Falmouth’s Nick Forester exults during his championship run at the state singles tennis tournament. Forester repeated as the boys’ champion.

North Yarmouth Academy’s Te’Andre King wins the Division II high jump at Saturdays’ Western Maine Conference championship meet.

Falmouth’s Connor Coffin gets his glove on the ball during last week’s 8-7 loss at Cheverus in a playoff rematch.

The weather is finally starting to cooperate and just in time, as the spring sports season is rapidly coming to a close.

Postseason fun is already underway in track and tennis and the regular season is winding down in baseball, softball and lacrosse.

Here’s a glimpse at what’s happened and what’s to come:

Tennis

Falmouth’s Nick Forester won his second consecutive boys’ state singles tennis crown Monday. Forester, ranked first, defeated Yarmouth’s Shepard Shutkin, 6-1, 6-0, in the second round Friday, then Saturday, ousted Bangor’s Dennis Stewart, 6-0, 6-0, in the round of 16 and eliminated Freeport’s Wes Goodwin, 6-0, 6-1, in the quarterfinals. In Monday’s semifinal round, Forester advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over No. 4 Thorne Kieffer of Waynflete. Then, in the final, Forester defeated Thornton Academy’s Dariy Vykhodtsev, 6-1, 6-1. 

“It definitely went faster than I expected,” Forester said. “But obviously, that’s the goal coming in, to be efficient. (Dariiy’s) a great player. Even after that first set, I was like, ‘I can’t let him get into a rhythm.’ I came in trying to attack his serve to try to put pressure on him throughout.”

Greely’s Leif Boddie, seeded fifth, made it to the quarterfinals, where he lost, 3-6, 4-6, to Waynflete’s Kieffer. 

The team tournament is now underway.

Falmouth’s girls’ team is seeking a 12th straight championship. The Yachtsmen finished the regular season 12-0 and extended their match win streak to 185 after beating Sanford, 5-0, in the finale. Falmouth is ranked first in Class A South and will host a quarterfinal against either No. 8 Portland or No. 9 South Portland.

In Class B South, Greely wound up 11-1 and second and will host No. 7 Spruce Mountain in the quarterfinals.

Freeport finished 5-7 and earned the eighth and final playoff spot in the region. The Falcons are at No. 1 Lincoln Academy (11-1) in the quarterfinals.

Yarmouth wound up 4-8 and ninth in Class B South and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

In Class C South, North Yarmouth Academy finished 6-6 and seventh and will be at No. 2 Carrabec (9-1) in the quarterfinals.

On the boys’ side, defending Class A champion Falmouth finished 12-0 and first in Class A South and will host either No. 8 Portland (6-6) or No. 9 Bonny Eagle (6-6) in the quarterfinal round.

In Class B South, Freeport, the defending regional champion, will be the No. 1 seed after an 11-1 regular season, a program-best. The Falcons earned a bye into the semifinals, where they will face either No. 4 Greely (7-5) or fifth-ranked Lincoln Academy (6-6). 

Greely enjoyed its best season in a decade and hopes to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2008.

Yarmouth went 11-1 and earned the No. 3 seed in Class B South. The Clippers host No. 6 Spruce Mountain (5-5) in the quarterfinal round.

In Class C South, NYA went 5-7 and wound up sixth in the Heals. The Panthers have to go to 11-time champion Waynflete (9-3) for the quarterfinals.

The semifinals are Saturday on the courts of the higher seeds.

The regional finals are June 6 at Bates College in Lewiston.

The state matches are June 8, at Lewiston High School.

Outdoor track

Saturday saw the outdoor track season heat up, as the Southwestern Maine Activities Association championship meet was contested in Falmouth and the Western Maine Conference championship meet was held in Naples.

In the SMAA meet, Falmouth’s boys came in third behind Scarborough and Thornton Academy. The Yachtsmen got wins from Doug Cooke in the 400 (50.61 seconds) and Ben Greene in the mile (4 minutes, 25.14 seconds). 

Falmouth’s girls placed eighth. Sofie Matson was first in the mile (5:03.08) and also took the two-mile (10:32.46). Emma Harrington won the discus (122 feet-7 inches).

At the WMC meet, Yarmouth’s boys were fourth in the overall standings (York finished first), NYA came in seventh, Greely was eighth and Freeport placed 11th.

The Clippers got victories from Wyatt Bates in the 110 hurdles (16.21) and high jump (5-10), Chris Koskinen in the pole vault (12-0), Michael McNeil in the shot put (44-10.75) and Noah Eckersley-Ray in the javelin (155-4).

The Rangers got a win from their 4×800 relay squad (Atticus Smith, Riley Franklin, Luke Marsanskis and Matthew Todd, 8:35.01). The Rangers’ 4×100 relay team (Caleb Knox, Jake Westra, Isaac Moore and John Kearney) also came in first in 47.91. Smith placed first in the 400 (51.76).

The Panthers took the Division II 4×400 relay (Jack Lent, Ethan Haag, Aiden Kusche and Te’Andre King, 3:44.78) and got a win from King in the Division II high jump (5-8). 

