The fall sports regular season has featured thrills and some surprises as well.

At press time, the regular season was coming to a close and by this weekend, the postseason will be underway in every sport but 11-man football.

Local squads are very much in the title hunt across the board and here’s where things stand on the brink of the most exciting time of the year:

Football

Cheverus’ football team improved to 6-1 after holding on for dear life to down host Westbrook, 27-22 Saturday. The Stags dominated the first half, embarking on a pair of long scoring drives which culminated with a 21-yard touchdown run from Matt Baker (14 carries, 116 yards on his 17th birthday) in the first period and a 1-yard Baker TD run in the second, but they only led, 14-0, at the break. When Joe Osei scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter, Cheverus appeared home free, but the Blue Blazes erupted for two touchdowns in nine seconds to get right back in the game and pull within five, 21-16.

After getting a defensive stop to preserve the lead, the Stags drove to apparently put the game away when quarterback Gio St. Onge scored on a 1-yard dive with just 2:17 remaining, but again, the Blue Blazes answered and pulled within five with 1:22 to go. The game came down to an onside kick, which was recovered in a scrum by Cheverus’ Jack Fenton, and the Stags were able to run out the clock from there and survive, 27-22.

“I just knew I had to take care of my square,” Fenton said. “I trusted my teammates and coaches. We prepare for situations like that. I just ended up in the right place at the right time. The ball was dropped. I didn’t think, I just fell on it. There were some hands in there, but I got it in the end. It was exhilaration more than relief. I didn’t play a perfect game and I wanted to redeem myself.”

“We just played with a lot of grit,” said St. Onge. “We have players who want to do their part. Our goal is to compete every game.”

“We did what we always do and we finished,” said Osei, who gained 209 yards with a touchdown on 35 carries. “We just had to focus on what needed to be done and we got it done.”

“We were mentally tough today,” added Cheverus coach Mike Vance. “This is a very steady group. Whether it’s week-to-week or possession-to-possession in a game. Turnovers, touchdowns, it doesn’t matter, they’re very steady.”

The Stags (third in the Class C South Crabtree Points standings) face the daunting of task of going to 7-0 Leavitt, the reigning state champion, which just won at Thornton Academy, in the regular season finale Friday.

“We’re going to go and compete with Leavitt,” St. Onge said. “We’ll see what we can do against them. They’re very good, but we think we have a chance.”

“We just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Fenton said. “We have to cut out the mistakes. I think if we game-plan our hardest and go out there with no mistakes, we have as good a shot as anyone.”

“We just have to do what we always do,” Osei said. “Leavitt’s good, but we’ll play our game.”

“We’re just taking it one week at a time,” Vance added. “We’ve just got to be us. We have to play Cheverus football and execute and that’s what we’ll do.”

In Class A North, Portland improved to 7-0 and first after a 41-0 victory at Scarborough Friday night. Lisandro Rodrigues scored a pair of first quarter touchdowns in unorthodox fashion to put the Bulldogs ahead to stay, scoring on a blocked punt and a fumble recovery. Quarterback Louis Thurston added a 1-yard TD run to make it 20-0 at halftime. Thurston scored on a 10-yard scamper in the third period and in the fourth, Cordell Jones scored twice, on runs of 5-yards and 36-yards, to put it away.

“It’s always good to get a win on Friday night,” said Portland first-year coach Sean Green. “Our defense and special teams played tremendously. Offensively, we played well but had a ton of penalties that continually put us behind the sticks. Some negated some big plays and many first downs. It’s unfortunate and frustrating when that happens and makes it hard to get rolling on offense. You feel for the kids in those situations. But like we always talk about, we can only control what we can control. Overall I was happy with our resiliency given the situation.

“Lisandro had a great night. He blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown and a couple of plays later he recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. He had an interception after sniffing out a slip screen as well. He also had three tackles, a sack and tackle for loss. He continues to play defense at a very high level for us. He is one of the best edge setters in the state. He is also an absolute menace on all of the special teams units. Issak Alkafaji had a big return after a nagging ankle injury. He totaled five-and-a-half tackles and three tackles for loss with a couple of big quarterback hits in the pass game and one pass breakup. Hunter Temple continues to be a lockdown corner for us but also played great in run support. Offensively, Aidan McGowan led the charge, earning a tough 147 yards on 19 carries. Cordell Jones is really starting to hit his stride in our offense as well, running for 67 yards and two TDs and earning 51 receiving yards as well. Our offensive line was great, leading us to nearly 300 yards on the ground.”

The Bulldogs have a bye Friday, then close the regular season at home versus South Portland in the “Battle of the Bridge” Oct. 27.

“We have a lot to work on,” said Green. “We have to minimize the penalties and become more efficient on offense. We have to stay on schedule. Particularly down in the red area.”

In Class B South, Deering fell to 4-3 after a 20-0 home loss to Gorham Friday. Gorham took the lead for good by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, then scored twice in the second period and despite threatening on multiple occasions, Deering couldn’t get in the end zone. The Rams (now fourth in the region) close the regular season at home versus Westbrook (2-5) Friday.

