Contests have begun for many of Sanford High School’s spring sports teams and fans are eager to learn what to expect for the upcoming seasons. We’ve reached out to each varsity coach on their team’s goals, expectations, and challenges for the upcoming season.
If you aren’t already, be sure to follow @Sanford_Athletics on Instagram to stay up-to-date on game days, highlights and results!
Updated 4:55 p.m.
BASEBALL
HEAD COACH: KYLE BERNIER
Coach Kyle Bernier returns for his second season as the head coach of the boys varsity baseball team.
How did your 2022 season go?
In 2022 we finished 9-7 during the regular season and 10-8 including playoffs. We beat Kennebunk in the first round of playoffs and lost to Thorton Academy in the second round.
Who are the top returners, and/or newcomers this season you are excited about?
I would say our top returners are Ben Gill, Caden Fontaine, and Alex Sevigny. As for our newcomers, I am excited to see Scottie Robitaille, Zach Kassim, Matt Hebert, and Brady Adams, just to name a few.
What are your goals and expectations for this season? Any challenges you anticipate?
I have one goal that will never change and that is to win the state championship. Beyond that, I would like to see us win another playoff game, be above .500, and be one of the best teams in the classroom. It will take a lot of hard work and effort to get there, but those are things I expect out of everyone in the program. As far as challenges go, the biggest thing for us is how young we are. We have a lot of talented kids, but it’s a different level of baseball than what they’ve dealt with before. Being able to deal with a little adversity and respond to failure will be important for us.
What are you most looking forward to this season?
I am looking forward to seeing how this group comes together. As I mentioned, there is a lot of talent, so watching them grow and develop will be fun.
BOYS LACROSSE
HEAD COACH: NATE MCLELLAN
The boys lacrosse program has teamed up with the Noble Knights for the 2023 spring season due to numbers. Coach McLellan is in his fifth year at the helm.
How did your 2022 season go?
2022 was a big season for the Spartans. We finished the regular season with a 5-7 record. We also won our first playoff game in program history against Massabesic.
Who are the top returners, and/or newcomers this season you are excited about?
Returners this season who are players to watch are Ayden Lockard, AJ Anderson, Tylor Pitman, and Eric LaChapelle.
What are your goals and expectations for this season? Any challenges you anticipate?
Last year we graduated 10 seniors which really lowered our total team numbers. This year were are co-oping with Noble High School which is a great opportunity for Sanford players to better their skills and play with kids from the surrounding area.
What are you most looking forward to this season?
With being able to co-op, the level of play has risen and the drive to compete for a starting spot, as well as another trip to playoffs has geared up. I am excited to see where the combination of two programs will lead us.
You can follow @sanfordboyslax on Instagram.
GIRLS LACROSSE
HEAD COACH: KELLY FOLEY
Coach Foley enters her third season as varsity coach, coming off a winning 2021 record that earned the Spartans a home playoff game.
How did your 2022 season go?
We had a strong season with a great group of players. We finished the regular season 7-5 and hosted a playoff game at home against Gorham. Even though we went out in the first round, we saw huge improvements throughout the season. For example, we lost 9-5 to the Rams in that playoff game compared to a 16-1 loss against them earlier in the season.
Who are the top returners, and/or newcomers this season you are excited about?
We are fortunate to have a big portion of our starting lineup returning, so I’m excited to continue watching this group of players grow. I anticipate we’ll see big things offensively from seniors Emerson Tolpin and Kay Hessler, as well as defensive leadership from Miranda Tanguay and Lily Kallis. We’ve got a really strong sophomore class and I’m excited to see what last season’s most improved player, Savannah Knight, will bring to our starting lineup. Lila Bernier returns in net and is an absolute force to be reckoned with.
What are your goals and expectations for this season? Any challenges you anticipate?
Like any team, our goal is to get better every day to lift our overall competitiveness and level of play. Numbers have been a bit of a challenge this year as we’re seeing small numbers, but we’ve got some young and eager varsity/junior-varsity swingers who are ready to prove themselves.
What are you most looking forward to this season?
This senior class shows incredible dedication, leadership, and varsity experience — our program is very lucky to have them and we want to soak up and appreciate everything they bring to our team. We’ve got great team chemistry and I look forward to seeing where that takes us.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Last year we were really proud to raise awareness for Morgan’s Message, a non-profit dedicated to reducing the stigma surrounding mental health in athletes. I’d like for us to do another dedication game this year for the same cause or something else we’re passionate about. Stay tuned!
You can follow @sanfordgirlslax on Instagram.
SOFTBALL
HEAD COACH: SCOTT SHEPPARD
The softball program has teamed up with Kennebunk this spring due to numbers. Scott Sheppard enters his third year as head coach.
How does the season look with Kennebunk?
This is the first year SHS is co-oping with Kennebunk HS for both varsity and JV softball. This is exciting as both schools had low numbers and combined we will actually be able to field 2 teams and build our younger inexperienced players as well as get our older experienced players some good competition.
Who are the top returners, and/or newcomers this season you are excited about?
