VOLLEYBALL: Gorham Volleyball seniors: Maiya Carlson, Isabelle Kolb, Katie O’Donnell, Libby Mitchell, Sara Slager, Alexa Corey, Lily Barden, Colette Romatis, and Evelyn Kitchen. Players to watch this season are Meg Perry (junior) and Katie O’Donnell (senior). Coach Emma Tirrell said, “We are expecting a solid year of working hard and having fun. We expect to succeed and will change anything on the court we need to in order to succeed. These players have their eyes set on their goals of making it through the tournament at the end of the season and will do whatever it takes to get there. Be ready for good volleyball!” Tirrell expects some challenging opponents but they are looking forward to a great season.

BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY: Seniors: Zack Brown-Davis, Zach Green, Dylan Lamont, Evan Morrell, Simon Roussel, and Jacob Sladen. Runners to watch are Jacob Sladen and Andrew Tinkham. Coach Jason Tanguay said, “The boys’ team graduated three of our top seven runners from last year – two of which being our number one and two runners. It looks as though some of our runners have put in a good base of summer running, but only time will tell if the others can get into shape this season.” Tanguay is hopeful this team will qualify again for the state championship at the end of the season. Although this will be a challenging goal, he said the boys have a good group who could step up and get it done. “It will be exciting to see how the team does in our regular season races. If we can figure out how to run well as a team, then we might find ourselves ready to perform in the post-season.”

GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY: Seniors: Libby Knudsen and Ellianna Towns. Runners to watch are Kate Tugman and Iris Kitchen. Coach Tanguay said, “Our girls’ team was very successful last year, but we did graduate three of our top five runners. I must say though that there were numerous girls who put in the commitment this summer to create a good base of summer mileage so I am excited to see this work pay off for them this season. This hard work and dedication has created a great foundation to build upon for the girls team this season. I believe that qualifying for the state championship will be a good goal for the girls team this season.” Tanguay is eager to see how those runners who established a good base of training this summer perform in the big meets like the Southern Maine Classic on Saturday, September 8, in Gorham and the Festival of Champions on Saturday, September 29, in Belfast.

FOOTBALL: Andy Hager is returning for his 5th year as Head Coach of the Rams. Coach Hager said, “The Rams return few starters on each side of the ball this year, as we begin yet another rebuilding year with a young program comprised of predominantly juniors and freshmen.” Players to watch are: SR Ethan Stump (LB/OL), SR Nate Burchill (OL/LB), JR Kyle Ouellette (OL/LB), JR Tyler Rollins (RB/DB), JR Isaac Rollins (QB/DB), JR Jack Van Zandt (WR/DB), and JR Ryan Reno (TE/DE).

BOYS’ SOCCER: Tim King is in his 19th year coaching the boys soccer team. Last season, the team had a 13-3-1 record, losing in the Regional finals in PKs. Key returning players: JR Andrew Rent (Midfielder), SR Michael Knight (Midfielder), SR Cooper Lyons (Midfielder), and SR Trevor Gray (Goalkeeper). Other returning varsity players include seniors Brendan Waterman and Kevin Mollison, and juniors Ryan Farr, Javin Stickney, Kyle Hamblen, Brady King, Colby Christakis, and Alex Burghardt. Coach King said “This year’s team has five returning starters and many talented players ready to step in and contribute. The group should improve throughout the season and be ready for a deep run in the tournament. The early schedule will test the Rams with Deering, Scarborough, Portland, and South Portland all expected to be strong opponents.

GIRLS’ SOCCER: The Gorham girls’ soccer team had a record of 10-3-2 last season. Key returning seniors: Brooke Woodbury, Avery Germond, Caroline Gross, Emma Forgues, Hallie Shiers, Caitlin Chasse, and Brittany Desjardins. With regard to the outlook of the season, Coach Zarrilli said, “We have a solid mix of speed and technical ability that will enable us to compete against the toughest teams in the league this year. We are working on our versatility and strength and hope to improve on our play-offs run from last year.” According to Zarrilli, key matchups are Scarborough, Windham, Cheverus, and Thornton Academy.

FIELD HOCKEY: Head Coach Becky Manson-Rioux is entering her 10th season as Head Coach of the Gorham Rams field hockey team. Her Assistant Coach, Meredith Thurston, is in her 3rd. The team’s record last year was 6-8 and its season ended in the preliminary round to Kennebunk. Key returning players: Sarah Steven (SR Captain, Defender), Hailey Morrill (SR, Midfielder), Lydia McCrillis (SR Captain/Goalkeeper), Isis Adams (SR Captain and also coming back from a season ending injury at the beginning of last season. Isis is a 4-year varsity player), Faith Dillon (JR Center/Midfielder), Kacie Walton (JR, Defender), and Lydia Gaudreau (SO, Forward). Key newcomers: Molly Rathbun (SO), Alex Ferrigan (SO), Lauren Green (JR), and Kate Downey (SO). Sharing her outlook on the season, Coach said, “With some key returning players and some fresh new, young talent the Gorham Rams Field Hockey team looks to be versatile, well conditioned and has strong leadership.” Key matchups are Marshwood, Cheverus, Thornton Academy, and Massabesic.

GOLF: Varsity Golf lost two of the state’s top golfers last season, however, Coach Scott Nevers shared that they return four varsity starters. He said, “They look to lead us back to the state finals at Natanis. With a few underclassmen mixed in, we will be a solid team and compete every match.” He stated, “Any one of the varsity starters could be the number one man, as we will have a very balanced team.” He said the team will look to build consistency and confidence throughout the season leading to the state qualifier and into the state championship. He also said to look for seniors Tyler Haines, Peter Boswell, Jayden Gaudreau and Trevor Loubier to lead the team in matches.