Maine: Fitzpatrick Trophy Finalists Named

 

The three finalists for the most sought-after individual award in Maine high school football have been named.

 

Jack Hersom of Lawrence High School, Kyle Stilphen of Gardiner and Justin Villacci of Gorham are in the running for the James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy, Maine's version of the Heisman Trophy, which is given to the top senior football player in the state. The winner will be announced Jan. 20 at Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland.

 

Hersom, Stilphen and Villacci were part of an original field of 12 semifinalists selected by the state's coaches and media. The three finalists were chosen by the Maine chapter of the National Football Foundation and Football Hall of Fame.

 

Hersom, one year removed from leading Lawrence to the state Class A championship, guided the Bulldogs to a perfect regular season in 2007 and another berth in the state final (a loss to Bonny Eagle of Standish). Hersom threw for 17 touchdowns and rushed for nine more in 2007, and passed for nearly 2,000 yards.

 

Stilphen is another standout quarterback who also played defensive back and kicker for Gardiner, the state Class B champion. He accounted for 57 points with his foot, threw for 11 TDs and was nearly unstoppable as a defensive back.

 

Villacci ran roughshod over teams from the Portland area last season, gaining nearly 1,300 yards on the ground, while scoring 19 touchdowns. He only caught 12 passes, but turned six of those into scores, good for nearly 500 yards. He was also a serious threat returning kicks. He returned the opening kickoff of Gorham's playoff loss to Deering of Portland for a touchdown. Villacci was previously named Maine's 2007 Gatorade Player of the Year.

 

 

Mike Andreasen, the boys' soccer coach at Class A state champion Greely High of Cumberland, was recently chosen the NSCAA/Adidas New England Boys' Coach of the Year for large schools.

 

Andreasen is now in the running for the National Coach of the Year. He will travel to Baltimore for the annual national soccer banquet on Jan. 18, where the winner will be revealed.

 

 

The boys' basketball season isn't even at its midway point, but there has been an abundance of drama in recent days.

 

In Western Class A, only Cheverus and Thornton Academy remain undefeated.

 

The Stags might appear to be the team to beat (they improved to 7-0 Saturday night with a 76-43 home win over Biddeford), but the Golden Trojans are right there as well.

 

Saturday night, in a scintillating regular season game, Thornton edged Deering, 62-61, in overtime on a late Jeff Winnie free throw. The Golden Trojans handed the Rams their first loss of the year two nights after Deering knocked South Portland from the ranks of the unbeaten (58-50 behind 22 points from junior Ronald Abwoch).

 

Scarborough improved to 5-2 Saturday afternoon with a 47-41 win at South Portland. The teams set the game back about 50 years in a first half, which ended 13-13, but the Red Storm made a major statement by holding on down the stretch, thanks in large part to 17 points from senior Chris Hughes. The Red Riots were led by 19 from their sophomore standout, Keegan Hyland.

 

Defending regional champion Portland fell to .500 Thursday, when Windham's Travis Guerrette buried an improbable game-winning 3-point shot as time expired for a 50-47 victory, but the Bulldogs improved to 4-3 Friday with a  65-43 home win over Massabesic (in a game which saw 10 different players score for the hosts).

 

Westbrook beat Windham Saturday to quietly improve to 5-2. Windham fell to 3-4.

 

Western B saw two palpitating contests in as many days.

 

The first game after the holiday break, Yarmouth hosted Greely in a battle of unbeaten teams. The Rangers reached the regional final a year ago, but have remained a force behind the skills of Spenser Adams and Chris Young. The Clippers, meanwhile, one year removed from a dramatic rise in the standings, are a senior-laden team with a chip on their shoulder. Yarmouth is without the services of standout senior Joe Dilworth (broken hand) for several weeks, but the rest of team feels the Clippers are still top notch.

 

They proved just that when they held on for a 49-46 win over Greely. Yarmouth fell behind by 10 in the first period, held the Rangers to five total points in the second and third quarters and led by as many as 11 before Greely rallied in the fourth period to make things interesting. An Adams 3-pointer with just under 30 seconds to play tied the score at 46-46, but with time winding down, Clippers' senior point guard Lucas Denning drove to the hole, got fouled, and calmly sank two free throws to put his team on top to stay. Junior Johnny Murphy added one more after a steal and Yarmouth earned an inspirational win.

 

Yarmouth kept the good times rolling Saturday with an impressive 71-57 win at St. Dom's. The Clippers are now 8-0, but have huge tests upcoming this week with a home game versus Freeport and a trip to Cape Elizabeth.

 

Speaking of Freeport, one night after Yarmouth held off Greely, the Falcons had host Falmouth on the ropes, leading by 13 points in the final quarter. The Yachtsmen would rally, however, behind the dazzling shooting of sophomore Stefano Mancini, forced overtime, then shocked Freeport in double overtime. Falmouth enjoyed extra time so much that it went into OT again Saturday at Wells, a 48-39 victory which gave the Yachtsmen a four-game win streak and a 5-3 mark. Freeport bounced back with a 62-45 win over visiting Freeport to improve to 6-1.

 

Greely rebounded from its loss to Yarmouth by downing visiting Gray-New Gloucester, 59-46. The Rangers are now 7-1.

 

Other Western B teams to watch include Cape Elizabeth (6-2 after beating York 72-39 Saturday) and Mountain Valley (which suffered its first loss of the year Saturday).

