Cheverus’ Emma White goes up for a kill during the Stags’ 3-0 Class A preliminary round win over Brunswick/Mt. Ararat last week. Cheverus was then eliminated in three-sets by Gorham in the quarterfinals.

(Ed. Note: For the complete Waynflete-York boys’ soccer, Cheverus-Scarborough field hockey and Cheverus-Brunswick volleyball game stories, see theforecaster.net)

The regular season is in the rear-view mirror in all sports and while field hockey and volleyball have come to an end for city teams and cross country is down to its final act (see story), the football and soccer drama is poised to continue.

Here’s a glimpse at what you might have missed and a look ahead to another exciting week:

Field hockey

Cheverus was the last local field hockey team standing and the Stags’ season came to an end last Wednesday with a 2-0 loss at Scarborough in the Class A South quarterfinals.

Cheverus, ranked sixth in the region, had outlasted No. 11 Massabesic, 5-4, in overtime, behind three goals from Sophia Pompeo, in a memorable preliminary round game, but against the Red Storm, the Stags gave up a goal in the game’s second minute, another with 20 minutes to play and despite an 8-5 shots advantage and 10 penalty corners, they couldn’t score as their season ended at 9-7.

“We worked hard and I’m proud of everybody on our team, but we just couldn’t finish,” said Pompeo, who plans to play at Providence College next year. “(Scarborough’s) a great team with a great defense.”

“It was a tough loss,” Cheverus coach Sally Cloutier said. “We were ready, but unfortunately, (Scarborough’s) defense was really, really strong. They stopped everything. Credit to them. They stood tall.

“The girls had a great season. We had a lot of great games. I’m proud of them. These girls have worked super-hard for me. They’re great kids. I’m proud of my seniors. All of them. It’s sad to see them go.”

Volleyball

Cheverus and Deering’s volleyball teams made it to the playoffs, but both squads were ousted in Saturday’s state quarterfinal round.

The Stags finished 8-6 after a 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-15) home win over Portland to end the regular season. Emma White had eight kills and three blocks and Liza Rogers finished with five kills and nine aces.

Cheverus wound up seventh in Class A and last Thursday, blanked No. 10 Brunswick/Mt. Ararat (25-19, 25-16, 25-13) in the preliminary round for the program’s first postseason win. Liza Rogers totaled 16 service points, Maddie Geiger had eight, Maddie Williams had 17 assists, Mary Jerome added six kills and Kristina Matkevitch had five kills and five service points.

“That was typical for us,” White said. “We usually start out slow, but when we get a feel for things we come together.”

“Once we got the first two sets, our energy came up and we came together as a team,” Rogers said. “Our whole team was so excited in the third set.”

“This is where we wanted to be,” added first-year Stags coach Andy Wimmer. “We expected to be here in October. We knew we had talent and we thought we’d be playing toward the end.”

Saturday, Cheverus was ousted in straight-sets at No. 2 Gorham to finish 9-7.

Deering wound up 8-6 and fifth in Class A following a straight-set (25-8, 25-6, 25-19) win at Brunswick/Mt. Ararat in the regular season finale. The Rams couldn’t knock off No. 4 Biddeford in the quarterfinals Saturday, losing in three games (15-25, 18-25, 22-25), to wind up 8-7. Victoria Garand and Ava Spach each had eight kills in a losing effort.

“Although we did adjust our defense for them, there were many, many tips for them,” said Rams first-year coach Nika Francois. “It was a great matchup. We just needed to finish it and that’s what we just couldn’t do.”

Portland finished 2-12 and 13th in Class A, but only 10 teams qualified for the playoffs.

Football

Portland’s football team locked up the top seed in Class A North after culminating a 7-1 regular season with a 35-0 home win over South Portland in the “Battle of the Bridge” last week. The Bulldogs went up, 7-0, on Zack Elowitch’s 50-yard run in the first quarter, but couldn’t build on it until the third period, when Elowitch scored on a 58-yard run, quarterback Sam Knop hit Ben Stasium for a 26-yard TD, Stasium returned a punt 55 yards for a score and Elowitch accounted for the final score with a 10-yard run. Elowitch finished with 274 yards on 13 carries.

