Opening week of varsity winter sports off to a strong start

Boys Basketball

The boys varsity basketball team held their season opener at home on Friday, Dec. 8 against Thornton Academy. While the Spartans fell 69-50, Coach Mills saw a promising start for the team, noting a limited number of turnovers at 8. Brady Adams led with 13 points, Tanner McCann had 12, and Makai Bougie scored 10.

They earned their first win against Marshwood on Tuesday, Dec. 12, defeating the Hawks 59-43. Bougie led the team with 15 points.

They lost to Deering in a tough 48-44 battle on Friday, Dec. 15. McCann led Sanford with 12 points. Dylan Gendron scored 10 and Bougie added nine.

This week, the Spartans play Edward Little at home on Tuesday, Dec. 19, host Noble on Thursday, Dec. 21, and travel to Lewiston on Saturday, Dec. 23.

Girls Basketball

The varsity Spartans fell to Thornton Academy 58-42 in the first game of the season on Friday, Dec. 8. Sadie Sevigny led the team with 17 points, followed by sister Paige Sevigny with 9.

They bounced back with a big 65-45 win over Marshwood in their home opener on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Julissa McBarron paced the Spartans with 20 points, 16 coming in the first half. Paige Sevigny had 16, followed by Ava Hudson with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Hailey Tarbox is credited by Coach Kearson for jump-starting the defense, which got everything else going.

This week, the Spartans travel to Edward Little on Tuesday, Dec. 19 (weather and power permitting), followed by another road game at Noble on Thursday, Dec. 21.

Indoor Track

The Spartans competed in their first meet of the season on Saturday, Dec. 16 at USM against multiple teams. Logan Gosling and Cole Adawadkar took 5th and 6th in the junior 55-meter dash, respectively. Rhylen Avery and Craig Grant took 2nd and 4th in the senior 55-meter dash, respectively. Michael Cousineau scored second in the senior 55-meter hurdles and first in the senior triple jump.

In the field, Avery took first in the senior long jump while Grant took first in the senior high jump. Avi Baker took first in the junior shot put, while Tucker Walker continues to dominate at the senior shot put level, finishing first by nearly 5 feet. Zachary Michinzi and Isaac Pelletier scored 1st and 2nd in the pole vault.

On the girls’ side, Kenzie Taylor and Lily Peters scored 5th and 6th, respectively, in the junior girls 55 meter dash. They fell in sync again in the junior 200, scoring 3rd and 4th. Peters also scored 3rd in the junior long jump.

Their next meet is Wednesday, Jan. 4.

Wrestling

The Spartans opened up their season on the road winning Sullivan Dual Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 9 where they were the team champions. Simon Alipalo went 3-0 on the day with two pins and was the Captain’s Choice for performance of the tournament.

They had a quick turnaround for a tri-meet against Marshwood and Windam/Westbrook/GNG on Wednesday, Dec. 13, winning the meet. Gabe Roberge “performed phenomenally” with two strong matches and pins scored in both meets, according to Coach Smith. The team clinched the meet with a pin by Mason Van Gieson.

The Spartans then traveled to the Londonderry Tournament in New Hampshire on Saturday, Dec. 16, where the Spartans secured Coach Smith first first-ever out-of-state win as head coach. James Chaplick and Luke Callis each earned a first-place finish in their weight class. Ryder LaChance, Mason Van Gieson, Connor Pickering,
and Canton Hill received second-place finishes, and Christopher Chaplick, Gabe Roberge, Ricky Callis, and Richie Simpson tallied third-place finishes. Luke Callis was voted Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament, voted by all coaches.

“The team wrestled strong and pushed through a long grueling Saturday at Londonderry to come home with the win by almost 60 points against some better teams across New England,” said Smith. “It was a great boost of confidence coming into our toughest part of the season.”

Sanford Wrestling travels to Portland High School on Wednesday, Dec. 20, and hosts their home opener against Noble and Scarborough on Saturday, Dec. 23.