Southwestern Maine Activities Association
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Southwestern Maine Activities Association Portland High School running back Joe Esposito was named as Maine’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year for 2015. A talented two-way player who led Portland in tackles, Esposito helped lead the Bulldogs to last fall’s Class A North championship. Esposito, who collected 1634 yards on the ground and scored 27 touchdowns for Portland last season, was also selected by the Maine Sunday Telegram as its Player of the Year. Esposito also was a key player for Portland High School’s basketball team this winter. On January 24, Joe Esposito added to his trophy collecting by garnering Maine football’s biggest prize, the James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy. Sponsored by the Julius (Yudy) Elowitch family since its inception, the trophy is named for former Portland High School football coach and athletic director James J. Fitzpatrick, who served in the latter capacity from 1936-1966 and was a four-sport letter winner at Boston College. Esposito is the fifth Bulldog to win the honor (Mike Rutherford – 1982; Shawn Hawkins – 1983; Joe D’Andrea – 1995; Carl Frye – 2002) since the award was initiated in the early 1980’s. The 45th annual presentation of this award took place in a ceremony held at the Holiday Inn-by-the-Bay in Portland on January 24. Presenting this year’s Fitzpatrick Trophy was 1990 winner John St. Onge, who starred as a fullback while a player at Biddeford High School. During his stellar career, St. Onge played for the legendary coach Mike Landry at Biddeford and now lives and works in Connecticut. The Fitzpatrick Trophy Committee invites a guest presenter annually, typically a past recipient on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his receiving the honor. Other SMAA players honored at the Fitzpatrick Trophy luncheon were finalist Austin McCrum of Thornton Academy and semi-finalist Mahlon Glidden of Scarborough High School. After leading his team to a Gold Ball in 2014, McCrum followed up this past season by passing for 1706 yards and 19 touchdowns in leading his team to the 2015 Class A state championship; he was also named as Maine’s offensive player of the year by USA Today. Glidden was an outstanding two-way player for a Red Storm team that qualified for the Class A South regional playoffs. Thornton Academy girls basketball coach Eric Marston organized another successful fundraiser this year on behalf of a charity. His “Hoops for Hope” campaign netted approximately $20,000 to be donated towards the Pink Ribbon cause. Money raised through this program can be used by people for a variety of needs, including gas money for travel to cancer treatments or purchases of wigs. Marston’s team also sported brand new pink uniforms they wore during their January 22 contest against Cheverus High School. Thornton Academy joins Wells High School (with its “Shootin’ for a Cure” campaign) as southern Maine schools that have an annual game for such a cause. Gorham High School girls soccer coach Jeanne Zarrilli was named by the Maine Sunday Telegram as its Coach of the Year. Zarrilli helped lead the Rams to the Class A South regional championship and a runner-up finish in the state championship game. Zarilli had previously led Gorham to a Class B state championship in 2004 and Class A crowns in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Tim Spear, athletic administrator at Gorham High School, and Todd Livingston, athletic administrator at South Portland High School, represented the MIAAA at the 2nd annual NIAAA Cornhole Tournament at the National Conference for Directors of Athletics in Orlando in December. In organizing this tournament, the NIAAA establishes a 64-team bracket including all state athletic director associations and a number of its standing committees. Teams consist of two players. After an impressive showing in National Harbor, Maryland in 2014, Tim and Todd won two matches in the sixteen-team East Regional before falling in the “Sweet Sixteen”. Jocelyn Moody of Biddeford High School was named the Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year for the state of Maine for the 2015 season. The Tigers qualified for the Southern Maine Class A playoffs last fall before losing an exciting five-set preliminary round match against eventual state champion Scarborough High School. Scarborough High School was well represented on the 2015 Maine Sunday Telegram All-State Volleyball Team. Emily Hanson, a senior libero for the Red Storm, was named by the Portland-based newspaper as its Player of the Year. Jon Roberts was selected as Coach of the Year for the 2015 season by the Portland-based newspaper. Thornton Academy had four members of its senior class sign National Letters of Intent to play Division I or Division II athletics on February 3, the first day of the national signing period for the sports of football and soccer. Thornton Academy football quarterback Austin