For Messalonskee sports, the postseason starts today!
For Messalonskee sports, the postseason starts on Monday when the boys’ and girls’ track teams compete in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Championships at Cony High School in Augusta.
The rest of qualifying Messalonskee sports teams will enter the playoffs soon as well as the regular season comes to a close next week.
Thanks largely to the efforts and remarkable endurance of Pierce Coughlin, the Messalonskee boys’ track team goes into the KVAC meet riding the momentum generated by its victory in the recent Community Cup competition.
Coughlin swept the long-distance runs at the meet, which involved six local high schools, capturing first in the 800, 1600, and 3200.
Messalonskee athletic director Chad Foye said Coughlin’s performance is just the latest achievement in an athletic career filled with them.
“He had a great cross country season,” Foye said. “He did a great job in swimming and track in the winter time. He has put a lot into his running his whole life.”
The girls’ Messalonskee track team also posted a strong showing in the Community Cup, taking third at the meet.
Another team gaining momentum as the playoffs approach is the Messalonskee boys’ lacrosse team. Coach Tom Sheridan’s squad rode a four-game winning streak going into Wednesday’s game with Bangor.
Foye said the lacrosse team, ranked fifth in Class B before the Bangor game, faced a series of strong opponents from higher divisions early in the season. Although they lost those matches, the Eagles learned important lessons that helped foster greater team unity and resolve, Foye said.
“I think that brought them closer together,” he said, “because they really had to compete hard to stay with [those teams] … It was good to see that growth.”
The baseball team, meanwhile, reversed a downward slide this week, ending a five-game losing streak with a 13-9 victory over Edward Little Wednesday.
“Early on they were on fire,” Foye said in discussing the baseball team, “but they hit a slump where they just weren’t getting any timely hitting.
But the Eagles, currently ranked sixth in Class A North, have the capability of making a strong playoff run, according to Foye. At the same time, he said the challenge this season is especially stiff.
“It’s a very competitive league this year,” he said.
Another good story is the resurgence of the Messalonskee boys’ tennis team, essentially a program that had to rebuild from scratch a few years ago.
“Boys’ tennis has the best record in Messalonskee boys’ tennis history,” Foye said.
The team has earned a playoff berth and is scheduled to host Mt. Ararat on Monday in a Class A North quarterfinal match.