BRUNSWICK — The spring was not kind to those who love being outside, enjoying what is typically a wonderful time to live in Maine.
It was wet, cold, and certainly not the type of things we like to see for the spring high school sports season. Rainouts and muddy, soft fields, certainly made it a challenge for athletic directors to get all of their games in.
However, the regular season is completed — thanks to the Maine Principals’ Association giving teams two more days to complete games — and the playoff field is set.
Here is a look:
Baseball
Lisbon senior shortstop Lucas Francis, here reaching for a high throw in an MVC baseball game against Monmouth Academy, helped the Greyhounds to a perfect 16-0 regular season and the No. 1 seed in the Class C South Heal Point Standings. (Bob Conn / The Times Record)
Lisbon was the team to talk about, as Randy Ridley’s Greyhounds compiled a perfect 16-0 regular season, good for the No. 1 seed in Class C South.
Ridley, who earned his 200th coaching win this year, admits that his team isn’t flashy. But there are several quality fielders and singles hitters that compliment each other.
“We are not a team with a ton of power, but we have a lot of guys who get two or three singles a game, run the bases well, and in the field we don’t make many errors,” said Ridley, whose Greyhounds are slated to host the preliminary winner between Western Maine Conference competitors No. 8 St. Dom’s and No. 9 Old Orchard Beach on Thursday in the quarterfinals (4 p.m.).
Maranacook is the No. 2 seed in the region, with defending State Class C champ Hall-Dale third.
In Class B South, Freeport put together a solid 13-3 campaign under first-year coach Kyle Goodrich. The Falcons are seeded third and await a quarterfinal matchup with either No. 11 Leavitt or No. 6 Wells.
Freeport defeated Wells, 5-1, on April 29.
Morse is seeded seventh in Class B South and entertains No. 10 Oak Hill today at 4 p.m. The Shipbuilders struggled a bit toward the end of the campaign, but closed things out with a 9-2 win at Lincoln Academy behind the pitching of senior Jackson Walker.
Mt. Ararat faces a familiar foe in No. 3 Edward Little on Thursday in a Class A North quarterfinal. The Eagles and Red Eddies have faced off in the Class A North postseason three straight seasons, with Mt. Ararat winning a quarterfinal last year, 9-0, and a semifinal in 2017 by a 4-2 score. EL defeated the Eagles in a 2016 semifinal, 5-4.
The teams met on May 8 at Bowdoin College, with EL coming away with a 5-3 victory.
Brunswick needed a win over Mt. Ararat to clinch a playoff spot, but fell to the Eagles, 6-3, in the finale. Combined with Skowhegan’s 4-1 win over Messalonskee, the Indians knocked out the Dragons for the eighth position and will visit No. 1 Oxford Hills.
And in Class D South, Richmond, after a big extra inning win over Buckfield last week, is the No. 2 seed and will host either the Bucks or Vinalhaven/North Haven in a semifinal on Friday at 4 p.m. Richmond was 2-1 agianst Buckfield and swept the Vikings in a May doubleheader.
Wiscasset (0-16) missed the postseason.
Softball
Wil Laffely’s Morse Shipbuilders enter the Class B South postseason on a roll.
Led by pitcher Dory Kulis, Morse won its final seven contests to finish 12-4, good for the No. 5 seed. The Shipbuilders face a stern challenge at No. 4 Oak Hill (13-3) in Thursday’s quarterfinal at Wales.
The teams haven’t met.
Freeport was one spot out of the postseason after an improved 5-10-1 season.
Morse pitcher Dory Kulis steps into a pitch during an early season contest against Maine Central Institute in Bath. Kulis and her Shipbuilders are seeded fifth in the Class B South Heal Point Standings and visit No. 4 Oak Hill in a quarterfinal on Thursday at 4 p.m. (Bob Conn / The Times Record)
Lisbon (10-6) picked up a key road win at No. 4 Winthrop on Thursday, moving the Greyhounds up a spot to No. 6 and avoiding a prelim.
Lisbon’s reward is a trip to No. 3 Sacopee Valley, which went 12-4 this year in the tough WMC.
In Class D South, Tony Martin’s Richmond Bobcats had another solid year, going 11-4 and ending up in third.
