Volleyball: Coach Emma Tirrell said the team had a “Very exciting and energetic season. All the players worked hard, had fun, and never failed to be good teammates.” Playing a very tough Class A schedule, the Lady Rams finished the regular season at 9-5 and brought a #4 seed into postseason play with a quarterfinal match against #5 seed South Portland at GHS. The two evenly matched teams fought hard and to the end, but the Rams were on the wrong end of the 3-1 score, a disappointing echo of the September 5 South Portland match. The 15-25, 25-21, 25-20, 28-26 tallies and the fact that the team is devoid of seniors gives the program and fans a lot to look forward to.

Boys’ Soccer: On November 1, the Rams captivated a crowd and capped a season filled with talent, excitement, and a #3 seed to the home field to take on #4 Portland in the State Semifinals. Coach Tim King summed it up: “I was happy with the team’s performance this season, but very disappointed not to have advanced to the State Finals game. The regular season ended with a 11-2-1 record and a #3 seed for the tournament. Post season wins over Cheverus (3-2) and Falmouth (1-0) set the stage for a rematch of last season’s Southern Maine Regional final against Portland. I thought the boys gave everything they had and ended the 80 minutes regulation time and two 15-minute overtimes tied at 1. Unfortunately, the game and season ended with PKs (penalty kicks), just as last year’s state game ended.”

Girls’ Soccer: The Lady Rams finished a great season (10-3-2) with an overtime heartbreaker. Coach Jeanne Zarrilli and company (#4 seed) hosted Cheverus (#5 seed) in an October 24 quarterfinal match on a wet field. The Rams outshot Cheverus 4-1 in the first half, and applied good pressure. Early in the second half, with continued pressure, Emma Forgues took a shot, rebounding off a defender, and Hallie Shiers put it in the net. Zarrilli told the Portland Press Herald, “We struggled to finish this year. We should have scored a couple. You can’t hold a one-goal lead against a team like Cheverus.” Exceptional program, exceptional results. Heads held high, Gorham thanks you all for bringing it all season long.

Field Hockey: The field hockey team made the preliminary playoff round to cap off their season. Dropping a tough 1-0 loss to #5 seed Kennebunk, the #12 seed girls ended the season at 6-9, a record unindicative of a number of very close games and tenacious efforts. Coach Becky Manson highlighted the following player achievements: Senior Captain Vanessa Berrill was named MVP and received the Deans’ Girl’s Field Hockey Scholarship. Senior Emily Murray was named 2017 Most Improved Player. Berrill was also selected to the All-State team and will be recognized at a banquet in December. The grass may be taking a break, but sights are set on the 2018 season, with the following cap- tains named: Isis Adams, Sarah Stevens and Lydia McCrillis.

Cross Country States: The Maine State Championships were held on October 28 at Cumberland’s Twin Brook course. Regarding the girls’ sixth place finish, Coach Tanguay said, “The Gorham Girls team battled valiantly…” He added that due to the combined scoring formula for the day’s three races they moved up in the standings and qualified for the New England Championships on November 11 in Belfast. Tanguay concluded, “These girls have shown all season long that they are a close team not only off the course, but they proved it once again on the course.” Anna Slager and Iris Kitchen raced to top-20 finishes.

The coach also expressed pride in the boys’ team, and wrote, “Over the course of the season, this boys’ team had to overcome the loss of three of our top five runners from last season for various reasons, but they stayed focused and kept improving as individuals and this led to their goal of competing in the state championship.” Senior Anthony Chase finished a solid 24th in his race.