By Michael Hoffer
MaxPreps.com
Becky O'Brien, a senior throwing standout at Greely High in Cumberland, has simply dominated and dazzled during her high school track and field career, but she reached a new level altogether Saturday at the Western Maine Conference indoor championship meet in Gorham.
O'Brien reached the coveted 50-foot mark and set a national high school record in the shot put with her throw of 50 feet, 6 inches. To put it in perspective, O'Brien's toss was nearly 17 feet better than the runner-up.
“It feels awesome, I was so excited,” O'Brien said. “Practice had gone great this week. I felt I was ready to throw big, but I wasn't sure how big. Fifty is that magic number and it took me all season to get it. It turns out today was the day. I knew it felt right. It's very exciting. I hope that this is just the beginning and that we keep going from here.”
“That was the highlight of my coaching life,” added Rangers' coach John Folan. “It was phenomenal. It's a magical thing. Frankly, that's been her goal. Now her goal is beyond that. She's peaking at the right time. I'm not surprised at all she's the best thrower in the country. She has prodigious talent. No one that I've ever coached has worked any harder. You put together with incredible focus and she can do it. I'm very proud and not surprised.”
O'Brien also announced last week that she will attend the University of North Carolina next fall, where she'll continue her track career.
Greely's girls won the conference crown, holding off Falmouth and York. Falmouth did win the boys' meet. Greely came in second. Cape Elizabeth was third.
The track state championships are next Monday, Feb. 18.
The swimming state finals are Feb. 18 and 19. The Class A and B boys' meets are the first day. The girls' swim the second day.
Wrestling's championship meet is Saturday.
The skiing postseason begins next week as well
Four Football Players Commit to the University of Maine
Maine high schools don't produce big-time football talent the way many other states do, but once again this year, a handful of top players chose to go to the state university in Orono in their quest to continue their playing careers.
Donald Clark of Winslow High School, Matthew Spearin of Bonny Eagle, Joshua Sundquist of Bridgton Academy, and Justin Villacci of Gorham all hope to be Black Bears next fall.
Clark, a top-notch offensive and defensive lineman, stands 6-feet-4-inches and weighs 275 pounds. A Pine Tree Conference All-Conference selection, Clark is also a state champion in the shot put in both indoor and outdoor track.
Spearin, a 6-2, 275-pound offensive lineman, led the Scots to the 2007 Class A championship and was an all-state selection.
Sundquist, a 6-4, 225-pound tight end, was an all-conference selection three times and made the all-state team last fall.
Villacci, a deceivingly small 5-8, 170-pounds, was Maine's Gatorade Player of the Year and was also a Fitzpatrick Trophy finalist after sparking Gorham to another excellent season with his running, receiving and kick returning skills. Villacci might become a slot receiver in college.
Boys' Basketball: Titles Up for Grabs as Tournament Begins
The 2007-08 regular season was something special. Just when we thought we had it figured out, everything changed.
Expect more of the same as the tournament begins.
In Western Class A, Cheverus lost three straight, but won at Deering in its finale to wind up 15-3 and leapfrog Thornton Academy (16-2) for the top spot after the Golden Trojans were upset at home by Scarborough in the regular season finale.
No. 3 will be a South Portland team (14-4) which continues to amaze. The Red Riots hosted red-hot Portland Friday night, hoping to complete a trifecta of wins over the Portland schools. South Portland would do it, but it wasn't easy. The Red Riots overcame a halftime deficit, took the lead for good in the third period, then held on down the stretch for an inspirational 67-57 victory, thanks to 27 points from wonder sophomore Keegan Hyland.
“Our kids played great tonight, both offensively and defensively,” said South Portland's first-year coach Phil Conley. “I thought we did a great job tonight against a great team and a well-coached team. It's a big win for our program. These kids have improved throughout the year. I'm happy for the guys.”
Portland had its run of nine wins in 10 games snapped, but the Bulldogs (13-5, after a 3-3 start) will be No. 4 and will battle No. 5 Deering (12-6) in a quarterfinal round showdown Friday night at the Portland Expo. The teams split during the regular year.
No. 6 Scarborough (12-6), No. 7 Westbrook (10-8) and No. 8 Gorham (10-8) will all host preliminary round games Wednesday. The Red Storm host No. 11 Biddeford (7-11). The winner faces South Portland Saturday. The Blue Blazes will welcome No. 10 Bonny Eagle (8-10). The team which survives that contest will next face Thornton Academy Saturday. The Rams host No. 9 Windham (9-9). The winner will face Cheverus Friday.
