Portland Press Herald Glass Negative Collection

The South Portland High School girl's basketball team was featured in the sports section in the Portland Evening Express, January 16th, 1926 prior to the game with Deering High School. Back row, left to right: Narreita Doughty, Viola Cassavant, Phyllis Webber, manager - Frances Ericksen, Rosamond Melcher, and Ruth Shea. Front row, left to right: Margaret Curren, Rose-Marie Vaughan, Capt. Louise Willey, Beatrice Lailer, and Winnifred Pohl.

At the time, women played under different rules than men's basketball. The court was divided into thirds: guard, center, and forward. Each team had six players with two players assigned to, and confined to, each third. Players moved the ball by passing or some limited dribbling.

Deering High School won the state championship in 1926 and their only loss was to the South Portland High School team.

Niles Nelson, born in 1906, was the starting right guard for the 1926 Cape Elizabeth "Capers" basketball team.

In the winter of 1926, the "Capers" were undefeated and thought they had won the Maine Interscholastic Championship. The Maine Secondary Schools Principal's Association met, and decided the "Capers" should have a three-game playoff with Bangor, another successful team, or forfeit the championship. The Capers declined, thus ending their season.

The March 23 and March 24, 1926 Portland Evening Express sport pages detailed the forfeiture.

High schools sports have been a popular trend amongst parents and students for many years. Today, because Maine does not have many professional sports teams, there has been a higher emphasis on high school sports for residents of the state.

The game of football became popularized during the 20th century, and today it is considered to be one of if not the most popular sports game. There are, of course, many against the men tackling each other which lead to injuries and head trauma, but nevertheless the fan base has remained steadily large.

Cheerleading for both men and women has been a popular extracurricular activity for public high schoolers for many years. Although it is a female dominated sport, men have also been known to create male cheerleading groups as well. Cheerleading is most often performed at football games, where the crowd is meant to be as loud as possible.

The Deering High School hockey team was scheduled to play eight games in it's 1926 season. Due to inclement weather only four games were played. The team had one win and three ties.

The game of football became popularized during the 20th century, and today it is considered to be one of if not the most popular sports game. There are, of course, many against the men tackling each other which lead to injuries and head trauma, but nevertheless the fan base has remained steadily large.