Scarborough quarterback Chase Cleary takes off for big yardage during the Red Storm’s 48-35 home win over Bonny Eagle last Friday.

Scarborough’s Caroline Timpson races in on goal during the Red Storm’s 2-0 win over Cheverus in last week’s Class A South quarterfinals. Scarborough went on to lose, 5-0, at Westbrook in the semifinals Saturday.

(Ed. Note: For the complete Scarborough-Bonny Eagle football, Scarborough-Thornton Academy boys’ soccer, Scarborough-Cheverus and Scarborough-Westbrook field hockey and Cape Elizabeth-Kennebunk volleyball game stories, see theforecaster.net)

The regular season is in the rear-view mirror in all sports and while field hockey has come to an end for local teams and cross country is down to its final act (see story), the football, volleyball 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:

Volleyball

Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough’s defending champion volleyball teams were still alive entering the state semifinal round Wednesday.

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The Capers, who won Class B a year ago and earned the top seed this fall after a 13-1 regular season, had no trouble with No. 8 Kennebunk in Monday’s quarterfinal wound, winning in straight-sets, 25-11, 25-9, 25-19. Corina Page had 20 assists and 15 service points.

“Tonight, I was primarily setting in the middle because we had a lot of three-ball passes,” Page said. “I usually spread it out more. I was just taking advantage of the good passes tonight.”

Megan Connelly had 10 service points and nine kills, Jaya McClure added 11 service points and Bridget Heggie finished with nine kills.

“I can’t complain about a 3-0 win in the playoffs,” said Capers coach Sarah Boeckel. “We’ve been off for a week, so it felt good to get out here and play a match again.” 

Cape Elizabeth welcomed No. 4 York (10-5) in Wednesday’s state semifinal round match. The Capers own the regular season meeting, 3-0, Sept. 25. The teams had no playoff history.

If Cape Elizabeth gets to the Class B state final Friday at 6 p.m., at South Portland High School, it will face No. 2 Yarmouth (13-2) or No. 3 Brewer (13-2). The Capers blanked the Clippers Sept. 14 in Yarmouth and eliminated the Clippers, 3-0, in the teams’ lone prior playoff meeting in the 2015 Class A quarterfinals. Cape Elizabeth has no history with the Witches.

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In Class A, Scarborough, the defending champion, earned the No. 3 seed and blanked No. 6 Windham (25-4, 25-20, 25-21) in last Saturday’s state quarterfinal. The Red Storm were at second-ranked Gorham (15-0) in Wednesday’s semifinal round. The teams didn’t play this year. Scarborough won two of three prior playoff meetings, with a 3-0 win in the 2013 Class A quarterfinals the most recent.

If the Red Storm reach the Class A state match Saturday in South Berwick, they’ll play either No. 1 Falmouth (14-1) or No. 4 Biddeford (11-4). Scarborough lost, 3-1, at Falmouth Sept. 13 and is 0-2 all-time against the Yachtsmen in the playoffs, with a 3-1 setback in the 2013 Class A state final the most recent. The Red Storm rallied for a 3-2 home win over Biddeford Oct. 11 and have won two of three previous postseason encounters, with a 3-0 victory in last year’s Class A semifinals the most recent.

South Portland finished eighth in Class A, but lost in four-sets (5-25, 13-25, 26-24, 23-25) at home to No. 9 Thornton Academy last Thursday in the preliminary round to finish 6-9. 

Field hockey

Scarborough’s field hockey squad was the lone team from Forecaster Country to make the postseason.

The Red Storm went 11-2-1 in the regular season and earned the No. 3 seed in Class A South. Scarborough began the postseason with a 2-0 home win over No. 6 Cheverus in last Wednesday’s quarterfinals, as Bella Turner scored early and Hannah Dobecki added a goal off a penalty corner.

“The ball came across and I had my stick ready to get the ball in,” Dobecki said, of her goal. “I knew someone had to score to give us some breathing room. That goal felt incredible.”

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“We’ve had a great defense all season,” said longtime Scarborough coach Kerry Mariello. “That’s gotten us where we are. It was outstanding job by all of them. Just when (Cheverus) had a glimpse of hope, we stopped them.”

