Mountain Valley is looking to defend its regional championship.
By Randy Whitehouse
Staff Writer

When you get right down to it, really, what’s in a seed?

No, we’re not talking about embryos or endosperm that we were taught in elementary earth science. We’re talking about where teams are ranked heading into this weekend’s Western Class B quarterfinals.

For No. 6 Fryeburg, it means their first trip to Augusta in 15 years and their third crack at No. 3 Gorham this season.

Mountain Valley has been a far more frequent visitor to Augusta, but the Falcons have made a habit in recent years in drawing the fourth or fifth seed in the tournament. In fact, they were were a No. 4 last year, when they won their first Western Maine championship since 1994.

This year, an undefeated season in the Mountain Valley Conference helped the Falcons garner the No. 2 seed, a spot they haven’t held since coach Ryan Casey’s first year on the job in 1997.

As happy as Casey is to see his team out of the difficult “4-5” bracket, he knows tournament success will ultimately come down to execution and momentum.

“I think we kind of proved last year that it’s really the team that comes together the best at the end of the season that is going to have the best tournament,” he said. “We’re not worried about the pressure (of being a No. 2 seed and defending regional champs). We know we’ve got to get hot, play well and hit some shots to win. It doesn’t matter who wins, they’ll have to do the same thing.”

Favorites: Falmouth, Mountain Valley and Gorham: The similarities among the top three seeds are numerous. Mountain Valley went 18-0 this year, then lost the league championship game to Hall-Dale, the top seed in Western C. Falmouth had its hopes of an undefeated season extinguished by Gorham in their regular season finale.

All three teams have good coaching, good size and a fair share of tournament experience. The Falcons have the most depth, though it’s not as big an advantage as last year. The Rams boast four starters from last year’s semifinalist who may have something to prove after being knocked out by Mountain Valley.

Speaking of having something to prove, the Yachtsmen underachieved last year, losing in the semis as a No. 2 seed. They may have found the missing piece with senior point guard Danny Forcella, who has been playing on the Civic Center floor since he was a freshman at Cape Elizabeth.

Darkhorse: Lake Region. The Lakers are the hottest team heading into the tournament, having won 11 in a row. They split their two meetings with Gorham, winning the most recent on Feb. 4, and took Falmouth to double-overtime back in December before faltering, 83-77. The starting five, led by Jon Marstaller, Jon Gilson and Andrew Beal, is as talented as any other in the bracket. They’ve also gone the longest of the top four seeds since their last state championship game (1985), so they may be due.

Players to watch: Cape Elizabeth – G Matty Reid, F Joe Geoghegan; York – G Brandon Arsenault, C Scott Ladd; Fryeburg – F Johannes Gotzler, C Martin Steinbuck; Wells – F Brandon Hodsdon, F Christian Guild; Lake Region – F/C Jon Marstaller, G Andrew Beal; Gorham – C Kurt Randall, F Ben Thayer; Mountain Valley – C Jarod Oldham, G Zach Fergola; Falmouth – C Darren Mastrapaolo, G Danny Forcella.

Best quarterfinal: No. 8 Cape Elizabeth vs. No. 1 Falmouth may be a mismatch on paper, especially since the Capers will be playing without 6-4 senior center Nick Welch, who has been forced to sit out after violating team rules. The Yachtsmen beat the Capers twice this season, by nine the first time and 20 the second time. But seeing Danny Forcella, a staple in the Cape backcourt the last three years, directing the Yachtsmen at the Civic Center probably won’t sit too well with the Capers or their fans.

Overview: The Falcons’ two biggest advantages last year, depth and guard play, aren’t quite as pronounced this year. There are also several teams in this field that can match their size in the frontcourt.

Casey likes how his guards have improved this season, but they’re still very young, with three sophomores and a junior seeing most of the action in the backcourt. The junior happens to be one of the tournament’s best big-game players in Zach Fergola, who made some huge shots during last year’s run. The Falcons also have two underrated big men, Isaac Stickney and Matt McCann, who can pick up the slack if Jarod Oldham has an off night or gets into foul trouble.

Teams such as Falmouth, Gorham and even Lake Region have just as many weapons. Falmouth and Gorham may be the more heralded teams, Lake Region may be the hottest team, but none of those teams has the hardware yet to prove they know what it takes this time of year. Mountain Valley does.

Prediction: Mountain Valley

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