The scene plays out each high school basketball season. A player hits a free throw, makes a layup or knocks down a jumper.

This time, however, the basket is special.

It’s the player’s 1,000th career point, and it never goes unnoticed. The crowd rejoices. Signs and balloons come out, if they weren’t set up already. The game stops, parents flock to the court, pictures are taken, and game balls are awarded to forever mark the occasion.

Scoring 1,000 points in basketball is the most celebrated individual milestone in high school sports, but it’s hardly alone.

Some high school sports, including lacrosse and wrestling, also have universally recognizable benchmarks. Identifying hallowed numbers in other sports, like field hockey and soccer, however, is challenging.

“I would argue that there are golden numbers, both real and emerging, in various sports, besides basketball,” said Thornton Academy Athletic Director Gary Stevens, who is retiring this summer. “Basketball was sort of, I think, the starting point, because basketball was the one sport offered by just about every high school in the state; it’s one of the oldest sports in the state. … But there are some sports that, whether it be organically or by design, have come up with their own benchmarks for success.”

The individual milestones some athletes achieve are a testament to talent, longevity and consistency.

With the end of the 2023-24 high school sports season, here’s a look at some of the milestones in Maine, and clubs that could gain new members when the next sports season begins in the fall:

Wrestling: 100 victories

Wrestling has long recognized 100 victories as an individual milestone. Schools often list their 100-match winners on banners alongside their 1,000-point basketball scorers. At Noble High, a lamp that creates a spotlight on its mats is updated with wrestlers who’ve reached the century mark.

Recent Cony graduate Jonny Lettre, a three-time state champion at 220 (2022) and 285 (2023, 2024) pounds, reached 100 victories against Messalonskee of Oakland on Jan. 5. The Rams presented him with a plaque afterward.

“That kind of cements you as a top dog,” Lettre said. “You got your name out there, people know who you are.”

Lettre said the sport’s physical demands make 100 victories special.

“In my opinion, probably the hardest milestone to get to,” he said. “It’s one win (per match) and you have to get there, to fight for every single win. And all 100 wins were a fight, that’s what it is. It’s super special, just because of how tough you have to be to get there. How tough you have to be to even wrestle 100 matches. And not many people are tough enough to do it.”

Brunswick/Mt. Ararat Coach Erick Jensen said 100 wins used to be rarefied air, but an increase in the number of weekend tournaments has made that benchmark easier for wrestlers to crack.

“Back in the day, if you were wrestling 25, 30 matches a year, that was a lot. Now, kids are wrestling 45, 50 matches a season, so it’s not uncommon at all. Some of these kids are getting 100 wins as a sophomore,” he said. “We’ve had several in recent years that have been pushing the 200-win mark.”

Jensen said 100 wins is an impressive feat for this year’s graduating seniors, considering many lost a season during the COVID pandemic.

“It (says) they’re committed to the sport and consistent, they’ve been successful. Those are all very important things in our sport,” he said. “(Schools) display it proudly, as they should, so the kids look at that as an internal goal for themselves.”

Softball: 500 career strikeouts

Punchouts have started to gain cachet as a target number.

“That’s always impressive to see,” York Coach Kevin Giannino said. “When you see 500 strikeouts, you’ve got to say ‘I don’t care what league she’s pitching in, who she’s pitching against.’ That’s pretty impressive to see, no question. (Reaching) 500 strikeouts is quite a deal.”

Brooke Gerry of Windham, Mia Coots of Nokomis and Jaida Case of Machias reached the mark last year. Kennebunk junior Julia Pike joined the club on May 4 when she struck out 15 in an 8-0 win over Biddeford.

Coots received hugs from teammates during a stoppage of play after she hit the mark last May. It was a similar scene when Pike achieved the feat.

“I was seeing all these people hitting their 500th, so I knew or had an idea it was coming close for me, and I was excited for that, but I didn’t know where I was,” Pike said. “My athletic director got a picture of me and posted it on Instagram, that went crazy. … I got a lot of text messages from my family. It’s definitely a big deal.

“I definitely respect other pitchers who hit the 500, because I know the work that goes into it. It’s definitely a lot.”

Lacrosse: Century mark draws applause 

Falmouth boys’ lacrosse coach Dave Barton said 100 goals gets the most attention.

“(That’s) a big one that’s celebrated in the lacrosse community,” he said. “You’ll usually see some really slick players accomplish that in their junior season, but a lot of times, guys will get that early or midway through their senior season.”

Chase Ranger of Mt. Blue and Owen Lyons of Maranacook/Winthrop are among a handful of players to reach the number this season.

“I don’t think that it’s celebrated quite to the extent that it is in basketball, where that basket goes in and, boom, they stop play for a quick photo op and a picture. But it does happen,” Barton said. “I think the one big difference is kind of the long-standing history with the banner in the gym; I feel like that’s such a classic basketball thing. It’d be cool if we got there one day.”

That number carries over to girls’ lacrosse. Freeport Coach Marcia Wood said social media has helped promote the milestone.