The Red Storm weren’t as fortunate Saturday, as they fell, 5-0, at No. 2 Westbrook, the defending regional champion, and had their season end in the semifinal round for the fourth consecutive year. Scarborough surrendered goals a minute in and just before the half and couldn’t recover as it finished 12-3-1.

“It just wasn’t our day,” said Mariello. “(Westbrook’s) an outstanding team and they came to play today. They have a solid 11. Everyone stepped up for them. We got down early and couldn’t overcome it.

“I’m super-proud of the team. They exceeded my expectations. We had a tough schedule and to do what we did as long as we did, it was a fantastic ride.

“It would be great to make it to the end, but this experience will be something we can take into next season. We lose three starters, so we’ll be starting from a good place. Hopefully the girls will be hungry.”

Boys’ soccer

Cape Elizabeth’s boys’ soccer team believes it can end Yarmouth’s four-year championship run and the Capers will have that opportunity Saturday when they visit the Clippers in a Class B South semifinal.

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Cape Elizabeth, ranked fourth in the region, had no trouble with No. 5 Lincoln Academy in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, rolling, 5-0, to improve to 8-4-3. The Capers got goals from Charlie Dall, Killian Lathrop, Archie McEvoy, John O’Connor and Gavin Simpoulos. 

Cape Elizabeth lost twice this year to Yarmouth, 2-1 at the Clippers Sept. 4 and 1-0 at home Sept. 29. The Capers are 0-2 all-time in the playoffs against Yarmouth with a 2-0 setback in the 2015 Class B South quarterfinals the most recent.

Looking ahead, the regional final is Wednesday of next week on the field of the higher seed. The Class B state final is Saturday, Nov. 3 in Hampden.

Scarborough and South Portland weren’t as fortunate, as they suffered painful quarterfinal round setbacks Tuesday.

The Red Storm, ranked eighth in Class A South, blanked No. 9 Thornton Academy, 2-0, in last Friday’s preliminary round, as Liam Bridgham scored goals in each half.

“We had a hard draw and we had a lot of players who were out,” Bridgham said. “Getting them back today helped us get it together.”

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“We made the most of our chances today,” Scarborough coach Mark Diaz said. “We could have had a couple more.”

Tuesday, the Red Storm hoped to upset top-ranked Gorham and they took the Rams to overtime in a scoreless game before Gorham broke through less than a minute into OT to prevail, 1-0, ending Scarborough’s season at 10-5-1.

South Portland finished fifth in Class A South and edged No. 12 Westbrook, 1-0, in Saturday’s preliminary round. The Red Riots’ goal came late from Cooper Mehlhorn.

South Portland then went to No. 4 Cheverus Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Just 10 days prior, the Red Riots handled the Stags by five goals, but this time, neither team scored through 80 minutes of regulation and 30 more of overtime, so the contest went to penalty kicks. After the first round of five kicks ended, 3-3, Cheverus took the second round, 3-2, to win on PKs, 6-5, ending South Portland’s season at 10-6. The agonizing loss was the Red Riots’ third by penalty kicks in five years.

Greater Portland Christian School finished 2-11 and 13th in Class D South after closing with a 6-1 loss at Pine Tree Academy, but only 10 teams made the playoffs in the region.

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough are both top seeds in their respective regions.

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The Capers’ 14-0 mark gave them the top spot in Class B South and they opened postseason play Wednesday evening at home versus No. 9 Gray-New Gloucester (9-6). Cape Elizabeth blanked the visiting Patriots, 3-0, Sept. 13. The Capers had won both prior playoff meetings, including a 3-1 victory in last year’s preliminary round.

If, as expected, Cape Elizabeth advanced to Saturday’s semifinals, it will host either No. 4 Yarmouth (9-5) or fifth-seeded Freeport (8-4-2). The Capers swept the two-time defending state champion Clippers during the regular season, winning, 1-0, in double-overtime, Sept. 4 at home and 3-0 at Yarmouth Sept. 29. Cape Elizabeth is 1-2 versus the Clippers in the playoffs. Last year, Yarmouth prevailed, 1-0, in the regional final. The Capers also swept the Falcons this autumn, winning, 3-0, at home Sept. 17 and 1-0 in Freeport Oct. 12. Cape Elizabeth downed the Falcons, 3-1, in the 2013 Western B semifinals in the lone prior playoff encounter.

