Portland: Fall teams looking good at midway point

The calendar is about to flip from September to October and the fall sports season has passed the halfway point, which means the fun is just beginning.

As teams gear up for playoff runs, the games take on more meaning by the day.

Here’s a look back at last week and a glimpse at what’s to come:

Football

Portland’s football team didn’t have to break a sweat last week as it improved to 4-0 when Falmouth, the Bulldogs’ scheduled foe, forfeited due to low numbers and injuries. Portland was credited with a 2-0 victory, but was none too happy about not being able to take the field.

“For us, those are valuable reps we’re going to lose, so we’ll have to crank it up in practice,” said Bulldogs first-year coach Sean Green. “It’s definitely an unfortunate situation for everybody involved.”

Portland plays host to 3-1 Windham Friday.

“All we can do is control what we can control and that’s getting ready for Windham,” said Green.

Cheverus, meanwhile, improved to 4-0 with a hard-fought, dramatic 26-20 victory at Wells Friday. The Stags were down, 7-0, after one quarter, went up, 14-7, at halftime, then took a 20-14 lead late in the third period, on an 11-yard touchdown run from Joe Osei. After the Warriors drew even, quarterback Gio St. Onge moved the chains with a clutch fourth down scramble, then Osei scored on a 6-yard run with 48 seconds left to put Cheverus on top. St. Onge then came up with an interception to clinch it. The Stags host 3-1 Fryeburg Academy Saturday.

Deering lost for the first time last Friday, falling at Kennebunk in a battle of unbeatens, 28-6. Deering fell behind, 7-0, after one quarter and 14-0 at halftime. The score remained 14-0 into the fourth period, where quarterback Tavian Lauture got the Rams on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run, but Kennebunk scored twice to put it away and drop Deering to 3-1.

“They got physical with us and we haven’t seen that level of physicality yet this year,” said Rams first-year coach Brendan Scully. “Now that we’ve seen it, I hope that maybe we can start to play like that a little more. Right now, (Kennebunk’s) the best in B South and you can’t make mistakes. We’re a younger team, kind of learning, and we learned if you make mistakes against a very good team, you’re going to pay for it.”

Deering hopes to bounce back Friday when it takes on winless Falmouth in a first-ever encounter between the programs.

Boys’ soccer

Waynflete senior Nestor Verdi fights for possession during last week’s home loss to Yarmouth in a battle of reigning state champions. Michael Hoffer / The Forecaster

Deering and Portland’s boys’ soccer teams remained undefeated at the start of the week.

The Bulldogs extended their win streak to six and improved to 6-0-1 after blanking visiting Thornton Academy (6-0) and Westbrook (5-0) last week. Against the Golden Trojans, Max Kierstead scored twice, while Silvio Mbayi, Ronan Mas, Oliveira Nzolakio and Kieran Sullivan all had one goal. In the win over the Blue Blazes, Brandon Chacon led the way with two goals and Kierstead, Mas and Paulo Joao each added one. Portland had a showdown at reigning regional champion Scarborough Tuesday (see our website for game story), hosts Kennebunk Saturday and visits Biddeford Tuesday of next week.

Deering extended its win streak to five games last Tuesday with a 5-1 home victory over Bonny Eagle. Chandrel Mangele Laza led the way with three goals. Motasim Abdalla and Ethan Fisher also scored. Last Thursday, the Rams settled for a 1-1 draw at South Portland. An “own goal” allowed Deering to rally late and get a result. The Rams (5-0-2) hosted Kennebunk Tuesday, go to Sanford Thursday, welcome Scarborough Saturday and go to undefeated Windham Tuesday of next week.

Cheverus fell to 2-5 after losses last week at Windham (4-0) and at home to Westbrook (4-3). Griffin MacLeod made seven saves against the Eagles. In the loss to the Blue Blazes, Anton Behuniak, Henry Huntley and Shane McGrath scored the goals. The Stags hosted Gorham Tuesday, go to Biddeford Thursday and visit Noble Tuesday of next week.

