Coaches reflect on their 2022-23 seasons

BY KENZIE TAYLOR, STAFF WRITER

Cover photo credit: Ava Gendron Photography

With the 2023 winter sports season behind us, The Spartan Times asked varsity winter coaches to reflect back on their seasons:

Boys Basketball 

The varsity boys basketball team closed out the season with a record of 5-14. They lost to South Portland in the quarter-finals.

Junior Makai Bougie earned SMAA honorable mention. 

“We played our best two games at the end of the year [against] the best two teams,” said head Coach Jacob Mills. “We didn’t win either game, but we were highly competitive in both games. We ended up losing our playoff game to the eventual state champion South Portland. I’m very proud of how hard our players continued to play and practice. Thank you to our four seniors, Liam Gendron, Alex Sevigny, LJ McFarland, and Shawn Puffer for everything they have done for us over the past four years.”

Girls Basketball 

The girls ended the season with a record of 13-7, losing to Gorham in the semi-finals.

The Spartans represented for end-of-season recognition teams. Junior Julissa McBarron made First Team All SMAA. Senior Riley Hebler made Second Team All SMAA and All SMAA Defensive Team, and played in the Senior All Star Game. Sophomore Sadie Sevigny made the All SMAA Rookie Team. And Head Coach Rossie Kearson won the SMAA Coach of The Year.

“This has been the best season in my six-year coaching career here at Sanford High School coaching the girl’s varsity basketball team,” said Kearson. “The girls were truly a family that worked hard and cared about each other and always put the team first. They were truly a close-knit group where the future looks very bright.”

Kearson shared one top memory from the season included senior Azline Maurais hitting a game-winning 3-pointer to help us beat Gorham in the second game of the season.

Cheerleading

The Sanford Winter Cheer Team hosted two competitions at SHS this year, earning third place and second place. The team qualified and placed fourth at states. 

“We entered the season thinking that it wasn’t going to be as great, but we got some really new additions that helped kind of change that tone for us,” said Assistant Coach Lauren Roy. “Adding Maddie Osborne and Jack Sevigny created a way better season than we expected.”  

Lydia Doiron, Audrey Coleman, Natalie Lam, and Ali Long Earned SMAA First Team.   

SMAA Honorable Mention included Ellie McGrath and Maddie Osborne.

Indoor track 

The new indoor track team shows a lot of promise after its first season, despite not defeating many teams in overall points.

Tucker Walker and Landon Gosling made Second Team All-Conference and Craig Grant made 3rd Team.

“We had a great first season launching the program,” said head coach Magnes Lewis. “[I’m] very proud of this team. They were able to compete at a high level with schools that have been doing indoor track for many years now,” adding that he can’t wait for next season.

Wrestling 

Five Spartan wrestlers placed at the State Championship and the team had two finalists. The team was undefeated in Class A during the regular season and made it to the semifinals in the Dual State Championship. They finished as Regional Runners-Up and third in Class A.

James Blood and Angel Zea were both finalists. Blood surpassed 100 career wins this season and won his second Class A State Championship. Canton Hill, Mason VanGeison and James Chaplick also placed in the top four.

Blood and Hill had undefeated regular seasons and both qualified for the New England Championships. James finished sixth.

“The wrestling team had a successful year,” said Coach “Smitty” Smith. “We had a young team that fought through a long grueling season.”

This is a developing story as we wait to hear back from more teams.