Western Conference

Erin Holmes of Greely High School was co-champion of the Maine Principals’ Association individual girls state championship on October 15 at Natanis Golf Course. Holmes’s score of 73 on the Par-72 Vassalboro course tied three-time winner Bailey Plourde of Lincoln Academy in Newcastle.

Lily Posternak scored two goals, including the game-winner with just over three minutes remaining, to help York High School defeat Belfast Area High School 2-1 and win the Class B state championship on October 29 in Bath. It was the third consecutive state championship for the Wildcats, who are coached by former Olympian Barb Marois. Posternak will be attending Duke University in the fall of 2017, where she will play field hockey for the Blue Devils.

Greely High School captured the Class A championship on October 28 over Scarborough High School, the defending title holder, in a match played at Gorham High School. The Rangers captured the first two sets before the defending state titlist Red Storm rallied in the third. Greely won the decisive fourth set 25-20 to complete its perfect 17-0 season. Kayley Cimino put away 15 shots, added 11 assists and served 18 points to lead the Ranger attack in the championship match. The Rangers’ victory marked the ninth time in school history that the Cumberland school had won a Class A state volleyball championship and the first time since 2012. Greely won six consecutive state volleyball championships from 2003 through 2008.

Kennebunk High School football coach Joe Rafferty secured his 175th career coaching victory in the Rams’s 27-7 victory at Noble High School on October 21. The Rams completed their first undefeated regular season in Rafferty’s tenure at Kennebunk and earned the Class B North championship with a victory over Biddeford High School on November 11.

Paced by running backs Evan Whitten (218 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Riley Dempsey, Wells High School used an impressive ground game to defeat Mt. Desert Island High School 44-0 in the Class C state championship game held at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland on November 19. Michael Wrigley added an interception return for a touchdown late in the first half to make the score 21-0 heading into the half. It marked the first state championship for the Warriors, coached by Tim Roche, since 2011, when Wells claimed the Class B state crown over Leavitt Area High School. Wells also won a Class B state championship in 1997. The Warriors finish the season with a record of 11-1.

Senior Abigail Hamilton of Yarmouth High School won the girls Class B state individual cross country championship with a time of 18:05.31 at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast on Saturday, November 5. Hamilton’s time was the best recorded by a girls runner on the 5000 meter championship course, edging Mt. Desert Island standout Tia Tardy in the process. Hamilton was also the top Maine girls finisher in the New England championships held at Ponaganset, Rhode Island on November 12. Hamilton’s time of 18:23.20 was good enough for ninth place.

Yarmouth High School also placed a runner atop the boys standings. Luke Laverdiere defeated runner-up Henry Jaques of Freeport High School by twenty-two seconds to win the Class B boys individual title with a time of 15:49.59.

Greely High School placed all five of its scorers in the top fourteen spots to cruise to a Class B boys state championship in cross country. The Rangers, coached by David Dowling, topped runner-up and defending state champion Freeport High School 47-86 to capture the title. Wells High School also tallied 86 points, but was edged by the Falcon due to the placement of the schools’ sixth runners. It was the ninth time in school history that the Rangers had won the Class B boys team title.

Falmouth High School placed four runners in the top eighteen spots to win the Class A boys cross country state championship on November 5 at the Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast. The Yachtsmen were coached by Danny Paul, who previously coached state championship teams at nearby Greely High School and Presque Isle High School. It marked the first time that Falmouth has won the Class A state championship in this sport. The Yachtsmen also won Class B crowns in 2002 and 2011.

Falmouth High School cross country runner Jeremiah Sands finished seventh in the New England cross country championships with a time of 15:51 over the five-kilometer course on November 12. The senior was the top Maine boys finisher in the event held at Ponaganset, Rhode Island. Falmouth also was the top Maine team in the event with a 14th place finish (391 points).

The Lake Region High School football program was named as the recipient of the 2016 Southwestern Maine Football Officials Sportsmanship Award awarded each fall by that organization.

