After a 3-0 loss to Yarmouth on Friday in its season opener at home, the Freeport boys soccer team will have to travel more than 425 miles round-trip for each of its first four road games:

• today at Fryeburg Academy (110 miles)
• Thursday at Traip Academy in Kittery (136 miles)
• Sept. 14 at Lake Region in Naples (80 miles)
• and Sept. 20 at Wells (100 miles)

(all per Google Maps)

Freeport Coach Joe Heathco isn't necessarily thrilled by the prospect of all the road work his team will take on at the start of the school year.

"The travel makes me pretty nervous," Heathco said this afternoon. "Those are our longest four trips and this year, all four are away. We leave at 1:30 today and get back at 9 p.m. Academics here are demanding ant it's frustrating as a coach. But it usually balances out."

In the second half of the season, there will be some relief. Freeport's longest trip will be Oct. 8 to play Waynflete in Portland.

- Rachel Lenzi

About this Blog

VarsityMaine The Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram put a priority on high school sports coverage, and this blog is a place for all our reporters to put news and notes from around the state.

From football to field hockey, from cross country to volleyball, our goal is to keep you informed of the happenings in all high school sports.

Click below for sport-specific posts.

Baseball

Boys' basketball

Girls' basketball

Cheerleading

Cross Country

Field Hockey

Football

Golf

Boys' Hockey

Girls' Hockey

Lacrosse

Skiing

Soccer

Softball

Swimming

Tennis

Track

Indoor Track

Volleyball

About the Author

Maine High School Sports Bloggers
Paul Betit is an Augusta native and graduate of the University of Maine. He has covered Maine high school sports for more than 30 years and is entering his seventh season as a beat writer covering the Portland Pirates. In his spare time, Betit writes mystery-suspense novels. Occasionally, he tries to sink his second career hole in one.

Tom Chard is a Portland native who has covered high school sports and golf for the Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram for 38 years. A three-sport athlete at Deering High, Tom's chief athletic pursuit is chasing the little white ball. He played in his 20th Maine Amateur Golf Championship in July.

Glenn Jordan came to Maine in 1994 to cover the nascent Portland Sea Dogs. After eight baseball seasons and three children – the last two within 18 minutes of each other – he became a part-time writer. Among the sports he covers are now are tennis, skiing, swimming and running. He has a degree in philosophy from Dartmouth, a decent forehand and a penchant for checkers.

Rachel Lenzi is in her seventh year with the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram and in her third season of covering the University of Maine hockey team. Originally from Annapolis, Md., she grew up watching the NHL and considers herself lucky to have witnessed the Pittsburgh Penguins win three Stanley Cup championships so far in her lifetime. She prefers bicycling to jogging, enjoys traveling during the offseason and has "Brass Bonanza" set as her cell phone ring tone.

Mike Lowe is a Massachusetts native who feels he's lived long enough in Maine (since 1982) to have roots here. He graduated from Boston University and has worked in New Hampshire and Maine, covering everything from the Little League World Series to the Summer Olympics. When he has free time – Ha! – he likes to read, collect comic books and watch the grass grow from his hammock.

Jenn Menendez has been covering Maine sports for 11 years for the newspaper. She is in the midst of her seventh season covering the University of Maine and has the mileage on her Honda Civic to prove it. Her other beats include the Maine Red Claws, Olympic sports, and several area Division III colleges. She also helps cover high school sports. She is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire journalism program.

Archives