Male:

WILL BRYANT, Senior-Baseball

  • Western Maine Conference Player of the Year

  • WMC All-Conference, first-team, pitcher

  • Senior All-Star

  • Maine vs. New Hampshire Senior All-Star

Bryant became the latest in a long line of Rangers’ ace pitchers, but he was much, much more and he helped his team go back-to-back as Class B champion, something Greely had never before accomplished.

Bryant grew up in Cumberland and started playing in T-ball. Baseball was always his passion and he began pitching in the third grade. In high school, Bryant golfed, played soccer and Alpine skied, but the diamond is where he dominated. Bryant played junior varsity most of his freshman year before coming up to the varsity squad late to make a couple of starts. As a sophomore, he was named All-Conference and earned the designation again as a junior. He became the team’s number one pitcher this spring and lived up to the hype while also producing a series of big hits.

In the opener, a 10-0 win over Fryeburg Academy, Bryant allowed just one hit and struck out 13 in a five-inning effort. He also belted an RBI double. In a win over Poland, Bryant didn’t allow an earned run, fanned 10 and singled, doubled, homered and drove in a pair of runs. Bryant struck out eight in a victory over Cape Elizabeth, singled and doubled in a win over Freeport, crushed a two-run triple against Fryeburg Academy, threw a two-hitter against Gray-New Gloucester, not allowing an earned run while striking out 10, and fanned 10 in a win over York.

In the playoffs, Bryant didn’t earn a decision, but went eight gutsy innings in a quarterfinal round victory over Yarmouth (Greely won it in nine innings). He had an RBI single in a semifinal round win at York, then went eight innings and scored the winning run after hitting a triple to beat Cape Elizabeth in the regional final. Bryant didn’t pitch in the state game, but singled, doubled and drove in three runs as the Rangers rolled over Camden Hills.

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For the season, Bryant went 6-1 and threw almost 60 innings. He went 15-2 for his career, losing only to Class A Falmouth.

“There were some doubts this year, but when we beat Yarmouth, that gave us confidence and boosted our energy,” Bryant said. 

Perhaps Bryant’s most admirable attribute this season, especially in the playoffs, was his ability to show guts and heart and keep his team alive in tough spots.

“I just battle through everything,” Bryant said. “I’m a competitor. I’ve always loved sports.”

Bryant, who is playing with the Southern Maine Tomahawks travel team and has worked with former Deering standout coach Mike D’Andrea, plans to attend Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts next spring, where he’ll pitch and study criminal justice.

Most opponents would consider one player having his myriad skills to be a crime. Will Bryant, Greely’s Spring Male Athlete of the Year, gave his all to ensure the Rangers made history.

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Coach Derek Soule’s comment: “Will’s just a great leader. A lead-by-example kind of guy. He’s not just talented, but he has a great work ethic. He works year-round. He’s been an intimidating bat in the middle of our lineup. A lot of teams would pitch around him. He was workhorse on the mound. He gave our young team confidence. He’s widely recognized as one of the best players in the state.”

Previous winners:

2014 Connor Russell (baseball)

2013 Bailey Train (baseball)

2012 Jonah Normandeau (baseball)

2011 Mike Leeman (baseball)

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2010 Mark McCauley (track)

2009 Sam Stauber (baseball)

2008 Eric Thompson (lacrosse)

2007 Caleb Jordan (baseball)

2006 Sam Green (baseball)

2005 Chris Martin (baseball)

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2004 Ben True (track)

2003 Ryan Copp (baseball)

2002 Brent Lemieux (baseball)

Female:

ALYSSA COYNE, Junior-Track

  • Class B state champion, discus

  • Class B state champion, shot put

  • All-State

  • WMC all-star, first-team, discus

  • WMC all-star, first-team, shot put

Coyne was a thrower without peer this spring and stole the show at the Class B state meet. Best of all, she still has one year left to dominate at the high school level.

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Coyne didn’t even start throwing until the eighth grade, but she showed great promise and soon fell under the spell of longtime standout throwing coach Dennis O’Brien, father of former Greely legend, Becky O’Brien. In high school, Coyne has played field hockey in the fall, then focused on track in the winter and spring.

As a freshman, Coyne was third outdoors in the discus and fifth in the shot put. As a sophomore, she won the discus and placed second in the shot put. After an indoor season which saw Coyne win the shot put and place third in the pole vault, she set a goal of winning two state crowns this spring and accomplished her mission.

Coyne was at her best in the biggest meets this spring. At the Western Maine Conference championship, she won the shot put (40 feet, 4.25 inches) and the discus (116-8). She also placed fifth in the pole vault. At states, Coyne repeated as shot put champion (37-6.75) and added a discus crown (127-10). Coyne capped her year by placing sixth in the discus (118-8) at New Englands.

“I knew my junior year had to be a big year,” Coyne said. “I took practice more seriously. I learned what I had to do better. Discus is my strongest event, but shot put is my passion. I was actually hoping for more at states. I peaked at the Western Maine Conference meet.”

Coyne also belongs to Greely’s Civil Rights team, Spanish club and the Gay-Straight-Transgender Alliance. She hopes to hit the 42-foot mark in the shot put and 130 feet in the discus before graduating. She plans to compete in track in college.

She keeps getting better, that’s for sure. Alyssa Coyne, Greely’s Spring Female Athlete of the Year, has become one of the state’s premier throwers and the latest in a long line of Rangers superstars. It’s likely she’ll wind up a program legend before all is said and done.

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Coach John Folan’s comment: “Alyssa has learned, over the last three years, to change her focus from winning events, to trying to attain high performance goals. This is always representative of the best track and field athletes, try to achieve high goals and don’t worry about what other athletes do, because you can’t control that anyway. Alyssa works hard at maintaining and building on her physical fitness. She’s not a big woman, so she needs to harness all the energy she can muster and she does this better than any girl I have dealt with with a similar body structure.

Previous winners:

2014 Kirstin Sandreuter (track)

2013 Danielle Cimino (softball)

2012 Audrey Parolin (lacrosse)

2011 Katherine Harrington (track)

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2010 Marika Stayte (softball)

2009 Liza LePage (track)

2008 Kate Otley (lacrosse)

2007 Becky O’Brien (track)

2006 Lauren Kinney (tennis)

2005 Molly Hamel (lacrosse)

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2004 Kate Mason (track)

2003 Sara Dimick (lacrosse)

2002 Sarah Bennis (softball)

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

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