BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Coach: Daniel Thomas

Top Returnees: Seniors Jagger Helwig (guard), Michael Malia (forward), Bojan Bundovski (guard), Hugo Cantalejo Delgado (forward), Matthew Kim (guard) andAJ Ayala Navarro (guard); Junior Vova Leontiev (guard).

Top Newcomers: Juniors Cody Boyd (guard), Andre DiMolfetta (guard) and Aleksandar Todorovic (guard); Freshman Nolan Harper (forward).

Q. What do you like best about your team?

Coach Thomas: I like the dedication the guys have shown leading into the season. We had a much higher participation rate at preseason workouts and open gyms than in previous years. Guys have put the work in leading into this season. The buy-in has also been great early on. Guys are willing to accept their roles and do whatever it takes to help the team. 

Q. What have you seen as the biggest difference from last year and this year?

Coach Thomas: We lost a lot of big-time minutes from guys who graduated. We graduated nine seniors last year so there are a lot of roles to fill and minutes to be earned going into the season. We lost some big-time scorers so some guys will have to step into scoring roles this season. 

Q. What seems to be the biggest question marks?

Coach Thomas: Our biggest question mark would be who is going to step up for us in the rotation. After the first four or five guys in the starting lineup, we have a ton of guys competing for valuable minutes. It will take a lot of hard work in practice for those minutes to be earned. Also, with the graduation of Gunnar Saunders, for the first time in three years, we have a new starting point guard heading into the season so that will be a huge change for this program. 

Q. What has been the main focus in preseason?

Coach Thomas: Our main focus early on has been conditioning and coming together as a team. A lot of the things we are planning to do on the floor this season require us to be in great shape so we’ve been pushing ourselves every day. The other main focus every year is bringing a group of guys together where half are from Maine and another half are from other countries. Getting them all to come together is highly important to our success. 

Q. What will need to happen for the team to be successful?

Coach Thomas: Guys will have to continue to put the team before their own interests in order for us to reach our goals this season. We will have to scrap, fight and claw each game to come out on top, and it’s going to take a great effort from a lot of guys. I believe our effort to rebound the basketball is going to decide whether we win or lose games this season. 

Q. Complete the following, “I would consider this season a success if …”

Coach Thomas: … we are able to protect our home court, steal a few games on the road and make it to the Expo once again.” We would love to be playing our best basketball come February as we know it's a long season, but we need to put ourselves in a situation where playing your best basketball in February means something. I think we have the talent and the dedication to make some noise this season. 

Opening Night: The Raiders open their season this Friday, Dec. 6 at Brunswick at 6:30 p.m.

Home Games:

Dec. 10, York, 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 13, Massabesic, 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 19, Lake Region, 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 21, Noble, 4:30 p.m.

Jan. 2, Greely, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 4, Biddeford, 4:30 p.m.

Jan. 11, Lisbon, 4:30 p.m.

Jan. 14, Brunswick, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 30, Mt. Ararat, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 1, Wells, 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 6, Gray-NG, 6:30 p.m.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Coach: Kristen Stacy

Top Returnees: Senior Phoebe Sartory, forward; Junior Eden True, guard.

Top Newcomers: Sophomore Ines Palomino, point guard/guard; Freshmen Presli Knapp, point guard/shooting guard and Addison Valente, guard.

Q. What do you like best about your team?

Coach Stacy: Their work ethic, commitment, and love for the game.

Q. What have you seen as the biggest difference from last year and this year?

Coach Stacy: The dedication to learning and to being good teammates.

Q. What seems to be the biggest question marks?

Coach Stacy: How we will handle pressure.

Q. What has been the main focus in preseason?

Coach Stacy: Learning, we are very young.

Q. What will need to happen for the team to be successful?

Coach Stacy: Willingness to learn and put their teammates first.

Q. Complete the following, “I would consider this season a success if…”

Coach Stacy: … The team feels as confident in their abilities as I do.”

Opening Night: The Raiders open their season at home Friday at 6:30 p.m. against Brunswick.

Home Games:

Dec. 17, Mt. Ararat, 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 21, Noble, 1:30 p.m.

Dec. 27, Westbrook, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 7, Freeport, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 20, Cape Elizabeth, 3 p.m.

Jan. 24, Yarmouth, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 4, Lake Region, 6:30 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK & FIELD

Coach: Trevor Hope

Captains: Hazel Lewis (senior), Enna Carbone (senior), Haruki Takagi (senior) and Jacob Eveleth (junior). 

