By Eliza Allen

Girls Basketball

The girls’ Varsity Basketball team had a record of 17-3. They made it to the semi-finals in the playoffs. They had an impressive win in the first round of the playoffs against __, winning 57-35, with 19 points scored by sophomore Mollie Puffer. 

“This girls’ basketball season was the most successful one yet of my 9-year career. Our girls really put in a lot of work to achieve a 17-3 record,” said Coach Rossie Kearson about his thoughts on the 25/26 season. “These young ladies were focused on giving the best effort they could every time they stepped on the floor. The goal is always to make the playoffs and get to Portland; they did just that. However, they were stopped short in the semi-finals vs South Portland. Although that was the disappointing part and the girls knew the season was over, it didn’t take away from how successful of a season that they had. Because of that success we had some of our girls earn some significant honors because of the work that they put in this season and we are very proud of them. Although this season is done, the girls look to come back even stronger next year and make a bigger playoff push.” 

Award winners at the 2026 Winter Sports Banquet include:

• Spartan Role Player – Jaslinn Johnson
• Coaches Award – Annalise Stimmell
• Most Outstanding Player – Mollie Puffer
• SMAA First Team – Mollie Puffer
• SMAA Second Team – Paige Sevigny
• SMAA All Defensive Team – Jaslinn Johnson
• McDonald’s Senior All Star Game – Ava Hudson

Boys Basketball

The boys’ Varsity Basketball team had a record of 18-2. They also made it to the semi-finals in the playoffs for the first time in more than twenty years. The team won 62-48 in the first round of playoffs, with 19 points scored by senior Dylan Gendron. 

“This season was really special for us. In one year this group went from 6–13 to 18–2, earned the #2 seed in the tournament, and won a quarterfinal playoff game for the first time since 1996. I couldn’t be more proud of the growth they showed. They bought into the standard every single day, competed at a high level, and represented Sanford basketball the right way. Most importantly, I believe we helped bring real excitement and a buzz back to the community. This is an experience that will stick with our players forever and something they should be very proud of,” said Coach John Morgan about his reflections on this past season.

Award winners from the Winter Sports Banquet include:

• Most Improved – Carter Giroux
• Spartan Award – Cayden Gendron
• Coach’s Award – Gavin Hebler
• Most Valuable – Dylan Gendron
• Defensive Player of the Year – Bryce Adams
• McDonald’s Senior All-Star Game – Carter Giroux
• McDonald’s Senior All-Star Game – Dylan Gendron
• SMAA First Team – Dylan Gendron
• SMAA Third Team – Luke Gendron
• SMAA Honorable Mention – Ryan Alexander

Indoor Track and Field

The Indoor Track and Field team had a strong season with many highly ranked individual performances. Twelve medals were earned by the team at the SMAA Championship meet, including 3 first-place finishes by Mattea Peters in the 200m, 400m and High Jump, as well as a second-place finish by Avery Wedge in the 55m. At the State meet, four medals were earned by the team.

 “This was a breakthrough indoor season for Sanford  Track & Field. As a team that has grown year after year, the accomplishments were significant, but more importantly, we laid the foundation for continued successes. The culture is growing, and the future is bright,” said Coach Ethan Shain about the season.

Award winners from the Winter Sports Banquet include:

• Most Improved – Dezmond Donegan and Cynthia Carroll
• Coaches Award – Isabella McCall
• Most Valuable Track Events – Mattea Peters and Isaac Pelletier
• Most Valuable Field Events – Lily Peters
• Rising Star – Michael Mastraccio and Grace Eaton
• Rookie of the Year – Avery Wedge
• All State Second Team 400m Dash – Mattea Peters
• SMAA 55m Dash Second Team – Avery Wedge
• SMAA 200m Dash First Team – Mattea Peters
• SMAA 400m Dash First Team – Mattea Peters
• SMAA High Jump Second Team – Mattea Peters

Wrestling

The Sanford Varsity Wrestling team had a very successful season, with four athletes placing in the top three at the Regional championship meet, including a first-place win by senior Ricky Callais. At the State meet, three athletes placed in the top four. 

“We had a young team this season, and finished the regular season off with a record of 11-2. We were the third-seeded team from Southern Maine. We had tough post-season opponents in Dual-States, but wrestled strong,” said Coach Nate Smith about the 2025-26 wrestling season. “Overall, it was a really good season, and we’ll hopefully be even better next year, as a lot of our kids are coming back.”

Award winners from the Winter Sports Banquet include:

• Coach’s Award – Gabe Williams
• Most Valuable – Ryder LaChance
• Most Improved – Owen Treadwell

Cheer

The Sanford Varsity Cheer team had an impressive season, scoring 5th at the SMAA Regional Championship. They placed 11th at the State competition. 

“This winter season was full of laughs, challenges, and growth on and off the mat. This team came together and showed so much resilience through every hardship. I am so proud of the team this season and already looking forward to next winter season,” said coach Catrina Wade. 

Award winners from the Winter Sports Banquet include:

• Most Improved – Aubrey Janousek
• Coaches Award – Ariana Martel
• Most Valuable – Mariah Provencher
• Most Dedicated – Isabella Tounge
• SMAA First Team – Mariah Provencher
• SMAA Honorable Mention – Isabella Tounge
• SMAA Honorable Mention – Ariana Martel

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Recipients of the SMAA All-Academic Award were also honored during the Winter Sports Banquet, which took place on March 9, 2026. This award was given to student athletes who maintained a grade average of 92.5 or greater. Here are the recipients of this award from each team.

Girls Basketball team: Lyla Fiandaca, Ava Hudson, Tracey Igiraneza, Zoey McCann, Miranda Payeur, Mollie Puffer, Paige Sevigny, Annalise Stimmell, Ella Tederous, Riley Cormier, Laila Della Croce, Eliane Hebo and Karly Landry were honored. 

Boys Basketball: team included Bryce Adams, Luke Gendron, Gavin Hebler, Jackson Stimmell, Max Olivo, Colin Sevigny, Kiptyn Whitten, Ryan Butler, Austin Kittredge and Evan Martin. 

Cheer team: Madison Nadeau, Harlow Noble, Jenna Smith and Isabella Tounge. 

Wrestling: Connor Pickering and Gabriel Phillips. 

Indoor Track: Eliza Allen, Grace Cochrane, Ava Corliss, Grace Eaton, Jacob Forest, Elijah Laurendeau, Michael Mastraccio, Isabella McCall, Isabel McGown, Lily Peters, Claire Pordon, Kylie Spaulding, Mason Wedge and Emersyn Whitlock. From the Swim team, Claire Pordon, and from Ice Hockey, Kenzie Provencher.

Registration for Spring sports is now open. Visit https://students.arbitersports.com/programs/hs-spring-athletic-registration-2025-26 to register for your spring sport! Make sure to check the daily announcements for information about sign-up meetings.