Scarborough also went 14-0 and earned the No. 1 seed in Class A South. The defending regional champion Red Storm began their title quest Wednesday at home versus No. 9 Noble (7-5-3) in the quarterfinals. Scarborough needed overtime to survive the visiting Knights, 2-1, Oct. 3. The teams had no playoff history.

If, as expected, the Red Storm moved on to Saturday’s semifinals, they will host either No. 4 Bonny Eagle (9-3-2) or fifth-ranked Windham (11-3-1). Scarborough blanked the host Scots, 1-0, Sept. 15 and handled the visiting Eagles, 3-0, Oct. 16. The Red Storm are 1-0 all-time against Bonny Eagle in the playoffs (a 4-3 win in the 2001 Western A Southwest Divisional preliminary round) and are 3-2 against Windham (with a 2-1 quarterfinal victory last fall 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.

South Portland earned the 12th and final playoff spot in Class A South, but lost, 1-0, at Windham in Saturday’s preliminary round to wind up 4-8-3.

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“My team is really young, but they’re a great group of girls,” said Red Riots coach Jeff Selser. “It’s been a long season for us, we’ve lost a lot of games by one (goal). I thought we’ve played some great soccer this year.”

GPCS missed the Class D South playoffs after a 1-12 season left it 11th (only nine teams made the cut).

Football

Scarborough’s football team, the defending Class A champions, finished the regular season 6-1 with a 48-35 home win over Bonny Eagle last Friday.

After falling behind early, 7-0, it took one play for the Red Storm to answer, as standout Jarett Flaker scored on a 63-yard run. Scarborough then stretched its lead to 21-7 after one quarter, thanks to a 7-yard TD run from Tyler Gobeil and a 19-yard scoring pass from quarterback Chase Cleary to Gobeil.

The Scots got a touchdown back, but Thomas Galeckas scored from a yard out for the hosts for a 28-14 advantage. Bonny Eagle then produced a touchdown just before the half to cut the Red Storm’s lead to 28-21.

Bonny Eagle got the ball to start the second half and quickly drove for the tying score, but with its lead gone, Scarborough responded, driving to go ahead to stay on a 14-yard pass from Cleary to Robert Cleary. Galeckas then added a second 1-yard run and the Red Storm took a 42-28 advantage to the final stanza.

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There, the Scots again made things interesting with a score, but a Flaker 10-yard run restored the two-score advantage and a late sack from Nathan Mars and interception from Eugene Foley clinched it as Scarborough prevailed, 48-35.

“It was a lot of fun,” Chase Cleary said. “I expected more defense, but our offense didn’t let up and we went out in the second half and ran it down their throats.”

“These are the games you live for, close games you have to grind out,” Mars said. “Winning this was important.”

“This is why we do this, push the kids all summer and all fall to play a game like this,” added Scarborough coach Lance Johnson. “The guys stepped up.”

The Red Storm have a bye into the semifinals Nov. 2, where they’ll likely see Bonny Eagle again.

“We get better every week and make adjustments,” Johnson said. “We have a tough road ahead, but it’ll be tough for anyone who plays us because you’ll have to defend the whole field.” 

South Portland finished 1-7 after a 35-0 loss at Portland in the “Battle of the Bridge.” last Friday. The Red Riots did earn the No. 6 seed in Class A South and go to No. 3 Bonny Eagle (5-3) for the quarterfinals Friday. On Aug. 31, in the season opener, South Portland lost at home to the Scots, 34-6. Bonny Eagle won both prior playoff meetings, with a 47-7 victory in the 2015 Class A South quarterfinals the most recent.

In Class C South, Cape Elizabeth won a game for the ages, 29-28, at Yarmouth, on a touchdown (which bounced off a Clippers’ defender’s helmet and into a Capers’ receiver’s hands) and two-point conversion after time expired. Cape Elizabeth evened its record at 4-4 and will be the No. 4 seed for the playoffs. The Capers host No. 5 York (3-5) Friday night in the quarterfinals. On Sept. 28, Cape Elizabeth handled visiting York, 33-7. The Capers are 3-0 all-time against the Wildcats in the playoffs, with a 21-13 victory in the 2008 Western B semifinals the most recent encounter.

Press Herald writers Steve Craig and John Swasey contributed to this story.

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


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