Talk about a memorable week.

Cross country and volleyball (see story) held their state championships, field hockey and soccer featured memorable quarterfinals and semifinals, while football’s postseason is also underway.

The best part of the fall sports season hasn’t disappointed, but it’s almost over, so don’t blink, you might miss it.

Here’s a glimpse at the entertaining week that was and how things stand as the calendar flips from October to November:

Cross country

The state cross country meet was held Saturday in rainy and muddy conditions in Belfast.

The Cape Elizabeth girls tallied 102 points and finished a distant runner-up to Mount Desert Island (46) in the Class B meet. The Capers had their best state meet finish since 2010 and were led by Hadley Mahoney, who was first individually with a time of 18 minutes, 46.95 seconds.

“It was better than I expected,” Mahoney said. “The corners were very muddy. I had an almost-disaster a few times, but overall it was not bad.”

Also scoring for Cape Elizabeth were Emma Young (ninth, 20:52.96), Charlotte DeGeorge (13th, 21:14.45), Eva Morris (39th, 23:03.36) and Maddie McEvoy (40th, 23:06.99).

In the Class B boys’ race, won by Freeport with 86 points, Cape Elizabeth (131) finished third, its best showing since 2014. The Capers were led by Owen Patry, who had the third-best time but was first for scoring purposes in 17:08.8. Vaughn Lindenau also finished in the top 10 (10th, 17:38.32). Also scoring were Lukas Robinson (35th, 18:53.21), Seb Hesser (39th, 18:59.46) and Carter Abrahamsen (46th, 19:07.05).

In the Class A boys’ meet, won by Hampden Academy (69 points), South Portland (174) placed fifth, its best showing since 2011. The Red Riots were led by Jacob Ramos (10th, 17:05.38). Also scoring were Brady Guay (23rd, 17:41.2), Jack Nickerson (35th, 18:10.25), Kyle Hartford (51st, 18:34.11) and Emmons Whited (55th, 18:36.69).

Scarborough (190) was sixth, its lowest finish since 2016. The Red Storm were led by fourth-place finisher Zachary Barry (16:31.31). Also scoring were Adam Bendetson (38th, 18:15.18), Joseph Cotta (44th, 18:21.3), Nathan Driscoll (46th, 18:25.6) and Ethan Keller (58th, 18:43.31).

In the Class A girls’ meet, won by Bonny Eagle with 51 points, Scarborough freshman Rowan Driscoll ran as an individual and had the 25th-best time (20:57.4).

The New England championship meet is Nov. 13 in Thetford, Vermont. Cape Elizabeth’s Hadley Mahoney and Owen Patry, Scarborough’s Zachary Barry and South Portland’s Jacob Ramos all qualified.

Boys’ soccer

Cape Elizabeth’s boys’ soccer team advanced to the Class B South Final despite being seeded seventh in the region. The Capers blanked No. 10 Gray-New Gloucester (3-0) in the preliminary round, then downed No. 2 Erskine Academy, 5-1, in the quarterfinals. Last Saturday, at No. 3 Gardiner in the semifinals, Cape Elizabeth got two goals from Tiernan Lathrop and another from Sebastian Moon in a 3-0 victory.

“They were an athletic team, but I think in our conference we play a lot more skilled, competitive soccer teams,” Lathrop said. “That put us at an advantage.”

“The schedule is the schedule, we play who shows up,” Cape Elizabeth coach Ben Raymond said. “We definitely try to make sure we’re focused on getting better every day and not focusing on winning that specific game. Yes, we’re trying to win every single game, but the important thing is are we getting better, are we doing the things that are going to help us go deeper in the playoffs?”

Wednesday in Lewiston, the Capers (11-5-1) took on reigning champion and top-ranked Yarmouth (15-0-2) in the Class B South Final (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story).

Yarmouth beat Cape Elizabeth twice by 2-0 margins this season. The teams had met three times before in the postseason with the Clippers leading, 2-1, but the Capers won last time, 2-1, in the 2018 Class B South semifinals to end Yarmouth’s four-year title reign.

If Cape Elizabeth advanced to the Class B state final, it will meet either Winslow (17-0) or John Bapst (12-3) Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Massabesic High School in Waterboro.

Scarborough and South Portland weren’t as fortunate.

