Here’s one last look back at a winter that wouldn’t end and for sports fans, that was OK by us.

Winter champions

Team
Cape Elizabeth Capers girls’ Alpine skiing, Class B
Scarborough Red Storm girls’ hockey
Scarborough Red Storm boys’ indoor track, Class A

Individual

Swimming
Sydney Wight, Cape Elizabeth, girls’ 200 freestyle, Class B

Track
Michael Pino, Scarborough, boys’ shot put, Class A
Jacob Terry, Scarborough, boys’ two-mile, Class A
Michael Cuesta, South Portland, boys’ triple jump, Class A
Duncan Preston, South Portland, boys’ long jump, Class A

Michael’s top five stories

5) Best season yet for Capeflete

The Cape Elizabeth/Waynflete co-op girls’ hockey team came into the 2013-14 season with no pedigree, coming off a four-win campaign the year before. After starting 0-3, Capeflete appeared bound to play out the string once more, but this group came to life, upset Falmouth and never looked back. Capeflete, behind some talented veterans, including eventual first-team all-star Kathryn Clark and goalie Lily Jordan, and an infusion of talented newcomers, wound up posting a program-first winning record (10-8), then won a postseason game for the first time, downing York, 4-0, in the quarterfinals. The fun ended with a one-sided loss to eventual champion Scarborough in the semifinals, but the program is now on the map and isn’t going anywhere. Look for Capeflete to be just as strong in 2014-15.

4) SP girls turn heads

South Portland’s girls’ basketball team welcomed a new coach this winter in longtime assistant Lynne Hasson and after a 3-2 start, saw everything come together. The Red Riots closed the regular season on a 12-1 surge, a run that included wins at Scarborough (and former coach Mike Giordano), Gorham (in overtime) and Portland (avenging an earlier loss) and home victories over playoff teams Deering, Windham and a palpitating come-from-behind triumph over Cheverus. South Portland’s good fortune ran out in the tournament with a quarterfinal round loss to Cheverus, but the Red Riots made their mark and with some great young talent, will be right in the thick of things next season.

3) Small numbers, no problem for SP hockey

Going from two wins to a dozen this winter would be reason enough to hail the South Portland boys’ hockey team, but the way the Red Riots navigated their season was truly admirable. By February, South Portland suited up just nine players and two goalies, roughly half the manpower of the opposition. Still, the Red Riots gave their all every day, managed to post a winning record for the first time since 2010 and went on to win a Western A preliminary round playoff game before losing to eventual champion Falmouth in the quarterfinals. Commitment from the coaching staff and a devoted group of players proved that anything is possible.

2) Seeing red at track state meet

The Class A boys’ indoor track and field state field featured many memorable performances, but Scarborough and South Portland stole the show. The Red Storm came in first (for the fourth year in a row), while the Red Riots tied Cheverus for second place, their best finish in 12 years. Scarborough’s 800 relay team (Austin Doody, Cameron Langlois, Jerry Kenney and Max Ornstein) didn’t just win a state title, they qualified for Nationals in the process. The 3,200 relay team (Lucas Foerster, Will Fowler, Jacob Terry and Alex Karam) came in first, as did Terry in the two-mile and Michael Pino in the shot put. South Portland, meanwhile, put on a jumping clinic, as Duncan Preston won the long jump and Michael Cuesta took the triple jump. Cuesta came in third in the long jump (Ben Michaud was second), while Preston was runner-up in the triple jump (and Michaud placed third). The Red Riots also won the Sportsmanship Award.

1) Scarborough girls’ hockey wins ’em all

Scarborough’s girls’ hockey team had experienced its share of heartbreaking losses in recent postseasons, including last year, when the Red Storm lost in overtime of the state final to Greely. This season, Scarborough’s mission was simple, win it all, and this time around, the Red Storm wouldn’t be denied. Scarborough was rarely tested during an 18-0 regular season, then had its way with Capeflete and Falmouth en route to a return trip to states. There, Scarborough was pushed for 45 minutes by Lewiston, but it managed to complete the job with a 3-1 victory. An electric core of young scorers combined with the wizardry of senior goalie Devan Kane was too much for the rest of the state to overcome and the Red Storm won’t be satisfied with just one piece of hardware.

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