The Western Maine Conference held its annual student-athlete summit at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine in Standish on November 4. Susan Robbins of Yarmouth High School served as the keynote presenter at the conference. Students discussed, among other topics, acceptable behaviors for spectators.

Katherine Leggat-Barr and Carolyn Todd of Greely High School were third and fourth respectively in the Class B girls state championship meet to help the Rangers win the team title over runner-up Yarmouth High School. Leggat-Barr and Todd were the top two runners in the 2015 state championship cross country event won by Yarmouth. It was the second Class B state championship for the Greely girls team in three seasons and the thirteenth in the overall history of the program. Leggat-Barr and Todd followed up their state championship performances with twelfth and thirteenth place finishes respectively at the New England schoolgirl championships on November 12.

It was a busy day at Falmouth High School for its new athletic administrator James Coffey on November 10 as five student-athletes signed NCAA National Letters of Intent to play athletics at the Division I or Division II level. Brothers Robbie and Reece Armitage will both attend Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where they will play for the Red Foxes. Track and field standout Adelaide Cooke will also go to school in the Empire State where she will attend the University of Albany. Cooke was the Class A champion in shot put and discus in June and was selected as Gatorade Maine Athlete of the Year for outdoor track and field. She plans to do the heptathlon at Albany.

Other Yachtsmen who signed National Letters of Intent included multiple-time state champion Matt Polewaczyk, who will attend Providence College in Rhode Island to participate in track and field. Polewaczyk recently was part of the 4 x 100 meter relay team that won a Class A outdoor track and field state championship in June. Also signing an NLI is talented southpaw hurler Cam Guarino, who will attend Division II University of New Haven to play baseball for that Northeast-10 school.

Don King, athletic administrator at Poland Regional High School, became the president of the MIAAA at its fall conference on November 7. King, who previously had been a football, baseball, and coach during his time at Lewiston High School, has been a frequent presenter at association events, including a panel moderator at the MIAAA Fall Conference. King’s responsibilities include selecting a theme for the MIAAA Spring Conference and representing the MIAAA at the NIAAA Section 1 spring meeting.

Yarmouth High School won Class B state championships in both boys and girls soccer in contests played on November 5 at Hampden Academy. The Clipper boys team defeated Winslow 5-2 to win its third consecutive state championship and fourth in seven years. Luke Groothoff scored two goals for Yarmouth while Tahj Garvey, Eric LaBrie, and Matt Dostie added a tally apiece. LaBrie also tallied the winning goal in the regional championship game against Maranacook Community School.

Yarmouth High School’s girls soccer team topped Waterville High School 3-1 to capture top honors for the first time since 2003, when the Clippers defeated Belfast Area High School by a 3-2 score. The Clippers scored three goals in the final eighteen minutes of the contest to break open the game. Senior forward Katie Clemmer (two goals) and Sara D’Appolonia were the scorers for the Clippers in their state championship win.

Yarmouth High School athletic director Susan Robbins was interviewed for an article in High School Today. The topic of the article, written by retired athletic director Dr. David Hoch, was how to develop an education-based culture in one’s school program.

Sophomore Malaika Pasch of Falmouth High School narrowly defeated runner-up senior Louise Holway of Kennebunk High School to claim the Class A individual girls cross country championship at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast on November 5. Pasch completed the five-kilometer course in a time of 18:22.02 to edge Holway by 0.48 seconds. Pasch’s effort helped propel the Yachtsmen to a Class A state runner-up finish in the state standings to champion Bonny Eagle.

Greely High School baseball star Ryan Twitchell signed a Division I National Letter of Intent on November 9 to attend the University of Rhode Island. The hard- throwing Twitchell helped guide his team to the 2015 Class B state championship by tossing a no-hitter in the state title game, a 10-0 Greely victory over Camden Hills High School. Twitchell has participated on two Class B state championship nines during his outstanding career.