Northern: Spring sports season didn’t disappoint

The 2022 spring sports season was very short and very sweet for local teams as, once again, plenty of memories were made.

Two girls’ lacrosse teams won state titles for the first time in a long time, as NYA made a surprise run to the Class C crown, while Greely captured the championship that just eluded it a year ago. Yarmouth got to the state final in its first year in Class A, beating Falmouth in the regional final on the way. Freeport wasn’t quite able to get back to the big game, losing to NYA in the state semifinals.

Three boys’ squads, Falmouth, Yarmouth and NYA, all lost in the state game, the Clippers and Panthers in agonizing fashion. Freeport and Greely also made the playoffs.

On the diamond, Forecaster Country featured some of the best pitching in the state, and every local squad did very well. The NYA/Waynflete co-op team reached the Class C South quarterfinals, Yarmouth was ousted in the Class B South quarterfinals and Falmouth made it to the Class A South semifinals, where it lost to reigning champion South Portland. That left Freeport and Greely in an upset in the Class B South Final, the Falcons repeated as regional champions with a 2-1 victory. Freeport then got within an out of an elusive first state title before losing a heartbreaker to Ellsworth, 3-2.

Freeport’s softball team had a special season as well, achieving things last seen two decades ago, or longer. The Falcons got to the Class B South quarterfinals before losing to York. Falmouth, Greely and Yarmouth were all ousted in their respective preliminary round contests.

Yarmouth’s boys’ tennis team won another Class B state title, eliminating Freeport and Greely along the way. NYA came close to ending Waynflete’s now 14-year run atop Class C, but the Panthers dropped a 3-2 decision in the regional final.

On the girls’ side, Falmouth lost to eventual state champion Kennebunk in the regional final. Freeport, Greely, NYA and Yarmouth all won one playoff match before being eliminated.

Local track teams and individuals did very well at the big meets. Falmouth’s 4×100 relay team of Charlie Adams, Will Addison, Andrew Christie and Finn Caxton-Smith set a new Class A record with a time of 42.96 seconds, then came in fifth at New Englands before posting a third-place showing at the Rising Stars race at nationals.

We’re already enjoying summer, but let’s take another look back and pay tribute to some of the best moments of the spring.

Team state champions

Greely Rangers girls’ lacrosse, Class B
North Yarmouth Academy Panthers girls’ lacrosse, Class C
Yarmouth Clippers boys’ tennis, Class B

Team regional champions

Falmouth Navigators boys’ lacrosse, Class A North
Freeport Falcons baseball, Class B South
Yarmouth Clippers girls’ lacrosse, Class A North

Individual state champions

Track

Molly Cobbs, Freeport, Class B girls’ pole vault
Henry Horne, Freeport, Class B boys’ mile
Henry Horne, Freeport, Class B boys’ high jump
Gage Cooney, Greely, Class B boys’ 300 hurdles

Michael’s top five stories/moments

5) Panthers nearly become Flyers-slayers

No one has beaten Waynflete’s boys’ tennis team in the playoffs dating to 2008, but NYA almost did in the regional final. The Panthers lost twice to the Flyers by 4-1 scores in the regular season, but in the Class C South Final June 7, NYA managed to take two points. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they needed three, and Waynflete was able to advance, 3-2, for its 55th straight postseason victory. The Flyers then captured their 14th consecutive state title. NYA will try again in 2023.

4) Make it three in a row for the Clippers

Yarmouth’s boys’ tennis team, meanwhile, did reach the pinnacle. Again. After winning Class B in 2019, then repeating in 2021 (there was no season in 2020 due to COVID), the Clippers went undefeated this year for the first time since 1994, when they played in Class C. Yarmouth then beat Cape Elizabeth (4-1) in the Class B South quarterfinals, before edging rivals Freeport and Greely by 3-2 scores in the semifinals and regional final, respectively. The Clippers then made it three straight championships June 11 by again prevailing by a 3-2 margin, this time over Mt. Desert Island. Yarmouth figures to be back for more next spring.

3) Freeport softball enjoys best season in decades

Freeport’s softball team enjoyed its best season in two decades this spring. File photos

Prior to the start of the season, Freeport softball coach Jason Daniel vowed that this year would be different and that the long-struggling Falcons would be vastly improved. That bold statement actually proved to be an understatement as Freeport became one of the feel-good stories of the season. The Falcons set the tone with four straight wins to open, then beat perennial power Fryeburg Academy for the first time in 17 years before downing reigning state champion Cape Elizabeth for the first time this century. Freeport posted an 11-5 regular season record, its best since 1999, then hosted a playoff game for the first time in three decades, then won in the postseason for the first time since 2002, beating Lincoln Academy, 7-2, in the Class B South preliminary round. All good things must end and the Falcons’ history-making campaign ended at York in the quarterfinals with an 11-1 loss, but it was a season that will long be remembered and likely wasn’t an aberration. Freeport returns almost everyone in 2023 and hopes that winning records and playoff runs become a habit.

2) Near unhittable pitching

Greely senior Zach Johnston was one of many pitching aces who dazzled all spring. Johnston will pitch for Wake Forest University next year.

What a collection of pitching arms Forecaster Country boasted in 2022. At Falmouth, Eli Cowperthwaite, Dom Tracy and Patrick Gill led the Navigators to the Class A South semifinals, where they lost to defending state champion South Portland. Freeport was paced by University of Maine-bound, left-handed ace Blaine Cockburn, who threw a pair of no-hitters and, with help from Gus Wing, helped the Falcons upset Greely in the Class B South Final. The Rangers threw a dozen shutouts over the course of the season and featured two sensational hurlers, Wake Forest University-bound lefty Zach Johnston (who threw a perfect game and a no-hitter) and Ryan Kolben, who twice threw no-hitters in his first year as a starter and will catch at the University of Massachusetts. Not to be outdone, Yarmouth boasted Liam Hickey (who no-hit Lake Region) and Sam Lowenstein. While some great arms will move on to the next level, there will be plenty of firepower remaining to make life miserable for the opposition next spring.

1) Lacrosse dominance across the board

NYA’s girls’ lacrosse team won its first state title since 2010.

Six lacrosse state championship games were held at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland the weekend of June 17-18. All six of them featured a team from our coverage area, emphasizing once and for all that the local lacrosse world revolves around a small geographic area from Falmouth to Cumberland to Yarmouth to Freeport. NYA took part in both Class C games, as the girls won their first title since 2010, holding off a late rally to edge Wells, 12-11. The Panthers boys weren’t as fortunate. They did force overtime against reigning champion Waynflete on a goal from Chas Rohde with 2.2 seconds left but eventually dropped a heartbreaker in double OT, 9-8. In Class A, Falmouth’s boys lost again to powerhouse Cape Elizabeth, this time, 18-7. Yarmouth’s girls took part in their first Class A state game, but despite a valiant comeback, lost to repeat champion Kennebunk, 11-8. Yarmouth’s boys were expected to win a third straight Class B crown but were shocked by Brunswick in a down-to-the-wire thriller, 14-13. Greely’s girls then capped the weekend with their first title in the Maine Principals’ Association-sanctioned era, downing York, 13-7. This wasn’t a one year wonder either, as lacrosse excellence has long been a theme and should continue in 2023.