Freeport’s Shea Wagner delivers a strike during the Falcons’ 4-2 win at Greely in Saturday’s Class B South semifinal.

Falmouth’s Caitlyn Camelio jumps for joy and is mobbed by her teammates after scoring the go-ahead goal in Friday’s 11-10 win over Cheverus in the Class A North girls’ lacrosse semifinals.

Greely’s Marin Provencher competes in the girls’ mile at Saturday’s New England outdoor track and field championships in Saco. Provencher finished 19th.

Ed. Note: For the complete Falmouth-Thornton Academy and Freeport-Greely baseball, Falmouth-Windham boys’ lacrosse and Falmouth-Cheverus girls’ lacrosse game stories, see theforecaster.net)

After tennis champions were crowned last weekend (see story), only a few days remain the spring sports season and after an eventful playoff week, several local teams remain alive, still hoping for a championship.

Here’s a recap at the week that was:

Boys’ lacrosse

Falmouth, Greely, NYA and Yarmouth’s boys’ lacrosse teams all reached their respective regional finals or state semifinals.

In Class A North, Falmouth was relegated to the No. 5 seed, its lowest ranking since 2008, after a 7-5 campaign, but the Yachtsmen, as they have so many times before, have caught fire with the onset of the playoffs.

Last Thursday, Falmouth went to No. 4 Bangor and rolled to a 17-3 victory, as Reilly Tucker had four goals and Wyatt Kerr added four.

Saturday, the Yachtsmen visited top-ranked Windham, raced to a 9-1 lead and never looked back en route to a 16-5 triumph. Kerr had three goals and four assists, Peter Alexander added three goals, Tucker scored twice and had three assists, Iyendae St. Louis had two goals and Shane Allen won 16 of 20 faceoff opportunities.

“It was important to get going fast and build some momentum,” Allen said. “We didn’t let down.”

“We’ve played hard in practice and now, in playoffs, it’s just a different intensity,” said Tucker. “Everyone stepped it up today.”

“It was a tough regular season, but all the credit goes to our guys,” added Yachtsmen coach Dave Barton. “Our seniors have been through a lot, but they realize it’s a new season and we’ve taken it as a point of pride to go on a campaign through the north.”

Falmouth is at No. 2 Portland (12-1) Wednesday in the regional final, the 11th straight season that the Yachtsmen have advanced at least that far in the playoffs. The teams didn’t play this year. They did meet in last year’s regional final, where Falmouth broke open a close game with a second half surge and went on to a 15-6 victory.

If the Yachtsmen (9-5) get to the Class A state final for the second year in a row, they will meet either defending champion Thornton Academy (12-1) or longtime rival Cape Elizabeth (13-0) Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. Falmouth lost to both squads this year: 9-4 at the Capers May 3 and 10-4 at home to the Golden Trojans in the regular season finale May 28. The Yachtsmen are 3-6 all-time in the postseason versus Cape Elizabeth, with a 6-5 loss in the 2017 Class B South Final the most recent. Falmouth is 0-1 against Thornton Academy, dropping last year’s Class A state final, 14-12.

In Class B, Greely, the top seed, had no trouble with No. 9 Biddeford, 16-3, in last Thursday’s state quarterfinal. Ethan Fraser led the way with six goals. The Rangers hosted No. 4 York (7-6) in the state semifinals Tuesday. On May 1, Greely beat the host Wildcats, 17-3.  The teams had no playoff history.

If the Rangers (10-3) advance to the Class B state final for the second year in a row, they will play Friday night at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland against either No. 2 Yarmouth (9-4) or third-ranked Brunswick (11-2), the defending champion. Greely split with the Clippers this spring, losing, 13-4, April 18 in Yarmouth and winning, 13-5, May 27 at home. The teams, surprisingly, have never met in the postseason. The Rangers beat the visiting Dragons, 11-8, May 11. The teams have split two prior playoff encounters and Greely would love nothing more than to avenge last year’s agonizing 14-13 overtime loss in the state game.

Yarmouth had no trouble versus No. 7 Camden Hills in its state quarterfinal, rolling to a 19-3 victory, thanks in part to four goals from Anders Corey and three from Michael Guertler.