In Eastern A, defending state champion Bangor was simply perfect during the regular season, 18-0, and easily took the top seed. No. 2 Edward Little (14-4), No. 3 Hampden Academy (11-7), No. 4 Cony (13-5) and No. 5 Mt. Blue (12-6) also earned byes into the quarterfinals.
No. 6 Lawrence (10-8) will host No. 11 Mt. Ararat (10-8) in a prelim for the right to play Hampden Academy. No. 7 Messalonskee (9-9) will host No. 10 Morse (6-12) in a prelim. The winner gets Edward Little. No. 8 Brunswick (10-8) and No. 9 Skowhegan (11-7) play in a prelim for the right to face Bangor.
In Western Class B, Cape Elizabeth ended the season on a 13-game win streak to go 16-2 and earn the top seed. The Capers closed the regular season with a stirring double-overtime win at Greely Friday night. Yarmouth capped its special season with a romp at Freeport behind 27 points (including five first quarter 3-pointers) from junior sharpshooter Johnny Murphy.
“Tonight, we came out and just played the game,” Yarmouth coach Adam Smith said. “It helps when we shoot well of course, but I thought we rebounded and defended extremely well too. If (Johnny) missed those shots, I'd still let him shoot and want him to shoot. It's wonderful when his team supports him like they do and keeps going to him.”
Just two years ago, the Clippers went 1-17. Now, they're 15-3 and will be the second seed.
“Last year, (the guys) really reveled that underdog role and the surprise of it all,” Smith said. “They were trying to convince each other in the locker room that they were pretty good. This year, knowing they had to bring it and that people were going after them, they've continued to bring it night in, night out. The best thing I can say for our program, is that the younger guys know how to practice now.
“We talked about history all year. History is important. Good, bad or indifferent, it's important. These guys are writing history. We're glad to be going back a second time. We expected that all year. Last year, we were glad to make it. This year, we have a different mindset with expectations.
“Whatever the situation is, we've won 15 games, we're seeded second and they should be very proud of that. I don't know how we'll play, but we feel good and we should feel good about we've done this year. The tournament will take care of itself.
No. 3 goes to Mountain Valley (15-3), the two-time defending regional champion. The Falcons will do battle with another set of Falcons, the ones from No. 6 Freeport (13-5) in the quarterfinal round Saturday. No. 4 Greely (12-6) and No. 5 Falmouth (13-5) also meet in a delicious quarterfinal.
Cape Elizabeth will get the winner of a preliminary round game between No. 8 Wells (7-11) and No. 9 Oak Hill (5-13). Yarmouth faces the winner of No. 7 Lake Region (8-10) and No. 10 Fryeburg Academy (6-12).
Eastern B features another undefeated team leading the pack, 18-0 Maranacook. The Black Bears like their chances to win the region, but they'll get some tests. No. 2 Presque Isle (15-3) and No. 3 Camden Hills (17-1) are quite formidable. Seven other teams have winning records as well.
Only Maranacook has a bye into the quarterfinals. Presque Isle will host No. 15 Mt. View (6-12) in a preliminary round contest. Camden Hills welcomes No. 14 Hermon (9-9). Other prelims include No. 4 Caribou (16-2) hosting No. 13 Erskine Academy (10-8), No. 5 Mattanawcook (14-4) playing host to No. 12 Belfast (10-8), No. 6 Old Town (12-6) hosting No. 11 John Bapst (9-9), No. 7 MDI (13-5) welcoming No. 10 Medomak Valley (10-8), and No. 8 Rockland (12-6) playing host to No. 9 Gardiner (12-6).
In Western C, top-ranked Dirigo (17-1) and No. 2 Winthrop (17-1) earned byes. There will be six prelims to determine the other six quarterfinalists. No. 8 North Yarmouth Academy (10-8) and No. 9 Wiscasset (12-6) play for the right to face Dirigo. Winthrop will meet either No.7 Hyde (7-6) or No. 10 St. Dom's (8-10). Other games include No. 3 Traip (15-1) hosting No. 14 Sacopee (5-12), No. 4 Boothbay (16-2) welcoming No. 13 Georges Valley (9-9), No. 5 Gould (11-5) hosting No. 12 Livermore Falls (8-10), and No. 6 Waynflete (11-7) welcoming No. 11 Hall-Dale (9-9).
