Baseball
Coach Chuck Nadeau will put a young but experienced team on the diamond. The Rams were 10-6 last season. Athletes to watch: Logan Drouin, Sr., Pitcher, Team Captain, 1st Team SMAA Pitcher as Junior,committed to play baseball at Franklin Pierce College; Jason Komulainen, Sr., Catcher, Team Captain, Outstanding Defensive Catcher, committed to play baseball at USM next year; Ben Nelson, Jr., Shortstop, 1st Team SMAA as Sophomore, SMAA Batting Champion as Sophomore (.442); Kyle King, Jr., 3B, returning starter; Lucas Roop, Jr.,LF, returning starter; Nolan Brown, Jr., 2B, returning starter; Adam Peterson, Sr., Pitcher.
Nadeau offered the following: “We lost some excellent players to graduation last year, including three of our top four pitchers. However, we have a junior class that has six players who played key roles as sophomores.”
“Our goal is to give ourselves a chance to play meaningful games well into June. To get there, we understand that we can only look at the next game in front of us. We have a talented roster and our kids love to compete, but they also understand that the difference between good and great is very slight, and often has little to do with talent.”
Nadeau’s outlook for the seaon: “We have a fun group of young men in our program – from the Varsity level down through the First Team roster. They compete well, they are good teammates, they are respectful kids, and they are excellent students so from a program perspective, the coaching staff feels really good about where we are.”
Boys’ Lacrosse
Coach Dan Soule’s Rams were 10-2 in 2016, and ended a great run at the South Regional Championship game. Athletes to watch: Seniors Carter Landry, Matt Anderson, Alex York, Cam Wright, and juniors Chris Tucker and Sam Burghardt.
Soule stated that, “We achieved the highest level of program success in 2016,” and said of this season, “We’re returning a core group of seniors that have potential to be strong leaders and players. Several new sophomore varsity players will be filling roles due to graduation.”
“The program goal is to continue to raise the bar of program accomplishment…Staying committed and accountable to the process, and each other, will prove to be keys to the success (in 2017),” said Soule.
“The team has potential to compete with the top teams in Class A. The returning players will need to lead the new players, embrace the process and re-establish themselves and their team identity in 2017.”
Girls’ Lacrosse
Coach Mary Guimond’s squad was 7-5 in 2016. Athletes to watch are Marina Pappalardo, Sr., Attack; Audrey Perreault, Sr., Midfield; Athena Pappalardo, Sr., Defense. Coach Guimond shared, “We graduated a key core of our defense as well as our goalie, but look to revamp with eager and hardworking underclassmen, led by a determined and dedicated core of upperclassmen.”
“We have been working diligently on the fundamentals and team chemistry, as we have had limited field time in the early weeks of preseason. We will rely on our depth and athleticism to propel us through a challenging season.”
Guimond’s outlook for the season: “We’re hoping to get that elusive first-round playoff win, and learn from each game along the way!”
Softball
Coach Renee Whipkey’s Lady Rams were 8-10 in 2016, including a playoff victory. Athletes to watch are Grace McGouldrick, Jr., Pitcher/Shortstop; Noelle DiBiase, Infield; and Shay Harris, Infield.
“This year’s team has many returning players, bringing back eight of the nine starters. This year, we certainly believe we will be competitive and look to improve upon this (2016) record, hoping to go above .500.”
Whipkey’s outlook for the season: “We are very excited for this year as we have girls with a lot of experience. Our team is very athletic so we’re looking to use that to our advantage on the bases. Defensively, we have several girls who are talented in multiple positions which gives us options as our season gets underway! Not being able to get out on the field has certainly been difficult–but we know that every other team in the league is in the same position. Our girls have been staying positive and we hope to get out soon!”
Boys’ Track
Coach Jason Tanguay has been with the program since 2005, and has been the head coach since 2011. The team finished 5th in SMAA Championship and 10th in Class A State Championship last year.
Captains: James Benson, Anthony Chase, Garrett Higgins, Ethan Orach, Alex Ousback, and Wil Rossignol. Key Returners: James Benson, Sr., Jumps; Zack Brown-Davis, So.., Middle Distance; Jason Catoggio, Jr., Pole Vault; Anthony Chase, Jr., Distance; Luke Gowen, Jr., Sprints; Garrett Higgins, Jr., Jumps; Dylan Lamont, So., Racewalk; Carlos Monsen, Jr., Racewalk/Distance; Ethan Orach, Sr., Middle Distance; Alex Ousback, Jr., Hurdles/Middle Distance; Wil Rossignol, Jr., Distance. Newcomers: Wes Brinegar, Fr., Hurdles/Jumps/ Sprints, Stefan Street, Jr., Pole Vault
Tanguay’s outlook for the season: “Gorham is a relatively young team with many new faces. The handful of returning scorers will be asked to step up to fill the spots left from a large graduating class. We are excited for the upcoming season with lots of room for improvement.”
Girls’ Track
Veteran teacher and coach John Caterina is deep with young veteran point scorers. The team finished last season in 11th place in SMAA and 22nd in Class A championship.
Key Returners: Erin Esty, Sr., Jumps; Emily Hayward, Sr., Throws; Sarah Lorello, Sr., Throws; Lauren Barden, So., Pole Vault; Hayley Bickford, Jr., Racewalk; Meadow Fortier, Jr., Middle Distance; Alexis Fotter, Jr., Sprints/Hurdles; Avery Germond, So., Sprints; Evelyn Kitchen, So., Throws/Jumps; Sarah Johnson, Jr., Middle Distance; Maddie Rossignol, Jr., Sprints; Anna Slager, Jr., Distance; Sarah Stevens, So., Jumps/ Hurdles
Newcomers: Brittany Desjardin, So., Sprints; Iris Kitchen, Fr., Distance; Kate Tugman, Fr., Distance; Quinn Young, Fr., Jumps
Caterina’s outlook for the season: “Gorham is a relatively young team but has a lot of returning talent. With Anna Slager and Meadow Fortier returning from injuries that sidelined them last spring, and a talented group of underclassmen, Gorham will be very competitive in the SMAA and Class A this spring.”
Girls’ Tennis
Coach Nicole Bergeron has a positive outlook and is still working out her lineup, with the early season mostly spent shoveling the courts and conditioning in the gym. With only a couple of indoor practices that didn’t include the full squad, the team had only four days of regular practice on the courts at the time of this submission.
Athlete’s to watch: Whitney King, Jenna Cowan and Jocelyn Bolt.
The team went 11-1 during the 2016 regular season. “Some key players graduated last year and one key senior this year won’t be playing so there’s going to be a big shift in the dynamics of the team. But, I’m not worried about the desire for these girls to work hard and accomplish what they set out to do.”
When asked about the goal for this season, Bergeron shared, “We lost to Scarborough in the regular season and the Western Maine semis. You can imagine that our biggest goal is a win over Scarborough.”
Look to future issues for updates on Rams Boys’ Tennis (11-1, 3rd in Class A-South last season) as well as the sports previewed above.