The Red Storm, seeded second in Class A South, handled No. 15 Sanford, 6-0, in the preliminary round, but in last Wednesday’s quarterfinals, at home versus Gorham, Scarborough lost, 2-1, on penalty kicks, 8-7, to wind up 13-3. Kilson Joao scored in regulation, but the Rams answered, and 80 minutes of regulation and 30 more of overtime didn’t determine a winner, sending the contest to PKs where the Red Storm fell short.

“You should win the game on the field,” said longtime Scarborough coach Mark Diaz. “I’m not a rules guy, but there’s got to be a better way. It’s just a terrible way to end a game, a season. You just feel bad. Sometimes you feel bad when you win those.”

South Portland, ranked third in Class A South, blanked No. 14 Biddeford, 5-0, in the preliminary round, then shut out No. 11 Bonny Eagle, 2-0, in the quarterfinals last Wednesday. Divin Mpinga and Nzuzi Mvula scored second-half goals. In the semifinals, at home versus No. 7 Gorham Friday, the Red Riots couldn’t score and lost, 1-0, on a second half goal to wind up 11-3-3 and fall just short of making the regional final for the first time since 1988.

“I honestly think (Gorham) might have the most talented team even though they’re the seven seed,” said South Portland coach Bryan Hoy. “It’s the great part of this sport and the terrible part of this sport. It takes one play and that’s ball game. I thought (Gorham) played great, and I thought we played great. I don’t think my guys realize it now, but that was one of the better soccer games that’s been played in southern Maine this year.”

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, Cape Elizabeth was two wins away from a third straight Class B state championship at press time.

The Capers, ranked first in Class A South, blanked No. 8 Greely, 5-0, in last Wednesday’s quarterfinals, as Emily Supple had three goals, while Maggie Cochran and C.C. Duryee added one apiece. Saturday, in the semifinals, Cape Elizabeth beat No. 5 York, 4-1, to improve to 15-1. Cochran had three goals and Supple also found the net.

“I think we have a lot of pressure this year because we’ve lost a lot of great players, but we have a really, really good team and I think since we’ve got to this place now, we know we have a really good team and we just want to win,” Cochran said. “That’s all we want.”

“(Maggie’s) a special player, a special talent,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Graham Forsyth. “She led by example today and her goals just capped off a really nice performance.”

The Capers met No. 2 Yarmouth (15-1-1) in the Class B South Final Wednesday afternoon in Lewiston (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story). The teams split during the regular season, with the Capers prevailing at Yarmouth, 2-0 Sept. 2, and the Clippers rallying for a 3-2 victory at Cape Elizabeth Oct. 5. The teams have met five previous times in the postseason, with Cape Elizabeth winning three of them, including a 3-0 victory in the 2019 Class B South Final, the most recent.

If the Capers reach the state game again, they will meet either Hermon (16-0) or Mount Desert Island (7-10) Saturday at 3 p.m. at Massabesic High School in Waterboro.

In Class A South, Scarborough, the No. 4 seed, squeaked past No. 13 Deering, 1-0, in the preliminary round, but last Thursday, lost at home to Thornton Academy, 2-1, in the quarterfinals to finish 13-2-1. Ali Mokriski scored the goal, but the Red Storm fell short.

“(TA) did well,” said Scarborough coach Mike Farley. “They made the most of the couple of opportunities they got. They put pressure on our backs and we just couldn’t couldn’t find that last play. We came out well in the second half, but when we didn’t score, we kind of let off and they got a goal and that was the difference.”

Field hockey

Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough’s field hockey teams each reached their respective regional final.

The Red Storm, ranked second in Class A South, blanked No. 9 Portland/Deering (9-0) in the preliminary round, then got past No. 7 Noble, 2-0, in the quarterfinals last Wednesday. Friday, Scarborough played host to No. 3 Biddeford, the two-time reigning regional champion, in the semifinals and got a scare before ultimately advancing. The Tigers struck first, but Ayden Harris tied it.

“Getting that shot off was crucial and the goalie was all over it, but the ball bounced in,” Harris said. “It was an exciting moment.”

Then, with just 1:46 left, out of a scrum off a penalty corner, Lili Stone scored to give the Red Storm a 2-1 victory.

“It was really scrappy,” Stone said. “We were right in front of the goal and (the ball) just made it in. The goalie made an amazing save, and off the rebound, I was just able to slip it in over two sticks. It was so emotional.”

