Connor Thoreck

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Owen Thoreck

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Jessie Robicheaw

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Male(s):

CONNOR THORECK, Senior-Lacrosse

* All-American

* Western Maine Conference all-star, first-team

* Senior All-Star

* Captain

AND

OWEN THORECK, Senior-Lacrosse

• All-American

• Western Maine Conference all-star, first-team

• Senior All-Star

• Captain

The Thoreck twins have been indistinguishable since birth and they both excelled on the lacrosse field. As a result, for the first time in Forecaster Athlete of the Year history, we’re selecting co-season MVPs, due the their excellence and leadership.

Connor was born 29 minutes before Owen and as a result, Owen has been chasing after his brother ever since.

“We’ve always been competitive,” Owen Thoreck said. “He holds being born first over me and pushes me to work hard.”

The twins were born into a lacrosse family, as their father, Cape Elizabeth athletic director Jeff Thoreck, was a standout player for the Capers and their older brother, Griffin, was the school’s 2015 Spring Male Athlete of the Year before going on to play at Lynchburg College in Virginia.

“Our first competitive team was in the second grade and we played up against third and fourth graders,” Connor Thoreck said. “It’s always been our top sport. It brings every sport into one. You need a sharp mind. What’s better than shooting and hitting with sticks?”

“What I love about lacrosse is that it’s face-paced,” Owen Thoreck said. “It’s team-oriented. I enjoy the family aspect too.”

While both boys also excelled at soccer in the fall and swam in the winter, it’s been in the spring where they’ve earned the most renown, each making an impact since their freshman season.

That first year, 2014, Cape Elizabeth won the Class B state title, Owen Thoreck made the Underclass All-Star team at attack and Connor Thoreck became a presence in the midfield. As sophomores, the twins (in their last season playing with their older brother) again got to celebrate a title and Owen Thoreck made the all-star team. In 2016, Owen Thoreck was named All-American and Connor Thoreck a league all-star, but the Capers were upset by Falmouth in the regional final.

That made this year’s focus simple.

Return the program to glory.

With the exception of one slip-up early in the year at home to Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth was unbeatable and the Thoreck twins were huge reasons why.

Connor Thoreck scored 29 goals, assisted on 11 others and was a matchup nightmare in the midfield, even causing 14 turnovers.

Owen Thoreck scored 45 times and added 18 assists.

The twins were at the best in the biggest games, as Owen had five goals in a semifinal round win over Wells, Owen had a goal and an assist and Connor added a goal and four ground balls in a dramatic regional final victory over Falmouth and in a 16-7 win over Yarmouth in the state final, Connor scored four times in his swan song, while Owen added two more goals.

“We had a chip on our shoulder and it was a relief to win,” Connor Thoreck said. “It’s been unbelievable to be part of this program. We wanted to continue the dynasty.”

“Before high school, I couldn’t wait to be part of it,” Owen Thoreck said. “Playing for Ben (Raymond) and Charlie (Carroll) taught us so much. Last year hit me so hard. I used that pain and it helped me improve as a player.”

Both boys were named All-Americans in their final season.

The next stop, not surprisingly, is Lynchburg and naturally, the twins will be sticking together, playing lacrosse with Griffin (they both expect to be in the midfield) and studying special education.

Inseparable and unstoppable, Connor and Owen Thoreck, Cape Elizabeth’s co-Spring Male Athletes of the Year, brought so much to the sport of lacrosse and much of the Capers’ recent success can be attributed to their dedication and brilliance.

Coach Ben Raymond’s comment: “Connor was on the field for the majority of the game when the games were close. He had the ball in his stick a lot during the season and understood the value of each and every possession. Connor was the leader of our team vocally, emotionally and physically. He was the most dangerous player on the field in all of our games and other teams treated him that way. Owen was even better this season. His turnovers were down from last season and he was a more well-rounded player. He realized there were times when he could let the offense come to him and times where he would have to demand the ball and be the initiator.”

Previous winners:

2016 R.J. Sarka (lacrosse)

2015 Griffin Thoreck (lacrosse)

2014 Tom Feenstra (lacrosse)

2013 Adam Haversat (lacrosse)

2012 Will LeBlond (baseball)

2011 Cam Brown (baseball)

2010 Ben Brewster (lacrosse)

2009 Andrew Guay (baseball)

2008 Zach Belden (lacrosse)

2007 Pat Murphy (baseball)

2006 Evan Bagley (lacrosse)

2005 Brett Brown (lacrosse)

2004 Garret Currier (tennis)

2003 Alex Weaver (lacrosse)

2002 Mike DiFusco (lacrosse)

Female:

JESSIE ROBICHEAW, Sophomore-Softball

* Team MVP

* WMC all-star, Class A/B first-team

* Underclass all-star

* Captain

Robicheaw’s talent and maturity helped the Capers to another winning record this season as she built on a strong freshman campaign with an even more impressive effort as a sophomore.

Robicheaw started pitching at a young age and while she also plays volleyball and basketball, softball has become her favorite sport.

“I’ve always loved having the pressure on me,” Robicheaw said. “It pushes me to be better.”

As a freshman, she stepped right in as the starter, winning eight games and striking out 81 batters. She also made an impact with her bat, hitting .393 with 15 RBI.

This spring, Robicheaw was even more formidable, winning nine games, two without giving up a hit, improving her strikeout total to 138 and posting an earned run average of 2.25. Robicheaw also hit .450.

Robicheaw debuted this season by two-hitting Greely in a 7-0 victory. She struck out nine batters and walked none. She hit a grand slam in a win over Lake Region, threw a no-hitter with eight strikeouts against Freeport, allowed just one hit to beat Greely a second time and had three hits and an RBI in a win over Yarmouth. Robicheaw’s most dominant performance came May 29 at Old Orchard Beach, when she threw a no-hitter with eight strikeouts and also had two singles, two doubles and four RBI.  

Cape Elizabeth got to the playoffs, but lost to Leavitt in the preliminary round.

“It was a really fun year,” Robicheaw said. “We were very young, but we worked well together as a team. We hoped for more, but next year, we’ll all want it.”

Robicheaw is playing this summer with the Southern Maine Flame travel team and hopes to play softball in college. The good news for the Capers is that they’ll have her in the circle for two more seasons.

And she will likely continue to be one of the best pitchers around. Jessie Robicheaw, Cape Elizabeth’s Spring Female Athlete of the Year, has already made quite a name for herself and is only getting better.

Coach Joe Henrikson’s comment: “Jessie is the real deal. She improved a lot as a sophomore. She has five pitches and she hits her spots. She was more confident this year and had better location. She can hit too. She rose to the occasion and even took responsibility for other kids’ mistakes, which she didn’t need to do. She took the pressure off the rest of the team. The best part is we have her for two more years. She’ll be tough.”

Previous winners:

2016 Liv Clifford (tennis)

2015 Kate Bosworth (lacrosse)

2014 Abby McInerney (lacrosse)

2013 Lauren Steidl (lacrosse)

2012 Lauren Steidl (lacrosse)

2011 Elin Sonesson (lacrosse)

2010 Gabe Donahue (softball)

2009 Colleen Martin (softball)

2008 Trish Thibodeau (softball)

2007 Maureen Kertes (softball)

2006 Clare Egan (track)

2005 Elise Moody-Roberts (track)

2004 Dana Riker (track)

2003 Leslie Harrison (track)

2002 Anna Lombard (lacrosse)

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached atmhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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