Four-time reigning Class C champion Waynflete lost a 3-0 home decision to three-time reigning Class B champion Yarmouth last Tuesday, then evened its record at 3-3 with a 8-0 home victory over Sacopee Valley Saturday. Against the Clippers, Nico Kirby made 13 saves.

“I thought we defended well with the ball in front of us, but made a few too many errors in our own 18,” said first-year Flyers coach Will Burdick. “Playing teams like Yarmouth are great challenges for us that help us grow and improve as a team.”

In the victory, Spencer Kline and Nestor Verdi both had two goals, Dana Bigelow, Andrew Rogers, George Shattuck and Abie Waisman had one apiece and Lucas Plumb finished with three assists. Waynflete hosted St. Dom’s Monday, welcomes reigning Class D champion North Yarmouth Academy Thursday, travels to Gray-New Gloucester Saturday and hosts Freeport Tuesday of next week.

Girls’ soccer

Cheverus’ Reese Belanger clears the ball during a loss last week at Scarborough. Brianna Soukup / Portland Press Herald

On the girls’ side, Cheverus had its three-game win streak snapped at Scarborough last Wednesday, 3-0. Goalkeeper Evelyn Rush made a dozen saves, but the Stags couldn’t get the ball in the net.

“We got into the offensive third more than we have in the past,” Cheverus coach Craig Roberts said. “We just need a little more composure. I played five freshmen and I think they played with composure. If I can put freshmen in a game like this and get them comfortable and get the veteran leaders at peace playing in this type of game, we can have something. That’s part of the reason I’m optimistic about what I saw.

“We knew Scarborough would have a big push at the start, but I think our younger players rose to the challenge. I think I played 15 of 16 girls when it was still hanging in the balance. Usually, I come over here and maybe play two subs. To play Scarborough at their most focused, coming off a loss, and get some things out of players I might not have expected is really great.”

Friday, the Stags improved to 4-2-1 after a 2-0 home win over Sanford. Sophia Monfa had a goal and an assist, Annie Vigue also scored and Rush saved five shots. Cheverus goes to Kennebunk Wednesday, hosts Deering Friday and visits undefeated Gorham Tuesday of next week.

“We’ve built a program where we can compete with Scarborough, Gorham and Windham and now, we have to find a way to win those games,” Roberts said. “We’re definitely progressing. I feel like we’re playing good soccer against teams we should be playing good soccer against. We want to play the powerhouses and compete with them. There are some things we still have to do. We’re trending in the right direction. We’ll learn from what we’re doing and move forward.”

Deering was 2-3-1 after a 2-0 home loss to Sanford and a 1-0 home win over rival Portland. Sophie Hill made four saves against the Spartans. In the victory, Elsa Freeman’s late goal was the difference. The Rams host always-strong Windham Wednesday, visit Cheverus Friday and welcome Falmouth Monday.

Portland fell to 1-5 with Friday’s 1-0 loss at Deering. The Bulldogs welcomed Biddeford Tuesday, host Kennebunk Friday and play at Scarborough Tuesday of next week.

In Class C South, Waynflete improved to 4-1 with an 8-0 home victory over Old Orchard Beach last Monday, then dropped consecutive one-goal decisions at reigning Class B champion Yarmouth (3-2) and Class B South contender Freeport (2-1). In the victory, Morgan Earls led the way with three goals. Lucy Hart and Naomi Rice added two goals apiece, Lucy Olsen scored the other goal and Fallon Cullen finished with two assists. Against the Clippers, Lucy Hart scored twice on free kicks and goalkeeper Izzy Gleason made nine saves. Lydia Birknes had the goal in the loss to the Falcons. The Flyers hoped to bounce back at St. Dom’s Tuesday, go to four-time reigning Class D champion NYA (now playing in Class C) Friday (see our website for game story) and visit Gray-New Gloucester Saturday.