The Clippers hosted Brunswick in the state semifinals Tuesday night (see theforecaster.net for game story). The teams didn’t play in the regular season. They have split four prior playoff encounters with last year’s thrilling state semifinal (won, 14-13, in overtime by the Dragons) the most recent.

In Class C, North Yarmouth Academy, ranked second, hosted No. 7 Freeport Saturday in the state quarterfinals. Mason Parks scored six times and Xander Kostelnik added three goals to help the Panthers prevail, 15-9, and improve to 9-4.

The Panthers host defending state champion Waynflete (10-3) in the state semifinals Wednesday afternoon. The Panthers lost the regular season meeting, 18-12, May 8 at home. Last year, in the teams’ lone prior playoff encounter, Waynflete prevailed, 18-6.

If the Panthers reach the Class C state final Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium, they will meet either No. 4 Gray-New Gloucester (11-2) or No. 8 Maranacook/Winthrop/Spruce Mountain (10-4) at a time to be announced. NYA closed the regular season with a 14-5 win at Gray-New Gloucester May 31. The Panthers beat the Patriots, 18-2, in last year’s state quarterfinals. NYA is 2-1 all time vs. Maranacook in the playoffs, with an 11-7 win in the 2015 Eastern B semifinals the most recent.

Freeport had beaten No. 10 Lincoln Academy, 20-5, in the preliminary round game (Kaleb Barrett had nine goals and Steel Crawford added nine), then finished 8-6 with its 15-9 loss at NYA.

Girls’ lacrosse

Defending Class A state champion Falmouth, along with Greely, NYA and Yarmouth, were still alive in the girls’ lacrosse tournament at press time.

The Yachtsmen finished first in Class A North and earned a bye into the semifinals, where they found themselves in a fight for their life Friday against fifth-seeded Cheverus. Falmouth enjoyed leads of 5-1 and 9-4, but the Stags roared back to tie the game, 9-9, and again, 10-10. Caitlyn Camelio’s seventh goal, off a free position with 2:06 left, proved to be the difference and the Yachtsmen survived and advanced, 11-10.

“It was scary,” said Camelio, who has committed to playing for the University of Michigan next year. “We rallied and we never gave up. That’s always the motto for our team.”

“It was a great game,” said Falmouth coach Ashley Pullen. “Games like this, as intense and emotionally draining as they are, they’re exhilarating too. I’d rather have a game like this than have it lopsided because it’s sweeter when you have to earn it.”

The Yachtsmen host No. 2 Windham (12-1) in the regional final Wednesday at 4 p.m. (see theforecaster.net for game story). The Eagles handed Falmouth its only loss this year, 7-6, May 2 in Windham. In the only previous playoff meeting between the teams, the Yachtsmen prevailed, 10-5, in last year’s Class A North semifinals.

If Falmouth (12-1) makes it to the state game, it will meet either Kennebunk (10-3) or Massabesic (11-3) Saturday at a time to be announced at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. The Yachtsmen edged the visiting Rams, 8-7, in overtime, April 24 and held off the visiting Mustangs, 8-5, May 30. Falmouth is 0-5 all-time versus Kennebunk in the playoffs, with a 9-6 setback in the 2017 Class B South Final the most recent. The Yachsmen’s 10-7 win over Massabesic in last year’s state final was the only previous postseason encounter between the teams.

In Class B, Yarmouth, the top seed, had no trouble with No. 9 Mt. Ararat in Friday’s quarterfinals, winning, 12-1, to improve to 12-1. Anna Thornton had five goals and Katelyn D’Appolonia and Abi Thornton both scored twice. The Clippers welcomed No. 4 Biddeford (11-2) in the state semifinals Tuesday. The teams didn’t play this year and had no playoff history.

If Yarmouth moves on to the state final for the seventh year in a row, it will meet either No. 2 Cape Elizabeth (11-2), the defending state champion, or No. 3 Greely (9-4) Friday at Fitzpatrick Stadium. The Clippers held off the visiting Capers, 14-11, May 8 and beat the host Rangers, 14-6, May 29. Yarmouth is 2-1 all-time against Cape Elizabeth in the playoffs, with last year’s 12-11, overtime loss in the state game the most recent. The Clippers lost their only prior playoff game with Greely, falling, 6-5, in the 1997 Division II semifinals.

