Male:

HANY RAMADAN, Senior-Indoor track

• Class A record holder, 400

• Class A state champion, 400

• Class A state champion, 200

• SMAA All-Conference, first-team, senior 200

• SMAA All-Conference, first-team, open 600

• SMAA All-Conference, first-team, senior 800

• SMAA All-Conference, second-team, senior 400

• George Vinall Trophy winner
• Hank LaVallee Trophy winner
• Jim Daly Trophy winner
  

Beneath Ramadan’s smile and friendly nature lies an extremely competitive athlete who settles for nothing short of excellence and this winter, he produced it in abundance.

Ramadan took a long and winding road to Deering High and first made his presence felt on the track a half a world away. Ramadan was born in Sudan and after his family was displaced by war, he ended up in Egypt, where one day he discovered that he had a gift for running.

“I started out as a soccer player and one day after practice, a friend said, ‘Let’s go race and see who’s fastest.’ I beat him, a track coach was there and said, ‘I’d like to take you on my team.'”

Ramadan became a runner and soon came to America, living for a time in Virginia before coming to Deering as a junior. His first season, he ran cross country and showed great promise in both indoor and outdoor track, but he was star-crossed. Prior to the postseason indoors, Ramadan suffered an injury and missed Southwesterns and states. He was progressing in the spring, but pulled his quad muscle while competing in the 200 at the state meet.

After producing some memorable moments on the soccer pitch this fall, Ramadan dazzled this winter.

Ramadan wasn’t clearly the favorite in either the 200 or 400, due to the presence of his rival Jake Dixon of Cheverus, but still managed to win the Jim Daly Trophy, given to the SMAA’s outstanding regular season performer.

Then, in the postseason, Ramadan was at his best.

In the Southwestern meet, he set a new league record in the senior 200 (22.85 seconds), which gave him the Henry L. “Hank” LaVallee Trophy, and he also won the open 600 in 1 minute, 14.17 seconds, lowering his league record time in the process and winning the George Vinall Trophy.

Ramadan was even better at the state meet, winning the 400 in a new record time of 49.78 seconds, and taking the 200 as well in 22.7 seconds, which was just shy of the record. He capped his campaign with a third-place finish in the 600 at New Englands.

“I was really happy with my season,” Ramadan said. “I hoped to break a state record. I trained really hard and focused on that.”

Ramadan, who volunteers at King Middle School, helping to train budding runners, including his younger brother, will now look to repeat his dominance outdoors, where he hopes to win more titles and set more records.

Ramadan hasn’t yet committed to college, although he does hope to run at the next level and study aviation, with the ultimate goal of becoming a pilot.

He didn’t get an opportunity to shine for a long time at the high school level in Maine, but Hany Ramadan, Deering’s Winter Male Athlete of the Year, became a shining star without peer this past season and those fortunate enough to witness his brilliance, won’t soon forget it.

Coach Gerry Myatt’s comment: “Hany is very focused and driven. He really, really wants it. His first question is ‘What’s the record?’ and that’s his goal. He sets a tremendous example for the team. They just look at him in awe. He has high goals. He’s a great kid.”

Previous winners:

2013-14: Eric Delmonte (swimming)

2012-13: Jared Bell (track)

2011-12: Jon Amabile (basketball)

2010-11: Jon Amabile (basketball)

2009-10: Eddie Tirabassi (basketball)

2008-09: E.J. Googins (swimming)

2007-08: Chris Smith (wrestling)

2006-07: Brandon Carbone (basketball)

2005-06: Allen Stein (wrestling)

2004-05: Kyle Johnson (swimming)

2003-04: Brian Vail (track)

Female:

AMANDA BRETT, Sophomore-Basketball

• SMAA All-Conference, third-team

Even though she had to battle sickness, as well as the league’s top players, most of the season, Brett became a standout and helped the Rams make a memorable run.

Brett grew up in Portland and started playing basketball at a young age. She made the Deering varsity as a freshman and emerged as a post presence, being named to the SMAA All-Rookie team. This winter, even though she suffered from a flu bug which decimated the Rams, causing her to often miss practice, Brett averaged 22.6 minutes, 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Brett had 12 points in a one-point loss to McAuley and added a dozen points in a win over Westbrook. Her finest hour came against South Portland Dec. 30. Deering was down 20 at halftime, but Brett sparked a rally to help the Rams win overtime, thanks to a 23-point, seven-rebound effort. Brett had 14 points against Windham, 15 in a victory over Sanford and 16 in a win over Scarborough. The Rams rattled off a 12-game win streak and went into the playoffs full of optimism, but they were upset by South Portland in the quarterfinals.

“We played really well this season, but it didn’t end the way we wanted,” Brett said.

Brett, who played with her older sister, Courtney, for two seasons, has played AAU ball with the Blue Wave team and has worked hard to improve.

“I have a drive to become better,” Brett said. “I always want to improve. I love playing basketball. It’s so fun. I love the energy of the game and all the back-and-forth.”

Brett hopes for healthier junior and senior seasons and she wants to lead Deering to a championship. She then hopes to go on and play in college.

That’s a most attainable goal. Amanda Brett, Deering’s Winter Female Athlete of the Year, has made a name for herself and figures to continue to excel.

Coach Mike Murphy’s comment: “Amanda’s inside scoring ability opened up the perimeter game for the rest of our players this season. We wanted to get the ball to her. Good things happened when we did. She carried us to some big wins during a very successful campaign.”

Previous winners:

2013-14: Emma Pontius (swimming)

2012-13: Genevieve Worthley (swimming)

2011-12: Genevieve Worthley (swimming)

2010-11: Kayla Burchill (basketball)

2009-10: Claire Ramonas (basketball)

2008-09: Diana Manduca (basketball)

2007-08: Diana Manduca (basketball)

2006-07: Nicole Garland (basketball)

2005-06: Emily Sweatt (swimming)

2004-05: Rebecca Schack (track)

2003-04: Megan Urban (basketball)

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

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