“We had the curse of the semifinal game against us, I guess,” said Red Storm coach Kerry Mariello. “We have a flag that holds the banners of our past championships. I had the girls stare at it and asked what was missing, since it had been awhile. They want to get this decade up on that flag. This is a special group and they’re highly capable of doing that.”

The Red Storm (16-1) advanced to meet top-ranked, undefeated Cheverus (17-0) in the regional final Wednesday in Freeport. Scarborough did suffer its lone loss in a close game (1-0) at Cheverus early in the season. The Red Storm had won three of four prior playoff meetings, with a 2-0 victory in the 2018 Class A South quarterfinals the most recent.

If Scarborough advances to the state final for the first time since 2014, it will meet either Skowhegan (16-0) or Oxford Hills (11-5) Saturday at a time to be announced in Augusta.

Cape Elizabeth, coming off its best season since 2000, finished second in Class B South and after surviving No. 7 Morse, 1-0, in last Tuesday’s quarterfinals, hosted third-ranked Yarmouth for the semifinals last Saturday in the rain. Standout Grace Gray scored three goals and Piper Rickman also rattled the cage in a 4-0 victory.

“It’s very exciting for our team,” Gray said. “It was important get out to a fast start because we knew Yarmouth’s a tough team to beat. We’re excited to go as far as we can, so we wanted a fast start so feel more comfortable throughout.”

“This is huge for us,” said Capers coach Maura Bisogni. “Maintaining our No. 2 seed throughout the tournament is hard. It’s great to play at home, even in this weather. I’m really proud of the girls.”

Surprisingly, Cape Elizabeth (13-2-1) did not face top-ranked York in the Class B South final Wednesday in Freeport. That’s because the perennial regional champion Wildcats were upset by No. 5 Leavitt (14-3) in the semifinals Monday. The Capers didn’t face the Hornets this season. The teams had played seven previous times in the playoffs, with a 2-1 Cape Elizabeth win in 2004 Western B preliminary round the most recent.

“We’re excited,” Gray said. “It’s been a really long time since Cape has had such a strong team. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I’d have a great year with the team, having fun and trying our best.”

If Cape Elizabeth gets to the Class B state final Saturday in Augusta at a time to be announced, it will meet either Lawrence (13-0) or Old Town (13-3).

Football

Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough’s football teams remain in the Gold Ball hunt, while South Portland’s season has come to a close.

In Class C South, the Capers, ranked second, had no trouble with No. 7 Westbrook in a quarterfinal Friday, rolling at home, 56-0. Cape Elizabeth raced to a 21-0 lead after one quarter, as Nick Laughlin scored twice on 13-yard runs, then caught a 28-yard scoring pass from quarterback Caden McDuffie. The Capers blew it open in the second period, as Laughlin scored on a 7-yard run, McDuffie connected with Jack Gorman for a 29-yard score, Colin Campbell scored on a 10-yard dash and Ceroi Mello added a 5-yard TD run for a commanding 49-0 lead. McDuffie then scored on a 19-yard run in the third quarter to finish the scoring. McDuffie passed for 108 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 97 yards and a TD.

Cape Elizabeth (7-1) hosts No. 3 Fryeburg Academy (6-3) in the semifinals Friday night. The Capers enjoyed a 40-8 home victory over the Raiders on Sept. 10. Cape Elizabeth won the only prior playoff meeting, 14-0, in the 2017 Class C South semifinals.

In Class A, Scarborough played its first game in three weeks last Friday and lost at undefeated Thornton Academy, 51-0, to finish the regular season 4-3. The Red Storm are fifth for the state playoffs and go to No. 4 Bangor (7-2) for the quarterfinals Friday. On Sept. 17, the visiting Rams scored on a wild last play of the game to beat the Red Storm, 37-36. The teams met once before in the playoffs, a 48-3 Scarborough victory in the 2019 Class A quarterfinals.

South Portland was the No. 5 seed in Class B South and went to No. 4 Noble for a quarterfinal last Friday. The Red Riots took an early 7-0 lead on a touchdown run from Johnny Poole, but the Knights got momentum with a safety, then went ahead with a touchdown and two-point conversion. South Portland had a chance to kick a tying field goal late, but it fell short and the Red Riots finished the year 4-5.

Press Herald staff writers Steve Craig, Glenn Jordan and Mike Lowe and Kennebec Journal staff writer Travis Barrett contributed to this story.

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

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