Field hockey

Cheverus’ field hockey team, the reigning Class A South champion, improved to 6-0 and extended its three-year, regular season win streak to 38 games after blanking visiting Marshwood (11-0), Massabesic (8-0) and Thornton Academy (7-0) last week. The Stags, who have outscored the opposition this year, 44-1, got four goals from Lucy Johnson and two goals apiece from Joey Pompeo and Zoey Radford against the Hawks. Mikayla Talbot added her first varsity goal. In the win over the Mustangs, Lily Johnson scored three times and Radford added a pair. Against the Golden Trojans, Lily Johnson and Lucy Johnson each had two goals, while Sydney Brunelle, Mackenzie Cash and Sophia St. John all added one. Cheverus goes to Biddeford Saturday, then has a home test against Scarborough Tuesday of next week.

Portland/Deering fell to 1-5 after a 4-1 home loss to Massabesic last week. After welcoming Kennebunk Wednesday, Portland/Deering hosts Noble Thursday and goes to Bonny Eagle Tuesday of next week.

Waynflete lost at Sacopee Valley (2-1) and Wells (2-0) last week, then edged host Traip Academy, 1-0, to improve to 1-3 and earn its first victory as a stand-alone program since Oct. 14, 2014. The Flyers host Wells Wednesday, welcome Traip Academy Friday, go to St. Dom’s Saturday and return home to face Traip Academy again Monday.

Volleyball

All three city volleyball teams had winning records at the midway point.

Deering was 5-2 at press time after straight-set victories last week over visiting Cheverus (25-19, 25-17, 25-17) and host Thornton Academy. The Rams were at Edward Little Tuesday, host Lewiston Thursday and Lake Region Saturday, then travel to Brunswick Tuesday of next week.

Cheverus was also 5-2 after a 3-0 (19-25, 17-25, 17-25) loss at Deering and a straight-set (25-17, 25-17, 25-16) home win over Noble last week. After going to Marshwood Tuesday, the Stags host Thornton Academy Thursday and welcome Falmouth Tuesday of next week.

Portland fell from the unbeaten ranks with 3-1 home losses to Sanford and Kennebunk, then improved to 5-2 Saturday with a 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-13, 25-22) victory at Lake Region. The Bulldogs hosted Lewiston Tuesday, go to Bonny Eagle Thursday, visit Sanford Saturday and play at Edward Little Tuesday of next week.

Cross country

Cross country action returned last week and Portland swept a five-team meet at Massabesic. The girls were led by individual champion Samantha Moore, who had a time of 19 minutes, 1 second. The boys were paced by Ben Prestes, who was runner-up in 17:39.27.

Cheverus’ boys placed third. Danny McCartney had the 13th-best time (18:33.83). The Stags girls came in fourth. Allie Schmitt was eighth (22:04).

Deering’s boys were third in a four-team meet at Marshwood. The Rams were led by sophomore Ellis Wood, who was first in 17:25.08. Deering’s girls didn’t score as a team. Zabel Kasabian had the 17th-best time (24:46.15).

Waynflete took part in a six-team meet at Lake Region. The girls were second to Greely, as Grace Alexander placed fourth in 21:33. The Flyers boys came in fifth. Pi Crosby was 16th (18:37).

Golf

The golf regular season was wrapping up at press time.

Cheverus took a 4-3 record into Tuesday’s match versus South Portland after losing to Scarborough (13-0) and beating always-strong Falmouth (8-5) last week. Mick Madden shot a 36 in the victory. The Stags close versus Deering Thursday.

The Rams were 1-6 after an 8-5 loss to Portland last week. The Rams close with matches versus Scarborough and Cheverus.

Portland was 2-5 entering final matches against Falmouth and Scarborough.

The Western Maine Conference qualifier is Wednesday. The Southwestern Maine Activities Association state qualifier will be held Monday. Both qualifiers will be contested at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro, which will also be the site of the state championship match, Saturday, Oct. 7.

Press Herald staff writer Travis Lazarczyk contributed to this story.