Boys’ soccer

Deering’s boys’ soccer team ran the gamut of emotions last week, losing at home to Gorham, 4-1, then downing visiting rival Portland, 3-1. The Rams’ lone goal against Gorham came on an “own goal,” but Deering had a much better time of it against the Bulldogs on Senior Day in front of a huge crowd.

The Rams went on top to stay with 33:42 to go, when Ibrahim Abdullahi set up sophomore Cristiano Afonso for the game’s first goal.

“That first goal was great,” said Rams coach Joel Costigan. “That’s not a run Cristiano usually makes. We asked him to do something different today. He recognized the space and Ibrahim, who played with Cristiano on JV all year, recognized his partner to play forward at the right time.”

Deering then some breathing room with 16:40 left, as Benedito Nzeza finished in traffic, but Portland came to life late with a goal, then nearly tied it up, but Deering goalkeeper Adao Lufumbo-Mbenza made the biggest save of the night. With 1:02 to play, Avery Lawrence, who helped anchor Deering’s stellar defensive effort, put it away by burying a penalty kick and Deering went on to a 3-1 victory.

“It was electric,” said Lawrence. “Portland’s always a big game. Always exciting. It was a very good game. I had a feeling we were going to take it, even in pregame. We had a different energy, something we haven’t seen much.”

“It feels great,” Costigan said. “We worked on game-planning yesterday. We stayed focused on the game plan. The guys understood what was expected. The guys were motivated to show up on time and work hard for 80 minutes. It was a special night for soccer regardless of the result.”

The Rams (8-3-2 and fourth in the Class A South Heal Points standings at press time) closed the regular season at Cheverus Tuesday.

“We just have to show up, do what we do best and play our soccer,” Lawrence said. “I like our chances.”

“(The Portland win) was insanely important, but I don’t want it to be the highlight of our season,” Costigan said. “We still have Cheverus and we still have playoffs and it’s going to get harder. Hopefully the guys see what we can be with dedication, commitment and passion for the game. There are a lot of good teams and we hope to save our best for last.”

Portland was 10-2-1 and fifth in Class A South heading into Tuesday’s home final versus Marshwood. Last week, the Bulldogs rolled to an 11-0 win at Massabesic, then lost at Deering, 3-1. In the victory, Colin Lannon and Kieran Sullivan both scored twice, while Martin Kalala-Wasukundi, Eliezer Mambueni, Ronan Mas, Baptista Muanda, Francisco Samuel, Matan Schoenfeld and Osvaldo Silva all scored once. Against the Rams, Kalala-Wasukundi scored a late goal off a free kick, then Issac Rodrigues-Nkanza nearly tied it, but Deering’s keeper made a sensational save to help send Portland to defeat.

“I just told the kids, we’re not going to be defined by one game in the regular season,” said longtime Bulldogs coach Rocco Frenzilli. “All the credit to Deering for getting the job done. They deserved the win. Joel had them ready to play. I don’t think we put forth our best effort. It took a dead-ball goal to get us going and the last (five) minutes of the game, we were on fire, but you can’t play anyone in this league for just a few minutes and expect a good result. It was just one of those games. We just couldn’t get anything going. Whenever we hit a ball, it went to a Deering kid and they controlled the ball. They jammed the midfield, took the ball away from us. They had a couple balls go over the top and scored. We bring the best out in each other. I wish we had more brought out for us, but it didn’t happen. We didn’t have many chances, but we had some.”

Portland still hopes for a home playoff game.

“We just have to get ready for Marshwood, then we’ll see what comes after that,” Frenzilli said. “I don’t really care where we go in, I just want the guys to feel about themselves and know they can do it.”

Cheverus was 5-8 and clung to the 12th and final playoff spot in Class A South heading into the week. Last week, the Stags lost at home to Falmouth (5-0) and won at Sanford (2-0). Goalkeeper Griffin MacLeod stopped 13 shots against the Navigators.

“When you’re young like we are, trying to be consistent is tough,” first-year Cheverus coach Ben Schulz said. “Some days you show up and battle hard. Some days you shot up and fall flat. You have to be patient and trust we’re heading in the right direction and that we’ll get there. Falmouth’s always stout defensively. We had a game plan coming in, but when you’re under pressure and you’re 14 years old, it’s easy to forget the game plan and you react instead of playing the way we wanted to play.”

In the victory, Ange Michel Liwanga and Anton Behuniak each scored a goal. Cheverus hosted Deering in the regular season finale Tuesday and needed a victory to ensure a playoff berth.

“We’re in the mix,” Schulz said. “It’s between Marshwood, (Thornton Academy) and us for the last spot. We have to do the best we can and see where it falls. It’s about staying positive and coming out and playing a good game. We’ve had a lot of games to be proud of. We’ve played against teams in the upper end of the standings. We want to win, but we’re proud of where we’re at and we’ll take a lot of positives away from the season at a whole.”

