State meets bring plenty of triumph- Portland edition

While the basketball tournament was capturing the attention of many (see story), other winter sports were holding their state meets and the busiest week on the sports calendar provided plenty of drama. If that’s not enough, the boys’ hockey playoffs are set to begin, which will bring the curtain down on the season.

Here’s a recap and a look ahead:

Swimming

Cheverus’ Jack Martin wins the 200-yard individual medley at the Class A boys’ swimming state championship. The Stags won the team state title for the eighth straight season. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Another winter, another Class A state championship for Cheverus’ boys’ swim team.

Last week, the Stags tallied 326 points to beat runner-up Bangor by 31. Quinton Hastings and Brim Peabody won two events each. Hastings was first in the 50 freestyle (21.58 seconds) and the 100 free (47.12). Peabody took the 500 freestyle (4 minutes, 48.33 seconds) and 100 breaststroke (1:00.32). Jack Martin won the 200 individual medley (2:02.10). Cheverus’ 400 free relay team (Peabody, Martin, Owen Gallo-Waggoner and Hastings) was also first (3:19.03).

Martin was also third in the 100 butterfly (53.61). Chase Cameron came in third in the 50 free (22.39) and fifth in the 100 free (49.06). Gallo-Waggoner was fourth in the 500 free (5:11.99) and seventh in the 200 free (1:55.26). Cheverus’ 200 medley relay team (Martin, Peabody, Gallo-Waggoner and Cameron) was runner-up to Bangor in 1:41.59. The 200 free relay squad (Hastings, Landon Roma, Cameron and Clayton Hatch) was also runner-up to Bangor in 1:32.71.

“We wanted to end it with a bang,” Hastings said. “Eight straight years. It’s pretty special. We still had a good supporting (group) after last year and they really stepped it up.”

“We’ve been working on this meet all year long, of who is going (in what events),” said Stags coach Kevin Haley. “It wasn’t easy because of Bangor and (third-place) Scarborough, but we’ve got a bunch of talented, young kids.”

Portland (55 points) came in 15th.

Deering (23 points) tied Thornton Academy for 18th place. Ben Archibald was seventh in the 500 free (5:19.43) and eighth in the 200 IM (2:13.49.).

The Cheverus girls had 153.5 points and wound up seventh (Kennebunk won its first championship with 235.5 points). Grace Shimansky was third in diving (305.40 points). Madi Bunnell-Parker was fourth in the IM (2:21.82) and seventh in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.56). Delilah Hastings finished sixth in the 100 backstroke (1:04.20) and was seventh in the 50 free (26.92). The Stags’ 400 free relay team (Miryam Keller, Bianca Cunningham, Hastings and Bunnell-Parker) was fifth (4:01.81). Cheverus’ medley relay squad (Hastings, Bunnell-Parker, Claire Hanley and Keller) placed sixth (2:01.52).

Deering (26 points) tied Windham for 20th place.

Portland (8 points) wound up 22nd.

In the Class B boys’ meet, Waynflete tallied 58 points and came in 12th (Mt. Desert Island was first with 336 points). Xander Forsyth came in sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.18).

The Waynflete girls had 12 points to place 16th (MDI won the title with 379 points).

Indoor track

Cheverus’s Frank Morang tries to keep up with Scarborough’s Jayden Flaker in the 55-meter hurdles at the Class A state meet last week. Morang wound up fourth. Carl D. Walsh / Portland Press Herald

Cheverus’ girls’ indoor track team wasn’t able to repeat as Class A state champion last week, but the Stags’ 56 points left them third (Bangor won the title with 65 points, one ahead of runner-up Gorham). Cheverus got victories from Victoria Bossong in the 55 (a record time of 7.2 seconds), 200 (25.5) and 400 (a new record time of 56.95 seconds). Emma Gallant was runner-up in the 200 (26.23) and 400 (58.2). Lauren Jordan was second in the shot put (38 feet, 6.25 inches). The Stags’ other points came from their sixth-place 4×200 relay team (Taylor Tory, Felicia Ceesay, Gallant and Helena Bolduc, 1 minute, 51.85 seconds).

Deering (5.5 points) placed 18th. Darcy Lally was fourth in the pole vault (9-0). Jonna Rosenthal placed seventh in the mile (5:46.84). Fatima Rocha tied for seventh in the high jump (4-10).

Portland did not score.

In the Class A boys’ competition, won again by Scarborough with 103 points, Cheverus (31) came in fourth. Giovanni Fornaro was runner-up in the shot put (51-8.5). Frank Morang was second in the long jump (21-8.50), second in the triple jump (44-1) and came in fourth in the 55 hurdles (8.23). Joseph Baur finished fifth in the 400 (53.0).

Portland (5 points) tied Marshwood for 19th place. Wyatt Dana came in fifth in the mile (4:35.54). Nathan Fogg was sixth in the 55 (6.75).

Deering (4) tied Skowhegan and Windham for 21st. Antonio Ciccomancini came in fifth in the 55 (6.72) and was seventh in the 200 (23.38) .

Skiing

Deering’s William Jordan, left, races down the final stretch of the classical race during the Class A Nordic ski championship last week. Jordan was runner-up. Dave Dyer / Kennebec Journal

The Nordic skiing state meets saw local individuals and teams post strong results.

