It is finally gorgeous weather out there. A few athletes were lucky enough to travel to warmer weather destinations early on to boost their pre-season performance. Here is the GHS 2024 spring sports overview.
SOFTBALL: COACH JASON DUBAIL
The previous ‘23 season concluded with a successful 11-5 record. The team moved on in the playoffs, losing in the semi-finals to Biddeford. The team had two seniors graduate from the 2023 team: Madi England and Kaci Mollison, who is currently playing softball at St. Michael’s College.
This year, the team got a head start in Pigeon Forge Tennessee, playing 7 games during April break; a great opportunity to mix things up, strengthening team togetherness.
The 2024 team is returning 14 players with a plethora of varsity experience; 8 of them being seniors: Amber Bretton, Andi Cloutier, Emily Bennett, Gretchen Dixon, Kyleah Mack, Lydia Fluet, Makayla Quintal, and Sophia DiPhilippo. Five of the seniors have over 30 games of varsity experience including: Amber Bretton, P/Utility, 47 G, 82 H, 82 RBI, 14 HR, .526 Ave, 2023 All State, 2021-23 SMAA All Conference, 2-time All Star game selection. Andi Cloutier, SS, 48 G, 55 H, 50 RBI, .374 Ave JR All Star game selection. Kyleah Mack, P/OF, 36 G, 44 H, 41 R, .379 Ave, 2023 SMAA All Conference, JR All Star game Selection. Rounding out the roster with excellent stats are : Makayla Quintal, 2B, 35 G, 31 R, .444 OBP JR All Star game selection, Sophia DiPhilippo, C, 47 G, 52 H, 47 RBI, .347 Ave JR All Star game selection.
Other returning starters rounding out the roster are: Lucy Dubail, JR, OF/C, .400 Ave Fr/So All Star game selection, Winnie Dubail, JR, 1B/OF, .500 OBP Fr/ So All Star game selection, and Sawyer VonderHaar, SO, 3B, 12 RBI. Rounding out the roster and athletes who will contribute this year are: Lily Tukey, JR; Madisson Willey, JR; and Terra Rioux, SO.
Coach added, “We have 2 players that are starting their varsity careers this year, Abbie Buckelew and Tatum Wing.”
Coach concluded, “Southern Maine is loaded with talented players, teams and coaches in 2024. The difference between the top teams and the middle of the pack will be a small handful of plays each game. Our expectations are to be playing high level softball that is necessary to compete in this league and to be playing our best softball at the end of the season.”
BASEBALL: COACH ED SMITH
Last season the team concluded with a 10-6 record and earned the #5 seed in the playoffs and lost to TA in the quarterfinals. Coach shared, “We lost five seniors from last year’s team and will look to try to fill the holes left by SMAA batting champion, Quinn Dillon as well as everyday players and producers, Brady Wintle, Cody Sellick and Malachi Scribner.”
This year’s captains are: Senior, CJ Whitehead C/OF and Juniors, Mason Finck C/3B and Jack Karlonas P/Util. Whitehead hit .362 with 15 RBI and 11 stolen bases last year. M. Finck hit .379 and led the team in RBI with 18. Karlonas hit .350 with 11 RBI and 12 stolen bases along with being one of our starting pitchers. They are all players to watch along with Casey Skolfield (JR) P/OF, Miles Brenner (SO) P/SS and Hunter Finck (FR)P/IF.
Coach added, “We expect to be among the top teams this year in what will be a very tough league. I like our pitching depth a lot and we are a very athletic team. Each game will be tough as there are no gimmes on the schedule for us. I expect Falmouth, Kennebunk, TA, Scarborough, Sanford and Marshwood to be very good this year.”
Coach concluded, “The baseball program will be very active with our Little League in town this year. In addition, our athletes will be volunteering their time, umpiring youth games this spring on their off nights.”
GIRLS LACROSSE: COACH MEGHAN CUSHING
According to Coach Cushing, Gorham Girls Lacrosse ended 9-6 in the regular season and graduated four seniors last year. This was the first winning record in two years. The Rams finished as the 11th seed and headed to Windham (6th seed) for a big first round playoff upset. The Rams ended their season with a loss to Yarmouth in the second round of playoffs.
The Rams have nine seniors this year. The team is led by captains Ellie Gay, Brooke Farquhar, Julia Wareham, and Giselle Doucette.
Coach Cushing included, “Players to watch this season are: Senior Midfielder, Ellie Gay. She was the leading scorer for us last year and had the most draw controls. She is a dominant player on all ends of the field and will play a critical role on all sides of the ball this year. She returns as a captain, making her a two-year captain. Senior Brooke Farquhar, (Defense), is a key returning defender. Brooke is dominant on the defensive end of the field. She led the team in caused turnovers last year. She will be heavily relied on to lead our defense this year. She is a captain for the team this year. Senior Midfielder, Giselle Doucette, is a key returning midfielder. Giselle is a leader all over the field and is a captain this year. She scores goals, hustles all over the midfield, and plays incredible defense. She is easily our most versatile player and willing to do what the team needs.”
