Considering the amount of triumph that local athletes produced this spring, it’s no surprise that various postseason all-star teams featured many familiar names.
Baseball
Deering won its third straight Class A championship, while Cheverus enjoyed its finest season in several years and Portland also made the playoffs. All three schools had players named to the Southern Maine Activities Association all-star team.
First teamers included Cheverus’ Mick DiStasio (outfield and pitcher) and Deering’s Sam Balzano (outfield), Taylor Candage (catcher), Regan Flaherty (utility), Jack Heary (designated hitter) and Marc Ouimet (utility).
The second team featured Deering’s Candage (pitcher), Flaherty (pitcher), Jake Nichols (third base) and Matt Powers (shortstop).
Candage and Flaherty were also named to the league’s All-Defensive team.
Joey Royer of Cheverus, Deering’s Balzano and Nichols and Portland’s Adam Gould were chosen for the All-Rookie team.
Portland’s Brian Furey was named the SMAA Fred Harlow Award winner for all-around dedication and attitude.
Cheverus’ Mac McKew, in his first season, was chosen as the league’s Coach of the Year.
In the Western Maine Conference, Waynflete senior Zohar Azoulay made the first team at first base.
Senior Josh Bloom (third base) and junior David Gorsky (outfield) were named to the second team.
Softball
The softball story this spring included playoff berths for Cheverus and Deering. Those teams, along with McAuley and Portland, had players named to the SMAA all-star team.
Cheverus’ Audrey Grinnell, joined Biddeford’s Aimee Mortensen and Gorham’s Chelsea Clark as Defensive Players of the Year.
The first team included Grinnell (catcher) and Deering’s Jen Lynch (shortstop).
Cheverus’ Theresa Hendrix made the second team at pitcher. She was joined by McAuley’s Jasmyn Welch.
Cheverus’ Caitlin Pleau, Deering’s Heather Muzzy, McAuley’s Allina Verrillo and Portland’s Jess Martin were honorable mentions.
Deering’s Heather Muzzy and Portland’s Lauren Messer qualified for the All-Academic team.
Lacrosse
The city produced two lacrosse state champions this spring and a bevy of standouts who got plenty of recognition for their stellar play.
The boys’ SMAA all-conference first team boasted Cheverus senior attack Ryan McQuaid and four members of the Class A state champion Portland Bulldogs: senior defender Erik Casparius, senior midfielder K.R. Jurgelevich, senior defender Dylan Kenney and senior longstick middie Jason Smith.
Deering sophomore Carleton Allen (midfield) and Portland senior Sam Guimond (attack) made the second team.
Jurgelevich and Kenney were chosen as All-Americans. Teammate Igor Radosavljevic qualified as an Academic All-American.
In the Western Maine Conference, Waynflete junior Josiah Baker-Connick made the second team at midfield and sophomore Will Hallett joined him at goalie.
On the girls’ side, two-time Class B state champion Waynflete had four players named to the WMC first team.
Junior Amy Allen (attack), senior Anna Libby (defense), senior Mariah Monks (midfield) and junior Morgan Woodhouse (junior) were chosen.
Waynflete seniors Ellie Cole (attack) and Greer Millard (defense) made the second team.
Waynflete’s Maddie Berrang, Cole, Libby, Millard and Monks qualified for the WMC All-Academic team.
Libby and Monks were also chosen All-Americans. Woodhouse was an All-American honorable mention.
In the SMAA, Portland’s Nancy McAdam (attack) and Bayleigh Isherwood (defense) made the first team in the Pinecone Division. Cheverus’ Grace Fitzpatrick (midfield) and Emily Van Duzer (attack), along with Deering’s Julia Pallozzi (goalie) were first teamers in the Coastal Division.
Honorable mentions included McAuley’s Jackie Dubois (midfield) in the Pinecone Division and Cheverus’ Mary Dempsey (attack) and Sage Witham (defense), along with Deering’s Jessica Mitchell (midfield), in the Coastal Division. Cheverus’ Alyssa Audet, Deering’s Veronica Mitchell, McAuley’s Tori Tenenbaum and Portland’s Rachel Allen were named to the All-Rookie team.
Cheverus’ Catherine Merrill, Deering’s Danielle Cusack, Louisa Gemmer, Natalie Mitchell and Nina Spizuoco, and Portland’s Brianna Gleason, Casey Monaghan, Kristin O’Kelly and Amorosa Romano qualified for the SMAA All-Academic team.
McAuley’s Dubois and Waynflete’s Libby and Monks played for the Red
Squad (which was coached by McAuley’s Jo Ellen Rand and Waynflete’s
Cathie Connors) in the Senior All-Star Game.
Cheverus’ Alex Merrill, Deering’s Natalie Mitchell and Portland’s Kristin O’Kelly competed for the blue squad.
Track
Local runners, jumpers and throwers all had their moments this spring.
The SMAA boys’ first team featured Portland’s Imadhi Zagon (in the 200 and long jump) and the Cheverus 4×800 relay team (Taylor Dundas, Jack Terwilliger, Andrw Snyder and Josh Reali).
Dundas (mile and two-mile) and teammate John White (discus) qualified for the second team.
Snyder (800), Terwilliger (mile), Zagon (100 and high jump), along with Deering’s David Hart (javelin) and Michael Tifiano (110 hurdles), were honorable mentions.
On the girls’ side, Cheverus’ Caroline Summa (high jump) made the first team.
Summa (triple jump) and Deering’s Angela Balzano (high jump) were on the second team.
Summa (400), Cheverus’ Fiona Hendry (mile), and Deering’s Britni Mikulanecz (300 hurdles) and Claire Ramonas (shot put) were honorable mentions.
Tennis
On the hardcourt, Waynflete’s boys won Class C again, while Portland’s girls made history with a first-ever regional crown.
The boys’ WMC all-star first team included Flyers stalwarts Brandon Thompson and Devin Van Dyke.
In the SMAA, Cheverus’ Elliot Coates and MacKenzie Crosby were on the doubles first team.
Cheverus’ Ian Donnelly, Michael Jerome and Connor Shoos, Deering’s E.J. Googins and Karl Nordli and Portland’s Chris Brandmaier, Zachary Scrutchfield and Brian Watson qualified for the All-Academic team.
On the girls’ side, the SMAA singles first team included Portland’s Maggie Swann, as well as McAuley’s Erin Woodbury.
McAuley’s Addie Devine made the singles second team.
Portland’s Corey Carmichael, Greer Chapman, Maggie Eismeier and Audrey Seiz were doubles first teamers.
McAuley’s Nikki Connolly and Catherine Tracy made the doubles second team.
Cheverus’ Sofia Bergen, Shaina Deutsch, Amelie Jensen, Elizabeth Kain, Eun Joo Kwak and Victoria Schuyler, Deering’s Andrea Cuddy and Megan Hedrich, and Portland’s Greer Chapman, Audrey Seiz and Maggie Swann made the All-Academic team.
In the WMC, Waynflete’s Christine Ordway, the state singles champion, was a first-teamer.
Waynflete’s Maddie High made the second team.
Waynflete’s Anisa Khadraoui, Ordway, Mariam Qazi and Ria Sara Yalamanchili qualified for the All-Academic squad.
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net
Cheverus’ Sage Witham earned a spot on the SMAA girls’ lacrosse all-star team this spring.
Deering javelin thrower David Hart qualified for the SMAA all-star team.
Waynflete sophomore Brandon Thompson led the Flyers to another Class C championship and was also chosen as a first-team WMC all-star.
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