Seahawks trounce Purple Panthers to open season
2026 BRHS field hockey co-captains Izzy Andreasen, left, and Zuri Smith with coach Jax Hepburn before the start of the Dirigo game, which was eventually canceled, on Sept. 4. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay Register
2026 BRHS field hockey co-captains Izzy Andreasen, left, and Zuri Smith with coach Jax Hepburn before the start of the Dirigo game, which was eventually canceled, on Sept. 4. KEVIN BURNHAM/Boothbay RegisterThe Boothbay Region High School field hockey team traveled to Waterville Wednesday, Sept. 9 and came away with an easy season-opening win over the Purple Panthers, 11-0. Details are forthcoming.
Today, Sept. 10, the Seahawks will host the Dirigo Cougars at 4 p.m. The original game on Sept. 4 was canceled after the first quarter due to an evacuation of the area during the propane leak at the nearby Meadow Mall.
According to BRHS Athletic Director Allan Crocker, the game will resume in the second quarter as the teams were tied 1-1 after the first 15 minutes of play.
Season outlook
The 2026 Boothbay Region High School field hockey team has been practicing for the upcoming season since Aug. 17. It’s a different season but hopefully the Seahawks can ride the coattails of last season’s great success.
In 2025, the Seahawks posted the second-best season record in the program’s 50-year existence, finishing 12-2-2, just one win shy of the 2017 team’s record of 13 wins. They were the first BRHS field hockey team to finish number one in the Heal point standings, the first team to play in a conference championship game, and set a team record with four wins to start a season. The team registered nine shutouts during the season.
Third-year coach Jax Hepburn has two special players returning, two-thirds of triplets, juniors Moriah and Zuriel Smith. Moriah is a center forward and Zuri is a midfielder.
Moriah has led the Seahawks in scoring her first two years (19 goals in 2025), both were named first-team conference all-stars in 2025 and both were named to the MFHA All-State team.
The 2025 team featured only three seniors, co-captains Tatum French and Ella Watts, and Sophie White, but besides the Smith sisters, Hepburn has several returnees who saw plenty of action as sophomores and freshmen – there were no juniors on the team. Returnees include juniors Arabella Hodgdon, Izzy Andreasen and sophomores Lilly Cowing, Olivia Hardwick and Sophia Gatnar. Hepburn also has some freshmen who will see action this season, including Emma Doucette, Blythe Miller, Mabel Kaler, Meabh Hennessy, Izabella Locke-Smith and Abigail Locke-Smith.
