ansel Goode and Bobby Strong) and Falmouth girls (paced by Margo Hesson, Celia Geci and Bridget Jacobson, who were all in the top 10) won Class A Alpine state titles. Freeport swept the Class B Nordic crowns. The boys featured the dominance of Teo Steverlynck-Horne, as well as strong showings from Henry Horne, Al Dawson and Will Morris, while the girls were led by Reed Proscia, Laurel Wight, Lucy Huggett and Jillian Wight. Expect more of the same next winter.

2) Falmouth’s boys nearly shock the world

Senior Paul Dilworth and his Falmouth teammates fell one point shy of a Class A boys’ basketball state final. File photo.

Falmouth’s boys’ basketball team put together another terrific season, one which almost produced a win for the ages. The Navigators, who rolled to a Class A South title in 2021-22 before losing to Cooper Flagg and Nokomis in the state game, weren’t quite as dominant this time around, but still managed to go 14-4 in the regular season and again earn the top seed for the regional tournament. Despite losing big man Chris Simonds to a broken ankle on the eve of the playoffs, Falmouth was able to stifle Mt. Ararat, Westbrook and Marshwood to return to the state game, this time versus powerhouse Brewer in Augusta. Many thought the Navigators would get run out of the building, but despite an early 10-point deficit, that wouldn’t be the case. In case, Falmouth led by four late, but the Witches rallied to win it on a late layup, 42-41, leaving the Navigators heartbroken but proud.

“I’m awfully proud of this group of boys,” said longtime Falmouth coach Dave Halligan. “The adversity we’ve been through, we weren’t even supposed to be in this game. We’re disappointed we lost, but we understand we gave our all and that’s all we asked.”

1) Yarmouth/Freeport puts itself on the map

It was a season of celebration for the Yarmouth/Freeport girls’ hockey team this winter, as it made it to the state final for the first time. File photo.

Big things were expected this winter from the Yarmouth/Freeport co-op girls’ hockey team this winter and it didn’t disappoint. Yarmouth/Freeport, led by Sadie Carnes, who would be named the Becky Schaffer Award winner as the state’s finest senior player, easily produced the best season in program history, winning its first eight games en route to a 15-2-1 mark and the top seed in the North Region. After dispatching Brunswick in the semifinals, the squad held off Penobscot to win a regional title for the very first time. Yarmouth/Freeport then set its sights on the biggest prize, but ultimately, Cheverus proved a little too tough and despite a late rally, the end result was a 3-2 setback. Now that the bar has been set, look for Yarmouth/Freeport to get back and finish the job soon.

“We put the program on the map this year,” Yarmouth/Freeport coach Dave Intraversato said. “The season was phenomenal, winning 17 games after winning six last year.”