High school lacrosse teams in central Maine continued to grow in 2022.

For the second straight season, the Messalonskee boys lacrosse team proved to be one of the top teams in Class B, as it reached the state semifinals. The Eagles (13-2) fell short of their quest for a state final appearance, however, when they dropped a 14-11 decision to eventual champion Brunswick.

“I thought we played very well this year,” Messalonskee head coach Tom Sheridan said. “Unfortunately, part of our goal was getting to the state game and winning it. But we had some tremendous performances all year long. We were really competitive in our central Maine area. Out of our area, we played Gorham, we played Yarmouth, we played Brunswick, we played Oak Hill. We had a pretty difficult schedule and finishing 11-1 (in the regular season) was pretty good. Being the No. 1 seed two years in a row was pretty good, too.”

With most of its roster returning from last year, the Eagles were led by seniors Brennan Wade, Brady Doucette and Rhys Bridges, among others. Though they’ve now graduated, Messalonskee will return a large group of talented youngsters, including Walter Fegel, Bryce Crowell, Will Durkee and Brady Brunelle.

Durkee and Fegel, both juniors, each scored more than 40 goals this season.

“We’ve lost some really good seniors, but we have some really good underclassmen coming back next year,” Sheridan said. “We’re excited, the future looks good.”

After appearing in the Class C title game last season, the Oak Hill/Monmouth/Lisbon (9-6) boys had another strong season, reaching the state semifinals before once again being knocked out by eventual champion Waynflete. The Raiders were led by senior attack Tiger Hopkins, who often drew double- or triple-coverage.

Under first-year head coach Jake Linkletter, Maranacook/Winthrop/Spruce Mountain — which went 8-6 last season — finished 10-4, making it once again to the Class C quarterfinals.

“I really couldn’t be happier (about the season),” Linkletter said. “Just coming in as a first-year coach, we really responded well for each other, I think, and for one another. Just brought a lot of energy and positivity to the team and they responded.”

The Hawks were strong in multiple areas, particularly on offense. Wyatt Lyons led the team with 53 goals, followed by Eric Vining (39 goals, 21 assists) and Tom Struck (38 goals, 22 assists).

“It didn’t end the way we wanted,” Linkletter said. “The Waynflete game (in the quarterfinals) was the best game we played all year. We hustled the entire time. We really never gave up, I was just proud of the effort the guys put in… I’m just really happy with the standard they’ve put together going forward.”

On the girls side, Cony, already a strong program, took another step forward this spring. The Rams finished 11-3, falling to Greely in the state semifinals. Cony hosted a state quarterfinal game on the new turf at Fuller Field, and it edged Gardiner/Hall-Dale 10-8.

“We’re really proud of how far we got,” Cony head coach Gretchen Livingston said. “We had a reflection last year and realized that in 2018 and 2019 and 2021 — because of course there was no 2020 (because of COVID-19) — we finished 7-5 in the regular season all of those years. We finished eighth in the standings, hosted a home playoff game and lost to a No. 9 (seed) all three of those years… Being able to host (a playoff game) on our new turf field and win a home playoff game, to have that goal accomplished was huge for us.”

The Rams had several standouts — Raegan Bechard, Sierra Prebit, Maci Freeman, Azabell Assaf and Madison Chavarie — but Livingston was proud of the team’s collective effort.

“To do it the way we did it, with a collective group effort, there wasn’t any one person we relied on,” Livingston said. “We had eight different people that were double digits for points, goals and assists combined. So when you look at who are you going to mark for Cony, that was probably tough to figure out. If you took one person out, there were five other people ready to step up. We had an over 50 percent save percentage, ride percentage and draw percentage. We were over 60 percent on our clears, which are all collective group efforts, where all 12 people are contributing all the time.”

Messalonskee finished 10-2 and entered the Class B tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Eagles were tripped up by Brunswick in the quarterfinals, but they return several key players next season.

“I’m definitely proud, we had a great season and played some tough teams,” Messalonskee head coach Crystal Leavitt said. “We came out on top a great amount and learned a lot of stuff this season. KVAC champs, we got a lot of girls recognized. There was a lot of hard work put into this season, a lot of teamwork.”

A young squad last season, Leavitt credits the veteran members of the team in helping those younger players progress.

“I think just having the veterans, it’s sad this season has ended, but next year we have a huge senior class, and a huge freshmen class” Leavitt said. “That’s great. That’s what you want to see in a program and that’s what I’ve been working really hard on, to have a big senior class to help these freshmen come in and get ready to go, understand the game, understand what level they need to be in the game. There’s a lot of mentorship going on with this team for sure.”

Gardiner/Hall-Dale finished 11-3, showing a dynamic offense throughout the season, powered by the likes of Lilly Diversi and Averi Baker. In Class C, Maranacook/Winthrop had a strong spring, going 11-1 in the regular season  to secure the No. 1 seed. However, it fell to Lake Region in the state quarterfinals.

 

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