The fall sports regular season is complete and teams are now looking ahead to the postseason.

After a year with no playoffs, athletes, coaches and fans alike can’t wait to see champions crowned in the weeks to come, and based on what we’ve seen as the regular season winds down, the postseason will be palpitating.

Here’s a look at last week’s action and a glimpse at where local teams stand as it’s time for win-or-go-home games to be contested.

Football

Last weekend saw local football teams experience a little of everything.

Cape Elizabeth, which was coming off its first loss, at Leavitt, beat visiting Wells with stunning ease and decisiveness, 69-0, to improve to 5-1 on the season. The Capers shot to a 21-0 first quarter lead, as quarterback Caden McDuffie scored on a 41-yard run, Nick Laughlin scored on a 38-yard scamper (and added the two-point conversion rush) and McDuffie hit Caden Lee for a 6-yard score. In the second period, McDuffie scored on a 31-yard rush and hit Laughlin for a 29-yard TD pass, then Ceroi Mello scored on a 14-yard run, Laughlin returned a punt 58 yards for a score and Jack Gorman’s fumble return for a touchdown made it 55-0 at the half. Laughlin scored one final time, on a 47-yard TD run, and Mike Foley added a 45-yard scamper in the third quarter to account for the final score.

“It was a great bounce-back game for us after a tough one versus Leavitt,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Sean Green.

The Capers close at 3-4 Westbrook Friday.

South Portland fell to 3-4 after a 32-7 home loss to Portland in the “Battle of the Bridge” Saturday. The Red Riots were down, 20-0, at the half and momentarily got back in the game when Antonio Romero returned the second half kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown, but couldn’t get any closer as they were done in by two turnovers and nine penalties.

“I think it’s 10 steps forward and 20 steps back,” lamented Red Riots coach Aaron Filieo. “We didn’t help ourselves at all. In a game like this, you just can’t take the bait. Our kids took the bait and we ended up on the short end of that stick. It’s turnovers and penalties. Execution-wise, we’re better in that regard than we were earlier in the season. We’re getting lined up, but we jump offsides and take the bait on the stuff after the whistle. We can’t do that. That’s not who we are.”

South Portland closes the regular season Friday at 3-4 Gorham.

“We need internal reflection for this last push,” Filieo said. “We’ve played enough football at this point to be able to not do what we did today. Gorham’s very physical. We have to beat them, and if we do, then we could have a home playoff game.”

Scarborough was scheduled to host Lewiston last weekend, but that game was canceled late in the week due to COVID complications. The Red Storm (4-2) were supposed to host 6-1 Oxford Hills in a key showdown Friday, but per the school’s website, that game has also been canceled. Scarborough is scheduled to close at Thornton Academy Oct. 30.

Boys’ soccer

South Portland’s boys’ soccer team capped its best season since 2017 by sandwiching home wins over Deering (2-0) and Bonny Eagle (4-1) around a scoreless tie at reigning Class A champion Falmouth to finish 9-2-3. Divin Mpinga scored both goals against the Rams. Mpinga had three goals and Joey Perron also scored in the win over the Scots. The Red Riots project to be the No. 3 seed in Class A South and will host a preliminary round playoff game this weekend.

Scarborough wound up 12-2 and likely second behind Windham in Class A South after a 1-0 home loss to Falmouth, a 2-0 win at Gorham, a 4-0 shutout of host Sanford and a 3-2, come-from-behind, overtime victory at Cheverus. In the setback, the Red Storm gave up a late goal and hit the post twice.

“That’s the kind of night it was for us,” longtime Scarborough coach Mark Diaz lamented. “I’m confident we’ll get the bounces when it matters. It was a great game. I’m really proud of the way my kids played. We did a lot of things right tonight. Falmouth’s grinded and got the goal and they deserve credit.”

Zander Haskell scored against the Rams. In the win over the Spartans, Noah Batoosingh, Will Fallona and Dillon MacLeod all had one goal. Haskell scored twice, including in OT, to beat the Stags, while Jack Williams had the tying tally. The Red Storm will open the playoffs at home this weekend.

“We have to get better in certain areas,” Diaz said. “The league is really deep. I think there are six or seven teams that could wind up in a regional final and I’d like to think we’re one of them. We don’t care where we’re seeded or who we play.”

In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth finished 8-5-1 after a 1-1 tie at York and a 1-0 loss at Freeport. Tiernan Lathrop had the goal in the tie. The Capers will be the No. 7 seed for the tournament and will host 10th-ranked Gray-New Gloucester (7-5-2) in the preliminary round Friday night. Cape Elizabeth won the regular season meeting, 2-1, in a wild finish, Oct. 12 at home. The teams have no playoff history.

In Class D South, Greater Portland Christian School finished 1-9 after losses to Pine Tree Academy (8-0), Chop Point (2-0) and Chop Point again (3-1). The Lions will likely be ranked 11th for the tournament and will be on the road for the preliminary round.

Looking ahead, the quarterfinals are Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, and the semifinals next Friday and Saturday. Those games will be held on the fields of the higher seeds.

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, two-time reigning Class B state champion Cape Elizabeth finished 13-1 and first in Class B South after blanking visiting York (1-0) and Freeport (4-0). Emily Supple scored the lone goal against the Wildcats, then scored three times, while Maggie Cochran had the other, in the win over the Falcons. The Capers will open postseason play at home this weekend in the preliminary round.

In Class A South, Scarborough closed with a 2-2 home tie versus Gorham and a 1-0 home win over Cheverus to wind up 12-1-1. Against the Rams, Ali Mokriski scored early and after the Red Storm fell behind, Evelyn Boardman produced the equalizer.

