It wasn’t always easy last week to get games started or completed, but teams still managed to enjoy some promising results.

We’re still early in the campaign and the best is yet to come, but there’s a lot of good things to recap from the week that was:

Football

Reigning eight-man large school division state champion Yarmouth rolled to a 2-0 start Friday with a 59-14 victory at Spruce Mountain. The Clippers raced to a 15-0 lead after one quarter and pulled away by halftime, up, 37-8. Senior standout Michael McGonagle ran wild, scoring five touchdowns. Yarmouth seeks a 3-0 start Friday at Lake Region (0-2).

Greely suffered its first loss, 28-8, at Camden Hills. The Rangers (1-1) are home versus Brunswick (1-1) Thursday night.

Freeport improved to 2-0 Saturday with a 28-16 home win over Lisbon.

“This was a very tight ball game,” said Falcons coach Paul St. Pierre. “Lisbon took an early lead before we finally went ahead late in the second quarter. In the second half, we had multiple fourth down stops to hold them at bay. We only managed one TD in the second half on a big play. We won because we made a few more big plays on offense and special teams and had some key turnovers on downs in the second half. Noah Michaud deflected a pass in the end zone on fourth down to stop one of the drives. We’re relying too much on the big play. It’s not sustainable moving forward.”

The Falcons seek a third straight win Saturday at John Bapst.

“We need to get better at the little things if we want to continue to have success,” said St. Pierre. “If a few plays had gone differently, we easily could be 0-2. Class D is very balanced this season and it’s showing.”

Falmouth fell to 0-2 after a 27-8 setback at Lawrence. Indi Backman accounted for the Navigators’ points with a 1-yard fourth quarter touchdown run and added the two-point conversion rush.

“At halftime, I said, ‘look, it’s about getting incrementally better,’” Falmouth coach John Fitzsimmons. “I said, ‘let’s go out and pick your heads up in the second half.’ They did a very good job of that.”

The Navigators will try again for their first victory Friday at Gardiner (1-1).

Boys’ soccer

Yarmouth’s three-time reigning Class B state champion boys’ soccer team has shaken off an opening loss at Greely by defeating visiting Gray-New Gloucester (7-0), York (3-0) and Brunswick (3-1) to improve to 3-1. Against the Patriots, Zacarius Binda had three goals, Nate Buchanan, Mateo Cory and Matt Gautreau added one apiece and the other came on an “own goal.” In the win over the Wildcats, Gautreau had two goals and Binda scored the other. Against the Dragons, the reigning Class A state champions, the Clippers fell behind on an “own goal,” then rallied in the second half, as Adam McLaughlin scored to tie it, Jonny Fulton put Yarmouth on top and Binda put it away. The Clippers return to action with a showdown at Cape Elizabeth in a rematch of last year’s memorable final Thursday night (see our website for game story). Yarmouth visits Wells Saturday and goes to four-time reigning Class C champion Waynflete Tuesday of next week.

Freeport was 2-0-1 heading into a home showdown versus Cape Elizabeth Tuesday. Last week, the Falcons won decisively at North Yarmouth Academy, 7-0, then settled for a 2-2 home draw against Morse. In the victory, Freeport went ahead to stay in the fifth minute on a goal from Thomas Roy, then it got tallies from Sam Morris, Owen Rusiecki, Ivan Lyons and Emmanuel Ekogha to take a 5-0 advantage before the game was even 15 minutes old. Randall Walker added a breakaway goal before halftime and in the second half, before Freeport cleared its bench, including playing a large number of junior varsity players, Rusiecki scored a second goal.

“We knew we needed to score early and realistically, we wanted to put the game out of reach,” said Rusiecki.

“We got everyone playing time,” said Falcons coach Bob Strong. “It was nice to get everyone some minutes. We have to rely on some guys who don’t play as much to step up because injuries happen. We needed to put some goals in the net just for confidence.”

In the tie, Ekogha scored early and Lyons tied the score with a second half header. Freeport visits Greely Thursday, then hosts Traip Academy Saturday and York Tuesday of next week.

“I think we always play up to the top teams,” Rusiecki said. “We know we can compete with those teams. We just need to keep working on our weaknesses.”

“It’s a tough league,” said Strong. “I like being under the radar. I have a lot of confidence in this team. We have a lot of good athletes and they’re coachable. I think we’ll be a headache for some teams as the fall progresses.”

Greely enjoyed a 2-1 win at Fryeburg Academy, then fell to 2-1 with a 2-1 loss at Cape Elizabeth last week. In the victory, Owen Piesik and Bez Mendelsohn scored goals, while goalkeeper Landon Donovan made five saves. The Rangers hosted Waynflete Tuesday and hosts Freeport Thursday.

Falmouth lost at Gorham last week, 4-1, then evened its record at 1-1-1 with a 1-0 home victory over South Portland. Simon Wissink had the goal in the loss to the Rams. Against the Red Riots, Colby Morse scored the lone goal. The Navigators were at Portland Tuesday, host Marshwood Thursday and go to Cheverus Monday (see our website for game story).