Portland will have a bye into the semifinals Nov. 2 where it will host either No. 4 Edward Little (4-4) or fifth-ranked Lewiston (2-6).

Cheverus finished a solid 6-2 (its best record since 2014) after a 49-7 victory at Bangor. The Stags got five rushing touchdowns from Sean Tompkins (who had 248 yards). Quarterback Marc Reali had TD passes of 55- and 45-yards to Vick Marrone and Teigan Lindstedt had 58 rushing yards.

Cheverus will see Bangor again Saturday when it hosts the Rams in the quarterfinals The Stags have won all three previous playoff meetings, with a 35-0 victory in the 2014 Eastern A semifinals the most recent.

In Class A South, Deering wound up 3-5 and fifth after closing with a 27-16 home win over Massabesic. Despite a 41-yard touchdown run from Travis Soule, the Rams trailed, 8-7, at halftime, but a 76-yard interception return for a score from Wenston Denizio put Deering on top in the third period. The Mustangs took a 16-13 lead, but again, the Rams responded, as a 63-yard Soule TD run gave his team the lead for good. Denezio’s second interception return for a score, this one from 89-yards out, iced it and accounted for the final margin.

Deering will travel to 5-3 Sanford for the quarterfinals Friday. Two weeks ago, the Rams lost, 60-26, at the Spartans. The teams have split two prior playoff meetings, with a 27-6 Sanford victory in the 2016 Class A South quarterfinals the most recent.

Boys’ soccer

Three of four city boys’ soccer teams made the playoffs and were still alive at press time.

Waynflete earned the No. 1 seed in Class C South after going 11-0-3 in the regular season, capped by a 3-0 home win over York last Monday. The Flyers got goals from Askar Houssein, Pat Shaw and Burr Rhoads and goalkeeper Luca Antolini made nine saves.

“They had most of the possession in the first half and we had to close the gap between the midfield and the strikers and we executed that,” Houssein said.

“Most teams don’t really know too much about us going into a game and when that first goal goes in, a lot of teams lay down against us,” Antolini said. 

“I told the guys this is one of the best, if not the best regular season we’ve had and we want to add to it,” added longtime Flyers coach Brandon Salway. “They’ve been a terrific group to coach.”

Waynflete will be the top seed in Class C South for the first time and will be a number one seed in any class for the first time doing so in Western D in 2004. The Flyers hosted No. 9 Sacopee Valley (8-7) in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round. In the regular season, Waynflete beat the Hawks, 3-0, at home Sept. 12 and 2-0 in South Hiram Oct. 6. The teams split two prior playoff meetings with a Flyers’ 2-0 victory in the 2015 Class C South semifinals the most recent.

If Waynflete advanced, it will host No. 4 Mt. Abram (12-2) or No. 5 Monmouth (11-3) in Friday’s semifinals. The Flyers didn’t play either team this fall. Waynflete is 3-0 all-time versus Mt. Abram in the playoffs, with a 1-0 overtime win in last year’s quarterfinals the most recent, and is 2-3 all-time versus Monmouth, with a 4-0 victory in the 2015 Class C South Final the most recent.

In Class A South, Portland surged down the stretch, winning its final six games to go 8-3-3 and wind up third in the region. Last Tuesday, the Bulldogs rolled, 6-0, at Thornton Academy in the finale. Berrick Bobe, Mwandja Kaluta, Eric Mukwa, Gabriel Panzo, Keto Tchiputo and Tahn Tiparo all found the net. 

