Holiday break arrives for local teams
By Michael Hoffer

From the Forecaster, December 24th, 2010

Just as quickly as we began, the 2009-10 winter sports season is set to take a brief holiday hiatus. While the sample size is small, early results have impressed and plenty more drama and triumph appear in store for 2010. Here’s a glimpse at where things stand with the arrival of Santa Claus.

Swimming
In the pool, Scarborough beat Cape Elizabeth in a Class A showdown last Friday night. The boys enjoyed a 115-69 win, while the girls held off the defending Class A champion Capers, 102-83. The latter competition saw the Red Storm lead by just five points entering the final two events. The boys opened the meet with a new team record in the 200 medley relay, as Kip Gravel, Robby Gravel, Arthur Hamill and Mark Endrizzi had a time of 1 minute, 44.18 seconds.

“Our depth is our strength for the boys,” said first-year coach Sean Flaherty. “We got key contributions from Jack Clark in the 200 and 500 free, Martin Schelasin in the 50 and 100 free and Adam Saltz in the 100 fly and 100 back, to name a few, but to be honest, the entire team, from top to bottom, turned in some impressive swims.

“The girls knew what was at stake and how close the meet was at the end. Sam Couillard, Alison Reynolds and Anna Wagner really took the team on their backs and swam great in the 100 breaststroke. Then, each of them had to jump right back on the block and finish it off in the 400 freestyle relay.

“The entire team effort, combined with great team spirit, is what pushed us over the top. I couldn’t be more pleased with how the season has started.”

Scarborough hosted Cheverus Wednesday. Cape Elizabeth swam at Deering Wednesday.

South Portland hosted Deering last Friday and dropped two close decisions, as the boys fell 103-83 and the girls lost, 104-75.