Forecaster Country was the epicenter of lacrosse excellence this spring, and that was reflected when the state’s All-American selections were announced.

U.S. Lacrosse describes All-Americans as “Players who exhibit superior skills and techniques and possess exceptional game sense and knowledge. They are among the best players in the United States while also embodying excellent sportsmanship.”

Once again, our coverage area boasted no shortage of that kind of player this spring, as half of the state’s honorees came from Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Scarborough or Yarmouth.

Nine boys (four from Forecaster Country) and three girls (including two local standouts) were selected.

Stupendous seniors

The girls’ All-American team featured Falmouth senior and two-time Class A state champion Eva Clement, Yarmouth senior and 2021 Class B champion Annie Lowenstein, and Kennebunk senior and 2021 Class A champion Lily Schwartzman.

Clement made an immediate impact as a freshman and sophomore, scoring 37 combined goals and helping Falmouth win its first two Class A state championships. After missing her junior season due to the pandemic, Clement made up for it with a vengeance this spring, scoring 45 goals and adding 21 assists, giving her 82 goals and 50 assists for her career. She also won 71 draws, giving her 139 draw controls in her three seasons.

Clement also had the flair for the dramatic this spring, scoring in overtime to beat Scarborough in the regular season finale, then doing it again to beat Windham in the Class A North Final. Clement scored twice more in a one-goal state game loss to Kennebunk.

Also a standout skier in high school, Clement will play lacrosse at Colby College in Waterville next year.

“Eva is the full package,” said Falmouth coach Ashley Pullen. “She takes and wins the majority of our draws. On the defensive side, we know that whenever a ground ball is anywhere near her vicinity, she’s going to come up with it. Eva’s first step is so quick that she typically blocks one or two free position shots a game. On the attacking side, her fast feet allow her to break double teams and weave around defenders to get a shot. She also has the vision and wisdom to execute feeds to her teammates. She is a fierce competitor who is always looking to improve. Her endurance is a huge asset and sets her apart from any other athlete I have coached in 10 years. For a player who is as talented an athlete as she is, it would be easy for her to have an ego, but Eva is super-humble. I also love that for all her intensity on the field, she also has a sense of humor and is really grounded. It has been a privilege to coach her and we’re excited to follow her career at Colby.”

Clement joins Caitlyn Camelio (2019), Kayla Sarazin (2019), Molly Ryan (2013) and Alex Bernier (2012) as Falmouth All-American selections.

Lowenstein played the game with a smile on her face and her joy for the sport, and her transcendent skills brought a smile to those who watched her. Lowenstein could light up the scoreboard with abandon and scored some huge goals during her time in a Clippers uniform.

Lowenstein scored 17 goals as a freshman and 38 as a sophomore, but Yarmouth lost in overtime to Cape Elizabeth in the state final in each of those seasons. She missed out on her junior season due to the pandemic, but more than made up for it this season, playing a huge role in the Clippers’ nearly undefeated run to the Class B pinnacle.

Lowenstein scored 46 times this spring and added 17 assists. Defenses keyed on her, but if she found a sliver of room, she’d score. Even worse for opposing goalies was when Lowenstein earned a free position shot, something nearly impossible to stop, as Greely discovered in the Class B state final, when Lowenstein buried two critical free positions to help Yarmouth pull away for a 13-8 victory. Those two goals gave Lowenstein 101 for her career, and she became just the fourth player in program history to reach that plateau, joining Danielle Torres, Grace O’Donnell and Eva Then.

Like Clement, Lowenstein will stay local and play in the NESCAC next year when she takes her talents to Bates College in Lewiston.

“This year’s team was special and to do what they did during a pandemic was incredible,” said Yarmouth coach Dorothy Holt. “We were lead by Annie’s determination to end her high school career with a state championship. She gives 110% every day and brings her teammates along with her. Her leadership and desire is infectious. We say you’re only as good as your senior leadership and with Annie as one of them, we knew we were in the best of hands. You don’t have the opportunity to coach many players like Annie. I was lucky.”

Yarmouth’s first All-American was Jenny Wing in 2000. Emily Erickson (2002), Sara Hagstrom (2004), Chrissie Attura (2005, honorable mention), Emily Johnson (2005 and 2006), Molly Dilworth (2006), Laurie Baker (2007), Jess Martineau (2007), Abby Saucier (2007, honorable mention), Anna Van Slyke (2007, honorable mention), Nicole Grover (2008, honorable mention) Lanier Bolmer (2009), Danielle Torres (2010, as well as 2009 and 2011 as an honorable mention), Becca Bell (2011), Grace O’Donnell (2014, honorable mention) and Eva Then (2018) were also honored.

Schwartzman was an unstoppable force this spring, the state’s best player on the state’s best team. While she scored a ton of goals, that only began to describe her impact as a standout and a leader.