Richmond will host Temple Academy on Thursday in a quarterfinal at 4 p.m., a team the Bobcats have dominated this year to the tune of a combined 29-1 scoring advantage in two meetings.
A win sends Richmond to troublesome East-West Conference rival foe Buckfield in the semifinals. The Bucks own a 3-0 record against Richmond this year, including a 6-2 win on Wednesday.
Wiscasset (1-15) missed the playoffs.
Boys lacrosse
Sad news came out of Brunswick over the weekend as Dragons coach Don Glover announced this will be his last season leading Brunswick.
Glover, who recently earned win No. 300 — the only Maine lacrosse coach to reach that number — has done a ton for Maine high school lacrosse and will likely continue to be the sport’s leader.
The defending State Class B champion Dragons hope to send Glover out on top once again, but will face a stern challenge this time around.
Brunswick is seeded third after a solid 10-2 campaign and will entertain either Gardiner (7-5) or Morse (3-9) in a quarterfinal Thursday at 6 p.m. The Dragons defeated the Tigers and Shipbuilders during the regular season.
Morse heads to Gardiner for a 4 p.m. prelim today.
Greely (9-3), which handed Brunswick an 11-8 loss this year, is seeded No. 1, with Yarmouth (8-4) in at No. 2.
Mt. Ararat earned a prelim spot after a 5-7 campaign. The Eagles visit Biddeford today at 5 p.m.
In Class C, Freeport makes a return to the postseason and hosts Lincoln Academy in a prelim on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
The Falcons compiled a solid 7-5 record this year and are seeded seventh. Freeport did not face the 11th-seeded Eagles (4-8) this year.
Girls lacrosse
Marcia Wood’s Freeport Falcons might have flown a bit under the radar this year, but with an 8-4 record, Freeport garnered the No. 4 seed and will entertain North Yarmouth Academy in a Class C quarterfinal on Saturday (time to be announced).
The Falcons defeated the Panthers, 13-8, on May 8.
Freeport began the year with a 6-1 mark. After a three-game slide, the Falcons won their final two contests.
A win likely sends Freeport north to take on undefeated and top-seeded Winslow (12-0) in the semifinals.
In Class B, Brunswick and Mt. Ararat are in and both face prelims today. The 5-7 Dragons host Waynflete (5-7), the No. 10 seed, at 6 p.m., while the 5-7 Eagles, seeded ninth, head to Augusta for a showdown with No. 8 Cony (7-5) at 4 p.m. Mt. Ararat handed the Rams a 12-3 setback on May 13.
Morse finished 3-9 and missed out on the postseason.
Tennis
Both the Freeport boys and Brunswick girls have advanced to regional finals.
Brunswick, seeded second, takes on longtime rival and top-seeded Lewiston today at Bates College, with the match slated to begin at 3:45 p.m.
The Dragons are 13-1, the lone loss coming at the hands of the Blue Devils (14-0) on May 6 by a 4-1 tally.
The Dragons and Blue Devils have certainly become rivals, meeting in four straight regional finals — with Lewiston winning three times — and five straight KVAC championship matches (Brunswick 3-2).
Freeport boys tennis player Clay Canterbury leads the Falcons into Thursday’s Class B South regional final against Yarmouth. The match is scheduled to be held at Bates College in Lewiston at 12:45 p.m. (Bob Conn / The Times Record)
Brunswick’s last regional final win came in Rob Manter’s final year at the helm (2017) when the Dragons picked up a 3-2 win over Anita Murphy’s Blue Devils before falling to powerhouse Falmouth in the State Class A championship.
For Freeport, it is a second consecutive trip to Class B South regional final. Last year, the Falcons soared over rival Cape Elizabeth, advancing to their first State Class B championship (a 3-2 loss to Caribou).
This time around, Jay Harper’s squad faces a talented Yarmouth team (No. 3 seed) on Thursday at Bates College (12:45 p.m.).
In the lone meeting this year, Freeport earned a 3-2 road win over the Clippers back on May 6.
Freeport defeated Greely in the semifinals on Saturday, 3-2.
“Yarmouth will be another challenge for us,” said Harper, whose team is the No. 1 seed and had a 12-1 record.
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