Five teams get byes in Eastern C. Leading the way is top-ranked Calais (16-0), which hasn't lost in three years. No. 2 Lee Academy (13-5), No. 3 Schenck (15-3), No. 4 Orono (12-6) and No. 5 Houlton (9-9) also await the preliminary round to find out whom they'll play. Prelims include No. 6 Narraguagus (12-6) hosting No. 11 George Stevens Academy (11-7), No. 7 Fort Kent (10-8) playing host to No. 10 Piscataquis (9-9), and No. 8 Washington Academy (9-9) welcoming No. 9 Dexter (14-4).
Richmond (16-1) is the top seed in Western D. The Bobcats are followed by No. 2 Valley (14-3), No. 3 Forest Hills (14-4), No. 4 Rangeley (10-8), No. 5 Seacoast Christian (8-6), No. 6 Elan (11-4), and No. 7 Greenville (10-7); eighth-seeded Buckfield (6-12) and No. 9 Greater Portland Christian (7-8) do battle in the lone prelim.
Fifteen teams qualified for the Eastern D playoffs. Only top-ranked Central Aroostook (18-0) earned a bye into the quarterfinals. No. 2 Deer Isle-Stonington (16-2) hosts No. 15 Hodgdon (5-13), No. 3 Woodland (12-6) plays No. 14 Limestone (5-13), No. 4 Ashland (14-4) welcomes No. 13 Jonesport-Beals (7-11), No. 5 Fort Fairfield (13-5) plays host to No. 12 Van Buren (9-9), No. 6 Easton (14-4) meets No. 11 Bangor Christian (6-12), No. 7 Shead (11-7) battles No. 10 Southern Aroostook (9-8), and No. 8 Kathadin (7-11) hosts No.9 Machias (7-11).
Tournament play in all classes begins Friday night. Regional champions will be crowned next weekend and the state finals are the weekend after that.
Girls' Basketball: Deering Edges SP for Top Seed
South Portland hosted Deering last Tuesday night in a battle for the top seed in Western Class A. The Rams led almost all the way and held on for dear life down the stretch for the 30-28 victory which gave Deering a 16-2 mark and the No. 1 ranking for the tournament.
South Portland (15-3) goes in as the second seed. No. 3 Noble (14-4), No. 4 Scarborough (13-5) and No. 5 Westbrook (13-5) also get byes into the preliminary round.
In that round, No. 6 Marshwood (12-6) hosts a No. 11 Cheverus (7-11) squad which is in the playoffs for the first time in program history. No. 7 Biddeford (12-6) plays host to No. 10 Gorham (6-12) and No. 8 Massabesic (11-7) welcomes No. 9 McAuley (10-8) in the other games.
In Eastern A, Lawrence held off Morse for the top seed. The Bulldogs (17-1) lead the way in what figures to be a competitive field. The Shipbuilders (15-3), defending state champion Cony (16-2), No. 4 Bangor (14-4) and No. 5 Oxford Hills (12-6), all have byes into the quarterfinal round. In the preliminary round, No. 6 Brunswick (12-6) hosts No. 11 Nokomis (7-11), No. 7 Edward Little (10-8) welcomes No. 10 Skowhegan (10-8), and No. 8 Messalonskee (9-9) plays host to No. 9 Brewer (7-11).
The top seed in Western B also came to down to a season-ending showdown. Friday night, two-time defending regional champion Lake Region went to Falmouth and earned an impressive 57-39 win to garner the top spot. The Lakers (16-2) will await the winner of a prelim between No. 8 Lisbon (11-7) and No. 9 Wells (8-10). The Yachtsmen (16-2) will play the winner of No. 7 Gray-New Gloucester (10-8)-No. 10 Yarmouth (8-10). The Clippers went 8-3 down the stretch to earn a berth. Mountain Valley (16-2) earned the third seed. The Falcons will meet No. 6 Greely (12-6) in the quarterfinal round. No. 4 York (15-3) and No. 5 Fryeburg Academy (13-5) also do battle.