Schwartzman, the youngest of three terrific lacrosse playing sisters (Kyra and Hallie came before her), made an immediate impact on the Rams varsity as a freshman (tallying 22 goals) and as a sophomore, she helped them reach the Class A Final, only to lose to Falmouth (scoring 62 goals for the year). After missing her junior season due to the pandemic, Schwartzman was bound and determined to bow out as a champion this season.

Schwartzman would score 77 goals, giving her a whopping 161 for her career (in just three seasons, mind you), came up with 37 ground balls and was a force in the draw circle, winning 65% of her opportunities and in the rare games Kennebunk was tested, Schwartzman was at her finest.

Schwartzman scored four goals, collected eight ground balls and won 18 of 20 draws to help the Rams rally and hold off eventual Class B champion Yarmouth, 10-8, in their closest regular season test. In a late regular season contest at Falmouth, in what proved to be a state game preview, Schwartzman sparked a second half surge, scored five goals and won 15 of 26 draws in a closer-than-the-final-score-indicated 17-11 win. When Falmouth and Kennebunk met again in the state final, Falmouth focused on shutting down Schwartzman, and held her to one goal and one assist, but Schwartzman still won 11 of 18 draws and collected five critical ground balls, while also keeping her teammates poised and confident in a down-to-the-wire 9-8 victory.

Schwartzman will play at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York next year.

“Lily has the complete package,” said longtime Kennebunk coach Annie Barker. “She’s just a lacrosse player and understands the whole game. It’s been fun to watch Lily grow from middle school to now and watch her grow into the best player in the state.”

The Rams list of All-Americans dates to 2002 when Kaitlyn Barker was honored. Barker also won in 2003, while Brooke Kravetz was named All-American in 2007, Jameson Spang in 2009, Jenny Bush in 2015 and 2016 and Hallie Schwartzman in 2018.

The girls’ Academic All-American team included Cheverus’ Neve Cawley, Greely’s Elsa Dean-Muncie, Yarmouth’s Lowenstein and Lizzie Guertler, Kennebunk’s Schwartzman and Talia Banglmaier, Massabesic’s Delia Harms and Morse’s Wren Tetreault.

Unstoppable

The boys’ All-American team featured senior attack Archie McEvoy and junior middie Tiernan Lathtrop of unbeaten Class A state champion Cape Elizabeth, senior attack Wyatt Kerr of Class A North champion Falmouth and senior defenseman Alex Callahan of resurgent Scarborough, along with five others.

McEvoy stepped right on to the Capers varsity team as a freshman and held his own. He quickly emerged as a top player in the state, but he and his teammates couldn’t break through and win a championship until this season.

This spring, even though he was the focal point of the defense every time out, McEvoy still managed to score 56 goals. He added 35 assists, 39 ground balls and caused 18 turnovers as Cape Elizabeth went undefeated and captured a Class A state title for the first time.

McEvoy will play next year at Union College in Schenectady, New York.

“Archie led one of the most statistically dominant lacrosse teams Maine high school lacrosse has seen,” said longtime Capers coach Ben Raymond. “As important as his goals and assists were, it was his ability to ride that may be the most impressive. We rode the ball back about 50% of the time, meaning teams only successfully cleared the ball half of the time. More than any stat, Archie’s leadership on and off the field set him apart from others. Archie was our only captain this season and he was a great role model in practice each, and every day and before or after practice he could be found playing wall ball and working on his individual skills.  Archie has showed his teammates what it takes to be an All-American and one of the top players in the state. He worked hard at improving his skills as a dodger, shooter, passer, rider and as a teammate and leader. It has surely paid off and I am sure Archie’s mark will stay with this team well into the future.”

Lathrop, meanwhile, was only a junior this year, but was, simply put, an unstoppable force on the field and gave the opposition fits, even when they thought they had him covered. Lathrop played for the Cape Elizabeth varsity team as a freshman, missed his sophomore year due to COVID, then played an integral role in the Capers’ title run this spring.

Lathrop scored 53 goals and added 17 assists. He also scooped up 30 ground balls and caused 15 turnovers.

“Tiernan may be the most physically dominant player in the state,” Raymond said. “Tiernan is a midfielder that plays both sides of the ball and is lethal in transition. He is a powerful dodger and is an excellent shooter off the dodge, but he also can find the open man when teams slide to him with multiple players. Tiernan continues to improve and grow as a player and will be a difficult matchup for teams next season. Tiernan is willing to work on his strengths as well as his weaknesses. When Tiernan shows up with a bucket of balls, he is working on his strong and weak hand, dodging at full speed from the areas on the field where he will be dodging in games, perfecting the skills he will need to be successful on game day. Tiernan does not go through the motions. He works hard and it shows.”