Portland’s boys’ team was second to Falmouth in Class A. Liam Niles was first in the classic with a time of 15 minutes, 10.4 seconds. Ben Horrisberger placed fourth (15:47.7). Niles was runner-up in the freestyle (14:46.2) and Horrisberger came in ninth (15:14.0).

Deering came in ninth. William Jordan was runner-up in the classic (15:26.2) and came in seventh in the freestyle (15:10.8).

Cheverus placed 12th. Padraic Keane finished 37th in the freestyle (17:12.2). Michael Luna was 39th in the classic (18:18.4).

In the Class A girls’ meet, won by Mt. Blue, Deering finished second, Portland placed third and Cheverus came in ninth.

In the classic, Portland’s Lucy Medd came in fifth (18:32.7). Deering’s Megan Cunningham was sixth (18:47.3). The Stags were paced by Leska Whitmarsh (ninth, 19:11.0).

In the freestyle, Cunningham came in fourth (17:13.8). Portland’s Annabelle Brooks placed seventh (17:35.1). Medd finished ninth (17:42.3). Whitmarsh was 10th (17:46.3).

Waynflete’s girls were second in Class C to Fort Kent. Clara Sandberg was fifth in the classic (20:26) and seventh in the freestyle (19:45.4). Julia Werner placed eighth in the classic (20:42) and eighth in the freestyle (19:51.3).

The Waynflete boys placed fifth (Madawaska was first). Nicholas Werner finished third in the classic (16:02.5) and third in the freestyle (15:42.9).

On the Alpine side, Cheverus’ boys were 14th in Class A (Falmouth finished first). Julian Lamontagne placed 37th in the slalom (with a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 58.27 seconds). Liam Allen was 55th in the giant slalom (1:41.14).

The Cheverus girls finished 15th (Mt. Blue was first). Tellie Stamaris placed third in the slalom (1:44.57) and was fourth in the GS (1:27.23)

Wrestling

At the Class A state wrestling meet, Cheverus scored 43 points and came in ninth (Noble won the title with 115 points). Portland/South Portland (13 points) was 19th and Deering (12) placed 20th.

Cheverus’ Sebastian Merrill got to the final at 195 pounds, but was pinned by Isaak Peavey of Erskine Academy.

Cheverus’ Marshall Fowler wound up third at 138 pounds, beating Deering’s Magnus Heisler, 6-2, in the consolation final. Cheverus’ Sean Sullivan was third at 220 pounds, beating Jacob Breton of Massabesic by injury default in the consolation final.

Portland/South Portland’s Radolfo Garcia wound up fourth at 113 pounds after being pinned by Bonny Eagle’s Cameron Frost in the consolation final.

In the girls’ state meet, Cheverus’ Emily Wiggin finished as a runner-up, while Georgia Lindstedt was runner-up in the consolation finals.

Boys’ hockey

Cheverus celebrates a goal during Monday’s 7-1 win over York in a Class B South quarterfinal. Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald

Cheverus’ boys’ hockey team finished the regular season 16-2 after beating visiting Yarmouth (3-1) and host Windham/Westbrook/Bonny Eagle (6-3) last week. The Stags earned the No. 2 seed for the Class B South tournament and hosted No. 7 York (9-9) in the quarterfinals Monday. Cheverus swept the Wildcats this year, winning in Portland (7-5) and in York (3-1). The teams split two prior playoff meetings, which occurred in the early 1990s.

If the Stags advanced, they will face either No. 3 Yarmouth (10-8) or No. 6 Cape Elizabeth (8-10) in the semifinals either Friday or Saturday in Lewiston. Cheverus lost all four prior playoff meetings against Yarmouth, but the most recent happened back in 1994. Cheverus beat Cape Elizabeth, 6-3, Jan. 2. In the teams’ lone prior playoff meeting, back in 1991, the Stags were victorious.

The Class B South Final is Wednesday, March 4 in Lewiston and the Class B state game is Saturday, March 7 in Lewiston.

In Class A, Portland/Deering finished sixth at 7-11 after closing with 2-1 wins over visiting Lake Region and host Biddeford. Portland/Deering hosts No. 11 Lake Region (8-9-1) in the state preliminary round Wednesday (see our website for game story). The teams have no playoff history.

If Portland/Deering moves on to the semifinals this weekend in Lewiston, it will face No. 3 Scarborough (13-4-1). The Bulldogs lost, 8-2, at home to the Red Storm Jan. 2. Scarborough has taken three of four prior playoff meetings with the most recent in last year’s quarterfinals (a 4-1 Portland/Deering victory).

The South Portland/Waynflete/Freeport co-op team finished 11-6-1 and fourth in Class A after closing with a 4-3 win at Falmouth last week. The squad earned a bye into this weekend’s quarterfinals in Lewiston, where it will meet either No. 5 Thornton Academy (10-8) or No. 13 Marshwood (3-16).

The Class A state semifinals are Tuesday of next week in Lewiston. The state final is Saturday, March 7, in Lewiston.

Press Herald staff writer Kevin Thomas contributed to this story.