BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Head Coach: Dan Thomas

Assistant Coach: Ben Darling

The Roster: Seniors Bryce Richardson (guard), Geri Daiu (guard), Camden Johnson (guard), Lorenzo Catana Vallemani (guard/forward), Joao Teixeria Orlando (forward), Matteo Sbuell (guard); juniors, Gunnar Saunders (point guard), Boone Douglass (forward), Baraka Decesere (forward), Jordan Dutton (forward), Emerson Hall (forward), Austin Warren (guard), Sean Davis (guard); sophomores Jagger Helwig (guard), Michael Malia (guard/forward).

Strengths of the Team? I think our biggest strength this year is going to be our depth. We have a lot of guys who played good minutes last year returning for us and some new guys that we feel can really help us on both ends of the floor (senior center Will Hallam has been lost for the season due to a knee injury suffered during the football season). Our guard play is a huge strength for us. We have several guys who are comfortable handling any pressure teams might throw at us. Also, defensively we should be very competitive this year as we have a lot of guys who enjoy grinding out possession after possession on defense.  

Areas needing Work? We need to be more consistent with our shooting. We have guys who can create great looks for our shooters, but we have to be able to knock them down.

What will it take for the team to be competitive? Our team just needs some time to come together and learn how to play with one another. Working at Fryeburg, we have the opportunity to coach some student-athletes from other countries, which is exciting, but it takes some time for them to adjust to the way we play over here and it takes a little time for the new guys to gel with the returners. Once we get our feet on the ground, I think we can be very competitive this season.

What has been your emphasis in preseason? We have been working on getting everyone accustomed to our offensive style of play. It took the guys some time last year to figure it out, but now with most of our guys having a year of running the offense and playing together under their belt, I am hopeful we can get off to a quicker start than we did last season. 

List your three main goals, and what will it take to achieve them? 1. Improve as a team every day; 2. Protect our home floor; 3. Put ourselves in a situation to go on a run at the end of the season. 

We can achieve all these goals if we come to practice every day with a mindset of improving. Our senior leaders are going to set the tone day in and day out that we do not take days off. We come to practices, games, and meetings focused on what we do here at Fryeburg. Our guys need to take care of their bodies and push one another in everything we do. 

Finally, what do you look forward to seeing this season? I really look forward to seeing our guys compete. We have a really great group of guys this season and I am going to do everything I can to set them up for success. We found some success last season toward the end of the year and I am hoping we can pick up where we left off and have another exciting season of Fryeburg basketball. 

Home Games

Dec. 9, 6:30 p.m., Greely

Dec. 16, 6:30 p.m., Freeport

Dec. 20, 6:30 p.m., Leavitt

Jan. 5, 6 p.m., Yarmouth

Jan. 10, 7 p.m., Lake Region

Jan. 17, 6:30 p.m., Poland

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

Jan. 28, 4:30 p.m., Cape Elizabeth

Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m., Gray-NG

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Head Coach: Kristen Stacy

Assistant Coaches: JV Coach Sarah Sartory, Varsity Assistant to be determined.

The Roster: Senior Ally Southwick (guard); juniors Carla Pintor Gali (point guard), Mina Milosevic (forward), Jilyan Byrne (guard/forward), Maya Mahan (guard/forward), Ana Maillett (guard/forward), Sydney Shaw (point guard/guard/forward); sophomores Alysa Grawe (point guard), Celia Hernandez (guard), Gwen McDougall (forward); freshman Eden True (guard).

New Coach: As a first-time varsity head coach, I am entering this program with a thirst for knowledge. I want to build a program here at FA that I am proud of and that my players are proud to be a part of. I come from a background of playing basketball with passion and tenacity. I plan to coach with the same intent. I am also passionate about providing a positive experience for the girls while they are playing for me, and never losing sight of the importance of being a strong female role model to my players.

Strengths of the Team? Our number one strength, without a doubt, is our work ethic. They work hard when nobody’s watching, they do it with ambition, with no questions asked. This group has true chemistry on the court, and we have unique position diversity.  

Areas needing Work? Controlling the tempo on offense.

What will it take for the team to be competitive? This is a great group of kids and they have a strong desire to work together. Their selfless approach and willingness to learn will encourage the team environment we need to be competitive. 

What has been your emphasis in preseason? We will not play selfish basketball and we will push ourselves on and off the court to be better.

List your three main goals, and what will it take to achieve them? 1. Build a team that is confident in themselves. This group is better than they know and the only way to build them up is to make sure they know I believe in them and that hard work really does pay off; 2. Have a solid foundation year. It is my first year as head coach and though I have long-term goals for the girls’ basketball program, I envision this group, with their work ethic and commitment to the success of the team, as trail blazers and role models for a program that will inspire our younger generations to have FA Pride; 3. Defense! Defense! Defense! Aggressive defense, setting the tone early during games and spending lots of practice time fine tuning our pressure.

Finally, what do you look forward to seeing this season? I look forward to seeing the girls feel pride in themselves and their abilities; knowing that they gave it their all and they did it as a team. I feel incredibly lucky to start my coaching career with this particular group of young ladies. Every evening after practice, I reflect on the effort they put in, and I am in awe of them. 