“I’ve seen a few posts of kids getting 100,” she said. “(It’s) social media. They want to put their picture on social media with their 100 goals so everyone knows. Back when it wasn’t that big a deal, we never talked about 100 goals, 100 whatever. I think social media has definitely amped it up, and more people doing it.”

Edward Little’s Izzy Hayes and Mt. Ararat junior Evelyn Goudreau also scored their 100th goal this season.

“The person has to be a threat their freshman year (to get it),” Wood said. “It shows that they’re probably one of the top players, one of the ones that go to goal most often. (But) they need the help of their teammates to get there, so it’s a team effort as well.”

Hockey: 100 career points

Mt. Ararat boys’ hockey coach A.J. Kavanaugh said 50 goals and 100 points are special – though rarely attained – numbers.

“Those round numbers for hockey are the ones people pay attention to,” said Kavanaugh, who had a player, Noah Austin, reach 100 points in the 2017-18 season. “A 50-goal or 100-point one … the other bench would do a stick tap for that. That’s a big deal. That gets respect from everybody.

“It’d be nice if, similar to 1,000 points (in basketball), that’s (more) paid attention to. I do think it’s less frequent. … It seems to be maybe a tougher goal to hit those numbers, and that’s why you don’t always hear about it happening in hockey as much.”

Camden Hills standout Owen McManus recorded his 100th career point when he assisted on a goal against Houlton/Hodgdon on Jan. 12. The Windjammers gave him the puck, took a team picture and recognized the accomplishment during senior night festivities before the next game.

“Definitely for me, at the beginning of the season it was a reachable goal for me … and I know it’s a big thing for other teams as well, they have their list of guys that have reached that mark,” McManus said. “It’s definitely tough to reach. I think it says the work you’ve put in, just showing up every game, being a consistent player. It’s not just a single-season accomplishment, it’s over (four) years.”

Volleyball: Millennium marks offer a lofty target

Similarly, the heralded marks of 1,000 assists, digs or kills in volleyball are rare milestones in high school. They’re more commonly achieved in college, and frequently commemorated with banners displaying the names of the players who reach them.

Gorham Coach Emma Tirrell, who played as a setter at St. Joseph’s College, said she’s only seen one player reach 1,000 digs or kills: South Portland’s Pearl Friedland-Farley hit the milestone for digs in 2021.

“(There are) more matches (in college), there are also longer rallies because the players’ ball control is better, so there’s more defense,” Tirrell said. “The level of play is better, so there are more statistics being had.”

She said celebrating a lower number, such as 750 digs and kills, would be more inclusive, but the rarity of 1,000 makes it special.

“I think it’s kind of cool that it’s up high and that kids can reach it if they’re given the opportunity,” Tirrell said. “But because of how big my program is and getting everybody playing time, it probably isn’t even attainable at all to reach 1,000, so it maybe would be kind of cool to bring it down so I maybe see my kids hitting that benchmark more often.”

Football: Grand moments elevated

In some sports, season milestones are more highly regarded. Leavitt Coach Mike Hathaway said gaining 1,000 yards is still the big number in football.

“I think 1,000 yards, whether it’s rushing or throwing, is a pretty big deal in a season. Career-wise, I don’t think there’s anything like the 1,000th point,” said Hathaway, who also coaches Leavitt’s boys’ basketball team. “It’s a good one. … That’s the way you talk about a kid, ‘He’s a 1,000-yard rusher.’ And I just think numerically, the 10 games (in a season), 100 yards a game. If you can do that, that’s pretty good.”

Kennebunk’s Jonah Barstow ran for 1,448 yards in eight games this season. He fell just short the previous season and said reaching the number this time was satisfying.

“I think last year, I finished at (around) 950, and I just remembered that I didn’t get 1,000,” he said. “Now that I got it this year, it definitely feels a little bit better.”

Barstow said the 1,000-yard mark is impressive because of what it says about the team, not just the player.

“It’s definitely a great goal to have, it’s up there with the best achievements you could get, and it takes a lot to get there,” he said. “I couldn’t get 1,000 yards with a line that doesn’t block for me, coaches that don’t put the game plan in. … It’s definitely a team accomplishment.”

Some sports don’t celebrate individual milestones, or don’t have a widely recognized milestone. Field hockey keeps records but doesn’t have a number that’s universally praised. In soccer, Mt. Abram boys’ coach Darren Allen and Windham girls’ coach Deb LeBel agreed that 50 career goals is impressive along the lines of 1,000 points, but isn’t a firm milestone.

“It’s not really a discussion,” LeBel said. “You’ll talk about really good players in the past and ones we always remember, but I don’t ever feel like there’s a number attached to it.”

Baseball, in the major league ranks, is filled with recognizable numbers, from 500 home runs to 3,000 hits and 300 wins. In high school, however, a firm landmark is missing.

“There isn’t a magic career number, as far as hits or anything like that,” South Portland Coach Mike Owens said.

With technological innovations improving stat keeping, however, Owens said that could change.

“I think with the electronics now and the Game Changer app, even MaxPreps, it might be a little easier here in the future to track some of those,” he said. “Maybe there are some.”

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