Even though his Hampden Academy Broncos are a year older and are coming off a solid 10-win campaign, girls soccer coach Jeff Ingalls is remaining cautiously optimistic.
Ingalls, in his second year directing the Broncos, has a talented cast a sophomores and juniors who will look to carry the team even further in a competitive Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A.
“I don’t think we can take a night off,” Ingalls said. “There are no nights off.”
Hampden, which opened the season with a 8-0 home victory against Skowhegan Saturday, discovered some early confidence in the preseason after winning a scrimmage against 2008 regional finalist Brunswick, expected to be among the top teams this fall.
“We had a nice game against Brunswick, they’re very talented,” Ingalls said.
Ingalls expects the Broncos to be a well-rounded team, and he’s hoping every player can add a valuable contribution to the puzzle.
Some of the older cast members include senior midfielders Tessa Wood and Liz Pedersen, junior forward Michaela Stephenson, junior midfielder Sarah Lamberton and junior back Whitney Moore, who are already setting high examples for their teammates.
“You know what these kids have done, a lot of it is leadership of the [upperclassmen] like Stephenson and Moore and Lamberton, they just set examples, and these kids absolutely love each other,” Ingalls said.
With a lot more depth to play with this fall, Ingalls should be able to keep players rested in key situations.
“We can sub a lot more, you know that old saying, the closer you get to the playoffs the less [people] you use, [but] we’re going to have to use [a lot of] our kids because the league is so good,” he said.
Hampden also expects to be a strong possession team, especially in the midfield and up front.
“Our midfielders are coming along like gangbusters, they’re getting better and better all the time,” said Ingalls.
Along with Lamberton and Wood, Ingalls expects sophomore Clarissa El-Hajj and junior Sam Utecht to make solid contributions at midfield, along with CC Dube, Ashley Havlin, Lexie Larabee, sisters Sam and Sarah Matthews and Katie Cyr.
Junior goalkeeper Julia Snyder had a terrific sophomore campaign, and Ingalls says she’s quick “just like a cat” and “is punting the ball 60 meters.”
She’ll have a solid back line in Danforth, Kylee Fogg, Rachel Henderson, Moore and Monique Kelmanson.
Hampden has a tough schedule this week, starting with today’s 3:30 p.m. match at defending state champion Waterville while the Broncos also travel to Messalonskee in Oakland and Mt. Blue in Farmington.
Five of HA’s next six matches are away from home.
“We’ve got to steal a couple on the road if we can,” Ingalls said.
Mountain Manion-a
Cross country is a sport that can be as mentally demanding as it is physically.
Old Town junior Dacie Manion incorporated such a challenge into her training regime this summer, taking six weeks off from running to do some hiking in Colorado.
“I was taking a break, trying to preserve my joints and knees,” Manion said after opening her season by winning the girls individual race at the Ellsworth Invitational Saturday.
Manion said she and her family hiked “pretty much everywhere.
“We stayed in the Boulder area for quite a while. It’s a great place,” she added.
The whole idea was for Manion to work muscles besides the core running muscles and develop strength in different areas.
“I think it’s good cross training, it’s targeting different muscles and working yourself in a different way,” she said. “I think you can get into a rut if you run too much for too long.”
But the mental toughness it takes to ascend a mountain is paying off on the trails of Eastern Maine.
“[Hiking’s] very mental, a good brain exercise I guess,” Manion said.
Maxim promoted
Dana Maxim, who has coached sub-varsity basketball in Old Town on-and-off for 17 years, has landed his first varsity coaching position.
Maxim will take over the Old Town girls basketball coaching job this winter from the resigned Alan Brownewell.
“I’m just excited to be in this position,” Maxim said.
Maxim was very impressed with the turnout of his summer program, in which 22 players participated.
“There were a lot of young kids this summer, so that makes me feel good,” he said.
Old Town will have a fairly young cast of players in Coyote colors this winter.
Old Town graduated five seniors from a squad that fell to Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln in the Eastern Maine Class B preliminary round last season.
Maxim will have a talented young nucleus, led by 6-foot-2 sophomore center Courtney Treadwell and classmates Ashley England and Ashley Abbott.
Maxim, who teaches seventh grade at Leonard Middle School in Old Town, is also a certified USA Track and Field official, who has been a well-known starter at high school meets around the region this decade.
However, since daughter Hilary has been running cross country and track at the University of Maine and youngest daughter Kelsey playing varsity soccer at Old Town, Maxim has hung up his starter’s gun, at least for the time being.
“It’s been asleep for a while, my involvement [now] is basically going to see Hilary run when I can, within five hours [of home],” he said.
