Male:

ISAAC SALAS, Junior-Tennis

• WMC all-star, first-team, singles

Salas was one of the state’s best tennis players and his excellence helped the Flyers remain the standard bearer in Class C for the seventh year in a row.

Salas’ first loves were baseball, hockey and soccer, but by high school, tennis became his top sport. He came to Waynflete as a freshman, played second singles as a freshman and sophomore, then moved up to the top spot this spring where he more than held his own against some of the top players in the state.

Salas, who lives in Camden, set the tone in the season opener by beating Cape Elizabeth’s top singles player, Gabe Torres, in straight sets. He would beat Torres again during a season in which the Capers would go on to win a second straight Class B championship. Salas was also too much for Freeport’s Caleb Abbott, Greely’s Ben Jagolinzer, York’s Jack Lawlor (twice), North Yarmouth Academy’s Bryce Tetreault (twice), Kennebunk’s Alex Pearson, Fryeburg’s Alex Lazic, Yarmouth’s Braden Becker and Justin Brogan of eventual Class A champion Falmouth.

After making it all the way to the final four of the state singles tournament before losing to eventual champion Brendan McCarthy of Falmouth, Salas won all four of his playoff matches in as Waynflete went on to another title.

“I like it being just me out there,” Salas said. “I’m very competitive.”

Salas, who enjoys playing pond hockey, hopes to win a singles title and another team championship as a senior before moving on to college, where he hopes to play, likely somewhere in the Northeast. He’s taking part in showcases this summer.

He certainly put on a show this spring. Isaac Salas, Waynflete’s Spring Male Athlete of the Year, met every challenge and cemented himself once and for all as one of the special players in the state.

Coach Jeff Madore’s comment: “Isaac is the hardest worker on the team and his skills have improved each year, which demonstrates to others the link between the two. He’s also willing to hit with the top doubles players as well as singles players to help them improve and is a confidence builder for all his teammates with regular encouragement. His passion and love for the sport is contagious. He’s a proven winner and we expect him to win even when he has doubts.”

Previous winners:

2013 Andrew Butler (baseball)

2012 Chris Burke (lacrosse)

2011 Charlie Laprade (baseball)

2010 Brandon Thompson (tennis)

2009 Brandon Thompson (tennis)

2008 Brandon Thompson (tennis)

2007 David Cutler (lacrosse)

2006 Ben Whipple (tennis)

2005 Reid McMullan (lacrosse)

2004 Matt Lacasse (track)

Female:

EMILY WHITE, Senior-Tennis

• WMC All-Conference, first-team, singles

• Captain

White sparkled as an individual and as a team leader for Waynflete, as it won a championship for every year she was on the team.

White, who lives in Buxton, has long been a part of the Waynflete community. She came to tennis naturally, as her grandfather, Ron Caouette, was a professional player who built a court on which White played growing up.

“My first toy was a tennis ball,” White said. “Tennis is a family thing.”

White, who also played soccer and ran cross country in high school, really got into competitive tennis as a freshman, when she played second singles and was named a second-team all-star. By sophomore year, she moved into the number one singles spot, moved up to the all-star first-team, and has since been consistently one of the best players around.

Especially this season.

White, despite going up against the best of the best in a stacked Western Maine Conference, won 10 of her 12 regular season matchups, losing only to North Yarmouth Academy’s Lena Rich and Falmouth standout Olivia Leavitt, the two-time state singles champion.

White was seeded 10th for the singles tournament, but advanced all the way to the quarterfinals before falling to Brunswick’s Maisie Silverman.

Waynflete once again wore the bulls-eye as the championship favorite, but White wasn’t about to depart with anything shy of another title. She dropped a close match to Rich in a quarterfinal round win over NYA, then handled her foes from Hall-Dale in the semifinals and Winthrop in the regional final. In the state match, White outlasted Van Buren standout Parise Rossignol in straight sets to help bring the curtain down on a fourth crown in four high school seasons.

“We had really good team chemistry this year,” White said. “(Coach) Linda (Cohen) makes the program successful. She’s an amazing coach. She keeps us focused and makes it fun.”

White does gymnastics for fun, has mentored younger students, worked at Waynflete’s tennis camp and took part in the sectional tournament in Springfield, Mass. She will attend Connecticut College and hopes to continue playing at the next level.

She sure made her mark at this one. Emily White, Waynflete’s Spring Female Athlete of the Year, was simply a winner. Year after year after year.

Coach Linda Cohen’s comment: “I had the pleasure of coaching Emily for four solid years. Each year she intensified her skill-set, working hard in the offseason, improving not only her strokes, but her court strategy as well. She was asked to fill some big shoes when after her freshman year playing at two and sometimes three singles she moved to one singles. Emily matured quickly, taking on several tough opponents, including the occasional surprise exchange students. Although she did not win every match, she always left her best effort on the court. She anchored the team with her positive attitude and work ethic. She clinched several key matches for us during the past four seasons as we worked our way to titles. Each year she performed better and better in the state singles tournament. It was easy to see that tennis is a passion for her. Her sportsmanship and demeanor both on and off the court was exemplary. She set high standards for herself as she represented herself, her teammates and her school. Coaching is easy when presented with players like Emily.”

Previous winners:

2013 Sadie Cole (lacrosse)

2012 Martha Veroneau (lacrosse)

2011 Scout Haffenreffer (lacrosse)

2010 Morgan Woodhouse (lacrosse)

2009 Christine Ordway (tennis)

2008 Laura Armstrong (lacrosse)

2007 Christine Ordway (tennis)

2006 Christine Ordway (tennis)

2005 Gretchen Koch (lacrosse)

2004 Lily Hoffman (lacrosse)

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

Sidebar Elements

---

Salas

Salas

White

White

Copy the Story Link