Zander Haskell. Contributed photo.
MALE:
ZANDER HASKELL, Sophomore—Soccer
- All-State
- Southern Class A regional all-star
Haskell was a revelation as a freshman and he took his game to the next level this autumn as Scarborough peaked as the abbreviated season went on and was as good as anyone by its end.
Haskell stepped right on to the Red Storm’s varsity team as a freshman, scored 13 goals, and was good enough to earn mention on the SMAA all-star second-team.
This fall, when the COVID-delayed season finally began, he was a marked man, but it didn’t matter, as he scored 10 of his team’s 19 goals and thanks to his great vision and touch, assisted on four others.
Haskell scored in a season-opening win over Cape Elizabeth, had the only goal in a victory over Bonny Eagle, produced the equalizer in a 1-1 tie against Gorham, tallied a goal in two different victories over South Portland, scored a pair of beautiful goals in a second win over Cape Elizabeth, then set up Zach Chaisson for the only goal in a victory at Windham before scoring the final goal of the season in a win over Kennebunk.
The Red Storm, who started 3-1-1, finished on a five-game surge and could have been the team to dethrone Falmouth in a normal year. Haskell, who also plays basketball for Scarborough, played a huge role in the Red Storm’s saving their best for last.
Zander Haskell, Scarborough’s Fall Male Athlete of the Year, is already a great player and fortunately for the Red Storm, and unfortunately for the opposition, he still has two more seasons to reach his ceiling.
Coach Mark Diaz’s comment: “Zander is a special player. He doesn’t care who gets the glory. He sets us up well. His decision-making was excellent. Zander played the role of attacking midfielder very well. His ability to hold the ball when necessary and attack with pace helped us become more dangerous on offense. He can see the game at a different level, which is impressive considering his youth, and he makes people around him better. Every year he gets better and adds something to his game. I believe his character is his greatest asset and he will do anything to help the team be successful. He is humble, unselfish and a great teammate.”
Zander Haskell. File photo.
Prior winners:
2019 Jarett Flaker (football)
2018 Anthony Burnham (golf)
2017 Owen Garrard (football)
2016 Dakota Joy (football)
2015 Matt Caron (soccer)
2014 Drew Kane (golf)
2013 Ben Greenberg (football)
2012 Dillon Russo (football)
2011 Nick Morris (cross country)
2010 Mike Cyr (football)
2009 Trevor Hoxsie (soccer)
2008 Ian Philbrick (soccer)
2007 Nate Gove (soccer)
2006 Jack Snyder (golf)
2005 Derek Poulin (soccer)
2004 Brad Carlson (soccer)
2003 Tim Waterhouse (cross country)
2002 Travis Hitchcock (football)
2001 Nial DeMena (football)
Ali Mokriski. File photo.
FEMALE:
ALI MOKRISKI, Sophomore -Soccer
- Southern Class A regional all-star
It took her a little while to get going this season, but once Mokriski hit her stride, she scored some big goals and reminded everyone that she’s not only one of the premier strikers in the state, but a multi-talented player who has big things in her future.
Mokriski was a star right out of the gate as a freshman, scoring 15 goals (including the game-winner in the regional final), which was second on the team to last year’s Fall Female Athlete of the Year Ashley Sabatino, and assisting on seven others as Scarborough made it to the state game for the third year in a row. Mokriski was chosen SMAA Rookie of the Year and was named to the all-star team.
After graduation hit the Red Storm hard, the opposition was able to devote much of their defensive game plan this year to slowing Mokriski. Scarborough struggled the first half of the season, sitting 1-3-1 at the midway point, but the Red Storm wouldn’t lose again and Mokriski was a big reason why, as she wound up with a team-leading five goals and a pair of assists.
After scoring a goal to beat Falmouth, Mokriski scored twice in a win over Thornton Academy, then closed the season by scoring twice more in a second win over Falmouth.
“I was putting way too much pressure on myself earlier this year,” said Mokriski, who also plays ice hockey for Scarborough. “I just told myself to focus and play my game and keep a positive attitude. We really just needed to play together and get used to each other. It was hard because we had a limited number of games. I really wish we had playoffs since we improved a lot. More games would have been amazing.”
Ali Mokriski, Scarborough’s Fall Female Athlete of the Year, saved her best for last this season and you have to figure that her best will lead the Red Storm back to the top in 2021.
Coach Mike Farley’s comment: “Ali has been really important to our team over the last two years. She plays as our lone striker, or target player, and can play both with her back to goal and physically hold the ball for us and she can also make runs and get in behind defenses with her speed and quickness. She is a pure finisher and has scored a number of big goals for us over the last two years. I can’t believe she is only a sophomore. She plays well above her age. She can strike a ball with both feet and uses a perfect balance of speed and power to keep defenses off balance.”
Ali Mokriski. File photo.
Prior winners:
2019 Ashley Sabatino (soccer)
2018 Molly Murnane (soccer)
2017 Natalie Simonton (volleyball)
2016 Lily Nygren (field hockey)
2015 Emily Hanson (volleyball)
2014 Kristen Murray (field hockey)
2013 Abby Mills (volleyball)
2012 Sarah Martens (soccer)
2011 Brittany Bona (volleyball)
2010 Cortney Hughes (soccer)
2009 Brittany Ross (field hockey)
2008 Brittany Ross (field hockey)
2007 Sarah Bonenfant (field hockey)
2006 Erica Jesseman (cross country)
2005 Liz Houle (soccer)
2004 Caitlin Albert (field hockey)
2003 Zaria Udeh (soccer)
2002 Caitlin Neelon (field hockey)
2001 Maureen McHugh (soccer)
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
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