Home Games

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

Dec. 22, 6:30 p.m., Waynflete

Jan. 3, 6:30 p.m., Gray-NG

Jan. 7, 4:30 p.m., Cape Elizabeth

Jan. 10, 5:30 p.m., Lake Region

Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m., Poland

Jan. 26, 6 p.m., York

Jan. 31, 6:30 p.m., Greely

Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m., Freeport

INDOOR TRACK

Head Coach: Trevor Hope

Assistant Coaches: Corinn Hope (Sprints), Tyler O’Keefe (Distance). Both are previous Fryeburg Academy track athletes. 

New Coach: I’m excited to take over the indoor track and field team after having been Coach McDonald’s assistant coach for the past four seasons. I have some big shoes to fill as Coach McDonald has been coaching indoor track and field since the program began. I am hoping to continue developing a well-rounded, competitive program with my assistant coaches and athletes.

I am a U.S. citizen born in Virginia. I grew up mostly overseas in Russia and the Ukraine while attending a boarding high school in Germany, where I graduated in 2011. I ran track and field throughout middle school and high school in Germany against U.S. military-base high schools and other international academies, which gives me a certain understanding to the dorm students at Fryeburg Academy. I competed in track and field as 800m runner for Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va, from 2011-2015 and stayed for another year as a volunteer coach.

I met my wife Corinn also on the track team there. I graduated from Liberty University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in global studies and a minor in aviation. 

The Roster: Seniors Jacob Adams (long jump, 55, 200), Moxu Jiang, Derek Maxim, Lavinia Stallone; juniors Arthur Baptista (high jump, long jump), Emily Chaine, Zackary Emery (60m hurdles, high jump), Emily Hess, Samuel Johnson (shot put), Tristin Nylan (shot put), Emily Shrader Pejic, Barbara Stumpf Artero, Victoria Park, Austin Dorner; sophomores Madeline Beckwith, Haley Littlefield, Phoebe Sartory, Enna Carbone (200m, 400m); freshmen Jacob Eveleth.

Strengths of the Team? There are no complainers on this team. This team has been incredible at taking instruction and completing workouts to the best of their ability. Many of our athletes are new to the sport and have been open minded to trying new things.

Areas needing Work? The team overall has minimal knowledge and experience in the sport. My hope is that they will gain confidence as a team as they learn more about track and field and gain experience through practice and competitions. 

What will it take for the team to be competitive? For our relatively small team to be competitive, we need to spread out our athletes across the many different events that are offered in track and field. Track and field is a team sport played out individually, and our best chance to be competitive is to have each student capable in the event that fits their skills.

What has been your emphasis in preseason? Our preseason emphasis has been general fitness and mental toughness. Soon, we will be working on event placement.

List your three main goals, and what will it take to achieve them? 1. Setting up an environment where the student athletes feel safe and accepted to learn new skills; 2.  To facilitate and progress the goals of the athletes. Track and field is available to any student. We have students simply joining to be a healthier person and we have students who want to be college athletes. I want a program that can progress each student to their goals at whatever skill level they are at; 3. To motivate the athletes to reach their greatest potential both on and off the track. 

To achieve these goals, we as coaches need to coach the individual athlete and not just the sport or event. Each athlete will be motivated differently and we need to know our athletes and find the best way to progress them forward. I think as young athletes it is easy for them to value themselves based on their contribution to a team. To develop a healthy program, I want to make it evident that the students value as a person is more than (and outside of) their contributions as a track athlete, which I think will allow them to try new skills without a fear of failure. 

Finally, what do you look forward to seeing this season? Because we have so many athletes new to track and field, I am looking forward to seeing the events the students choose to pursue and how they develop in them.

I look forward to seeing Jacob Adams long jump for his final year in high school. Last year, he jumped 21-feet 7-inches for third place at New Englands.

As a new head coach I look forward to making our own team traditions and seeing the character and identity of our team come together. 

Meet Schedule

• Held at the University of Southern Maine fieldhouse in Gorham

Jan. 6, 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 13, 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 27, 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 3, 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 10, 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 18, 9 a.m., State Meet, Bates College

WRESTLING

Head Coach: Chad Smith

Assistant Coaches: Travis Perry, Jake Thurston

The Roster: Seniors Haden Fox, Eli Girouard, Gabe McKenney, River Pullan; juniors Brandon Choi, Joseph Fusco, Han Kim; sophomores Pato Fernandez, Henry Lee, Lawrence Park; freshmen Izaiah Chisolm, Ridley Parsons; post-grad Zachary Rich.

Weight Classes: To be determined, other than Haden Fox who will compete at 170 pounds, and Joey Fusco will be at 137 pounds.

Strengths of the Team? Leadership from Fox and Fusco.

Areas needing Work? Most of the team is first-time wrestlers. 

What will it take for the team to be competitive? Reps on the mat.

What has been your emphasis in preseason? Focus on fundamentals.

List your three main goals, and what will it take to achieve them? 1. Keep the current numbers. This will be done through fun high energy practices; 2. Help each athlete reach their personal goals. This will be done through listening to the team and each team member and knowing what their needs are; 3. Build off of the previous season. Continue to look forward in all aspects of Fryeburg Wrestling.       

Finally, what do you look forward to seeing this season? Growth and understanding of the sport by each member of the team.  

Home Meets

Dec. 10, 10 a.m., Windham, Westbrook

Dec. 14, 5:30 p.m., Massabesic, Portland, South Portland

Jan. 11, 5:30 p.m., Kennebunk, Noble

Feb. 11, 9 a.m., Western Maine Regional