Fall Previews: Bonny Eagle

Boys Cross Country
Coach: TJ Hesler
Last year’s results: Fifth at Regionals, 10th at States
Key athletes returning: Aiden Willey (sr., captain); Justin Tomison (sr., captain); Anthony Breton (sr., captain); Anthony Mason (jr.); Parker Williams (jr.); Baxter Weyand (jr.); Josh Chadbourne (jr.), Cam Ginter (so.); Andrew Sirois (so.); Frances Daniels (so.)
Key matchups: Fleet Feet Meet, Manchester Invitational, Festival of Champions, Regionals, States
Outlook: The Gentlemen Scots mean, this autumn, to place themselves among the best outfits in Maine. “After a season that saw them compete with zero seniors,” Hesler says, referring to 2018, “the team hopes to move up the ranks this year.” Willey finished seventh at last fall’s States, and was runner-up in the Mile at outdoor track States this spring; he’s qualified numerous times for New Englands in XC and indoor and outdoor track. He’s a bit late returning, this time around, as he’s been recuperating from an injury, but that’s not likely to slow him down. Tomison turned in an outstanding spring effort and trained hard all summer; Hesler expects him to be among the most improved runners in the field this year. Breton is reliable, and brings leadership to a crew laden with younger athletes. Among those, Mason, Williams, Weyand and Chadbourne have had some success in recent years, and aim to up the ante in 2019. Ginter, Sirois and Daniels, though, will also battle (friendly-like) for spots in the Scots’ top seven.

Girls Cross Country
Coach: Mike Burleson
Last year’s results: Undefeated, Class A State Champions
Key athletes lost: Ami Beaumier, Kayla Raymond, Christine Toy
Key athletes returning: Emma Abbott (sr., captain); Emma Noonan (sr., captain); Ella Dune (jr.); Delaney Hesler (so., captain); Hannah Stevens (so.); Emmaline Pendleton (so.);
Key matchups: Fleet Feet Meet, Manchester Invitational, Festival of Champions
Outlook: “The 2019 Lady Scots are looking to battle for another state title,” Burleson says. “The Scots won the State Championship a year ago, and have won three out of the past four.” The graduations of Beaumier, Raymond and Toy struck a grievous blow to BE’s roster, but Hesler, Stevens and Pendleton are eager and talented youngbloods. Hesler made a big name for herself last year, as a mere freshman, when she took fourth at XC States and second in the Mile at indoor States. Moreover, she traveled to New Englands in all three seasons. Stevens qualified for NEs in both indoor and outdoor in her ninth-grade outing, and Pendleton set new personal bests at each major opportunity. Abbott has been a top-seven member of the team for the past three years, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Field Hockey
Coach: Amethyst Poirier
Last year’s results: 6-8, fell 1-0 to Gorham in tournament prelims
Key players returning: Kailee Cummings (sr., D); Riley Heacock (jr., F); Emma Burnham (so., M)
Outlook: Poirier is new to the helm this year, following the unexpected departure of Vonde Saunders, who unfortunately only occupied the role of coach for a single season. That’s three coaches in three years for the Scots. Such transitions threaten to disrupt any program’s forward progress – but they can also accelerate it as well. For her part, Poirier seems optimistic, nodding first to her girls’ strengths: “This team has a lot of consistent talent, from the backfield to the forward line,” she says. “Our offense is fast and we have a lot of offense-minded midfield players, so I anticipate a very aggressive and high-scoring forward line.” Poirier does acknowledges some hurdles, though, as any coach should: “Our challenges will be in capitalizing on scoring opportunities and working to transition our efforts defensively,” she says. “We have a strong back line that will be able to stop breakaways, and we have solid goalies that consistently perform well. Our focus this year is to be the hardest-working team on the field and to be a respectable threat to top competition.”

Football
Coach: Kevin Cooper
Last year’s results: 6-4, fell 61-23 to Scarborough in A South semifinals
Key players lost: Will Whyte, Aidan McGlone, Tyler Williams
Key players returning: Will Horton (OG/N), Zach Maturo (QB/WR/DB), Keegan Meredith (QB), Nate Ferris (RB/OLB), Alex Dyer (WR/DB), Shaun Brilliant (WR/DB), John Dugan (OT/DT), Jake Harriman (OT/DT), Garrett Gonyea (C/DT), Chase Graves (WR), Cam Gardner (OLB/RB), Dawson Bradway (LB/FB)
Key newcomers: John Merrill (WR/DB), Jake Humphrey (WR/DB), Jesse Charette (OL), Nick Klein (LB), Garison Emerson (DB), Bode Daycoombs (DB/WR)
Key matchups: Scarborough, Thornton
Outlook: “We have almost all of our skill group returning and some size and power up front,” Cooper says. “We’re expecting to play fast and be exciting on offense. We need to improve on our defense from last year, but if we can, we believe we can compete for a state championship.”

