Freeport’s Aaron Rusiecki returns a shot during the Falcons’ 3-2 win over Greely in Saturday’s Class B South semifinal.

Yarmouth’s Anders Corey handles the ball during the Clippers’ 12-5 win over Waynflete in Friday’s regular season finale.

Falmouth’s Kayla Sarazin scoops up a ground ball during the Yachtsmen’s 8-5 win over Massabesic last week in a Class A state final rematch.

The tennis tournament is down to a select few teams and the baseball, softball and lacrosse postseason is about to begin.

Local teams are in the mix for titles in all sports and the next couple weeks promise to be memorable.

Here’s an overview:

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Tennis

Falmouth’s boys’ and girls’ tennis teams, as well as the Freeport and Yarmouth boys’ and the Greely girls’ squads, were all still alive at press time.

Falmouth’s girls’ team, the 11-time state champions and top seed in Class A South, extended its match win streak to 187 by downing No. 8 Portland (5-0) in the quarterfinals and fifth-ranked Gorham (3-1) in the semifinals to improve to 14-0 on the season and advance to meet third-seeded Scarborough (13-1) in the regional final Thursday in Lewiston. On April 24, the Yachtsmen won, 4-1, at the Red Storm.

If Falmouth makes it to the state final again, it will battle Brunswick (13-1) or Lewiston (14-0) Saturday in Lewiston.

Falmouth’s boys, also defending a state title, also finished first in Class A South and blanked No. 8 Portland (5-0) in the quarterfinals, then defeated No. 5 Deering (4-1) in the semifinals to improve to 14-0. The Yachtsmen will take on No. 2 Thornton Academy (13-1) in Thursday’s regional final in Lewiston. On May 3, host Falmouth edged the Golden Trojans, 3-2.

If Falmouth reaches the state match Saturday in Lewiston, the opponent will be either Camden Hills (13-0) or Lewiston (13-1).

The Freeport boys, who won Class B South a year ago, are the top seed this spring and after earning a bye into the semifinals, downed No. 4 Greely (a 5-0 winner over No. 5 Lincoln Academy in its quarterfinal), 3-2, Saturday.

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“We had such a great season, but we were scared with Greely, knowing how good they are,” said Falcons coach Jay Harper. “We knew if we didn’t at least get to the regional final we would be like, ‘Wow, our top season didn’t end the way we wanted it to.’”

The Rangers finished their best season in a decade at 8-6.

“We’re a very young team with a lot of freshmen and sophomores and this match is a great learning experience for the whole team,” said Greely coach Tom Hurley. “In some ways, we would have liked to win, but the lessons learned will carry us a few years as we grow our program up.”

Yarmouth will join Freeport in the regional final Thursday in Lewiston. The Clippers, ranked third in Class B South, advanced by downing No. 6 Spruce Mountain (5-0) in the quarterfinals and No. 7 Gardiner (5-0) in the semifinals.

The Falcons edged Yarmouth, 3-2, back on May 6 in the teams’ lone regular season meeting.

The Freeport-Yarmouth winner will face Belfast (14-0) or Caribou (14-0) in the state match Saturday in Lewiston.

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In Class C South, North Yarmouth Academy, the No. 6 seed, was no match for 11-time champion Waynflete, losing, 5-0, in the quarterfinals to wind up 5-8.

Greely’s girls finished second in Class B South and defeated No. 7 Spruce Mountain (5-0) in the quarterfinals, before edging No. 3 Cape Elizabeth (3-2) in the semifinals. The Rangers met top-ranked Lincoln Academy (13-1) in the regional final. The teams didn’t play this year.

If Greely reaches the state match, its opponent will be Erskine Academy (12-2) or Waterville (11-3).

Freeport, the No. 8 seed in Class B South, was eliminated, 5-0, by top-ranked Lincoln Academy in the quarterfinals and finished 5-8.

Yarmouth finished 4-8 and ninth in the region, but only eight teams made the playoffs.

In Class C South, NYA, the No. 7 seed, lost, 4-1, to No. 2 Carrabec in the quarterfinals to finish the year 6-7.

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Baseball

Falmouth, Freeport, Greely and Yarmouth’s baseball teams all qualified for the playoffs.

