Monmouth Academy’s Rory Foyt boots the ball down the field during last November’s Class D state championship game against Easton in Oakland. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Multiple central Maine high school soccer teams won state championships last fall. And each one of those teams are experiencing change as they enter the 2024 season.

Monmouth Academy made a successful move to Class D last season, beating Easton 5-3 to win its first state championship since 2000. The Mustangs graduated nine seniors from that team, seven that were in the starting lineup. However, longtime head coach Joe Fletcher is excited about the returning group.

“We have some high expectations, and it’s a real good group of kids,” Fletcher said. “We’re very young. … We felt all along that even our bench last year was probably as competitive as any team that we faced in the (Class) D tournament. We have really expectations, and we have two dynamic freshmen that are going to be impact players right away.”

Those dynamic freshmen are Zane Foyt and Bryce Fletcher, who will be among the players looking to take the offensive sting out of the graduation of Brandon Smith, the Mustangs’ leading scorer last season. They join a lineup that, while young, still carries experience, with veterans such as Bingham Abbott, Sam Schultz and Rory Foyt. With their returning group, the Mustangs will once again be the favorites in D South, though they should receive competition in the conference from Richmond, which finished above Monmouth in the D South standings last season.

“Our strength will be our depth,” Joe Fletcher said. “Even for a Class D school, I would say we’re about 16 or 17 (players) strong.”

Mt. Abram made school history last season by going a perfect 18-0, beating George Stevens Academy 1-0 to capture the program’s first Class C championship.

The Roadrunners, however, have since had a major overhaul. Longtime head coach Darren Allen stepped down over the summer, taking a teaching job at Spruce Mountain High School in Jay. Allen’s assistant, Jason Wing, takes over the program. The Roadrunners also graduated top scorers Morgan Thibodeau — the Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year — and Payton Mitchell. Mt. Abram still has championship experience on its roster, including seniors Ash Rollins and Bryce Wilcox.

In Class C North, Mount View will try to build on the momentum of a strong run last season. The Mustangs, who finished 12-5, were a win away from reaching the Class C title game, falling 4-0 to George Stevens in the regional final. Mount View graduated top scorer Noah Hurd, but still return a lineup with playoff experience.

In Class B North, Winslow will try to build off a 12-3-1 season from a year ago, with an appearance in the semifinal round. The Black Raiders graduated Joey Richards, the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Player of the Year. The Black Raiders will be younger, but still return some key veterans like goalkeeper Max Spicer, Braden Rodrigue, Brady Poulin and Brody Willette.

“Our numbers are a little lower, and I’ll be starting about two or three freshmen, so we’ll definitely be a younger team,” Wolfe said. “I’m expecting some growing pains to start the season, but hopefully we can improve as the season goes on and get into the playoffs. After that, anything can happen.”

In Class A North, Skowhegan will look to build off a season that finished with its first playoff appearance in 23 years. Mt. Blue, which reached the playoffs as a No. 8 seed last year, will also look for continued progress.

Carrabec beat Stearns/Schenck 1-0 last year to claim the first eight-person boys title. The Cobras will have a new head coach in Hunter Durland, who takes over the program from Paul Vicneire. The Cobras also graduated top players Lucas Vicneire and Christopher Caruson, but return a nucleus that includes Pete Vicneire and Logan Caldwell. The Cobras are also expected to still maintain a possession-based attack, one that helped them outscore opponents by a 105-5 margin last season.

Madison’s Raegan Cowan will look to help the Bulldogs to another state title. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Just down the road from North Anson, Madison had a state championship of its own last season, beating Penquis Valley 3-1 for the eight-person girls state title. The Bulldogs were an offensive juggernaut all season, outscoring opponents by a 116-18 margin. Raegan Cowan had a season for the ages, scoring 58 goals, the second-most in a season in state history. Cowan returns to lead the offensive attack.

Madison will have not one, but two new head coaches, as Lauren Peters and Mike Walsh take over for Kayla Carrier. Both Peters and Walsh have history with the program. Peters, then Lauren Hay, was a goalkeeper for the Bulldogs during the 2017 season, when the team won the Class C South title. Walsh, along with his daughter, Erin Wood, led Madison to a 42-3-3 record from 2015-2017.

“It’s fun; I’m really enjoying it,” Peters said last month. “I think my favorite thing about Coach Walsh is how encouraging he is and easy to talk to. He’s a great guy to have as a coach; I remember loving him as a coach. I worked with him a lot as a goalie, and now, I get to work alongside him.”

Maranacook was a win away from reaching the Class C championship game last season, falling to Waynflete in the C South final. The Black Bears graduated Natalie Mohlar, who scored more than 20 goals, but head coach Travis Magnusson is confident in his returners this fall.

“We’ve got a good mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen,” Magnusson said. “We have a pretty strong team this year and we’re definitely excited. Our depth is our No. 1 strength. On any given night, we can play 16 to 18 players if we want to.”

Magnusson expects multiple players to step up throughout the season, among them junior forward Phoebe Bell and sophomore midfielder Cooper Davis, both of whom were standouts last year.

In Class D, Richmond will have a new head coach for the first time since 1989. Randy Hinkley, who has coached the middle school program for the past three seasons, takes over Troy Kendrick, the winningest girls soccer coach in Maine high school history. Kendrick, who stepped down from the position in the spring, won 414 games over his 34 seasons, with 17 regional titles and 11 Class D state championships.

“I’m pretty excited,” Hinkley said. “We have a young squad, obviously. There’s a lot of talent on this team. There’s a lot of speed and a lot of hunger. They have a lot of pride in the school and they want to win.

“The freshmen and sophomores, I’ve already coached and they know what I expect of them,” Hinkley continued. “They’re very respectful of that.”

Richmond’s Breonna Dufresne takes a corner kick during practice last month in Richmond. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

The Bobcats, who reached the D South semifinals last season, will be young. Richmond has a roster of 13, with four seniors and no juniors. The team does return captains Breonna Dufresne and Emma Valley.

In Class B, a young Winslow squad received a jump start from Kyri Meak, who was named the KVAC B North Player of the Year. A senior, Meak is back to lead the Black Raiders, who graduated five seniors and return a lineup heavy in experience. Gardiner will look to build off a solid season last year that included a trip to the B North semifinals. The team graduated goalkeeper Taylor Takatsu, but return center-mid Sophia Marrone, who was named a KVAC Class B South all-star as a sophomore last season.

In Class A North, Messalonskee will look to take a step forward after reaching the A North quarterfinals. Mt. Blue, which finished 3-9-2 with a young roster, returns a core of players with experience, led by senior forward Natalee Orr.