The Gorham Rams athletic teams are heading into the second half of their seasons hoping to secure home playoff games.
Boys’ Hockey: The boys recently lost a tough game to Yarmouth, but Coach Jon Portwine said the team has played well in the first half of the season. The regular season record is currently 6-3-1. Over Christmas break, the Rams went 2-1 against teams from Connecticut in the holiday tournament hosted by Gorham hosts at USM.
“We are getting contributions offensively from our veteran players like Jonah Bird, Cole Perreault, Peter Richards, Nolan Gava and Aidan Enck,” Portwine said. “We have also had good play defensively from Aiden Owens, Cam Sawyer, and freshman goalie Jasper Crane.”
Girls’ Hockey: The Gorham girls hockey team (combined with Bonny Eagle, Massabesic, and Westbrook) are 2-15 on the season. Senior Night was held recently during the last home game against Yarmouth.
Boys’ Basketball: With five games left in the regular season, the Gorham Rams had a record of 8-5. The boys started the season off with a record of 1-5 after a very tough schedule. The Rams dug in and have gone on to win seven straight including two tough road wins at Portland and Scarborough.
“The win streak also includes an impressive one point victory against a very tough Thornton Academy team. The schedule is tough the rest of the way with games against Bonney Eagle and probably the best team in the state, South Portland,” Coach Mark Karter said.
Karter is hopeful the boys can continue to play well and receive a home playoff game to start the tournament.
Girls’ Basketball: The Lady Rams basketball team is currently 7-6 and in fifth place at mid-season. The girls have won four of their last five games, including wins over Scarborough and Noble, who are both ahead of the Rams in the standings. “We are hoping to win a few more games down the stretch and earn a quarterfinal game at GHS,” Coach Laughn Berthiaume shared.
The Rams have their last home game on Thursday, February 6, against Massabesic in a boys/girls double header. Berthiaume said the Gorham girls are looking to avenge a one-point loss from earlier in the season on a buzzer beater.
Boys’ Track: The boys’ team is currently at 13 wins and five losses. Coach Jason Tanguay said the following athletes have qualified for the conference championship: Landon Bickford, Calvin Cummings, Andrew Farr, Ryan Farr, Ryan Gendron, Reed Henderson, Braeden Johnson, Jacob Lehmann, Josh Lehmann, Keagan Lindsay, Kyle Ouillette, Tyler Rollins and Will Stein.
Ryan Gendron has broken the school record in the high jump. The previous jump was 6 feet 3 inches and was held by Josh Maxwell. Gendron jumped 6 feet 3.5 inches.
The Rams had its last regular season meet on February 1, and the conference championship is scheduled for February 8.
Girls’ Track: The Gorham girls indoor track team has had a very successful season so far. Highlights of the first half of the season include several new school records: Alyvia Caruso – Jr 55 Hurdles; Emma Green – Jr High Jump; Stef Meacham – 1500 Racewalk; Kate Tugman – 600, 1000 and 1 mile; 1600 Relay team consisting of Alyvia Caruso, Sydney Fox, Elisabeth Loranger and Kate Tugman; and the Sprint Medley Relay team consisting of Sydney Connolly, Nevaeh Moore, Alyvia Caruso and Kate Tugman.
Coach John Caterina said, “Another highlight of the first half of the season was 15 girls competing in the Dartmouth Relays. They finished in fourth place out of over 50 schools from throughout New England and Quebec with Kate Tugman winning the 1000 at that meet.”
Ski Team: “As always, Shawnee Peak and their Race Department continue to provide excellent conditions,” said Coach Sean Munkacsi.
“On the girls side Estelle Ballard and Claire Munkacsi have been trading top GHS finishes while always finishing in the top 10 overall. Newcomer Jillian Dugas has proven that she can compete on the toughest courses and still do well,” he shared.
Munkasci said the boys’ team has been shaken up with the addition of three freshmen who have scored points for Gorham in all of the races, including Owen Ballard, Sam Munkacsi and Trent Stevens. Senior captain Jacob Polchies has also consistently scored points and continues to be a strong leader under the most challenging circumstances. “Ryan Castonguay, Nolan McCullough and Ryker Spear have been battling to improve each race and are on the cusp of big breakthroughs,” he said.
SMAAs will be held on February 7 and the State competition is the following week. The team thanks bus drivers Tom, Denny and Don. “And welcome back Kenny [Fickett], the heart and soul of the team. Getting you back is like getting the star quarterback back just in time for playoffs,” Munkasci shared.Wrestling: Henri Kuntz (GHS ’20) took his 100th career win at Biddeford High School on January 25. Kuntz came in third in States last year and is hoping for the first place finish in his last season at GHS.
Swimming: The girls’ team has been plagued with injury and illness so far this season, but the team is hopeful that they’ll get back to full strength and back in the pool heading into the championship. Coach Adam Cyr said the team just competed in its toughest meet of the season against the Southwestern champs from Kennebunk.
“We held our own missing so many talented swimmers and lost in a squeaker,” he said. The team’s championship hopes remain the same, defending their second place Southwestern Championship finish last season and dethroning Kennebunk. The team also hopes to finish better than its fifth place at the state championship a season ago.
On the boys’ side, unfortunately illness has plagued the team as well. “We are doing very well for a small team. We started the season 2-0 against a couple of good competitors,” Cyr said. The boys held its own against a Kennebunk squad that outnumbered them 3 to 1. Despite a loss, the boys put up a strong 60 points.
“We finish the season against defending state champion Cheverus before going into championship season with the goal of improving on our finishes at both Southwestern championship and State Championship meets.”
Editor’s Note: Cheering information was not provided to the paper.