The Capers’ first All-American was Chris Carlisle way back in 1989. Since then, Ethan Sanford (1990), Troy Graham (1991), Jason McGeachey (1993), Sean Brady and Mike Mullen (1994), Ned Struzziero and Matt Williams (1995), Struzziero and Brendan Bigos (1996), Zach Herbert (1997 and 1998), Rorke Greene (1999), Andrew Braziel and Nick Krunkkala (2000), Mike DiFusco and Constantine Scontras (2001), DiFusco, Matt Ranaghan and Dean Scontras (2002), Ranaghan and Alex Weaver (2003), Matt O’Hearn (2004), Bryan Holden and Dan Rautenberg (2005), Zach Belden and Mike Holden (2008), Holden (2009), Ben Brewster and Tommy Foden (2010), Jack Roos (2011), Timmy Lavallee (2012), Alex Bornick and Adam Haversat (2013), Tom Feenstra and Griffin Thoreck (2014), Thoreck (2015), Alex Narvaez, R.J. Sarka, Owen Thoreck (2016), Ben Ekedahl, Connor Thoreck and Owen Thoreck (2017), Finn Raymond (2018) and Max Patterson (2019) have all been honored.

Kerr was a sniper who could find the goal in close or from long range and he was at his best in clutch situations. Kerr burst on to the scene as a sophomore, as Falmouth nearly upset Thornton Academy in the Class A state final before losing in overtime. After not being able to play as a junior due to the pandemic, Kerr made sure Falmouth would get back to the state game this spring.

Kerr scored 43 goals and added 16 assists. He scored on 51% of his shots and also collected 21 ground balls and forced seven turnovers. He scored four goals in a win over Thornton Academy, had the winner in overtime to give Falmouth a 10-9 victory over Scarborough and scored the tying goal in a second win over Thornton Academy.

Kerr will attend reigning Division III champion Rochester Institute of Technology next year, where he may try to walk-on to the lacrosse team.

“What sets Wyatt apart from perhaps anyone else I’ve ever coached is how polished his stick-work is,” said Falmouth coach Dave Barton. “Rarely, if ever, will he drop a ball or throw it away. He finished more ‘garbage goals’ on rebounds than anyone I’ve ever coached. That elite stick work doesn’t just happen overnight. He has been so dedicated to his craft. It became laughable how many times I’d drive by campus at seemingly any hour of the day and see Wyatt out there with a bucket of balls putting in the extra work. It’s always a little more special when the guys that work the hardest are rewarded for the work that no one ever sees them put in. Wyatt deserves every accolade he receives this year, and we’re so proud of him.”

Prior Falmouth All-Americans include Kyle Jordan  in 2007, Dan Hanley and Michael Kane in 2010, Mike Ryan, Mitch Tapley and Nick Bachman in 2011, Ryan, Tapley and Willy Sipperly in 2012, I.V Stucker and Charlie Fay in 2013, Stucker in 2014, Bryce Kuhn in 2015, Jack Scribner in 2016 and 2017, Brendan Hickey in 2017 and 2018 and Riley Reed in 2018 and 2019.

Callahan wanted his senior season to be something special and his defensive prowess and unrivaled leadership skills ensured that would happen. Callahan wanted to defend the opponent’s top scorer and more often than not, he completely neutralized him. Scarborough wound up winning 10 games (after prevailing just four times in 2019) and getting to the Class A South semifinals before being eliminated by Berwick Academy.

Callahan will play lacrosse next year at the Division II level, at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

“(Alex is) an emotional leader,” said Scarborough coach Zach Barrett. “He brings that fire for the guys. Its hard to not get pumped up when you’re around Alex and it’s hard to get away with anything around Alex. He holds his teammates accountable and makes sure they work as hard as he does. Not many guys play that hard for that long.”

Prior Scarborough All-Americans include David Hamilton (2005), Danny Clark (2009), John Wheeler (2012 and 2013), Brendon Smith (2014) and Sam Neugebauer (2017).

A player from just oustide Forecaster Country and well known to local schools, Thornton Academy junior defenseman Alex St. John, was also named All-American. St. John collected 95 ground balls, caused 24 turnovers and could get it done on offense as well, scoring 10 goals and dishing out five assists. St. John also plays football and hockey for the Golden Trojans.

“Alex is a multi-sport athlete who has tremendous stick skills for a defender,” said Thornton Academy coach Ryan Hersey. “He really hit the gym hard over the pandemic and was able to come back this year and combine speed and strength with his stick skills. We used him on man-up and on faceoffs. Our faceoff percentage was over 25% higher when he was on the wing.”

Dan St. Ours (2001), C.J. Labreck (2018 and 2019), Noah Edborg (2018) and Ean Patry (2019) were Thornton Academy’s previous All-Americans.

Other All-Americans included Windham’s Holden Anderson, Berwick Academy’s Padraic Condon, Kennebunk’s Jacob Sullivan, Oak Hill’s Tiger Hopkins and Messalonskee’s Brennan Wade.

Scarborough’s Aidan Joyce qualified for the All-American, All-Academic team, along with Charles Griebel of Camden Hills (who also won the Bob Scott Award), Luke Buck of Messalonskee, Riley Worth of Oak Hill, Colby Bilodeau and Ronan Flynn of Thornton Academy, Jonah Potter of Wells, Holden Anderson of Windham and Calvin Healey of York.

Messalonskee’s Tom Sheridan was named Coach of the Year.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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