Cape Elizabeth junior Finn Raymond knew it was time to step up.

Yarmouth had closed to within three goals in the Class B boys’ lacrosse state championship game. The underdog Clippers were focused on Cape’s other top scoring threats. Plus, it was a good time to get his dad, Cape Elizabeth Coach Ben Raymond, an early Father’s Day present.

In quick succession, Raymond made mirror-image moves from behind Yarmouth’s net to score a pair of fourth-quarter goals, providing the boost the Capers needed to pull away for a 16-7 victory Saturday.

“It’s definitely the best gift I can give him. It’s his favorite thing,” said Raymond, who finished with four goals. “I gave it to him two years ago. Couldn’t give it to him last year, but made it up to him this year.”

“It’s probably because he didn’t want to buy me a card,” quipped Ben Raymond. “I would rather have him play as well as he did today. He was one of the key reasons that we were successful. He had a good first quarter, and then in the fourth quarter when we needed to put some distance between us, he did just that.”

Cape Elizabeth (14-1) won its fourth state title in five years and 11th in the 20 years of MPA-sanctioned play. Cape won three straight from 2013-15 but was dethroned in 2016 in the South final by eventual champ Falmouth.

“A year ago, since that Falmouth loss, we’ve been waiting, waiting for that chance to play Falmouth again in the (regional final) and a chance to bring the state championship back to our town,” said faceoff specialist Cole Spencer, one of 13 Cape seniors.

Yarmouth (9-7) lost in the state championship game for the fifth straight season, falling into an early five-goal deficit for a second straight year.

After a taut 6-5 win against Falmouth in the regional final, the Capers came out sharp, opening a 5-0 lead after one quarter on two goals from Raymond, two from Owen Thoreck and one from Owen’s twin brother, Connor.

Yarmouth was outscored 33-4 in two regular-season losses to Cape Elizabeth but played even with the Capers in the second quarter and outscored them 3-1 in the third quarter to cut the lead to 8-5.

Remi LeBlanc had three goals and two assists for Yarmouth, which in the middle two quarters reduced its midfield turnovers and finally started taking shots. Yarmouth’s first shot resulted in a goal by LeBlanc with 6:55 left in the second quarter.

Cape killed off two penalties early in the fourth quarter, both coming with a three-goal lead.

“There were two man-up situations that really could have turned the tide of the game,” said Yarmouth Coach David Pearl.

Then Raymond scored on nearly identical moves from behind the goal, first popping out to the right of Yarmouth goalie Spencer King (11 saves) and then scoring from his left with 8:22 remaining to put Cape ahead 10-6.

Raymond had room to work in part because Yarmouth committed a long-stick defender to midfielder Connor Thoreck and was also focused on top scoring threats Owen Thoreck (two goals) and Tate Perkins (one goal, one assist)

“They just wouldn’t slide,” said Connor Thoreck of Yarmouth’s defensive strategy. “We just have wonderful coaches who can figure out stuff like that pretty quickly, and we really, really appreciate that.”

Cape reasserted its control of the midfield. The Capers caused 23 Yarmouth turnovers (compared to 13 for Cape), which helped lead to a 36-18 edge in shots. Eleven of Yarmouth’s shots came in the third quarter.

After Raymond’s two goals early in the fourth, Thoreck scored two of his four goals in the next four minutes. Cape pushed the lead to 14-6 on a goal by Jeb Boeschenstein (two goals).

Related Stories