Newsletter #42...Surprise, surprise
In last week's newsletter, we focused on some highly-touted teams who were either crushing the ball or scoring a lot of goals in the early going.
This week's focus is on some squads who didn't face high expectations in the preseason, but are succeeding nonetheless.
Cheverus baseball won just three times in 2025 but has already eclipsed that number. After opening with a palpitating come-from-behind win at preseason favorite Thornton Academy, the Stags doubled up Sanford (4-2), then exploded in a 38-1 (five-inning) win at Westbrook. Saturday, Cheverus trailed visiting Noble by five runs heading to the bottom of the sixth, but struck for six runs to prevail again. Tuesday, the Stags finally met their match in an 8-0 loss at Gorham, but they're going to be in the hunt throughout.
"We talked right out of the gate that we have great athletes and if we play a good, clean game, we can hang in with everybody," said first-year Cheverus coach Ryan Copp.
North Yarmouth Academy girls' lacrosse is accustomed to contention, but last season, the Panthers finished with a sub-.500 record, losing to eventual state champion Maranacook in the quarterfinals. This spring, however, NYA won five its first six games, with its lone loss coming at home, to Wells, in triple-overtime (9-8). The Panthers' five victories came by a composite 74-27 margin. NYA fell to 5-2 Thursday after losing at home to Class A powerhouse Cheverus, 15-5.
"We're still figuring it out," said Panthers coach Molly Stokes. "We have to keep learning and growing. We want to see these top teams during the season. They help us identify the cracks so we can fill them in."
Last but certainly not least is Scarborough softball, which for the better part of two decades was the state's gold standard. Since juggernaut builder Tom Griffin retired following the 2022 campaign, however, the Red Storm fell back to the pack and a year ago, they wound up 6-10 and missed the playoffs altogether for the first time since 1991.
This spring, under new coach Audrey Gavin, Scarborough has turned back the clock, opening with six victories in seven games. The Red Storm's lone loss came to Gorham, one of the league's elite squads (12-6) and their victories have seen them average 12 runs while surrendering an average of two. While Scarborough, along with just about everyone else in Class A South not named Cheverus or Windham, has a ways to go to return to the pinnacle, the program is very much heading in the right direction.
"I think what’s working for us right now is a combination of competitiveness, accountability and team culture," said Gavin. "We’ve had strong contributions across the board early in the season. Our freshman pitcher, Savannah Caron, has done a great job attacking the zone and limiting walks, which has really helped us stay consistent defensively, and offensively, we’ve been producing runs at a much higher level than last season, including a sophomore, Scarlett Floyd already hitting two home runs. Our entire lineup is a force to be reckoned with.
"We’ve also put a big emphasis on practice habits. Our practices are very intentional and detail-oriented, but we also try to keep them competitive and fun. We spend a lot of time breaking down fundamentals, working through defensive situations and creating an environment where players are pushing each other every day to improve and earn their roles.
"I’m proud of the way the team has bought into the process so far. The players have been working hard, supporting each other and helping change the culture around the program one day at a time."
Another T-shirt
Hoffer's High School Sports names a Player of the Year from each sport following the season.
This week, we caught up with Thornton Academy's Jake Skillings, who was named the Player of the Year in boys' hockey, after leading the Golden Trojans to the Class A championship, scoring the winning goal in the process.
In case you missed it
Game stories from the past week...
Thornton Academy girls stun Windham
Windham baseball gets first victory
Cheverus blanks Windham in first softball showdown
Kennebunk girls pull away from Yarmouth to stay perfect
Windham girls bounce back, hand Falmouth first loss
Cheverus girls ride a freshman past NYA
Greely girls blank Cape Elizabeth
Media
Tuesday's radio spot with WGAN's Matt Gagnon:
https://wgan.com/morning-news/hoffers-high-school-sports-29/
Features
Hoffer's High School Sports, in conjunction with cPort Credit Union, named Greely junior baseball standout Sylas Almy our Athlete of the Week.
Michael Hoffer
Tuesday brought the latest polls for baseball, softball and lacrosse:
Michael Hoffer
Thursday's Hoffer's High School Sports Podcast featured Tim and I talking about the state of high school baseball and Tim's effort to increase the number of participants through the Portland Junior Dogs program.
Michael Hoffer
What's on tap
The action heats up over the next week with some key showdowns.
Friday, Gorham's undefeated softball team welcomes Bonny Eagle in an early-season battle. In boys' lacrosse, there's a rematch of last year's Class C state final when reigning champion North Yarmouth Academy plays host to Maranacook. There's also a compelling girls' battle, as defending Class A champion Windham goes to perennial power Yarmouth.
Saturday, on the diamond, Cheverus welcomes Scarborough in a battle of top Class A South baseball contenders. The boys' lacrosse game of the day sees Deering go to Yarmouth. Thornton Academy's girls welcome Cape Elizabeth in a rematch of an overtime thriller from a year ago.
Monday sees a pair of potentially terrific Class A South softball matchups, as Cheverus plays host to Gorham and Scarborough goes to Windham. Yarmouth at Cape Elizabeth baseball never disappoints and those rivals will square off for the first time this season. Thornton Academy's reigning Class A champion boys' lacrosse team will get its first test when it goes to Cape Elizabeth.
Tuesday's slate sees Cape Elizabeth going to Greely in a baseball game rescheduled from Wednesday. Scarborough plays at Thornton Academy in a rematch of their terrific semifinal from a year ago. Freeport goes to NYA in boys' lacrosse (don't be surprised if more than 48 minutes is needed to determine a winner in that one, again). On the girls' side, Cheverus goes to Falmouth in a battle of one-loss contenders.
Wednesday, Cape Elizabeth at Yarmouth boys' lacrosse is the top matchup. The teams have already met once this year, with the Capers prevailing by a goal at home. South Portland at Scarborough softball is another rematch. The Red Riots let an early lead slip away the first time around and they'll look to turn the tables this time around.
Thursday, Gorham at Falmouth meet in baseball. Thornton Academy at Scarborough girls' lacrosse could be a good one as well.
Let's wrap this up with the play of the week...Cheverus' Kylie Lamson's two-run double against Windham in the Stags' 8-0 victory Monday.
I'll be back with another newsletter next Friday.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffersports@yahoo.com
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