Greely handled No. 6 Camden Hills, 17-4, in its state quarterfinal Friday. Elsa Dean-Muncie and Jayme Morrison had three goals each. The Rangers were at second-ranked Cape Elizabeth Tuesday in the semifinal round. On May 30, Greely lost, 12-9, at the Capers. Cape Elizabeth had taken three of four prior playoff meeting, with last year’s 9-8 victory in the semifinals the most recent.

In Class C, NYA, ranked fifth, upset No. 4 Freeport in a shootout of a state quarterfinal, 17-16. The game was deadlocked, 8-8, at halftime and tied, 12-12, after three quarters. The Panthers clung to a one-goal lead as time wound down, but the Falcons forced overtime when Margaret Perrotta scored. NYA got the last laugh in overtime, as Helen Hamblett set up Natalie Farrell for the winning goal.

“I heard Helen yell to me, ‘Natalie, just take it!’” said Farrell. “I really couldn’t have done it without my teammates who were there the whole game.”

“We pulled it back and I found Natalie and I knew I could trust her,” Hamblett said. “This is probably the most exciting game I’ve ever played in.”

“It was definitely a nail biter,” added Panthers coach Molly Climo. “It makes it that much sweeter when you know you worked so hard for something. I’m so proud. Our girls have been working so hard for this. Coming out on top at the end of the season feels real good.”

Emma Sharp had six goals and goalie Ally White made 16 saves.

NYA improved to 8-5 and advanced to host No. 9 Lake Region (6-8), the defending state champion, in Wednesday’s state semifinals. On April 24, the Panthers held off the visiting Lakers, 12-10. The teams have met just once before in the playoffs, in last year’s state semifinals, a 19-6 Lake Region win.

If NYA gets to the Class C state final for the first time and to a state game in any class for the first time since winning the 2010 championship, it will meet either No. 2 Erskine Academy (10-3) or No. 3 St. Dom’s (8-5)  Saturday at a time to be announced at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Freeport, which got six goals and four assists from Perrotta in the loss to NYA, wound up 8-5.

“We did things on offense that we set out to do,” Falcons coach Marcia Wood said. “But in the end, it just wasn’t enough.”

Baseball

Freeport’s baseball team has awakened the echoes of 2016.

The Falcons, seeded third in Class B South, first defeated sixth-ranked Wells, the defending regional champion, 10-3, in the quarterfinal round last Thursday. Anthony Panciocco earned the win with relief help from Toby Holt and Blaine Cockburn.

Freeport then faced No. 2 Greely in Saturday’s semifinals.

The Rangers had defeated No. 7 Morse, 4-0, in their quarterfinal. Connor Sullivan threw a three-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and Jake MacDonald scored two runs.

Saturday, Freeport and Greely produced a down-to-the-wire thriller in the semifinals.

Panciocco hit a two-run single to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

“That was huge to get the lead,” Panciocco said. “It energized our bench and our crowd and gave us momentum for the rest of the game.”

Eriksen Shea doubled and Liam Holt squeezed him home in the second.

That bunt was huge,” Shea said. “We’ve practiced it all year and for Liam to execute it in this environment was awesome.”

After the Rangers pulled within 3-2, Shea Wagner and Cockburn combined to hold them scoreless the rest of the way (Greely had the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t score) and an unearned run in the sixth inning helped Freeport prevail, 4-2.

“I just had to pound the zone over and over again like I’ve done many times before in my life and I did it,” Cockburn said. “(The last pitch) was like a movie. Awesome.”

“I was nervous, but this team loves each other and I knew we’d get it done,” added Freeport first-year coach Kyle Goodrich. “Greely’s been a powerhouse since I was in school, but you’ve just got to believe.”

The Falcons (15-3) punched their ticket to the Class B South for just the second time in program history and faced top-ranked York (16-2) Tuesday at St. Joseph’s College in Standish (see theforecaster.net for game story). Freeport lost at home to York, 8-4, back on May 4. The Falcons won the only prior playoff meeting, 7-2, in the 2016 Class B South quarterfinals.