The Bulldogs hosted No. 6 Kennebunk (8-6-1) in the quarterfinals Tuesday. Portland lost, 3-1, at home to the Rams Sept. 4. The teams had no playoff history. If the Bulldogs advanced, they’d either go to No. 2 Falmouth (11-2-1) or host No. 7 Marshwood (9-4-2) in Saturday’s semifinal round. Portland settled for a 0-0 home draw against the Yachtsmen Sept. 11. The Bulldogs have won two of three prior playoff meetings with a 3-2 win (4-3 on penalty kicks) in the 2016 Class A South semifinals the most recent. Portland downed host Marshwood, 5-4, in an overtime thriller, Oct. 3. A 3-1 Bulldogs’ victory in the 2004 Western A preliminary round was the only other postseason encounter.

Cheverus finished 9-3-2 and fourth in Class A South after closing with a 4-0 win at Biddeford. Nolan Doherty, Ethan Hammond, Jack Mullen and Michael Nason all scored.

The Stags hosted red-hot No. 5 South Portland (10-5), a squad which just downed visiting Cheverus Oct. 13, in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round. The Stags were 3-0 all-time in the postseason against the Red Riots, with a 1-0 victory in the 2015 Class A South semifinals the most recent. If Cheverus advanced, it would either go to No. 1 Gorham (13-0-1) or host eighth-ranked Scarborough (10-4-1) in Saturday’s semifinals. The Stags handed the Rams their lone non-victory this fall, a 1-1 tie Oct. 11 at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Gorham has won three of five previous playoff meetings, with a 3-2 victory in last year’s Class A South quarterfinals the most recent. Cheverus edged the visiting Red Storm, 1-0, Oct. 4. The teams have split two prior playoff encounters, with Scarborough’s 2-0 victory in the 2015 Class A South Final the most recent.

Looking ahead, the regional finals will be contested Wednesday, Oct. 31, on the fields of the higher seeds. The state finals are Saturday, Nov. 3. Classes A and D will be held in Bath and Classes B and C in Hampden.

Deering missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010 after finishing 4-8-2 following a 1-0 home loss to Marshwood last Monday. The Rams were 15th in Class A South, but just 12 teams made the playoffs.

Girls’ soccer

Cheverus’ girls’ soccer team wound up third in Class A South at 12-2 following a 1-0 home win over Noble last Tuesday (Mia Kratzer scored the goal).

The Stags host No. 6 Falmouth (9-3-3) Wednesday afternoon in the quarterfinals. On Sept. 15, Cheverus won, 2-0, at Falmouth. The Yachtsmen won the lone prior playoff match, 1-0, in the 2014 Western A preliminary round. If Cheverus moves on to the semifinals for the second year in a row, it will go to No. 2 Gorham (10-2-2) or host No. 7 Marshwood (7-5-3) Saturday. The Stags lost, 1-0, at home to the Rams Sept. 10. Gorham has won four of five prior playoff meetings, but Cheverus sprung a 2-1 overtime upset in last year’s quarterfinals. The Stags didn’t play the Hawks this year. Marshwood is 4-1 all-time against Cheverus in the postseason with a 4-0 victory in the 2015 Class A South preliminary round the most recent.

Portland also qualified for the playoffs after finishing 8-5-1 with a 2-0 home win over Biddeford last Tuesday. The Bulldogs earned the No. 8 seed in Class A South, but in Friday’s preliminary round, they lost, 4-0, to visiting No. 9 Noble to wind up 8-6-1.

Deering finished 2-12 and 14th in Class A South (where 12 teams made the cut) after a 3-1 home loss to South Portland. The Rams fell short of the postseason for the third year in a row.

In Class C South, Waynflete wound up 4-10 and 14th (11 teams qualified) after a 1-0 home loss to St. Dom’s last Monday. The Flyers missed the playoffs for the first time in 27 years.

Looking ahead, the regional finals will be contested Wednesday, Oct. 31, on the fields of the higher seeds. The state finals are Saturday, Nov. 3. Classes A and D will be held in Bath and Classes B and C in Hampden.

Press Herald staff writer Steve Craig contributed to this story.

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