A week chock full of playoff action just came and went and Forecaster Country continues to produce champions, with potentially more to be crowned this weekend.

The spring sports season wraps up Saturday and its postseason hasn’t lacked for drama.

Here’s a refresher:

Tennis

Yarmouth’s boys’ tennis team won consecutive Class B state titles in 2019 and 2021 but lost once each year (the 2020 season was canceled by COVID). This spring, the Clippers were perfect and wound up atop the heap for the ninth time in program history.

Yarmouth, the top seed in Class B South, ousted No. 8 Cape Elizabeth (4-1) and No. 4 Freeport (3-2) to set up a battle with No. 3 Greely in last week’s regional final (the Rangers had advanced by beating No. 6 Erskine Academy and No. 10 York by 3-2 scores in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively).

Last Wednesday, in Portland, Yarmouth beat Greely for the third time this season by a 3-2 score, as Quinn Federle beat Peter Rinehart at second singles (6-3, 6-2) and the Clippers swept doubles play, with their No. 1 tandem of Sutter Augur and Ethan Lombard prevailing over Will Klein and Logan Guay, 6-0, 6-2, and the second team of Wiley Schumacher and Andrew Violette beating Patrick Devine and Luca Cianchette, 6-3, 6-2.

“It was really closer than the score suggests,” Federle said. “A lot of deuces, a lot of games I was down and had to fight back.”

“It’s always tough to beat an excellent team three times, so we knew it was going to be a similar situation,” Yarmouth coach Bill Shardlow said. “We don’t take anything for granted. We know we have to show up and play hard.”

The Rangers got wins from Leif Boddie at first singles (6-2, 6-0, over Will Best) and Charles Segal at third singles (6-1, 7-5, over Asher Lockwood) but fell just short and wound up 12-3.

The Clippers then edged Mt. Desert Island by a 3-2 score in Saturday’s state final in South Portland to finish a perfect 16-0. Federle beat Max Friedlander at second singles (6-3, 6-4), Lockwood triumphed at third singles over Evan Ankrom (6-1, 6-0) and the Augur/Lombard first doubles pairing defeated Jack Hodgdon and Jameson Weir (6-0, 6-2). Best lost at first singles to Westy Granholm, 6-2, 3-6, 0-1 (5), and Schumacher and Violette lost at second doubles to Treyan Nelson and Owen Kelly, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 2-6.

“We’re a humble team,” said Augur, who was also a member of state championship teams in soccer and basketball this school year. “We know on any given day, any of us can lose.”

“We have the depth that a lot of other teams just don’t have,” Federle said. “Our one, two and three singles (players) are always really close.”

Augur and Lockwood graduate, but everyone else is back, so don’t be surprised to see Yarmouth making another run at the title in 2023.

The North Yarmouth Academy boys got the regional final and nearly ended a long run of dominance by a rival before falling just short.

The Panthers, seeded seventh in Class C South, defeated No. 2 Carrabec (4-1) and No. Dirigo (5-0) to set up a regional final showdown versus No. 4 Waynflete, the 13-time reigning state champion, last week in Lewiston. NYA got wins from Bryce Poulin at first singles (10-6, 1-6, 6-3, over Henry Kerr) and Noah Silander at No. 2 singles (6-3, 6-4, over Matt Adey).

“We tried to come in with a mentality of they are in a position where they’re used to winning,” Silander said. “They’ve won 13 (championships) in a row. The pressure’s on them. We tried to use that to our advantage, but they’re a really strong team, obviously. They always are.”

The Panthers couldn’t quite pull off the upset, however, as Finlay Gepfert lost at third singles (0-6, 1-6) and NYA dropped both doubles matches to wind up 8-7. The Flyers went on to make it 14 in a row, beating Van Buren/Wisdom in the state final.

On the girls’ side, Falmouth got to the Class A South Final before bowing out. The Navigators, last year’s regional champion, were ranked third in the region and blanked No. 14 Deering (5-0) in the preliminary round, beat No. 6 Cheverus (5-0) in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Scarborough (3-2) in the semifinals before going up against No. 1 Kennebunk in the regional final last Wednesday. Falmouth got wins at first doubles (Avery Quinn and Liv McHugh, 6-1, 6-1) and second doubles (Natalie Glockler and Elise Gearan, 6-3, 6-3) but lost at first singles (Charlotte Williamson was beaten by Olivia Cutone, 0-6, 0-6), second singles (Marissa LeFevre was defeated by Sadie Yentsch, 0-6, 1-6) and third singles (Gracyn Mick lost to Andie Lamontagne, 2-6, 3-6) to finish the season 13-3. The Rams went on to win the state title over Brunswick.