Top Returnees: Seniors Lillian Hicks (sprints and throws), Enna Carbone (sprints), Hazel Lewis (sprints), Haruki Takagi (sprints), Malik Sow (sprints and throws), Freddie Francis (sprints) and Daniel Ruiz (sprints); Juniors Sally Baptista (mid and throws), Savannah Covert (sprints), Kate Owens (sprints), Lily Bryan (sprints and hurdles), Megan Clement (sprints and throws), Burke Callen (sprints and throws), and Jacob Eveleth (sprints); Sophomores Sofie Bondarev (sprints and jumps), Molly Schor (sprints and jumps), Beatrice Lougee (distance), Matthew Bariteau (sprints), Matthew Mitchell (jumps),

Top Newcomers: Sophomore Avery Bariteau (sprints — she ran outdoor track and won both the 100 and 200 meters at States, but this will be her first season of competition indoors; Freshman Ollie Chaine (sprints); and Senior James Lougee (distance).

Q. What do you like best about your team?

Coach Hope: This team has been very receptive to coaching and doing the workouts. We have a good mix of returning athletes and new ones, as well as a slightly larger team than previous years. It’s been a pleasure to get to know them and see them start to figure the sport out in these first weeks of practice.

Q. What have you seen as the biggest difference from last year and this year?

Coach Hope: We are missing some amazing athletes that have graduated and the character has changed a little bit from what it had been. However, seeing the new group step up and take control and shape the season has been encouraging.

Q. What seems to be the biggest question marks?

Coach Hope: I know this is a very talented team, but I’m not sure to what extent. The boys’ team is smaller, but with a lot of talent still returning from last year along with a couple new athletes. The girls’ team is much larger with increasing talent each year.

Q. What has been the main focus in preseason?

Coach Hope: Preseason has focused on physical conditioning and starting the season in a way that will get us the goals we have made by the end of the season. The team has been getting to know each other and hopefully that unity will continue to grow. Having a team that pushes each other forward and desires to see each other succeed is important to reaching goals.

Q. What will need to happen for the team to be successful?

Coach Hope: A successful team to me is one that learns how to give their best and honest effort into training and competition. I think track and field is a lot about learning what you are capable of and how to mentally push yourself to the next level. If our young athletes can do that, they will be successful and will continue to be so both in track and field and whatever else they do in the future. To be competitively successful this season the team will have to diversify more. We have a lot of sprinters and thankfully a growing distance runner group but we need more throwers and hurdlers and jumpers. There are a lot of points that we are going to miss out on if those positions are not filled. I believe both girls and boys teams have a chance of being more competitive at the State Championship, but the athletes will need to set their goals to that and pursue it.

Q. Complete the following, “I would consider this season a success if...”

Coach Hope: … “Everyone on the team has improved from the position they have started at.”

Opening Night: The Raiders open their season on Friday, Dec. 20 at 3:30 p.m. at the University of Southern Maine field house in Gorham.

WRESTLING

Head Coaches: Jake Thurston, Gio DiFazio

Roster: Seniors Preston Field, Huseyin Kara, Geza Labancz, Adrian Luck, Alexander Luck, Lincoln Perez, Callum Preston; Juniors Alimzhan Aitimov, Izaiah Chisolm, Jaddon Evans, Ren Meldrum; Sophomores Anthony Bond, Giovanni Iannuzzi, Gabriel Smith, Clinton Trussell; Freshmen Brannock Gagnon, Watson Leach, Finnigan Macdonald, Reginald Thompson, Colson Thurlow, Anastasia Zeigler.

Outlook: Coach DiFazio — “We are very much optimistic about this year. We have few moderately experienced wrestlers that have worked hard in the offseason to improve. They are a tough group that works hard to get better every day. We have a few wrestlers new to FA that bring along experience. 

“Our numbers have doubled since last year and we should be looking to fill every weight class. This year, we are able to start learning more advanced techniques earlier, as opposed to previous years. This will allow us to become a more dynamic team both on our feet and on the mat. 

“Our newcomers will be relied on as a core group to win matches. If some of our second and third-year wrestlers can become more consistent, we will see more success as a team.”

Schedule: The Raiders hosted Kennebunk and York yesterday, Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m. The next home match is Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. against Noble, Scarborough and Gorham. The Raiders will host the Class B South Regionals on Feb. 8 beginning at 9 a.m.