The Rangers finished second in Class B South after going 12-4. Greely closed with a 2-1 win at defending regional champion Wells in a playoff rematch. Joe Cimino had an RBI double and Will Neleski earned the victory, with Nick Butler getting the save.

The Rangers will face either No. 7 Morse (9-7) or No. 10 Oak Hill (8-8) in the quarterfinals Thursday. Greely didn’t face either squad this season. The Rangers have no postseason history with the Shipbuilders. Greely is 2-3 all-time against Oak Hill, with an 8-2 win in the 2007 Western B quarterfinals the most recent meeting.

Freeport earned the No. 3 seed in Class B South after a 13-3 campaign, capped by a 2-1 home win over Yarmouth. Anthony Panciocco drove in the winning run in the seventh inning.

The Falcons host No. 6 Wells (8-8) or No. 11 Leavitt (7-9) in the quarterfinals Thursday. Freeport didn’t face the Hornets this year and the teams have no playoff history. The Falcons beat the visiting Warriors, 5-1, back on April 29. Wells won the lone prior postseason encounter, 8-3, in the 2014 Western B preliminary round.

If Freeport and Greely meet in the semifinals Saturday, it would be in Cumberland. The Rangers won the regular season meeting, 4-0, May 1 in Freeport. The teams split two prior playoff meetings, with the Falcons’ 1-0 victory in the 2016 Class B South semifinals the most recent.

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Yarmouth went 8-8 and came in eighth in the Class B South after a 9-1 home win over Lake Region and a 2-1 loss at Freeport. In the victory, Will Cox hit an inside-the-park home run and drove in three runs and Toby Burgmaier threw a two-hitter. Max Brewer and Jack Romano each had two hits against the Falcons.

The Clippers hosted No. 9 Lake Region (8-8) in the preliminary round Tuesday. The teams had no playoff history.

If victorious, Yarmouth will play at top-ranked York (14-2) Thursday in the quarterfinals. Back on April 11, the Clippers lost, 7-1, at the Wildcats in the regular season opener. Yarmouth holds a 3-1 all-time edge in the playoffs, with a 5-3 win in the 2017 Class B South Final the most recent.

In Class A South, Falmouth finished 9-7 and seventh after an 8-2 home loss to Noble and a 2-0 win at Kennebunk.

The Yachtsmen hosted No. 10 Gorham (6-10), the defending regional champion, in the preliminary round Tuesday. On May 16, Falmouth outlasted the visiting Rams, 2-1, in a 12-inning marathon. In the lone prior playoff meeting, the Yachtsmen won, 5-3, in the 2015 Western A quarterfinals.

If Falmouth advanced, it will meet No. 2 Thornton Academy (14-2) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Golden Trojans held off the host Yachtsmen, 3-2, May 27. The teams have no playoff history.

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Looking ahead, the semifinal round in both classes are Saturday on the fields of the higher seeds.

The Class B South Final is Tuesday of next week at St. Joseph’s College in Standish and the Class A South Final is Wednesday of next week at St. Joe’s.

The Waynflete/North Yarmouth Academy co-op squad wound up 2-11 and 12th in Class C South (only 10 teams made the playoffs) after closing with an 8-5 home loss to Sacopee Valley last week.

Softball

The Cheverus/NYA co-op was the only local squad that qualified for the softball postseason.

Cheverus/NYA finished ninth in Class A South at 8-8 after closing with a 10-4 home loss to Marshwood and a 5-0 home win over Deering. In the victory, Sydney Plummer doubled twice.

Cheverus/NYA was at No. 8 Bonny Eagle (9-7) in the preliminary round Tuesday. On May 6, the Stags won, 15-2, at the Scots. The teams met just once previously in the playoffs, a 7-6 Bonny Eagle victory in the 2009 Western A quarterfinals.

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If Cheverus/NYA advances to Thursday’s quarterfinal round, it will have the daunting task of visiting top-ranked, two-time defending Class A champion Scarborough (16-0). On May 9, the Stags lost at the Red Storm, 10-2. Scarborough won the only prior playoff encounter, 3-0, in the 2008 Western A quarterfinals.

The semifinals are Saturday on the fields of the higher seeds. The Class A South Final is Wednesday of next week at St. Joseph’s College in Standish.

