MHS Fall Sports Preview
All is well with the Messalonskee field hockey team. The Eagles, a perennial Class A powerhouse, dominated Edward Little last week in improving to 3-0 with a 4-0 victory on their home field.
But the question, the big question, remains the same: Do the Eagles have enough offensive firepower, defensive prowess, and mental strength to overcome juggernaut Skowhegan?
“Skowhegan is still going to be the biggest challenge,” Messalonskee coach Katie McLaughlin said. “That is the name of the game.”
Messalonskee fell to Skowhegan in the Class A North finals last season, and the Indians went on to earn their 18th state title under coach Paula Doughty.
McLaughlin, though, said this year’s Eagles squad features a key difference from those in the recent past. “We are a much older team (this season),” she said. “We have nine seniors this year, so we have a lot of experience, and a lot of confidence, and a lot of leadership. And that’s different for us to have such a big group of seniors. We have been such a young powerhouse in the last four years.”
Senior midfielders Autumn Littlefield and Megan Quirion lead Messalonskee.
The Messalonskee girls’ soccer team is another squad that seems poised to earn a playoff berth. A year ago, the Eagles reached the North A quarterfinals and are off to a 2-1 start this season with their only loss against defending Class A champion Camden Hills.
“A lot of the girls play year-round soccer and put a lot of effort into it,” Messalonskee athletic director Chad Foye said, “and that effort is showing through right now.”
The golf team, traditionally a strong program, opened the current campaign by splitting its first four matches. “They are fairly young,” Foye said of the team, “and learning and improving all the time.”
The boys’ soccer team is off to a 1-2 start. Although a young team after losing nine to graduation from last year’s squad, the Eagles are blessed with good depth 1-18, according to coach Tom Sheridan
As for cross-country, the girls’ team appears to be the stronger of the two squads, led by senior Peyton Arbour and sophomore Charlotte Wentworth. Last season Arbour finished 26th in the Class A North championships, while Wentworth took 12th in the KVAC meet. The boys’ team is young and short on depth but has two experienced runners back in junior Connor Pellerin and Elijah Ross.
The football team has struggled so far this season, dropping its first two games, and has only 17 players on the varsity roster. Last season the Eagles reached the PTC quarterfinals.