NYA, last year’s Class D state champion, which has moved up this fall to Class C, lost, 7-0, to visiting Freeport last Tuesday, then improved to 2-1 with a 3-0 home over Lake Region last Thursday. In the loss to the Falcons, goalkeeper Gavin Thomas made 14 saves.

“I think our team is really talented, but we just need time,” said NYA’s first-year coach Larry Burningham. “I prepared them that today we’d get some lessons. We did and we figured some things out and got better. Gavin was solid in net.”

In the victory, Jacob Colaluca scored twice and Jack Herbert also found the net. Thomas made five saves. The Panthers visit Gray-New Gloucester Wednesday and host St. Dom’s Tuesday of next week.

“We have games we expect to win and other games we hope to hang in and hopefully steal one and then we’ll be fine,” said Burningham. “I fully anticipate being in playoffs and going deep in playoffs.”

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, four-time reigning Class D champion NYA, now playing in Class C, had its 30-game win streak come to an end at Freeport Tuesday, but not due to action on the field. After the teams played through a scoreless first half, the lights at the Joan Benoit Samuelson Track and Field failed to come on and the game was called. The expectation initially was for the contest to be replayed in its entirety, but eventually was declared a tie.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a challenging game like that,” said Panthers coach Ricky Doyon. “We were looking for that. It was a very good test. We tried to move the ball a little bit. We had to defend and our goalie had to work hard as well. We saw places that we know we can improve on and areas we’re doing alright.”

NYA then improved to 3-0-1 with wins over host Lake Region (3-2) and at home over Old Orchard (5-0), in another weather-shortened contest. Against the Lakers, the Panthers trailed, 1-0, at halftime, but came back behind goals from Alicia Fontaine and Lyla Casey before Emily Robbins won it late. In the win over the Seagulls, Ella Giguere had two goals and Casey, Caroline Matusovich and Natasha Godfrey also found the net. NYA hosts Gray-New Gloucester Wednesday and travels to St. Dom’s Tuesday of next week.

“So far, I’m pleased with our progression,” Doyon said. “I think we’ll continue to improve. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season. I think we can be competitive with our schedule.”

Defending Class B champion Yarmouth, which lost its opener at Greely, improved to 2-1 last week with wins at Gray-New Gloucester (6-0) and Brunswick (2-0). Against the Patriots, Aine Powers led the way with two goals and Maya Hagerty, Olive McNaboe, Taylor Oranellas and Lilah Pernal all added one. In the win at the Dragons, Class A finalists a year ago, Ali Miller had both goals. The Clippers went to York Tuesday, host Cape Elizabeth in a pivotal showdown Thursday (see our website for game story) and welcome Wells Saturday.

Freeport, which won its opener, 3-0, at Gray-New Gloucester, settled for a 0-0 home tie against NYA last week when its lights never came on after the teams played a half.

“I remember in the past, when it gets too hot, that (power) box burns out and that might have happened tonight,” said Falcons coach Dave Intraversato. “It was a great game, back-and-forth. We had more shots, but not on frame, so we’ll work on that.”

Freeport was at Cape Elizabeth Tuesday, welcomes Greely Thursday, goes to Traip Academy Saturday and visits York Tuesday of next week.

“I like this group,” said Intraversato. “Skill-wise, it’s one of the best teams I’ve had and we’re very deep. We have a  lot of mature seniors leading the way. When we have some younger kids out there and we don’t miss a beat. I think we can play with anybody. Yarmouth and Cape have always been at the top and it’s been hard to get past them, but I think if we work hard and trust each other, we can go far.”

Greely started 2-0 with a 5-0 home win over Fryeburg Academy last week, then suffered a 4-1 home loss to Cape Elizabeth. In the victory, Jackie Franklin, Meadow Buxton-Rost, Avery Bush, Abby Lennox and Molly Partridge all scored. Shaylee O’Grady had the goal in the loss to the Capers. The Rangers played at Class C South contender Waynflete Tuesday (see our website for game story), then visit Freeport Thursday.

Falmouth got its first win last Wednesday, beating visiting Biddeford, 6-1, to improve to 1-1. Josie D’Andrea scored three times, while Margo Hesson, Afton Mick, Hadley Perry and Finley VanTil all added one goal. Bad weather postponed Friday’s game at Thornton Academy. The Navigators hosted Kennebunk Tuesday and welcome Windham Monday of next week.

Field hockey

Freeport’s field hockey team, which reached the Class B state final a year ago, bounced back from an Opening Day loss with three consecutive road victories, 3-0 at York, 3-0 at Poland and 5-0 at Brunswick. Against the Wildcats, in a repeat of last year’s regional final, Liza Flower, Emily Groves and Anna Maschino all scored. In the win over the Knights, Flower had two goals and Maschino had the other as the Falcons came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring three times.