Girls’ lacrosse

All five local girls’ lacrosse teams were still alive at the start of the week.

Falmouth and Yarmouth will meet in the playoffs for the first time, when they square off in the Class A North Final Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in Yarmouth (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story).

The Clippers, who won Class B a year ago and moved up this spring, earned the top seed in the region after closing the regular season on a seven-game win streak. Yarmouth then dispatched No. 9 Portland (15-3) in the quarterfinals, before eliminating No. 5 Cheverus (20-10) in Saturday’s semifinal round. Against the Bulldogs, Katelyn D’Appolonia scored four goals and Aine Powers added three. D’Appolonia then stole the show against the Stags, scoring a career-high 10 goals (which is believed to be a new program benchmark as well), and Powers added five goals as the Clippers pulled away in the second half.

“I think just knowing every game can be my last at this point really pushes me to play as hard as I can for the whole game,” said D’Appolonia, who will play lacrosse next year at the University of Colorado. “We played our hardest the whole time. Cheverus was a good team. They had an awesome regular season. I think they were ready for this game.”

“It’s a team win,” said longtime Yarmouth coach Dorothy Holt. “We’re playing with all the big schools in Class A and I’m super proud of this group. Everyone counted us out, but the girls give 100% in practice and 110 percent in the games. Just to get to the regional final is a privilege and an honor. Probably 80% of this team hadn’t played varsity before this year. They’re just playing with confidence and belief.”

Falmouth, the three-time reigning regional champion, earned the No. 2 seed for the playoffs and blanked No. 7 Bangor (15-0) in the quarterfinals before holding off No. 3 Windham (12-7) in the semifinals. Against the Rams, Falmouth scored seven times before the game was even 10 minutes old and rolled to victory behind five goals from Whitney Adams, two goals and four assists from Molly Scribner, and two goals and three assists from Peaches Stucker.

“We just knew we had to play like we know we can play,” Stucker said. “We couldn’t get too cocky. We just have to stay unselfish and keep our heads up and see each other.”

“We wanted to make sure we came out of the gate really strong and put together a good, solid 50 minutes and we did that,” said Navigators coach Ashley Pullen. “We made sure we were sharp in all areas, defense, shooting, on the draw. We wanted to be tuned-up and playoff-ready.”

Falmouth then raced to a 6-0 lead against the Eagles, but they rallied within two to make things interesting before the Navigators slammed the door in the second half. Kinsey Barry led a balanced attack with three goals, while Adams, Stucker and Adelaide Tolley added two apiece.

“I think our start was great,” Barry said. “We’re good at fast starts and we hold our own when we get up. I’m really proud of the team for coming out strong and having confidence and starting that way.”

“No lead is safe against Windham,” Pullen said. “They’re very tough and we knew they’d be hungry after we beat them last time. I give them a lot of credit for coming back when we went up 6-0. They showed a lot of character and perseverance and it made for an interesting rest of the game.”

Falmouth and Yarmouth played in the season opener, a 10-8 win for the host Navigators back on April 22. Falmouth had junior standout Sloane Ginevan for that game, but she’s now out for the season with a knee injury. Regardless, the Navigators remain confidence.

“I’m really excited to play Yarmouth again,” Barry said. “I’m excited to show them how much stronger we’ve gotten. I think it’ll be a great game.”

“We have to be aware of what Yarmouth brings to the table and try to contain their big threats,” Pullen said.

The Clippers enter the contest on an 11-game win streak and are hoping to reach the state game for the ninth consecutive season (the previous eight were in Class B).

“We have come a long way,” D’Appolonia said. “I think we were underdogs coming to Class A as a young team, but we’ve shown what we’ve got and we’re ready for the next game. It was early in the season when we played (Falmouth before). They’re a new team now and we’re a new team now and it’s a whole new matchup. We’re excited. I don’t think any us will settle for anything short of making it back to states.”

“It should be a great game,” Holt said. “You can’t ask for anything better than that. Falmouth’s a great team. We just have to keep playing the way we have been and if we do that, we’ll be fine.”

The Falmouth-Yarmouth winner will take on either reigning state champion Kennebunk (14-0) or Massabesic (13-1) in the state final Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

In Class B, Greely, the state runner-up a year ago, is looking to finish the job this season. The Rangers, ranked second, earned a bye into Saturday’s state quarterfinals and had no trouble with No. 10 Mt. Blue, advancing, 23-0, behind four goals from Asja Kelman; three goals and three assists apiece from Jenny Medrano, Allie Read and Charlotte Taylor; and three goals and two assists from Eva Williams. The Rangers (11-2) host No. 3 Cony (11-2) Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the state semifinals. The teams didn’t meet this year and have no playoff history.