“I’m excited,” Wagner said. “We just have to hit. When we lose, we haven’t hit, but in the games we’ve won, we’ve done well.”

Greely finished 13-5 with the loss. Brady Nolin hit a two-run home run and made two terrific plays in rightfield, but it wasn’t enough for the Rangers, who left the potential tying and winning runs on in the final inning.

“We made it exciting,” Soule said. “In a playoff game when things don’t go your way, with all the pressure you’re facing, your season possibly ending, you see a lot of teams crumble. I’m really proud of how we regrouped.”

Yarmouth, the No. 8 seed in Class B South, defeated No. 9 Lake Region, 2-1, in the preliminary round last Tuesday, then finished 9-9 with a 7-1 loss at top-ranked York in the quarterfinals last Thursday. Against the Lakers, Toby Burgmaier threw a complete game and John Jordan drove in the go-ahead run. Burgmaier doubled in the setback.

In Class A South, Falmouth ranked seventh, enjoyed another memorable playoff experience. The Yachtsmen blanked 10th-seeded Gorham, the reigning regional champion, 4-0, in the preliminary round, then upset No. 2 Thornton Academy, 5-4, in the quarterfinals before falling, 3-1, at No. 3 Scarborough in Saturday’s semifinals to finish 11-8.

In the win over the Rams, Garrett Tracy threw a shutout with nine strikeouts and Connor Coffin had a pair of hits. Against the Golden Trojans, Sam Kidder had two hits, two runs and two stolen bases, Dom Tracy earned the win in relief and Ike Kiely homered leading off the seventh for the decisive run.

“That was pretty exciting,” Kiely said. “I knew I had to do something big to get us going. I got an inside fastball. I didn’t know it was gone until I was rounding second base and I heard my teammates yell. Luckily, it kept going and went over the fence. It’s a dream come true. What a feeling!”

“This is up there as a top win for me,” said Falmouth coach Kevin Winship. “It’s a great win for the kids. We got hits when we needed them and we made the plays.”

In the setback, Tracy was the hard-luck loser, Kiley had two hits and Sam Manganello had an RBI.

Softball

The Cheverus/North Yarmouth Academy co-op team, the only local squad to qualify for the postseason, went one-and-done in the softball playoffs last week.

The Stags, seeded ninth in Class A South, went to No. 8 Bonny Eagle for a preliminary round playoff game and took a 9-0 lead over the Scots, but gave it all back and dropped a 12-9 decision to finish 8-9. Cheverus/NYA gave up six runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.

“I think the most crucial part of a game is what happens after one team scores,” said Stags coach Theresa Hendrix, who made four pitching changes in the fateful innings. “And (the Scots) didn’t hang their heads, they came back and took our high and made it into a long inning for us.”

Track

The final competition of the outdoor track season, the New England championship meet, was held Saturday in Saco and several local athletes took part.

Falmouth’s Sofie Matson was runner-up in the two-mile (10 minutes, 24.07 seconds). Karley Piers was 18th in the two-mile (11:20.58) and Emma Harrington came in fourth in the discus (126 feet, 6 inches). Greely’s 4×800 relay team (Abby Irish, Julia Curran, Marin Provencher and Carolyn Todd) had the 16th-best time (10:02.95). Provencher placed 19th in the mile (5:12.62).  Freeport’s Catriona Gould placed 21st in the 100 (13.31 seconds).

In the boys’ competition, Falmouth’s Joshua Bradford finished ninth in the shot put (53-1.25). John Auer was 16th in the mile (4:27.79). Douglas Cooke was 25th in the 400 (52.17). Alvaro Fuentes came in 25th in the 200 (23.69). The Yachtsmen’s 4×100 relay team (Ethan Ali, Fuentes, Adrian Friedman and Kyle Bouchard) placed 17th (44.45) and the 4×400 squad (Bouchard, Fuentes, Ben Greene and Cooke) came in 21st (3:32.14). Greely’s 4×800 relay team (Atticus Smith, Luke Marsanskis, Riley Franklin and Matthew Todd) placed 18th (8:14.83). Yarmouth’s Chris Koskinen came in 26th in the 300 hurdles (42.74).

Press Herald staff writer Mike Lowe and Times Record staff writer Eric Maxim contributed to this story.

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

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