“The first three quarters, we weren’t ourselves and we finally turned it around,” Flower said. “During halftime, we talked about changing our mindset and attitude. I think that was the key.”

“We weren’t really playing our game,” Freeport coach Marcia Wood said. “I said, ‘Once we score, we will be fine. We just need to get that first monkey off your back to push through.’ Thank goodness, because we did not want to do 7-on-7 in overtime. That would have been miserable.”

Against the Dragons, Flower and Groves each had two goals and and Proscia also scored. The Falcons host Lake Region Wednesday (see our website for game story) and go to Greely Monday.

Yarmouth improved to 3-0 after home wins last week over Wells (9-0) and Spruce Mountain (2-1). Against the Warriors, Sophie Smith and Celia Zinman each had three goals, while Colleen Lynch, Erica O’Connor and Madison Wiles all added one. In the win over the Phoenix, Smith and Wiles each scored. The Clippers hoped to stay undefeated Tuesday when Poland paid a visit. Yarmouth hosts Greely Thursday.

Greely improved to 2-1 Monday with a 3-0 win at Wells. The Rangers are at Yarmouth Thursday and host Freeport Monday of next week.

Falmouth finally opened its season Monday with a 3-0 home win over South Portland/Westbrook. Allie Sweetser scored twice and Valerie Rand added a goal and two assists. The Navigators are home against Kennebunk Wednesday and travel to Biddeford Tuesday of next week.

Volleyball

Yarmouth’s volleyball team, which has won the previous four Class B titles, fell to 1-1 after dropping a four-set (18-25, 27-25, 17-25, 22-25) match at reigning Class A champion Biddeford last week.

“It was a really good test of who could keep the ball off the floor the longest, I felt,” said Clippers’ first-year coach Erin Quirk. “Just a really good challenge for us. I felt Biddeford really challenged us and pushed us to our limits. They beat us on some tipping, and they were putting it to good spots. As soon as we thought we knew what they were doing, they would change it up. They played really smart and put it to the spots we had wide open. This year, with our tough schedule, this really prepares us for the next one.”

Yarmouth hosted another Class A power, Gorham, Tuesday, goes to Ellsworth Saturday and visits Cape Elizabeth Tuesday of next week.

Greely improved to 2-0 with a 3-1 win at Cony last week, then suffered its first loss, 3-0, at Ellsworth. The Rangers went to Wells Tuesday, host Brunswick Thursday and play at Falmouth Tuesday of next week.

Falmouth fell to 1-1 after a four-set (25-14, 22-25, 20-25, 19-25) home loss to Cape Elizabeth last week. Rhyse Sholl had 12 assists, Erin Andrews had nine kills and Hannah Roche added nine digs. The Navigators hosted Kennebunk Tuesday, go to Thornton Academy Thursday and welcome Greely Tuesday of next week.

NYA earned its first win last Thursday, downing visiting Edward Little in four-sets (25-16, 25-15, 17-25, 25-14), then fell to 1-3 Saturday with home losses to Bucksport (19-25, 14-25, 25-23, 25-18, 13-15) and George Stevens Academy (22-25, 13-25, 24-26). In the victory, Charlotte McLatchy had nine digs, seven kills, four assists and four aces, Eleanor Zuiches finished with 10 aces, five assists and four digs and Sasha Schutz added seven aces and three kills. In the loss to Bucksport, McLatchy had six aces, four kills, two assists and six digs. Against GSA, Zuiches had seven aces and 10 digs. The Panthers are back in action Wednesday at Lewiston.

Cross country

The cross country season continued last week, as Falmouth’s girls were second to Portland in a three-team meet at Thornton Academy. Maeve Ginevan paced the Navigators with a third-place individual finish (20 minutes, 59 seconds). The boys’ meet was postponed by bad weather.

Greely and Maine Coast Waldorf took part in a seven-team meet in Poland. The Rangers boys and girls were each runners-up behind York. William Coull won the boys’ meet in 17:40. The Greely girls were paced by Rowan Barry (fourth, 22:03). MCW’s girls were fourth and produced the second-place individual, Soren Stark-Chessa (20:59).

Golf

Freeport’s golf team improved to 7-0 with wins last week of Yarmouth and NYA. Eli Spaulding led the way by shooting a 4-under round of 32.

Greely was 3-1 after sandwiching wins over Westbrook (13-0) and Windham (11-2) around a 10-3 loss to Thornton Academy.

Falmouth also improved to 3-1 after wins last week over Cheverus (7-6) and Portland (13-0).

Yarmouth lost to Freeport (159-167) but beat NYA (167-170) last week. David Swift led the Clippers with a round of 40.

NYA got a round of 39 in its loss to Freeport and Yarmouth last week.

Kennebec Journal staff writer Dave Dyer, Sun Journal staff writer Nathan Fournier and Press Herald staff writer Travis Lazarczyk contributed to this story.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. 

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