If Greely reaches the state game for the second year in a row, it will battle either No. 4 York (9-4) or No. 9 Brunswick (7-7) Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

In Class C, second-ranked Freeport and third-seeded NYA met in the state semifinals Tuesday (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story).

The Falcons had a bye into the state quarterfinals, where they dominated No. 7 Morse, 17-2, last Friday. Savannah Tracy scored five goals, and Kate Tracy and Maddie Knight added three apiece as Freeport improved to 10-3.

The Panthers, meanwhile, needed to play No. 14 Oceanside in the preliminary round, rolling, 12-2, before holding off No. 6 Waynflete, the reigning Class C state champion, 8-6, in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Against the Flyers, Maggie Holt and Vy Tran both scored three goals, while Emma Sharp added two and NYA improved to 9-5.

“We really dug deep and believed in each other and trusted each other,” Holt said. “We all wanted to win and pulled it out.”

NYA twice lost to Freeport this spring, 12-6 at home and 8-7 on the road. The teams had met three previous times in the playoffs with the Panthers winning all of them, including a memorable 17-16 overtime victory in the most recent encounter, the 2019 Class C state quarterfinals.

The Freeport-NYA winner will face either No. 4 Wells (11-3) or No. 8 Lake Region (7-7) in the Class C state final Friday at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Boys’ lacrosse

Three boys’ lacrosse squads, Falmouth, NYA and Yarmouth, were also closing in on titles at press time.

Falmouth, the reigning Class A North champion, ranked first in the region, dominated No. 8 Edward Little (20-1) in the quarterfinals, then ousted No. 4 Lewiston (12-6) in Saturday’s semifinals. Against the Red Eddies, Rory Skillin-Lanou scored five goals, while Cole Allan, Cyrus Boothby, Xavier Grenier and Gio Guerrette added three apiece. In the win over the Blue Devils, Allan, Boothby and Robby Drum all had two goals. The Navigators (11-3) will host No. 2 Windham (9-5) Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the regional final. On May 5, Falmouth needed overtime to survive the visiting Eagles, 7-6. The teams have met twice before in the playoffs, with the Navigators winning both, 16-5 in the semifinals three years ago and 10-7 in last year’s regional final.

If Falmouth advances to the Class A state final for the fourth consecutive season, it will either face reigning champion Cape Elizabeth (12-2) for the second year in a row or meet Thornton Academy (13-1) Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

In Class B, two-time reigning state champion Yarmouth, ranked second this spring, had no trouble with No. 15 Mt. Blue (19-2) in the state preliminary round and pulled away to beat No. 10 Biddeford (15-4) in Saturday’s state quarterfinals. Against the Cougars, Sawyer Flowerdew, Killian Marsh, Colter Olsen and Peter Psyhogeos all had three goals. In the win over the Tigers, Marsh, Psyhogeos and Steven Fulton led the way with three goals apiece. The Clippers (12-2) play host to No. 3 York (13-1) in the state semifinals Wednesday at 7 p.m. Yarmouth lost at the Wildcats, 15-12, back on May 4 but have won nine straight since. The Clippers won the lone prior playoff meeting, 17-10, in the 2018 Class B state quarterfinals.

If Yarmouth gets back to states, it will battle either No. 1 Messalonskee (13-1) or No. 4 Brunswick (10-4) Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Greely, ranked 13th in Class B, finished 3-10 after a 19-2 loss at Brunswick in the state preliminary round.

In Class C, NYA, the top seed, improved to 10-3 after last week’s 15-3 win over No. 8 Gray-New Gloucester/Poland in the state quarterfinals. Brayden Warde scored six goals and Chas Rohde finished with four. The Panthers (10-3) hosted No. 4 Wells (10-4) in Tuesday’s state semifinal round. NYA won, 5-3, at the Warriors on May 3. The teams had no playoff history.

If the Panthers make it to Friday’s state final at Fitzpatrick Stadium, they’ll take on either No. 2 Oak Hill (10-3) or No. 6 Waynflete (9-5), the reigning state champion.

Freeport, ranked fifth in Class C, defeated No. 12 Traip Academy (15-1) in the preliminary round, then was eliminated at Wells, 12-5, to finish the year 6-8. Cort Lefebvre and Randall Walker both scored twice against the Warriors.

