Portland: Postseason set to begin, if Mother Nature allows

The weather might suggest otherwise, but June is upon us and a bevy of postseason action is on its way.

In multiple sports.

If you blink, you’ll miss it, so here’s what’s happened and what’s to come with the conclusion of the spring season right around the corner.

Rain, rain, go away.

Tennis

Waynflete’s perennial champion boys’ tennis team was just two victories shy of a mindboggling 15th consecutive Class C title at press time.

The Flyers, ranked second in Class C South, earned a bye into the semifinal and blanked No. 3 Spruce Mountain, 5-0, last Thursday to improve to 11-2. Waynflete took on No. 4 Carrabec (8-3) in the regional final Monday morning. If victorious, the Flyers will take on Orono (15-0) in the state match Wednesday in Lewiston.

Waynflete’s girls were also still in the title hunt at press time.

The Flyers, ranked fifth in Class C South, knocked off No. 4 Boothbay (3-2) in the quarterfinals, then upset No. 1 Spruce Mountain (4-1) in the semifinals to improve to 9-5. Monday, Waynflete took on No. 3 Maranacook (12-2) in the regional final Monday. If victorious, the Flyers will meet Washington Academy (14-1) in the state match Wednesday in Lewiston.

Portland’s boys, the No. 4 seed in Class A South, were ousted by No. 5 Scarborough, 3-2, in the quarterfinals to finish with a 9-4 record.

Deering’s boys, seeded eighth in Class A South, were eliminated last week by top-ranked Falmouth, 5-0, in the quarterfinals to wind up 8-6.

Baseball

The Waynflete/North Yarmouth Academy co-op team, as well as Cheverus, will take part in the baseball playoffs.

Waynflete/NYA finished the regular season with a stellar 13-3 record, despite last week’s 10-0 (five-inning) setback at Sacopee Valley in the finale.

Waynflete/NYA earned the No. 4 seed in Class C South and will host No. 5 Mt. Abram (12-4) or No. 12 Madison (4-11) in the quarterfinals Thursday afternoon. Waynflete/NYA didn’t face either potential foe this year. If victorious, the squad will travel to No. 1 Sacopee Valley (16-0) or host No. 8 Dirigo (10-6) or No. 9 Hall-Dale (6-10) in the semifinals Saturday.

The Class C South Final is Tuesday of next week at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. The Class C state game is Saturday, June 17 in Gorham.

In Class A South, Cheverus finished the regular season 9-7 after a 10-0 (six-inning) home loss to Marshwood.

The Stags finished eighth in the region and welcome No. 9 Noble (8-8) Tuesday in the preliminary round. Cheverus lost, 6-3, at the Knights in the teams’ regular season meeting May 12. The Stags have won both prior playoff meetings, with a 4-0 victory in the 2019 quarterfinals the most recent.

If Cheverus advanced, it will go to top-ranked Falmouth (15-1) Thursday for the quarterfinals. The Stags lost, 11-3, at the Navigators May 25. The teams split two previous playoff encounters with a 5-4 Cheverus win in the 2018 semifinals the most recent.

The Class A South semifinals are Saturday, on the fields of the higher seeds. The regional final is Tuesday of next week at USM in Gorham. The Class A state game is Saturday, June 17, also in Gorham.

Portland finished 2-14 and 16th in Class A South, but only 12 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Bulldogs missed out on the postseason for the first time since 2012.

Deering closed with five-inning home losses to Scarborough (15-0) and Falmouth (11-0) to wind up 0-16 and 17th in the region.

Softball

Cheverus was the lone city softball squad to qualify for the postseason.

The Stags wound up 8-8 and ninth in Class A South following a 13-3 (six-inning) victory at Bonny Eagle last Tuesday. Freshman Anna Goodman had three hits and scored three runs, Hailey Lamontagne scored three runs and had two RBI, Kelsey Cassidy also scored three times and Madison Bunnell-Parker added two RBI.

Cheverus was at No. 8 Marshwood (10-6) in the preliminary round Tuesday. The Stags lost, 10-6, at the Hawks on May 1. The teams split two prior playoff meetings with Marshwood prevailing, 8-2, in the 2021 preliminary round, the most recent encounter.

If Cheverus advanced, it would go to No. 1 Biddeford (15-1) for the quarterfinals Thursday. The Stags lost, 8-3, at home to the Tigers on May 24. The teams have no playoff history.

The Class A South semifinals are Saturday, on the fields of the higher seeds. The regional final is Tuesday of next week at USM in Gorham. The Class A state game is Saturday, June 17, also in Gorham.

Portland finished 3-13 after a pair of losses at Marshwood, 1-0 and 2-1. The Bulldogs ended up 12th in Class A South, but only 10 teams qualified for the playoffs, meaning Portland fell short for the first time since 2015.

Deering closed with a 12-1 (five-inning) home win over Falmouth to end up 2-14. Isabella McBrady earned the victory, Sophie Hill homered and drove in three runs and Adelyn Blackburn and Kira Siteman both scored three runs. The Rams finished 14th in the region.

Boys’ lacrosse

Waynflete’s Niko Kirby and Seth Cloutier celebrate a goal during Friday’s win over rival North Yarmouth Academy. Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Portland Press Herald

Waynflete’s boys’ lacrosse team, the two-time reigning Class C state champion, will be the top seed in the state-wide playoffs.

Last week, the Flyers blanked visiting Gorham (12-0), then beat visiting rival North Yarmouth Academy in a weather-shortened contest (3-1) to wind up 12-2. Seth Cloutier led the way against the Rams with five goals. He then scored all three against the Panthers. Waynflete led 3-1 with 3:24 left in the first half when the game was delayed by thunder in the vicinity.