In the girls’ competition, won by Poland, Greely tied Gray-New Gloucester for sixth, Freeport finished eighth, NYA was ninth and Yarmouth came in 12th.

Greely’s 4×800 relay team (Abby Irish, Julia Curran, Marin Provencher and Carolyn Todd) was first in 10:13.64. Provencher won the mile in 5:23.48 and Curran took the two-mile in 12:28.45. Olivia Marsanskis won the high jump (4-6).

The Falcons were paced by Catriona Gould, who won the 100 in 13.08 and the 200 in 27.22. Freeport’s 4×100 relay team (Emma Abbott, Emmie Riendeau, Tara Migliaccio and Gould) was first in 52.7.

The Clippers got a win from Caitlen Hewitt in the Division I javelin (101-8). 

The Class A state meet is Saturday in Lewiston, the Class B state meet Saturday in Brewer and the Class C state meet is also Saturday, in Farmington.

Baseball

The baseball postseason will have a strong local representation.

Greely was 11-4 and third in the Class B South Heal Points standings after an 11-0, five-inning win at Lincoln Academy, a 1-0 loss at Lake Region, a 6-0 home victory over Cape Elizabeth, a 2-0 home win over Wells in a regional final rematch and a 2-1 home loss to Lake Region. Against the Eagles, Ben Rosenthal and Nolan Shardlow combined on a one-hitter, while Nick Butler and Jacob Whiting each had three hits and Brady Nolin drove in three runs. In the loss to the Lakers, the Rangers’ first to them since 1988, Whiting was the hard-luck loser, despite allowing just two hits. In the win over the Capers, Will Neleski threw a four-hit shutout, striking out 12, and Nolin had three hits. Against the Warriors, Connor Sullivan threw a five-hit shutout and Butler drove in both runs. In the second loss to the Lakers, Whiting again took the setback, while Joe Cimino hit an RBI double. Greely closes the regular season at Wells Wednesday.

Freeport was 12-3 and fourth in Class B South after a 5-2 home win over Poland, a 4-0 victory at Fryeburg Academy and a 14-3, five-inning win at Gray-New Gloucester. Anthony Panciocco earned the win and drove in a run against the Knights. In the win over the Raiders, Panciocco had three hits and Shea Wagner and Blaine Cockburn combined on a two-hit shutout with 10 combined strikeouts. Against the Patriots, Heath Cockburn had three hits and Wagner and Gabe Wagner both had two RBI. The Falcons closed at home versus Yarmouth Tuesday. 

Yarmouth was 7-7 and ninth in Class B South heading into Tuesday’s game at Freeport. Last week, the Clippers won at Wells (5-2) and lost at home to Fryeburg Academy (3-2) and at St. Dom’s (3-0). In the win, Will Cox had two hits and Aaron Belesca drove in a pair of runs with a squeeze bunt. Caleb Brown doubled in both runs in the loss to the Raiders. Yarmouth closes at home versus Lake Region Wednesday.

In Class A South, Falmouth was 8-6 and eighth after an 8-7 loss at Cheverus, a 3-1 home win over Bonny Eagle, a 15-0, five-inning home win over Sanford and a 3-2 home loss to Thornton Academy. Against the Stags, in a playoff rematch, the Yachtsmen couldn’t hold leads of 3-0, 5-4 and 7-6.

“I thought it was a good game,” Falmouth coach Kevin Winship said. “Both teams made mistakes, both teams capitalized on each other team’s mistakes and we just wound up on the wrong end.”

Against the Scots, Ike Kiely singled, doubled, drove in a run and scored a run and Bennett Smith earned the victory. In the win over the Spartans, Garrett Tracy threw a no-hitter and Kiely and Sam Kidder each had three hits, including a home run. In the loss to the Golden Trojans, the Yachtsmen dug a 3-0 hole in the first inning and almost rallied behind a strong pitching performance from Dom Tracy, but fell just short.

“I didn’t think it would end the way that it did the way the game started for us, but we made it interesting,” said Winship.

Falmouth went to Kennebunk Tuesday and closes at home versus Noble Wednesday.

In Class C South, the Waynflete/North Yarmouth Academy co-op team was 2-10 and 12th (10 teams make the playoffs) following losses at Old Orchard Beach (3-1), at Traip Academy (14-0, in five-innings) and at home to OOB (7-3). The Flyers close at home versus Sacopee Valley Wednesday.

Softball

The Cheverus/NYA co-op softball team was 7-7 and ninth in the Class A South Heals at the start of the week following losses at Massabesic (8-7) and Portland (9-3) and at home to Noble (7-0). Madisyn Durgin and Alexandra Hammond each homered against the Mustangs. Sydney Plummer and Caroline Taylor both had two hits in the loss to the Bulldogs. The Stags welcome Marshwood Wednesday and close at home versus Deering in a makeup game Thursday.

Falmouth finished 0-16 and 17th in Class A South after closing with losses at Massabesic (21-1, in five-innings), at Kennebunk (15-3, in five-innings) and at home to Marshwood (14-8). Liberty Ladd had two home runs and a triple against the Hawks.