Baseball

The Freeport and Greely baseball teams have been on a collision course all season, so it didn’t come as a huge surprise to see that the reigning regional champion Falcons and powerhouse Rangers met up in Tuesday’s Class B South Final (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story) at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham.

Greely, the top seed, blanked No. 16 Lincoln Academy (8-0) in the preliminary round, ousted No. 8 Medomak Valley (12-2, in six innings) in the quarterfinals, then advanced with a 2-0 semifinal round win over No. 5 Cape Elizabeth. Against the Eagles, Zach Johnston threw a one-hitter and Marky Axelsen and Mason Kelson hit home runs. In the win over the Panthers, Axelsen had four hits, three runs scored and three RBI; Max Cloutier finished with three hits; and Ryan Kolben added two hits and earned the victory. Against the Capers, Johnston threw a two-hitter and fanned 12, and Kolben hit a home run.

Freeport, ranked third, needed eight innings to edge No. 14 Gray-New Gloucester, 2-1, in the preliminary round. Gus Wing scored the winning run and Blaine Cockburn earned the victory in relief. The Falcons then blanked No. 6 York, 3-0, in Friday’s quarterfinals, as Cockburn improved to 8-0 with a two-hitter and Nathan Abbott accounted for all of the offense with a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, his third home run versus the Wildcats this season.

“I have no explanation,” Abbott said. “Every time I go up there (against York), I just feel comfortable and confident. I was just waiting for that pitch and I was ready for it. It was a high fastball sitting right there. Before I even hit it, I knew.”

“I didn’t even really realize it’s my last time pitching here,” said Cockburn, who will pitch for the University of Maine in Orono next year. “It’s one of my favorite bumps to throw on. A lot of good memories. It’s a mound which has played an important role in my career.”

“We have that playoff magic again,” added Freeport coach Steve Shukie. “It’s probably a little more expected this year than it was last year.”

The Falcons then defeated No. 15 Lake Region, 5-0, in Saturday’s semifinals, as Abbott threw a two-hitter, striking out eight, and Keigan Shea paced the offense with a pair of hits.

Greely twice easily defeated Freeport in the regular season, 11-0 (in five innings) and 10-0, but Cockburn didn’t throw either time. The Falcons are 3-1 all-time versus the Rangers in the playoffs, with a 4-1 victory in last year’s regional final the most recent.

“I want to (win states) more than anyone in the state,” Cockburn said.

Yarmouth, the No. 4 seed, advanced with an 8-2 preliminary round win over No. 13 Gardiner, as Andrew Cheever and Jack McCosh both had two hits and two RBI, Matt Gautreau and Matt Robichaud added two hits apiece, and Liam Hickey earned the victory. Friday, the Clippers hosted No. 5 Cape Elizabeth and suffered a 5-0 defeat, as their season ended at 11-7.

“Things did not go our way today,” Yarmouth coach Marc Halsted lamented. “It breaks your heart to see kids you love and respect so much have struggles. It’s so much bigger than winning or losing a game. You want your kids to be successful. You care about them so much. We’re getting beaten up as coaches and officials these days. These aren’t necessarily jobs people want because of the way coaches and officials are treated, but this is why you do it. These kids are so special. They’re going to be so successful.”

In Class A South, Falmouth, seeded second, easily dispatched No. 15 Massabesic (10-0, in six innings) in the preliminary round, then rallied to down No. 7 Portland, 8-5, in last Wednesday’s quarterfinal round. The Navigators were down, 2-0, early and trailed, 5-3, heading to the bottom of the sixth, before scoring five times. Brady Coyne had three hits, Mitchell Ham scored three times and Patrick Gill drove in the winning runs.

“I love being in that spot,” said Gill, of his decisive at-bat. “I work best when I’m under pressure. I walked up there and I just tried to have the simplest mechanics on my swing. Their infield was in, so any ground ball was trouble. If it was at an infielder, it would be too fast to field, but I found a gap.”

“It was stressful, but the guys didn’t let the season end,” said Falmouth coach Mike D’Andrea. “I’m happy with our resiliency and spirit. They stayed up throughout the game. It was a good win for us.”

The Navigators’ magic then ran out Saturday against No. 3 South Portland, the reigning state champion, in the semifinals. Falmouth erased an early 3-1 deficit and almost came back from three runs down in the seventh but fell short, 6-5, to finish the year 16-3. Ethan Hendry hit a two-run home run and Gill had three hits and scored twice, but it wasn’t quite enough.

“I’m very proud of our team for staying in that game and not quitting,” D’Andrea said. “A one-run game against the defending state champions, a team that’s very talented and well-coached, I’m very proud of how we handled ourselves.”

