2009-10 Winter Male Athlete of the Year:

IMADHI ZAGON, Junior-Track

• * Class A state champion, 55

• * Class A state champion, long jump

• * John Corcoran Award winner

• * Jim Dyer Award winner

• * SMAA All-Conference

Maine has an abundance of stellar track and field athletes, but it’s safe to say that Imadhi Zagon is one of a kind.

While he admits he’s still getting better, his best has been pretty fabulous so far.

This season, Zagon won two more Class A individual titles, was runner-up in a third and almost single-handedly led the Bulldogs to a fifth-place team finish at the state meet.

Wherever he goes, he wears a bulls-eye, but he comes up big time and again and hasn’t hit the ceiling of his amazing talent. With that in mind, The Forecaster is naming Imadhi Zagon Portland High’s 2009-10 Winter Male Athlete of the Year.

This is the second time in three years that Zagon has been selected.

Zagon was born in Antigua and came to Portland for middle school. He got into track in the sixth grade and has quickly become a phenom.

Since breaking on to the scene as a freshman, winning a league crown in the high jump, Zagon has been highly touted not only in track and field, but also in football, where he has become a sought after recruit.

This winter, Zagon was superb from the beginning, regularly dominating in the sprints and jumps. At the league championship meet, Zagon won the senior 40 and 200 dashes and placed third in the high jump.

At states, he accounted for 28 of his team’s 30 points by winning the 55 (6.72 seconds) and the long jump (21 feet, 3.5 inches) and coming in second in the 200 (23.25). Zagon capped his second with a third-place finish in the long jump (22-2) at the New England championships in Massachusetts.

Zagon is now focusing on the outdoor season where he hopes to break the long jump record, tie or break the 200 record and produce a time of 10.9 seconds or better in the 100.

The future appears to be brightest on the gridiron, however. Zagon is hoping to play at the Division I level and should have plenty of options. He figures to excel in football and in track as a senior, before he departs Portland High for good.

Catch this standout while you can. Imadhi Zagon, Portland’s 2009-10 Winter Male Athlete of the Year, is a rising star who dazzles every time he races down the track.

Coach Carroll Nappi’s comment: “Imadhi’s the man. He’s so well respected around the league. He gets down to business when it’s time. He’s very serious about his craft. People are in awe of him. He’s so productive. This is a kid I wouldn’t hesitate to take anywhere. He’s so humble.”

2008-09 winner: Sam Guimond (Hockey)

2007-08 winner: Imadhi Zagon (Indoor track)

2006-07 winner: Ryan Carmichael (Basketball)

2005-06 winner: Andrew Duncanson (Basketball)

2004-05 winner: Connor Cushman (Nordic Skiing)

2003-04 winner: Eric Shone (Basketball)

2009-10 Winter Female Athlete of the Year:

RAECHEL ALLEN, Sophomore-Hockey

• * PHS Offensive Player of the Year

• * All-West Region first-team all-star

The up-and-coming Portland girls’ ice hockey program has willingly placed its fortunes in the able hands of one of its youngest players.

This winter, Raechel Allen proved that she’s one of the premier players in the state, lighting the lamp 26 times, assisting on eight other goals and doing whatever it took to help the Bulldogs improve their win total from two in 2008-09 to five this season.

While she’s a prodigious scorer, she’s also fundamentally strong, always willing to do what it takes to excel and to help her teammates improve. Those attributes, along with the promise of even more greatness to come, convinced The Forecaster to name Raechel Allen as Portland’s 2009-10 Winter Female Athlete of the Year.

Allen, who grew up in Portland, followed in her sister’s footsteps and started playing hockey at the age of eight. She played with the boys in middle school and made an immediate impact as a freshman. This season, she was close to unstoppable.

Allen had three goals in a season-opening win over Gorham, scored twice against Cape Elizabeth, twice more in a victory over Brunswick and had three goals versus Yarmouth. She also made life easier for the likes of Drew Barry, Kathleen Dalbec, Nancy McAdam, Zoe Swaffer, Emma Wilson and McKinzie Parker.

Allen also plays center in field hockey and lacrosse. She volunteers with the Hockey Trust at Portland Ice Arena, working with third, fourth and fifth graders. Down the road, she hopes to play in college and might be interested in a career in athletic training.

For now, she still has two more years to dazzle for the Bulldogs. Raechel Allen, Portland’s 2009-10 Winter Female Athlete of the Year, is already a transcendent talent and is only getting better.

Coach Courtney Rideout’s comment: “Raechel is a player any coach would to have. She’s eager to learn, always asking for ways in which she can improve her game and bring it to the next level. She has the ability to put the puck in the net when the team needs it most, but is also looking for her teammates. She was always willing to do whatever the team needed of her, whether that meant playing center, defense or even a game in goal.”

2008-09 winner: Nyachuol Biliew (Basketball)

2007-08 winner: Nyachuol Biliew (Basketball)

2006-07 winner: Alex Perdomo (Hockey)

2005-06 winner: Regina Roberts (Indoor track)

2004-05 winner: Ashley Anderson (Basketball)

2003-04 winner: Ashley Brownlee (Basketball)

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