In southern Maine, with the second week of June usually comes the annual right of passage known as high school graduation, when 17- and 18-year-olds say goodbye, and perhaps even good riddance, to high school.
It also means the start of the spring sports playoffs, when those same seniors will go after one last shot of glory to end their high school sporting careers. And for teams in Journal Tribune country, this postseason, especially, is shaping up to be a special one.
This isn’t to say the spring sports postseason hasn’t already been good to area teams.
The Thornton Academy girls outdoor track and field team took a nail-biting victory at the Class A meet on Saturday, adding the championship to their indoor crown from February. Kennebunk swept the high jump event at the meet, as seniors Austin Weigle and Shelby Strickland won with state-leading jumps of 6-4 and 5-6, respectively, while Massabesic senior Stephen Duffy pulled off a thrilling victory in the boys race walk.
No less than six area teams also made the tennis playoffs, with both Thornton Academy teams making to the semifinal stage and Golden Trojans junior Victor Menezes breaking the school record for wins in a single season with 16.
But today, the spring sports playoffs really kick into high gear as the baseball, softball and lacrosse tournaments get under way.
The Biddeford baseball team has been one of the surprise stories of the season in the entire state, rolling to a 14-2 record behind the exploits of ace pitcher Brady Huot and the precocious talents of the Crepeau brothers, sophomore Kerry and freshman Brady.
But to name just three Tigers would do coach Keith LeBlanc’s team a disservice ”“ they’ve won 10 games in a row because they’ve found contributions up and down the roster, and will hope that same formula holds up when they host a quarterfinal against either Portland or Windham on Thursday.
Kennebunk has also qualified for the Class A baseball tournament for just the third time in the past decade and will try to topple defending state champions Westbrook today, while Thornton Academy will host Cheverus and Sanford will travel to Scarborough in other prelims this afternoon.
In Class B, Wells has pulled off a remarkable turnaround after going 3-13 a year ago, and will host Freeport in a preliminary-round game today, while Old Orchard Beach will look to pull off a first-round win for the second-straight year when the Seagulls head to Winthrop for a Class C contest.
Area softball teams have also excelled. After a 2-3 start, Thornton Academy has rolled to 11 straight wins behind junior pitcher Bailey Tremblay and a deep, powerful lineup. The Trojans will begin their postseason on Thursday, perhaps against rival Biddeford if the Tigers win their prelim against Gorham today.
Kennebunk will also travel to Bonny Eagle today with the hope that a big upset is in the cards, while Wells ”“ which has pulled off several cardiac-arresting wins this spring on the way to a 13-3 record ”“ will host Gray-New Gloucester in a Class B quarterfinal Thursday.
In lacrosse, the Biddeford and Thornton Academy rivalry will heat up as both the girls and boys lacrosse teams face off in playoff matches Wednesday night. After winning in blowouts in both regular season games, the Golden Trojans are favored in both matchups, with the winners moving on to regional semifinals on Saturday, both likely against Scarborough.
The two Kennebunk lacrosse teams also head into the postseason with a load of momentum. The Rams’ girls team, top-ranked in Western Class B, beat Yarmouth last Wednesday in a possible state title game preview, and will face either York or Greely in a semifinal on Saturday.
For their part, the Rams boys team have had a remarkable turnaround after a 2-4 start. But talent has shown through in the second half of the season as Kennebunk has won six straight, including wins over Falmouth and Greely, both teams to which the Rams had lost earlier in the spring. They’ll open the playoffs with a home quarterfinal against Fryeburg Academy on Wednesday, with a possible grudge match with Falmouth following on Saturday.
And last but not least, the Massabesic girls lacrosse team may be on the biggest roll of any team in any sport across the state. The Mustangs enter the Western Class A playoffs as the top seed after rolling off 11-straight wins following a season-opening defeat to Kennebunk, and will host eighth-seeded Westbrook in a quarterfinal today, the start of what could be a return trip to the state title game on June 21.
All in all, this could be a most excellent next two weeks, as multiple local squads try to join the TA girls track team as state champions. So let the weather stay sunny, and let the games begin.
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Today’s editorial was written by Sports Writer Cameron Dunbar on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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