The Navigators lose seven seniors, most of whom played key roles, to graduation. The future is very bright for the program, but those players will be tough to replace.

In Class C South, the Waynflete/North Yarmouth Academy co-op team, seeded fourth, survived No. 13 Old Orchard, 8-7 (in eight innings) in last Monday’s preliminary round. Waynflete/NYA then was eliminated, 11-2, by No. 5 Monmouth in the quarterfinals last Thursday to finish 13-5. Dylan Kullman had two hits and an RBI in defeat.

“We had some chances,” said Waynflete/NYA coach Paul Grazia. “Like we did all year, the team never gave up. We had three walk-off wins this year, and I think we were one play away from getting back into it and getting momentum back.

“We’ve really turned the corner the last couple years. We’ve had two of our best years in Class C ever. It’s been revitalizing for the program to be competitive. We’ve had a lot of really talented pitchers. Our offense has been hit-or-miss at times, but pitching and defense has carried us. It’s always been an emphasis of this program and it’s great to see all that hard work show up.

“We’ll have a lot of younger, talented players who will get an opportunity to play. We return a lot and I really hope we can get back here. We want to learn from this experience to take the next step next year. I’m very excited about where we’re heading.”

Softball

The softball season came to an end for local teams last week.

Freeport, the No. 8 seed in Class B South, won its first playoff game in two decades last Tuesday, beating No. 9 Lincoln Academy, 7-2. Ava Gervais and Izzy George combined to earn the victory, Rosie Panenka had three hits and two RBI, and Brook Pawlowski scored twice.

“The feeling is just amazing,” Pawlowski said. “It really means a lot to me, especially senior year. It’s so exciting.”

“I’m just speechless at this point,” added Freeport coach Jason Daniel. “I don’t know what to think or say. To take this next step is just beyond me.”

The Falcons then finished 12-6, their best record this century, after an 11-1 (six-innings) loss at top-ranked York in the quarterfinals.

“It was a tough day,” Daniel said. “York’s a great team. Their pitching and their hitting is very good.

“We have tons to be proud of. We had a great season. Went above and beyond my expectations. It was so good for the girls. I told (assistant coach) Rich (George) before the season, the program’s changing. He was a huge help. Very positive. It was just so good for the girls.”

Freeport loses Pawlowski and Jaclyn Burke to graduation, but returns everyone else and will find itself in a different spot next spring, facing expectations.

“We’re in a really good spot,” Daniel said. “We hope to build on this momentum. We have good talent for the next several years, but we’ll have to work hard to continue what we did this year.”

Greely, seeded 13th in Class B South, wound up 5-12 after a 10-4 loss at No. 4 Leavitt in last week’s preliminary round. Maia Wright had three hits for the Rangers in defeat.

Yarmouth, ranked 16th in Class B South, finished 1-16 after a 21-0 (five-inning) preliminary round loss at York.

In Class A South, Falmouth, the No. 16 seed, ended up 0-16 after an 11-0 (five-inning) loss at top-ranked Windham in the preliminary round.

Track

At the New England outdoor track championship meet Saturday in New Britain, Connecticut, Falmouth’s 4×100 boys’ relay team (Charlie Adams, Will Addison, Andrew Christie and Finn Caxton-Smith) placed fifth in 43.2 seconds. Addison was 12th in the 200 (22.79). Kevin Lu was 28th in the 300 hurdles (43.19). Elias Grover was 26th in the discus (131 feet, 8 inches). Freeport’s Henry Horne was 16th in the mile (4 minutes, 22.5 seconds) and 11th in the high jump (6-0). The Falcons’ 4×800 relay team (Ben Grimm, Ian Moore, Finn Furtney and Conner Smith) came in 24th (8:59.15). Greely’s Gage Cooney placed 16th in the 300 hurdles (41.43). Kennett Adande Kinti was 17th in the shot put (45-5.75). The Rangers’ 4×100 relay team (Evan Dutil, Ben Libby, Martin Young and Caleb Knox) placed 20th (45.73). Yarmouth’s Frazier Dougherty was 19th in the 200 (23.21) and 19th in the 400 (51.72). The Clippers’ 4×400 relay team (Harry Dougherty, Aiden Kamm, Owen Gillan and Frazier Dougherty) came in 22nd (3:32.3).

On the girls’ side, Falmouth’s Ruby Prentiss was 18th in the discus (108-2). Yarmouth’s 4×400 relay team (Evie King, Eliza Grimnes, Maya Panozzo and Emmy Carr) came in 24th (4:22.83).

Portland Press Herald staff writer Glenn Jordan contributed to this story.

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

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