Top returners include senior Madi Sheppard (P,3rd Base), who was all-conference her sophomore year and is recovering from knee surgery last year; junior Hannah Mueller (CF, Catcher), a tremendous hitter and is also extremely versatile in the field; junior Julissa McBarron (Outfield) is an incredible athlete and, although softball is not her primary sport, she has become a very valuable part of our team with her fielding ability and her personality; and senior Azline Maurais (Outfield) is our only other Sanford senior player and has shown great strides this year and we look forward to seeing her growth on the field and love her enthusiasm on and off the field. Newcomers include two freshmen who will be playing up as well as JV. Haliey Dumond (catcher) and Saide Crooks (1st Base). Both Hailey and Saide have proven great maturity and work ethic and we look forward to watching them grow as players.
What are your goals and expectations for this season? Any challenges you anticipate?
This is a growing year for Sanford Softball and the co-op as I mentioned should help our ability to work with our younger players to be ready for the varsity field in the coming years. As with anything new, it will be a challenge traveling between the schools, and getting new teammates to bond and be able to play together. So far it seems to be working out well and we have the opportunity to be very competitive at both levels.
What are you most looking forward to this season?
Since we were not able to field a varsity team last year I am mostly looking forward to getting back to a competitive varsity schedule and giving our girls the chance to play at a high level.
BOYS TENNIS
HEAD COACH: NICK WORKS
This is Nick Works’s first year as head coach for the Spartans. A former three-sport athlete at Sanford, Works ’18 is ready to lead the program from the coaching side.
Who are the top returners, and/or newcomers this season you are excited about?
Top returner is Chase Wilson. Exciting newcomers [include] Zachary Parison and Finn Daly.
What are your goals and expectations for this season? Any challenges you anticipate?
My goals for the team are to win six matches and have a single player ranked in the top 52. Our biggest challenge is that we are a young, and inexperienced team with 7 freshmen and 1 returning player.
What are your goals and expectations for this season? Any challenges you anticipate?
We are working towards improving sportsmanship and having many swimmers qualify for states. Challenges will probably be increasing difficulty in training to drop time.
What are you most looking forward to this season?
This season I’m looking forward to seeing the growth this team is going to make from our first practice to last match.
GIRLS TENNIS
HEAD COACH: HAILEY FRANCOEUR
This is Francoeur’s first year as the girls tennis coach. Although new to the athletics’ side, Francoeur is a veteran in extracurriculars at Sanford High with her involvement in our music department.
Who are the top returners, and/or newcomers this season you are excited about?
Top returners would be Olivia Guinard on 1st singles, Sophia Tounge on 2nd singles, and Sydney Roux on 3rd singles. Audrey Cote is returning to 1st doubles and playing alongside Rookie Audrey Payeur.
Guinard was recently listed as a Portland Press Herald Southern Maine Player to Watch.
What are your goals and expectations for this season? Any challenges you anticipate?
I’m looking for the girls to be competitive with all of their opponents this year. We’ve been working a lot on different scenarios in matches and how to outsmart opponents. A big hope of mine is that we can keep close scores during all of our matches, and fight for some wins. So far, that’s been our trend!
What are you most looking forward to this season?
I’m really looking forward to seeing these ladies improve on the court throughout the season. They have come a long way in just the first few weeks of the season, and I’m excited to see where they’ll end. We also have our 3 singles competing in the MPA Singles Tournament, and I’m hopeful they’ll advance!
Anything else you’d like to share?
The ladies have a wonderful team energy thats been so amazing for me to see as a coach. They are really supportive of each other, very encouraging, and positive all around.
You can follow @sanfordgirlstennis on Instagram.
BOYS TRACK & FIELD
HEAD COACH: KEVIN WAY
Coach “K-Way” enters his 22nd season as head coach of the boys track team.
How did your 2022 season go?
We finished 9-3 for the regular season. We had two state placers and several qualifiers for state. We had an outstanding, positive season with a lot of teambuilding success.
Who are the top returners, and/or newcomers this season you are excited about?
Top returners are Tucker Walker in shot and discus, Nick Farrington in jav/track events, John Paul Alexander and Greg Watermann distance, and Angel Zea in sprints. Tons of young talent… we are excited to see it!
What are your goals and expectations for this season? Any challenges you anticipate?
Our goals are to qualify as many individuals for the state meet as possible and score high as a team at the meet.
What are you most looking forward to this season?
Looking forward to seeing this team develop and thrive. Incredible level of potential!
GIRLS TRACK & FIELD
HEAD COACH: nate smith
Coach Smith enters his first season as head coach but is no stranger to the track & field program.
How did your 2022 season go?
We had many State Qualifiers and placers. The girls finished in the top 10 at Southwesterns.
Who are the top returners, and/or newcomers this season you are excited about?
Kora Eckelman will return after her fourth-place finish at the Class A State Championships last year. Samone Gallagher and Addie Fiandaca will lead a strong mid-distance and distance crew. Freshmen Bella McCall and Annalise Stimmel will strengthen our track presence.
What are your goals and expectations for this season? Any challenges you anticipate?
We have smaller numbers than in previous years but we will be able to score some big points in the postseason.
What are you most looking forward to this season?
I am excited to develop strong relationships with the team in my new role. I am anticipating some fantastic improvements in our young athletes.
You can follow @spartangirlstrack on Instagram.
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