 

In Western C, Waynflete rallied past host NYA Saturday to the tune of an exciting 62-59 win. Senior Lucas O'Neil led all scorers with 26 points. That victory gave the Flyers a 5-3 mark and avenged an earlier home loss to the Panthers. NYA's five-game win streak was snapped and the Panthers are now 5-2. Other contenders to watch include Traip Academy, Boothbay, Georges Valley, Wiscasset and Dirigo.

 

Richmond, Rangeley, Forest Hills and Valley lead the way in Western D.

 

In Eastern Class A, defending state champion Bangor continues to steamroll all comers and is undefeated. The Rams' top competition will likely come from a group which includes Mt. Blue, Cony, Hampden Academy, Lawrence, Messalonskee and Mt. Ararat.

 

In Eastern B, perennial power Camden Hills leads the way. Caribou, Presque Isle, Mattanawcook, Maranacook, John Bapst and Old Town are also in the hunt.

 

Calais, Lee Academy, Dexter and Schenck appear to be the top teams in Eastern C.

 

Eastern D is led by Easton, Deer Isle-Stonington, Central Aroostook, Woodland, and Ashland.

 

 

Waynflete School (Portland) senior standout Margaret Veroneau hit the 1,000-point plateau Jan. 3 in the Flyers' 55-33 upset win over Fryeburg Academy. Veroneau needed 25 points to hit the milestone and she scored exactly that many, with number 1,000 coming on a free throw with 1:02 to play.

 

"My freshman year, before my first game, I said I was going to get 1,000 points," Veroneau said. "I went on (Microsoft) Word and I typed in a thousand little zeros and crossed them out every game. Color coordinated by game, by season. Now, I get to go cross out my final 25."

 

Waynflete, a Western C school, had lost by 17 points to the last Western B team it faced, Falmouth, on Dec. 21, but the Flyers dominated the Raiders from start to finish and also got 16 points from junior Mariam Qazi and 14 from sophomore Morgan Woodhouse.

 

Saturday, the Flyers improved to 7-1 with a 51-26 home win over North Yarmouth Academy. Veroneau increased her career point total to 1,013 with 13 points on the night; Qazi led the way with 18.

 

Waynflete's win over Fryeburg puts it near the top of the Western Class C Heal Points standings. Madison and Monmouth are perfect to date, while perennial powers Dirigo and Hall-Dale lurk.

 

In Western A action, preseason favorite Deering saw its undefeated record go out the window Jan. 3 with a 39-30 loss at Westbrook. That setback, combined with South Portland's 50-37 loss at Gorham the night before, means that there are no remaining unbeaten squads in the region.

 

The Rams hosted the Red Riots Saturday night in a showdown between the preseason favorites and Deering's troubles continued with a 45-35 loss.

 

The other big news in recent days was Biddeford's stunning 63-47 win at defending regional champion Catherine McAuley of Portland.

 

Gorham (behind junior superstar Rachele Burns), Westbrook, Noble, Scarborough and up-and-coming Cheverus are also playing very well.

 

In Western B, Falmouth continues to lead the way with its perfect record. The Yachtsmen defeated Freeport and Wells to improve to 8-0. York is also unbeaten, and two-time defending regional champion Lake Region was as well before losing to Fryeburg Saturday. Keep an eye on Greely. The talented Rangers appear to be putting it together after a 2-3 start and have won three straight. Fryeburg and Lisbon are also near the top of the standings.

 

Western D is headed by Vinalhaven (6-2), Forest Hills (4-1) and Buckfield (5-0)

 

In Eastern A, Morse's undefeated record went by the wayside Jan. 2 after a stunning 51-25 home loss to defending state champion Cony, which improved to 6-1. Bangor, Brunswick, Lawrence and Skowhegan are all off to sizzling starts as well.

 

Eastern B features four undefeated teams, Mattanawcook, John Bapst, defending state champ Waterville and Gardiner.

 

Defending Class D state champion Lee Academy is making the most of its stay in Class C. The Pandas are unbeaten and atop the Eastern C Heals, followed closely by undefeated Washington and George Stevens Academy.

 

Washburn (7-0) is the top team in Eastern D.

 

 

On the ice, the Biddeford Tigers, the defending Class A state champion, earned their biggest win of the 2007-08 campaign Jan. 3, when they rallied for a 4-2 win at Falmouth.

 

The Tigers trailed 2-0 after one period, but quickly tied things up in the second. Midway through the third, Brian Dumoulin scored the go-ahead goal and Biddeford added a late empty-netter to stay perfect.

 

The Tigers won again Saturday, beating Western B contender Greely, 4-1.

 

Falmouth, Thornton Academy, Kennebunk, Portland and upstarts Bonny Eagle and Lake Region/Fryeburg are also off to promising starts.

 

York continues to be the team to beat in Western B, even after settling for a 0-0 tie against Eastern B power Winslow Saturday. The Wildcats are most closely followed by surprising Leavitt, but Cape Elizabeth and Greely figure to be major factors as the weeks go on.

 

In Eastern A, Lewiston is living up to preseason billing as the team to beat. Brunswick, Waterville and Brewer (the defending Class B state champion which moved up this year) are also winning with regularity.

 

In Eastern B, Winslow is joined by Gardiner, Presque Isle and John Bapst at the top.

 

Michael Hoffer is the sports editor of The Forecaster, a family of weekly newspapers based in Falmouth. He can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.