In Eastern B, defending state champion Waterville (18-0) is the top seed and the lone team with a bye. The prelims look like this:
No. 15 Rockland (6-12) @ No. 2 John Bapst (17-1)
No. 14 Presque Isle (6-12) @ No. 3 Mattanawcook (16-2)
No. 13 Foxcroft Academy (10-8) @ No. 4 Erskine Academy (14-4)
No. 12 Caribou (9-9) @ No. 5 Camden Hills (13-5)
No. 11 Belfast (8-10) @ No. 6 Hermon (14-4)
No. 10 Winslow (11-7) @ No. 7 Mt. View (12-6)
The Western C parade is led by Madison (17-1), the lone team to earn a bye. The preliminary round has some interesting matchups, none bigger than perennial powerhouse Dirigo (ranked 14th this year at 9-9) playing at No. 3 Waynflete (15-3). No. 2 Monmouth (16-2) welcomes No. 15 Traip (9-7). No. 13 Kents Hill (8-7) is at No. 4 Hebron (10-6). No. 5 Hyde (7-8) welcomes No. 12 St. Dom's (10-8). No. 6 Mt. Abram (12-6) plays host to No. 11 Jay (9-9). No. 10 Hall-Dale (10-8) is at No. 7 Gould (11-7) and No. 9 Georges Valley (11-7) visits No. 8 Telstar (11-7).
Eleven teams qualify in Eastern Class C. The top seed is Houlton (17-1). Defending Class D state champion Lee Academy went 15-3 in its first Class C season and the Pandas earned the second seed. Washington Academy (14-3), Stearns (15-3) and Calais (10-8) finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, and also earned byes. The three prelims feature No. 11 Madawaska (6-12) at No. 6 Georges Stevens Academy (17-1), No. 10 Orono (13-5) at No. 7 Narraguagus (10-7), and No. 9 Piscataquis (11-7) at No. 8 Fort Kent (14-4).
In Western Class D, unbeaten Buckfield (18-0) goes in at No. 1. The Bucks will meet either No. 8 North Haven (5-8) or No. 9 Seacoast Christian (7-9) in the quarterfinals. Valley (12-5) is the second-ranked squad. The Cavaliers play No. 7 Rangeley (7-11). No. 3 Vinalhaven (13-5) and No. 6 Greater Portland Christian (10-6) and No. 4 Richmond (12-6) and No. 5 Forest Hills (12-5) also play in the quarters.
Only one team gets a bye in Eastern D. That will be Washburn (16-2). Second-ranked Woodland (15-3) plays No. 15 Fort Fairfield (8-10) in the preliminary round. Other prelims include No. 3 Central Aroostook (16-2) hosting No. 14 Lubec (9-9), No. 4 Ashland (13-5) welcoming No. 13 Hodgdon (7-11), No. 5 Bangor Christian (14-4) hosting No. 12 Shead (8-10), No. 6 Houlton Christian (14-4) facing No. 11 Deer Isle-Stonington (10-8), No. 7 Jonesport-Beals (10-8) playing host to No. 10 Machias (7-11), and No. 8 Southern Aroostook (11-7) welcoming No. 9 Katahdin (7-11).
Tournament play in all classes begins Friday night. Regional champions will be crowned next weekend and the state finals are the weekend after that.
Hockey: Biddeford Still Unblemished
While the hockey regular season still has a little over a week to go, the playoffs figure to have a similar feel to last year.
The Biddeford Tigers continue to meet every challenge and are unbeaten and atop the Western Class A Heal Points standings. Kennebunk, Falmouth, Thornton Academy, St. Dom's, Portland and Deering are still in the mix as well.
In Eastern A, Lewiston is coming off a tough loss to rival St. Dom's, but the Blue Devils remain the top team in the region. Brewer, Waterville, Gray-New Gloucester/Poland, Lawrence, Bangor and Brunswick are also in the hunt.
York regained a foothold in Western Class B last week with a much-needed 4-1 victory at Greely, followed by an impressive 3-2 win over Western A power Thornton Academy. The Wildcats likely locked up the No. 1 seed. Greely and Cape Elizabeth, along with Leavitt and Maranacook, are gearing up for the playoffs as well.
The Eastern B parade is led by Winslow, which won 4-2 at Greely Saturday night. John Bapst, Presque Isle, Houlton/Hodgdon and Gardiner are also looking strong.
Michael Hoffer is the sports editor of The Forecaster, a family of weekly newspapers based in Falmouth. Michael can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net