The Rams look to have another winning season this year and continue on the foundation they set last year. The Rams will face some tough opponents, including Kennebunk, Falmouth, and Windham. The Rams will have an Alzheimer’s Awareness game on May 3rd vs. Scarborough. The game will be at 5:30 PM at Gorham High School.
BOYS LACROSSE: COACH ZACH BRYANT
This year’s Boys lacrosse Captains are Haden Pelletier Senior, Jesse James Senior, and Max Duplisea Sophomore.
Coach Bryant shared, “We are a young team this year, only returning 6 seniors. The team is very freshmen and sophomore heavy with some very talented underclassmen backed by great senior leadership.”
Coach included, “Haden Pelletier is a dynamic scorer, with the ability to finish inside and rip shots from deep. He always seems to find the back of the net. Not only is he a great scorer but he’s a great feeder, he finds the open lanes in the defense and loves to get his teammates involved in scoring. Max Duplisea is an athletic defenseman who can play close defense and LSM. He is a tough matchup for any offensive player with his speed, height, and reach. Duplisea is also a threat in tradition with his great stick skills and ability to shoot the ball. Bode Bragdon is a fourth-year goalie with great save ability. Bragdon is a loud voice on the field commanding his defense. He is athletic out of the net and loves to get involved in clearing the ball.”
Coach Bryant added, “With a loaded schedule this year our biggest challenges will be TA, Cape and Falmouth for in-conference games. We also play the 3-time reigning class C champs Waynflete, this should be a great out-of-conference matchup.”
BOYS TENNIS: COACH AARON LANDRY
The Boys tennis team looks forward to a new season, the team lost in the Quarterfinals to TA last year and hope to break that streak this year.
According to Coach Landry the top returning players are Derrick Luo (So) will start the season at #1 singles, Captains Owen Spera (Jr) and Jacob Shvets (Jr) at #1 Doubles and Patrick Downey (Jr)/Logan Wilson (Jr) at #2 Doubles. New to the team this year: TJ Nagel (Jr), Exchange student Oscar Rodriguez (So), and Will Johnson (Jr).
Coach added, “We have strong returning doubles teams and hope to make an impact in the new statewide Doubles Tournament this year. We have a young but fairly experienced team with no seniors so we are on the upswing and will likely match up well against many teams.”
GIRLS TENNIS: COACH NICOLE BERGERON
Last year the tennis team compiled a record of 10 wins including playoffs and 4 losses including playoffs. A solid record for new players in tough positions. Seniors who graduated last year were Sarah Rathbun and Klarha Cajuste, both crucial players.
Coach shared, “This year the seniors are Erica Nygren and Lillian Prather, (JV team), the captains are Julia Reed and Sarah Rosingana.”
Coach added, “The expectations are high, and I see that in the enthusiasm and motivation this team has.” Challenging opponents remain the same and include Thornton Academy, Kennebunk and Scarborough.
BOYS TRACK & FIELD: COACH JASON TANGUAY
Coach Tanguay shared, “Last season, our team finished in 3rd place in the conference championship and 5th place in the state championship. This season, we are looking to find our identity as over half our team are new faces. We do have many outstanding returning athletes who will be called upon to mentor and guide our new competitors so we can be competitive in the league and post season.”
Coach Tanguay recapped, the top returners include Nathan Bergquist-Guimond, senior, distance; Luke Burns, senior, throws; Nolan Feyler, senior, sprints & hurdles; Griffin Gammon, junior, HJ, LJ & javelin; Kuba Kaczmarek, junior, jumps; Aidan Lee, senior; hurdles & HJ; Nick Munyaneza, junior, jumps; Joshua Wright, senior, hurdles.
GIRLS TRACK & FIELD: COACH JOHN CATERINA AND CHRISTINA STONE
The girls ended the ‘23 season 5th in SMAA and 15th in the Class A State meet Finals.
According to Coach Caterina, The key returners include: Seniors: Lilly Andreasen, javelin; Rita Cummings, distance; Addy Harjula, jumps; Ella Labrie, jumps; Meryk Lewellen, distance, jumps; Juniors: Ashley Connolly, sprints; Bailey Hatch, jumps; Abby Rogers, sprints; Lindy Moreland, hurdles, jumps and throws. Sophomores: Zoe Dellinger, distance; Laurel Emerson, jumps. Key Newcomers include Juniors: Emily Fadrigon, jumps, sprints, Sophomores: Stella Moores, Gretchen Paul, and Freshmen: Sara Brawn and Noah Vail.
Coach Caterina concluded, “This year’s team has a strong group of juniors and seniors who will be depended upon to lead the team. The goal is to improve at both the conference and state meet level compared to last year while working on continuous improvement and development.”
All the Gorham teams should be in the mix at the end of the season going into the playoffs. Best of luck to all the Rams teams this spring season.