Normally, a high school boys’ lacrosse game has to enter the second half to be considered official, but since it was the regular season finale and since there was no option to make it up Saturday on the final makeup day, due to SAT testing and proms, the schools’ athletic directors agreed beforehand that if bad weather ended the contest, the team that was leading would be deemed the winner.

“It was very important to start the game off strong,” said Cloutier. “It would have felt better to win (in 48 minutes). It feels a little shaky, but we’ll take it.”

“I know there are a lot of guys on that side who wanted to get this one and I know they want to see us again in the playoffs and we do too,” said Flyers coach Andrew Leach. “Anytime you get Waynflete-NYA, it’s going to be a great game. This one would have been a classic.”

Waynflete will host No. 8 Erskine Academy (6-8) or No. 9 Gray-New Gloucester (6-8) in the state quarterfinals Saturday. The Flyers have no postseason history with either prospective foe. Waynflete beat the visiting Patriots, 18-1, May 20.

“I’m thrilled with our season so far,” Leach said. “We lost some starters early in the season. It’s amazing where we’re at right now and I’m excited to keep it going with this group. It’s more than just us and NYA. Wells is a great team. Oak Hill, Freeport. Everybody wants to beat us and we know that. I want to send our seniors off the right way. It’s a great group of young men and I want to do it right.”

In Class A, Portland finished eighth after a 7-7 regular season. The Bulldogs hosted No. 9 Noble/Sanford (9-5) in the quarterfinals Tueesday. The teams didn’t meet this spring and have no postseason history.

If Portland advanced, it will go to top-ranked Cape Elizabeth (14-0), the two-time reigning Class A champion, riding a 20-game win streak, Saturday. The teams didn’t play this year. The Capers won the lone prior playoff encounter, 12-4, in the 2005 West Region Final.

Deering wound up 6-8 and 11th in Class A after a 16-3 win at Westbrook and a 13-10 loss at Lake Region. The Rams will be at No. 6 Windham (9-5) in the preliminary round Wednesday. The Eagles won the regular season meeting, 18-6, May 23 in Portland. The teams have no playoff history.

If Deering springs an upset, it will be at No. 3 South Portland (11-3) for the quarterfinals Saturday. The Rams lost at home to the Red Riots, 18-5, back on May 3. The teams have no playoff history.

Looking ahead, the Class A and Class C state semifinals are Wednesday of next week, on the fields of the higher seeds. The state finals are Saturday, June 17, at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

Cheverus finished 5-9 after an 11-6 home loss to Biddeford last Thursday. The Stags wound up 15th in Class A, but only 12 teams made the playoffs.

Girls’ lacrosse

Wanflete’s Lydia Birknes makes a move during last week’s home win over York. Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Portland Press Herald

On the girls’ side, Waynflete finished the regular season on a six-game surge, capped by a 14-7 home win over York last Wednesday on Senior Day. Tilsley Kelly scored a career-high eight goals and Lydia Birknes added three.

“I think I just got into a rhythm and I just build up confidence and know I can do it,” Kelly said. “Most of it is because my teammates work so hard to get me the ball in a perfect spot. My favorite part is assisting on beautiful cuts.”

“Honestly, I think the team’s love for the seniors was there,” said senior Yen Wilson, who had a goal and an assist while also playing strong defense. “Pregame felt really good. The seniors got some gifts and it felt really nice. We’ve known what we’re capable of, but it took some adversity at the start of the season to turn things around.”

“We’ve come a long way,” added longtime Waynflete coach Cathie Connors, after her 320th career victory. “This is what I was hoping. I knew we had it. We had a hard time putting it together and we had some injuries. The girls figured it out and they went after it and they wanted it today, which was nice to see. We hoped to win our final six games and we did that to get to .500. I’m really proud of them. We talked about everyone having to do their job and we did that today. Everyone kept their composure.”

The Flyers wound up seventh in Class C and will host No. 10 Traip Academy (5-8) in the state preliminary round Wednesday. Waynflete beat the visiting Rangers, 18-3, back on May 3. In last year’s preliminary round, the lone prior postseason encounter, the Flyers prevailed, 15-0.

If Waynflete advances to the quarterfinals, it will go to No. 2 NYA (9-5), the reigning Class C champion, Saturday. The Flyers started the season with a 14-8 home loss to the Panthers April 13. Waynflete has won five of seven prior playoff meetings, but last year, in the quarterfinals, NYA prevailed, 8-6.

“I think the girls can do it,’ Connors said. “They really want it. They keep surprising us. We’ll see what happens.”

In Class A, Portland and Cheverus were on a preliminary round collision course.

The Bulldogs finished eighth at 9-5 after a 12-4 home loss to Falmouth and a 9-7 home win over Sanford last week. Elizabeth Littell and Eliza Stein both had three goals in the victory.

The Stags wound up ninth at 8-6 following a 17-4 home loss to two-time reigning champion Kennebunk in the regular season finale last week.

Portland hosted Cheverus in the preliminary round Tuesday. The teams played an overtime thriller back on May 16, a 12-11 Bulldogs’ victory. The Stags had won two of three prior playoff encounters, with a 13-8 win in the 2018 Class A North semifinals the most recent.

The winner will go to top-ranked Kennebunk (14-0) for the quarterfinals Saturday. The Bulldogs lost, 15-4, at the Rams, who have won 46 consecutive games, May 25. Portland has no playoff history with Kennebunk. Cheverus is 0-2 versus the Rams in the tournament, with a 10-5 setback in the 2007 Western B Final the most recent.

Looking ahead, the Class A and Class C state semifinals are Wednesday of next week, on the fields of the higher seeds. The state finals are Saturday, June 17, at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

Deering wound up 0-14 and 22nd in the region (only 16 teams made the playoffs) following a 19-4 loss at Mt. Ararat last week.