McCrum signed a NLI to attend Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania while his teammate, linebacker Owen Elliott inked for the University of Maine in Orono. Alexis Nason, an all-state girls soccer goalkeeper, will continue her education at Assumption College in Worcester, where she will join former high school teammate Amanda Arnold in playing for the Greyhounds. Simon Trcka will also continue his education at Assumption and play men’s soccer in that program. Marshwood High School linebacker Zach Mitchell signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Wagner College, a Division I university located on Staten Island. Mitchell signed on February 3, the first day of the signing period for football. Gorham High School soccer standout Cady Houghton signed a National Letter of Intent to play Division I soccer at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. Cheverus High School soccer star Brady Levesque will continue his education at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts and play for the men’s soccer team there. Levesque signed a National Letter of Intent on February 3, the first day of the NCAA Division I and II signing period. Scarborough High School boys cross country coach Jim Harmon was selected by the Maine Sunday Telegram as its Coach of the Year. In addition to boasting a number of outstanding individual runners, Harmon’s program has garnered eight Class A state championships in the past twelve seasons, including the 2015 crown. Scarborough High School athletic administrator Mike LeGage and his assistant Jordan Ferreira both served as team coordinators at the 2016 MPA basketball tournament at the Portland sites. Brandon Lajoie of Westbrook High School earned his 100th career wrestling victory during the 2015-2016 high school campaign. Biddeford High School athletic administrator Dennis Walton is doing double-duty this winter as a Maine Principals’ Association committee member. Walton is joining the MPA Basketball Committee for the first year of a three-year term and also serves as chairman of the MPA Cheerleading Committee. Blair Marelli, athletic administrator at Noble High School in North Berwick, can also relate to the idea of work overload. When a major snow event forced athletic postponements on Saturday, January 16, Marelli had to manage not only his own school’s sports cancellations, but also two major SMAA events as well. Noble High School was host for the league’s cheerleading championships, and Marelli is also the sport liaison for all indoor track meets held at the Costello Field House at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. Despite the pressures of time and communication, Marelli skillfully and deftly managed all three responsibilities, and events were moved to January 16. His work on that day is indicative of the challenges faced by Maine’s high school athletic directors in performing their roles, and the skill that people in our state employ when performing under great pressure. Great job, Blair! Sanford High School boys basketball coach Paul Nolette and athletic administrator Gordon Salls paved the way for a memorable moment for a student manager in a January 29 home game against Thornton Academy. On the occasion of its senior night, the Spartans dressed team manager Joey Burnham, a student with developmental disabilities who, in addition to being a golfer and track and field athlete, also is the team’s basketball manager. Joey sank a three-pointer late in the contest and achieved his dream of scoring in a varsity boys basketball game. The work of the Sanford athletic staff in providing this special memory for the student is emblematic of true sportsmanship and a positive exemplar for others to follow. This story was part of a featured on WCSH-TV, and the shot can be relived by viewing it on You Tube. A number of SMAA basketball coaches secured milestone victories during the past season. Deering High School girls basketball coach Mike Murphy earned his 300th career win when the Rams defeated Lewiston on December 22 while Marshwood High School boys basketball coach Mike Zamarchi notched victory number 200 in a win at Bath against Morse High School. Gorham High School boys basketball coach Mark Karter earned his 400th career coaching victory in his team’s win over Westbrook High School on January 12. Karter previously coached varsity boys basketball at Westbrook and Mountain Valley. Now in his 31st year of coaching, Karter won 109 games at Mountain Valley and 263 contests at Westbrook prior to coming to Gorham. Three members of the Marshwood High School wrestling program won individual state championships at their respective weight classes. Kyle Glidden was the champion in the 113-pound division, and teammates Aiden Whitis (138 pounds) and Justin Stacy (182 pounds) also claimed gold medals for the state runner-up Hawks. Frank Curran of Cheverus High School was named the winner of the Frank Gaziano Defensive Lineman Award and received a $5000.00 scholarship for his achievement.