Falmouth missed the playoffs after finishing 0-16 and 17th in Class A South, where 12 teams qualified.

In Class B South, Freeport finished 5-10-1 and 12th (where just 11 teams qualified for the playoffs) after closing with an 8-1 home loss to Yarmouth.

“We tried so hard to make the playoffs, but we had a great season,” said Falcons coach Jason Daniel.

Yarmouth ended up 4-12 and 13th following a 9-8 home loss to Lake Region and an 8-1 win at Freeport in the finale.

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Greely finished 1-15 and 14th.

Boys’ lacrosse

All five local boys’ lacrosse teams have high hopes entering the postseason.

Greely, a state finalist in 2018, has the inside track to get back to the Class B state game and win the title which eluded it a year ago. The Rangers finished first for the second straight season, finishing 9-3, despite a 13-7 season-ending loss at undefeated Cape Elizabeth last week. Andrew Lawrence had three goals in defeat.

Greely will host a state quarterfinal Friday or Saturday versus No. 8 Biddeford (5-7) or No. 9 Mt. Ararat (5-7). The Rangers didn’t face either team this year and have no playoff history against the Eagles or Tigers.

Yarmouth finished second in Class B at 8-4 after Friday’s 12-5 home win over defending Class C champion Waynflete. Anders Corey and Andy Garrett both scored four goals and Cole Buchanan and Jake Rogers led a defensive effort which held Flyers’ standout Miles Lipton without a goal.

“We knew we needed to come out tonight and perform and we did,” said Garrett.

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“This was a much-needed win,” Buchanan said. “It was a good feeling to win Senior Night. It was a great night for lacrosse.”

“We had to come out strong tonight and the boys knew that,” added Clippers coach David Pearl. “The boys came to play with confidence.”

Yarmouth will host No. 7 Camden Hills (5-7) or 10th-ranked Mt. Blue (5-7) in the state quarterfinals Friday or Saturday. The Clippers didn’t face either team this year. Yarmouth has no playoff history with the Windjammers. The Clippers are 2-0 all-time against the Cougars, with a 15-4 victory in the 2003 Eastern Division semifinal the most recent.

The Class B state semifinals are Tuesday of next week on the fields of the higher seeds. The Class B state final is Friday, June 14 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

Falmouth finished 7-5 and fifth in Class A North after closing with a 10-4 home loss to Thornton Academy in a state final rematch.

The Yachtsmen will be at No. 4 Bangor/Hampden Academy (11-1) in the quarterfinals Thursday. The teams have never met.

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If Falmouth moves on to the semifinals for the 12th year in a row, it will go to No. 1 Windham (11-1) Saturday. The teams didn’t meet this season and have no postseason history.

In Class C, NYA earned the No. 2 seed after going 8-4, closing with wins over visiting Wells (15-3) and host Gray-New Gloucester (14-5).

The Panthers will host No. 7 Freeport (7-5) or No. 10 Lincoln Academy (4-8) in the state quarterfinals Saturday.

The Falcons, who closed with a 20-6 home win over St. Dom’s and a 16-7 loss at York, host Lincoln Academy in a preliminary round game Wednesday. The teams didn’t meet this season and split two prior playoff meetings, with the Eagles’ 11-10 overtime triumph in the 2007 Eastern B quarterfinals the most recent.

If Freeport and NYA match up Saturday, it will mark the third all-time postseason meeting. The Panthers won the past two, with a 14-9 victory in the 2009 Eastern B semifinals the most recent. NYA won the regular season meeting, 13-9, April 24 in Freeport.

The Class A North Finals and Class C state semifinals are Wednesday of next week on the fields of the higher seeds. The Class A and Class C state games are Saturday, June 15 at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

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Girls’ lacrosse

On the girls’ side, all five local squads are in the title mix in their respective class.

Defending Class A champion Falmouth wound up atop the Class A North Heals, barely, after closing with a 14-4 victory at Thornton Academy and an 8-5 home win over Massabesic in a state game rematch to finish the regular season 11-1. Caitlyn Camelio had five goals against the Golden Trojans. In the win over the Mustangs, the Yachtsmen were down, 4-3, at the half, but rattled off four straight goals to open the second half and held on behind three goals from Camelio and two apiece from Eva Clement and Kayla Sarazin, who won 11 of 14 draws.