In Class B South, Freeport was 5-9-1 and 12th in the Heals (only 11 teams make the playoffs) after an 8-0 loss at Fryeburg Academy and a 12-0, six-inning setback at Gray-New Gloucester. Sarah Gray had three hits against the Raiders. The Falcons trailed the whole way at the Patriots.

“We’re a good team and we should have been a little more competitive today, but things fell the other way,” said Freeport coach Jason Daniel.

The Falcons still held faint hopes entering Tuesday’s finale at Yarmouth that they could qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Yarmouth was 3-11 and 13th in Class B South following a 4-3 loss at Wells, a 4-1 home setback to Fryeburg Academy and a 7-5 loss at St. Dom’s. The Clippers were at Freeport Tuesday and close at home versus Lake Region Wednesday. Yarmouth is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Greely finished 1-15 and 14th after losing at Lincoln Academy (18-6) and at home to Wells (14-7), Cape Elizabeth (7-1) and Lake Region (5-1). Hannah Johnston had two hits in the loss to the Warriors. The Rangers missed the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

Boys’ lacrosse

Greely’s boys’ lacrosse team is peaking at the right time. The Rangers improved to 9-2 and lengthened their lead in the Class B Heal Points standings after downing visiting Freeport (14-0), host Kennebunk (10-8) and visiting Yarmouth (13-5). Schuyler Wetmore had seven goals and Jackson Williams added three in the win over the Falcons. Against the Clippers, where Greely avenged an earlier loss, Ethan Fraser erupted for eight goals and goalie Sawyer Gagnon made 19 clutch saves.

“We wanted to defend our home field and we did that really well,” said Fraser. “Our coaches really push us in practice and we go 100 percent every day.”

“The team energy was really positive and everyone fed on that,” said Gagnon.

“It’s nice to have a good win over a very good team,” Greely coach Mike Storey added. “We work on improving every game and getting ourselves where we need to be by playoffs. This is a big step for us against a really good team, coming out here and executing.”

The Rangers close at undefeated Cape Elizabeth Thursday (see theforecaster.net for game story).

Yarmouth fell to 7-4 and second in Class B after a 9-2 home loss to Cape Elizabeth and Monday’s 13-5 loss at Greely. Anders Corey scored twice against the Rangers.

“We’re going to have to find out our identity after this game,” Clippers coach David Pearl said. “It was a very disappointing second half. We came out strong and had shots, but the Greely boys played with a lot of spirit today, a lot of confidence.”

Yarmouth closes at home versus defending Class C champion Waynflete Friday night (see theforecaster.net for game story).

In Class A North, Falmouth was 7-4 and fifth following a 29-0 win at Sanford. Wyatt Kerr led the way with seven goals and Kaz Berry added three. The Yachtsmen hosted defending champion Thornton Academy in Tuesday’s finale in a rematch of last year’s state final.

In Class C, NYA was 6-4 and third behind Oak Hill and Waynflete in the Heals after a 19-11 loss at York and an 8-6 victory at Gardiner. Ryan Baker had four goals in the win. After hosting Wells Wednesday, the Panthers close at Gray-New Gloucester Friday.

Freeport 6-4 and sixth in Class C after a 14-0 loss at Greely and an 11-10 win at Westbrook. After hosting St. Dom’s Tuesday, the Falcons close at York Friday.

Girls’ lacrosse

Yarmouth’s girls’ squad had a healthy lead in the Class B Heals at press time after improving to 9-1 with a 13-5 win at York and a 14-5 home victory over Messalonskee. Ehryn Groothoff and Anna Thornton each had four goals in the win over the Wildcats. Abi Thornton scored five times against the Eagles. The Clippers had a key test at Greely Tuesday, then close at home versus Waynflete Friday (see theforecaster.net for game story)

Greely was 8-2 and third in Class B following last week’s 7-6 overtime win at St. Dom’s. Elsa Dean-Muncie had a team-high three goals, including the game-winner. After hosting Yarmouth Tuesday, the Rangers close at defending Class B champion Cape Elizabeth Thursday (see theforecaster.net for game story).

Defending Class A champion Falmouth improved to 9-1 and second to Windham in Class A North after beating visiting Bonny Eagle, 17-2, last Thursday. Caitlyn Camelio had five goals and five assists, while Emily Hamilton and Jo Stucker each scored twice. The Yachtsmen went to Thornton Academy Tuesday and close the regular season at home versus Massabesic in a state game rematch Thursday.

In Class C, Freeport was 7-4 and fourth following last Thursday’s 7-6, double-overtime, come-from-behind victory at Waynflete, the Falcons’ first ever over the Flyers in Portland. Margaret Perrotta had three goals and assisted on Molly Whelan’s game-winner. Savannah Tracy scored twice. Freeport closes at home versus Wells Wednesday.

NYA was 6-5 and fifth in Class C after a 19-3 home loss to Cape Elizabeth and a 16-6 victory at Wells. Catherine Reid had all three goals in the setback and scored three times in the win, as did Helen Hamblett. Natalie Farrell led the way with four goals. The Panthers close the regular season at Fryeburg Academy Friday.

Press Herald staff writer Glenn Jordan and Sun Journal staff writer Wil Kramich contributed to this story.

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

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