Tournaments for all winter sports begin in February and the Rams are well represented across the state landscape. For the Rams the winter sports post season kicked off on Sunday, Feb. 4 with Girls Ice hockey starting their playoff run as basketball’s regular season came to a close. Here are a few great moments captured on the court, the ice, the slopes, the pool, and the field house.
Photo credit: Kelly AllenGirls Ice Hockey athletes Emerson Homma photo & Greta Grant are both semi-finalists for most outstanding hockey player of the year
Girls Ice Hockey:
The team made another brilliant run in the playoffs. The Rams went on to defeat Greely in the quarter finals and late goals in the semi finals against Portland was another exciting win and a repeat trip to the Southern Regional Finals against Cheverus. Although their season ended there, the Rams had another fantastic season with outstanding leadership and much celebrated games throughout the season. Emerson Homa and Greta Grant are selected to represent Gorham in the senior all-star game, and are both semi-finalists for the Becky Schaffer award, equivalent to the Travis Roy award on the boys side for outstanding player of the year.
Photo credit: MPA StaffA great day for States at Pleasant Mountain
Alpine Ski:
The ski race athletes took to the slopes all season long with the wildly unpredictable weather forecast. The league championship took place on Friday, Feb. 9 and the state championship took place on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at Pleasant Mountain with sunny but chilly and windy conditions. Gorham’s total team effort landed them in 12th place with Brooke Stevens leading the way with a fast run 1, landing her 21st overall out of 19 teams with 89 athletes competing. And teammate, Abby Fecteau (placing 36th overall). The two led the way for the Rams once again this season.
Photo credit: Katie BrownBoys Ice hockey regular season action
Boys Ice Hockey:
The team finished their regular season with a 6-0 win over Cape Elizabeth. Greely proved to be a tough team to beat this season with the Rams suffering from too many penalties. This should help motivate and propel them for playoff action. The Rams finish the season with a 9-8-1 record and are projected to enter the playoffs as the #5 seed, according to athletic director Tim Spear.
Indoor Track & Field:
The top finishers include Ashley Connolly, Griffin Gammon and Nolan Feyler, they are all SMAA Champions in their respective events. Connolly won both the 55 meter and 200 senior meter events; Gammon won the senior high jump, and Feyler won the senior 400 in record time. The state championship on Monday, Feb. 19 held @USM included big wins for Aidan Lee and Griffin Gammon. Lee won the 55 yard hurdles and Gammon had a big win in the high jump (6 ‘6”) while Lee landed in 3rd place with a jump of 6’ 4”. All other results: Ashley Connelly 5th place in the 200, Nolan Feyler 2nd place in the 400, Andi Cloutier 5th place in the shot put, Griffin Gammon 6th in the long jump, and Josh Wright 5th in the 55 hurdles.
Wrestling (Gorham/Scarborough):
Luke Burns has won the state championship in his weight class for the second consecutive year, while earning his 100th career win. Burns is the 2nd wrestler to win 100 wins as a “100 club member” in program history and first 2-time state champion in program history for wrestling.
Swim (Boys and Girls):
Both teams had another strong season. Coach York shared, “Gorham Swimming had a pretty good run at Southwesterns this year. Boys finished third (TA 2nd place & Yarmouth took 1st place), and the Girls finished second (Yarmouth 3rd & TA 1st).” Coach added, “We set two new school records. Maya Moores in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 1:09.15 (seeding her first in class A going into states). Brodie Berlinger set the record in the 500 Free with a time of 5:01.93 (seeding him first going into class A states).” The Rams girls/boys team finished 8th and 9th respectively at the state championship meets at Bowdoin college on Feb 19 and 20; with Brodie Berlinger setting a new school record in the 100 fly and 500 freestyle events.
Photo credit: Adam ParvantaVarsity Boys Team Photo
Photo credit: Adam ParvantaVarsity Girls Team Photo
Basketball (Boys and Girls):
Both programs had remarkable seasons, both going into the playoffs as the #1 seed. The Girls team defeated Noble in a quarterfinal game, and upheld #4 Sanford by a score of 52-34, on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at the Cross Insurance Arena. Zoe Dellinger sparked the Rams with two 3 pointers after hitting a flat spot in the 4th quarter. Logan Doughty had a block, a steal and a nice basket that rallied a momentum change. And senior standout, Ellie Gay was solid on both ends of the court. On the boys side, their last regular season win against Scarborough clinched their #1 seed and a semi-final game against Deering. It took the Rams two quarters to get settled into their game and get the win over Deering by a score of 61-52. Gabe Michaud had a steal and a bucket in the 3rd quarter, which helped get the team going. Caden Smith made his presence felt despite playing with four fouls in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Griffin Gammon was impactful on the boards, while Ashton Leclerc took over in the 4th. The Girls and Boys teams then went on to face both Scarborough teams in a Regional final showdown, both defeating the Red Storm. The Girls will face Cheverus, while the boys will take on Windham for the state crown.
Congratulations to all of the winter sport athletes and coaches. The fans will have at least two more opportunities to support their Rams teams respectively.