“It feels good,” said Camelio. “(Massabesic’s) a great team. We came in hyped up and it was a great game all around.”

“This means a ton,” said Sarazin. “Massabesic’s such a good team. Playing them was really fun.”

“It had playoff energy, for sure,” added Yachtsmen coach Ashley Pullen. “We were fired up for it. We knew it would be a tight game. We knew we had our work cut out for us.”

Falmouth earned a quarterfinal round bye and will host either No. 4 Oxford Hills (11-1) or fifth-ranked Cheverus (8-4) in the Class A North semifinals Saturday. The Yachtsmen didn’t face the Vikings this year and the teams have no playoff history. Falmouth beat the host Stags, 14-7, May 20. In last year’s regional final, the Yachtsmen prevailed, 17-5.

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In Class B, Yarmouth enters the postseason as the hottest team around, winners of 10 straight, after victories last week at Greely (14-6) and at home over Waynflete (9-4) left the Clippers 11-1 and first in the region. Against the Rangers, Abi Thornton erupted for six goals, while Ehryn Groothoff had three and Katelyn D’Appolonia and Natalie Teare two apiece.

“Our team loves each other and we want to play for each other,” said Yarmouth defender Isabel Brennan. “We’re young, but we have a lot of talent and we play well together.”

“We have a lot of chemistry and that helps us connect on the field,” said D’Appolonia. “We focus on coming out strong and playing strong all game.”

“I’m so happy,” added Yarmouth coach Dorothy Holt. “My girls played the best game they’ve played all season. We came in a little nervous about playing on grass and we knew Greely would be strong, but I’m proud of how we played.”

Against the Flyers, Groothoff had five goals, as the Clippers built a 5-0 halftime lead and held on.

“We didn’t come out as well as we’d like to in the second half,” Groothoff said. “We played well in the first half, but we have to do it the whole game.”

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“I’m thrilled with our season,” said Holt. “I didn’t know what to expect. I lost a lot from last year. There were a lot of former players here tonight and they weren’t wearing Yarmouth jerseys, so to be where we are is special in itself.”

The Clippers will host either No. 8 Cony (7-5) or No. 9 Mt. Ararat (5-7) in the state quarterfinals Friday or Saturday. Yarmouth didn’t face either team this spring. The Clippers have never faced the Rams in the playoffs. They’re 4-0 all-time versus the Eagles, with a14-5 win in the 2005 East Region semifinals the most recent.

Greely finished third in Class B at 8-4 following season-ending losses to visiting Yarmouth (14-6) and host Cape Elizabeth (12-9). Against the Clippers, Katie Bennert scored twice.

“We didn’t keep possession of the ball,” Rangers coach Becca Koelker lamented. “We knew it would take the small things to win and we didn’t do that.”

Elsa Dean-Muncie scored four times and Bennert added three goals in the loss to the Capers.

Greely will host No. 6 Camden Hills (8-4) in the state quarterfinals Friday or Saturday. The teams didn’t play this year and have no postseason history.

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In Class C, Freeport wound up 8-4 and fourth after closing with a 14-7 home win over Wells last week. Allison Greuel and Margaret Perrotta both scored four times, while Molly Whelan added three goals.

The Falcons will welcome fifth-ranked NYA (7-5) in the state quarterfinals Saturday.

The Panthers finished with a 16-7 victory at Fryeburg Academy. Maggie Holt had six goals and Helen Hamblett and Emma Sharp both scored three times.

Freeport beat visiting NYA, 13-8, back on May 8. The teams have played twice before in the postseason, with the Panthers winning on both occasions, 15-3 in the 2002 Southeast Division preliminary round and 14-6 in the 2008 Eastern B semifinals.

The Class B state semifinals are Tuesday of next week on the fields of the higher seeds. The Class B state final is Friday, June 14 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

The Class A North Finals and Class C state semifinals are Wednesday of next week on the fields of the higher seeds. The Class A and Class C state games are Saturday, June 15 at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Times Record staff writer Bob Conn contributed to this story.

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


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