“These are games that really matter,” said Red Storm coach Mike Farley. “A game like this will pay dividends for us down the road. It’s always tough to play a good team like Gorham. They have good players throughout their lineup.”

In the victory, Lana Djuranovic headed home Bridget Davis’ first half corner kick, and despite missing out on some other golden opportunities, Scarborough held on.

“We’ve played the best teams in the league, except Windham, and having (Falmouth, Gorham and Cheverus) as our last three games really helps us because it gave us a sense of what playoffs is like,” Djuranovic said.

“We beat a quality team,” Farley said. “(Cheverus) played defensively most of the game, but they made it tough for us. The last two games, I think we’ve played pretty well.”

Scarborough will likely be the No. 4 seed in Class A South, meaning it will be in the same bracket as top-ranked, undefeated Windham, and will host a preliminary round playoff game, likely against Deering, this weekend.

“We have a young team, three sophomores starting in the back,” Farley said. “It’s different than most years. Windham’s a great team and you have to play them sometime. We’re not scared of anybody. We’ll go out and play like we play and see what happens.”

South Portland finished 2-12 and 14th in Class A South following a 3-0 home loss to Falmouth and a 1-0 overtime win at Bonny Eagle. Elise Connor made nine saves in the setback. Julianne Coyne scored in the victory, while Connor made a dozen saves. The Red Riots will be at third-ranked Gorham (10-1-3) in the preliminary round, either Friday or Saturday. The Rams won the regular season meeting, 3-0, Oct. 5 in South Portland. Gorham took the only prior playoff encounter, 5-0, in the 2006 Western A quarterfinals.

In Class D South, Greater Portland Christian School wound up 0-7 and 12th after a pair of 5-0 losses to Pine Tree Academy and will be on the road for the playoffs.

Looking ahead, the quarterfinals are Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, and the semifinals are next Friday and Saturday. Those games will be held on the fields of the higher seeds.

Field hockey

Cape Elizabeth’s field hockey team enjoyed its best regular season in 21 years, finishing 11-2-1 after a 5-0 win at Gray-New Gloucester, a 3-0 setback at undefeated York and a 1-0 win at Greely. Against the Patriots, Kaitlyn McIntyre had two goals, while Grace Gray, Abbie Homicz and Camden Woods also rattled the cage. In the win over the Rangers, Gray scored on a rebound and the Capers made it hold up.

“I think our team has really good chemistry,” Gray said. “We work really well together and our coaches are really fun. We really build each other up. I thought we’d be stronger after last year. We all had high hopes for the season, but I didn’t know we’d be this good.”

“We talked before the game that the postseason might be defining, but we need to take a step back and be proud of what we’ve done so far this year,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Maura Bisogni. “No matter what happens in the playoffs, our record is great. These girls never, ever give up.”

The Capers project to be the second seed in Class B South behind York and will have a bye into the quarterfinal round, where they will host next week.

“We’re really excited, especially after not having playoffs last year,” Gray said. “We’re glad to have a shot at it and hopefully we’ll perform as well as we did in the regular season. We need to stick to the basics and play as a team and keep having fun.”

In Class A South, Scarborough finished 13-1 and second to Cheverus following a 9-0 victory at South Portland in its finale last week. Daisy Stone had two goals, while Gabby Giftos, Jessica Giguere, Hannah Joncas, Sruti Tadikonda and Kayleigh York all scored their first varsity goals. Ayden Harris and Halle Seguin also rattled the cage. The Red Storm will host a preliminary round playoff game Friday or Saturday.

South Portland finished 0-14 and 16th in Class A South after closing with losses to visiting Scarborough (9-0) and Marshwood (5-0) and at Falmouth (7-0). The Red Riots will visit No. 1 Cheverus (14-0) in the preliminary round this weekend. On Oct. 8, the host Stags beat South Portland, 11-0. The teams met once before in the postseason, a 3-0 Cheverus win in the 2016 Class A South preliminary round.

Looking ahead, the quarterfinals are Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, and the semifinals are next Friday and Saturday. Those games will be contested on the fields of the higher seeds.

Volleyball

Scarborough’s volleyball team finished second behind undefeated Biddeford in Class A with a 12-2 record, following a three-set (25-17, 25-12, 25-14) victory at two-time reigning Class A champion Falmouth in its finale. The Red Storm will host a state quarterfinal round match early next week.

South Portland wound up 7-7 after a five-set (17-25, 25-8, 21-25, 25-19, 15-17) loss at Thornton Academy in the finale. The Red Riots’ final seed was still up in the air at press time. They could host or be on the round for a preliminary round match this weekend. 

In Class B, Cape Elizabeth wound up third after a 10-4 season. The Capers will host a preliminary round match this weekend.

Looking ahead, the quarterfinals are Monday and Tuesday with the state semifinals Wednesday and Thursday. Those matches will be held on the courts of the higher seeds. The Class B and Class A state finals are Friday of next week, at Lewiston High School.

Cross country

Cape Elizabeth took part in the Western Maine Conference championship meet last weekend in Standish.

The boys’ Division I standings were topped by York, with Cape Elizabeth third. The Capers did produce the top individual in Owen Patry, who had a time of 17 minutes, 15 seconds.

On the girls’ side, York was also first in Division I, with Cape Elizabeth third. Hadley Mahoney was first individually in 19:37.

Saturday, at Twin Brook Recreation Center in Cumberland, the regional championships will be held.

Scarborough and South Portland compete in the Class A South girls’ meet at 12:20 p.m. The Class A South boys’ race starts at 1 p.m. The Cape Elizabeth girls take part in the Class B South race at 1:40 p.m. The Class B South boys’ run at 2:20 p.m.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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