Golf
Coach: Brett Levin
Last year’s results: 6-4
Key athletes lost: Ian Jarvis, Bobby Faucher
Key athletes returning: Colby Sanborn, Corey LaBrecque, Tyler Inman, Remy Levin, Logan Caron
Key newcomers: Zach Glidden
Key matchups: Gorham, Greely, TA and Windham
Outlook: “The division graduated a lot of the top players last year,” Levin says, “so it is fairly wide open. We’re hopeful that we can match last season’s winning record as well as qualify for the Team Championship again.” 2018 was Bonny Eagle’s first better-than-.500 season in many a year, and it’d been nearly three decades since the team reached the State Championship. “We are hoping to build on those highlights,” Levin says.

Boys Soccer
Coach: Hayes Sweeney
Last year’s results: 2-8-4
Key players lost: David Byrne, Zack Allocca, Elias Eberhart
Key players returning: Cam MacDonald (jr., F); Chris Westgate (jr., F); Ethan Pike (jr., D)
Key newcomers: Devon Maynard (jr., D); Jeff Painchaud (so., M)
Key matchups: South Portland, Cheverus
Outlook: Bonny Eagle is young this year, Sweeney (new to the team) reports, with just four seniors dotting the roster. “Under a new coaching staff, preseason has been focused on our formation and speed of play,” he says. “The team has been focused and hardworking, and we are looking forward to a successful season culminating in a playoff bid.” To that end, Sweeney highlights his key returners’ skills: MacDonald (in his third varsity year) brings speed and a good finishing touch to the field; as Sweeney says, “Cam can play both sides of the field. And as one of our older players, his strong work ethic will help set the tone.” Westgate, meanwhile, “is a big-bodied forward who applies constant pressure and hunts the ball well.” Westgate spent a deal of time injured in 2018, but he’s in top form now, and will surely present a persistent threat. Pike, another returning varsity stalwart, offers height in the back – key to grabbing air balls.

Girls Soccer
Coach: Scott Nason
Last year’s results: 9-3-2, fell 3-0 to Windham in postseason quarterfinals
Key players lost: Keelin Sweeney, Cassidy Koons, Sydney Gillingham
Key players returning: Randi Lee Robinson (sr., D); Emily Byrne (sr., M); Muddy Johnson (sr., M); Emily Ginter (sr., F); Maddy Boothby (sr., F); Hailey Koons (jr., M); ¬Gretchen Biegel (jr., B)
Key newcomers: Jocelyn Manson (jr., G)
Key matchups: Cheverus, Falmouth, Gorham, Windham
Outlook: The Lady Scots could leap forward again this fall after a hugely successful 2018, one that saw them finish the regular season top-four in A South. Last year’s squad exited the bracketing earlier than they would’ve liked (every team does, perhaps—except for the last team standing), so this year’s lineup no doubt hopes to push further into the tournament. Their chances look good. “This team has more depth than we did last year,” Nason says, “and a very versatile roster. Last year, we struggled, at times, scoring goals. But with the return of Emily Byrne after a year away, the continued development of Hailey Koons and the contributions of Emily Boothby, we should be a little more problematic to defend.” Nason expresses optimism as well about his backs’ chances. “This team has the ability to be outstanding defensively,” he says. “Randi Lee Robinson is one of the most dependable and solid defenders in the League, and with Biegel excelling after moving to the center-back position, this unit should be very difficult to score against.” The usual suspects should contend this autumn for the top spots in A South, and Nason nods at those top-tier opponents as his girls’ chief opposition. Expect BE to duke it out for a high seed.

Volleyball
Coach: Kelley Champagne
Last year’s record: 6-8,
Key players lost: Hannah Corbett, Lucy Weyand, Makala Greene
Key players returning: Morgan Drinkwater (sr., MH, captain); Liz Frankland (sr., L, captain)
Key newcomers: Kate LeBlanc (jr., S); Libby Dyer (so., OH)
Key matchups: Windham, Gorham
Outlook: “Last year was a talented team with less-¬than-expected results,” Champagne says. “This year’s team has more experience, and once this tight-knit group develops that sixth sense needed on a volleyball court – which incorporates understanding your teammates’ abilities and innate communication – they should manage a winning record and have lots of intense fun playing a sport they truly enjoy.” Champagne highlights her key contributors’ skillsets: Drinkwater’s serving, Frankland’s strength and experience at Libero, Leblanc’s energy and communication (and thus her leadership). Champagne underscores as well the high hopes she has for Dyer, who could have a breakout season, hitting from the outside.