When they were in middle school, Kayla Legassie and Sarah Porter played soccer against each other for different schools in Presque Isle.

When they entered Presque Isle High as freshmen, they were more than ready to hit the soccer field together.

The dynamic senior duo has posted astonishing results, as Legassie established a school record for career goals with 66 and Porter the Wildcats’ mark for career assists with 30.

Katie Delong who, according to coach Ralph Michaud, is the only player in program history to start a game for a Division I team (University of Maine), held the previous record for goals with 56. Kylan Smith, now at Husson University in Bangor, owned the assists mark (25).

“We work really well together,” said Porter, who specializes on restarts and has set up Legassie numerous times on direct kicks and corner kicks.

The duo has paved Presque Isle’s run to the top of the Eastern Maine Class B ranks, and the 13-1 Wildcats open postseason play today when they entertain eighth-seeded John Bapst of Bangor at 4 p.m.

Even though the Wildcats have two dynamic scoring threats, opposing defenses have been reluctant to mark them with two players. The reason is, every position player on the team has at least one goal this fall, which had made things easier for Porter and Legassie.

“I do a lot of cutbacks, which really helps with getting open,” Legassie said. “It’s been very helpful [with] teams looking to mark up on me, double up or something like that. Even if they would, anyone on our team can get a shot off.”

Legassie and Porter have different styles of play, with Legassie being the quicker of the two and Porter the more powerful.

“[Kayla’s] pretty crafty, pretty clever with the ball. She’s like the Energizer Bunny, just keeps going and going,” said Michaud.

“[Sarah’s] very accurate on corner kicks. Sarah hits the ball so hard, she’s scored a number of times on direct kicks.”

The pair have great chemistry on the offensive end.

“Everyone works well together. We read each other [well] for give and goes, anticipated balls. It makes things easy,” Porter said.

Forward Legassie said she’s had a few breakaway goals this season, many of which have been set up by midfielder Porter’s long, clearing passes out of the defensive third of the field.

“I’m always looking for it to go over [the defenders’] heads, anticipate anything to get back for me,” said Legassie.

As great as the individual accomplishments are, both players are looking at the big picture.

“We’re just going to go in [today] playing our hardest and playing how we know how to play. We know how to play up here,” said Porter.

Rams, Cougars look strong

The Mt. Blue of Farmington and Bangor girls cross country teams, both of which had solid efforts at Saturday’s Class A regional championships, appear to have talented teams coming back in 2009 and beyond.

Coach Kelley Cullenberg’s Cougars, who finished second to Brewer, only fielded one senior in their lineup and top runner Melody Lam, who ran to a personal-best time of 19 minutes, 46 seconds, is a junior.

“They’re an up-and-coming team. As good as they are this year, they’re going to be awesome next year,” said Brewer coach Glendon Rand. “We have a lot of respect for them, you’ve got to give them credit for coming a long ways.”

In addition to Lam up front, No. 2 runner Addie Cullenberg, the coach’s daughter, and sophomore No. 3 Shelby Aseltine will make quite an impact for Mt. Blue in next week’s state championships and certainly next fall.

Like Mt. Blue, Bangor has had a terrific season, and Katie Porter was the only Ram senior who competed for coach Pattie Craig at the regionals.

As sound as the Rams were last weekend, consider that they ran without one of their top runners, Rachel Huber, who hurt her ankle in a recent practice and will miss the rest of the season.

“Bangor’s going to be dynamite next year,” Rand said.

Porter, along with junior Kendall Lunn and freshman Mariah Reading, have had outstanding seasons for Bangor.

Victories sweet for seniors

The regional cross country championships won by the Caribou boys and Brewer girls were sweet for those respective teams’ upperclassmen, yet in different ways.

Vikings’ seniors Jesse Stephens, Steve Melbourne and Zac Foster have watched Caribou settle for runner-up finishes in 2005 and 2006 and a third-place finish in 2007.

After a second-place finish in the state championships last fall, Caribou was extremely motivated once this season began.

“All four years we’ve never won a championship and we finally did it,” an exuberated Melbourne said after the Vikings annexed their first Eastern Maine crown since 2000.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” he added.

Brewer’s seniors, meanwhile, went through some growing pains to finally reach their plateau of success.

The Witches steadily improved each year, finishing fourth two years ago and second last year before coming home with the title this fall.

“I love those girls,” coach Glendon Rand said of his senior class of Kaitlin Noyes, Caitlyn Wilson, Brooke Madden, Ashley Geiser and Katie Snow.

“They’re just real terrific kids, I really think a lot of them,” Rand added. “They’re smart girls who have a lot of heart and a lot of courage.”

Noyes, Wilson, Geiser and Snow have been teammates since the sixth grade, and Rand has his fingers crossed Snow, who was ill last weekend, will return to the lineup for Saturday’s state championships.

rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net

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