South Portland Red Riots Spring Athletes of the Year

Male:

BRADLEY MCMAINS, Senior – Baseball

Contributed photo

• SMAA All-Conference, first-team pitcher
• SMAA All-Conference, first-team outfield

McMains

McMains contributed with his terrific left arm, his bat, glove and legs and he helped produce the Red Riots’ biggest run in nearly seven decades as South Portland completed a stirring and stunning run to the Class A state title.

McMains, who is also a standout ice hockey player, didn’t get to throw a single pitch or swing the bat once as a junior, as the season was lost to COVID, but he came up huge in all areas this spring for a team that was expected to be too young to make a run to the championship.

McMains went 5-1 on the mound, earned a save, struck out 61 batters in 46.1 innings and had a 1.36 earned run average.

At the plate, he batted .290, with a double (in the final inning of the state final), a home run, 10 RBI, 10 runs scored and 19 stolen bases.

Regular season highlights included a pair of hits in an extra-inning victory over Windham, a one-hit shutout with nine strikeouts in a win over Falmouth, two RBI in a victory over Westbrook and a three-hitter to beat Thornton Academy.

Then came the postseason, where sixth-ranked South Portland wound up the last team standing.

McMains earned a save in the first game, a Round of 16 victory over Sanford, then, he earned the win against Bonny Eagle in the quarterfinals, allowing just one earned run. In a semifinal round win over Cheverus, McMains had a bunt single and a fabulous diving catch in centerfield as the Red Riots edged Cheverus by a run. McMains returned to the mound for the regional final versus Thornton Academy and dazzled, going the distance allowing just two hits, striking out eight and earning the win in a 3-0 victory. McMains also scored a run. That set the stage for the Class A state final versus Bangor. With the game tied, 2-2, in the bottom of the seventh, McMains hit a double to move the eventual winning run to third and South Portland captured the title on a bases loaded walk, their first crown since 1952.

“It feels amazing,” McMains said. “Unbelievable, honestly. We believed in ourselves. We believed we were better than everyone else.”

McMains plans on playing junior hockey for the next three years for the Twin City Thunder with the hopes of playing hockey in college down the road.

His baseball exploits will certainly long be hailed. Bradley McMains, South Portland Spring Male Athlete of the Year, came up huge when it mattered most and the end result was a championship celebration.

Coach Mike Owens’ comment: “Brad was our emotional leader. As he went we went. He batted leadoff and was a threat at all times on the bases. If he got on base. he almost always scored. On the mound, he was our go-to guy. He had one bad outing all year and other than that, he was lights out. His best performance of the year was in the regional final. He was at his best when we needed it most. We were nowhere near the state championship without Bradley.”

Previous winners:

• 2020 No season
• 2019 Hunter Owen (baseball)
• 2018 Riley Hasson (baseball) and Cooper Mehlhorn (lacrosse)
• 2017 Steven Smith (track)
• 2016 Sam Troiano (baseball)
• 2015 Henry Curran (baseball)
• 2014 Duncan Preston (lacrosse)
• 2013 Duncan Preston (lacrosse)
• 2012 Brendan Horton (baseball)
• 2011 Adrian Reid (track)
• 2010 Adam Burpee (lacrosse)
• 2009 Ben Linscott (lacrosse)
• 2008 Will Furbush (baseball)
• 2007 Eugene Arsenault (lacrosse)
• 2006 Thomas McCoubrey (track)
• 2005 Justin Collett (baseball)
• 2004 Scott Guillerault (baseball)
• 2003 Anthony Dambrie (track)
• 2002 Greg Norton (baseball)

Female:

GENEVA HOLMES, Junior – Outdoor track

Contributed photo

• Class A state champion, discus
• SMAA All-Conference, second-team

Holmes

Holmes was a steady team leader, one of the state’s premier throwers and she bowed out as a champion.

Holmes began track and field in middle school and has a background in martial arts. As a freshman, Holmes was seventh in the shot put at the outdoor state meet. She then missed out on her sophomore season due to COVID, but truly stood out this spring.

Holmes not only excelled in the discus and shot put, she also competed in the sprints, triple jump and pole vault, placing first in multiple events at multiple meets.

She saved her finest hour for the Class A state meet, when she won the discus with a top throw of 106 feet, 1 inch, a full 6 feet clear of the runner-up. Holmes also took part in the shot put and the triple jump that day.

“(Geneva’s) first throw was okay, 88 feet I believe, then she improved to around 92 or 93 feet on the second, then we made an adjustment before the third throw and she executed very well to throw 106-1,” said longtime South Portland coach Karen Reardon. “After that, it was all over. She went into the finals in the lead, had another 100-foot-plus throw and no one else could put it out there on that day. She didn’t come in as the top seed, but came out as the champion. I was so happy for her and she was pretty excited as well.”

Holmes still has another year to chase first-place finishes in a Red Riots uniform and it’s safe to say that her best is yet to come.

Geneva Holmes, South Portland’s Spring Female Athlete of the Year, couldn’t wait to return to the track this season and she emerged as one of the top throwers around.

Coach Karen Reardon’s comment: “Geneva was our leading scorer this season, doing four events every meet but more than that it is her competitive spirit and her desire to consistently improve her craft that stands out. We only had two returning seniors and four juniors who had competed as a member of the varsity outdoor team, so a presence like Geneva’s was important. Geneva is a multi-talented athlete. She can run, jump and throw. She is working on getting stronger and could probably be a good multi-eventer in college. The progress she has made over the years is exciting.”

Previous winners:

• 2020 No season
• 2019 Jena Leckie (lacrosse)
• 2018 Grace Rende (softball)
• 2017 Juliana Selser (track)
• 2016 Mary Cronin (lacrosse)
• 2015 Laurine German (softball)
• 2014 Shannon Conley (track)
• 2013 Danica Gleason (softball)
• 2012 Erin Bogdanovich (softball)
• 2011 Alexis Bogdanovich (softball)
• 2010 Katlin Norton (softball)
• 2009 Danielle DiBiase (softball)
• 2008 Julie DiMatteo (softball)
• 2007 Christina Aceto (softball)
• 2006 Kristin Kill (softball)
• 2005 Krystal Shannon (softball)
• 2004 Lindsay Coit (lacrosse)
• 2003 Nichole Cousins (softball)
• 2002 Morgan O’Donnell (softball)

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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