Four-time reigning Class C champion Waynflete was 6-5-2 and fourth after a 1-1 home tie versus Traip Academy and a 6-0 win at Sacopee Valley last week. Jacob Woodman scored the goal in the tie. In the victory, Spencer Kline scored three times, while Andrew Rodgers, George Shattuck and Nestor Verdi added one goal apiece. The Flyers closed the regular season Tuesday at reigning Class D champion North Yarmouth Academy.

The boys’ soccer playoffs begin this weekend on the home fields of the higher seeded teams.

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, Cheverus blanked host Massabesic (8-0) and visiting Noble (3-0) last week before settling for a 2-2 draw at Windham. In the win over the Mustangs, Finley Brown and Sophia Monfa both scored twice, while Reese Belanger, Jill Foley, Alaina Holmes and Annie Vigue added one goal apiece. Against the Knights, on Senior Day, Vigue had two goals and Monfa added one late.

“We’re moving well in the midfield and off the ball,” said Vigue. “We’ve gotten better at services from the wing and getting into the box and finishing.”

“We had a few slip-ups at the beginning, but we brought it back together for each other,” Belanger said. “We noticed our mistakes in the first half and didn’t have as many in the second half and talked more on defense. Today, on Senior Day, with emotions being high, it affects you even if you don’t think it does. It’s bittersweet being a senior. We’re doing good things and it’s nice leaving knowing we’ve come so far.”

“I think we’re moving in the right direction,” added Stags coach Craig Roberts. “Our practices and our play have been good. We just have to show up and play the way we can and give ourselves the best opportunity to win.”

Monfa and Vigue eached scored once in the tie against Windham as Cheverus finished the regular season 9-3-2. The Stags were fourth in the Class A South Heal Points standings at press time and should host at least one playoff round.

“I think we can go far,” Belanger said. “We just need to believe and a lot of us do. You can tell we’re working together and playing for each other. The more we grow together, the better we play on the field. We’ve improved our culture so much from the start of the season until now. You can see it on the field. We connect and think the same.”

“I think our chances are as good as anyone’s, but we’d better show up,” Roberts said.

Portland was 5-7-1 and 10th in Class A South following home wins last week over Westbrook (5-1) and South Portland (1-0). Against the Blue Blazes, Annaliese Collin scored twice, while Joz Fitzjurls, Evvy McGirr and Baleria Yugu added one goal apiece. Collin had the lone goal in the win over the Red Riots, while goalkeeper Lucy Tidd made eight saves. The Bulldogs closed at Sanford Monday.

Deering was 3-9-1 and 13th entering the week, but only 12 teams qualify for the postseason. Last week, the Rams beat host Westbrook (1-0) and lost at Biddeford (1-0). Elsa Freeman scored in the win and goalkeeper Sophie Hill made seven saves. Deering closes at Thornton Academy Wednesday, likely needing a victory to reach the postseason.

In Class C South, Waynflete improved to 9-4 and third with wins last week at Traip Academy (5-0) and at home over Sacopee Valley (9-1). Against the Rangers, Paige Alexander, Morgan Earls, Izzy Gleason, Alexis Turner and Audrey Winch all scored once. In the win over the Hawks, Lucy Hart scored four goals, Gleason added two and Earls and Naomi Rice each finished with one. The Flyers closed the regular season at home versus rival NYA Tuesday (see our website for game story).

The girls’ soccer playoffs commence this weekend on the fields of the higher seeded teams.

Field hockey

Cheverus’ field hockey team extended its four-year, regular season unbeaten streak to 46 games, but got pushed on a couple of occasions last week. First, the Stags went to Falmouth and were held scoreless until the fourth quarter, when Zoey Radford broke a tie, Lucy Johnson scored twice and Sophia St. John added a goal to produce a 4-0 victory.

“The ball was rolling, I grabbed it, pulled it back and I stuck it behind the goalie,” Radford said, of the first goal. “It was a relief to get a goal. Once we get a spark, it’s just a wave of energy.”

“When we got going, we execute really well,” said senior captain Lily Johnson, who had an assist. “Once we get one goal, our momentum picks up and we get excited. That leads to other scoring opportunities.”

“This was awesome,” added Stags coach Theresa Arsenault. “It’s fun. This is why you play sports, for this kind of competition. We had some tough situations. It was a test of how the girls will respond and I’m very proud of my girls to play like they did.

“It took us a little bit to settle in, but once we did, we picked it up. I felt like it was going to come. The girls recognized that we needed to keep working and keep the next-play mindset. It’s been great to see multiple players producing and working well together up front.”

Cheverus then hosted Sanford and for the first time all year, fell behind, but scored four straight goals to prevail, 4-1, as Lily Johnson and Lucy Johnson both scored twice. Friday, the Stags improved to 13-0 with a 10-0 win at South Portland/Westbrook. Lucy Johnson scored three goals, giving her 109 for her illustrious career, three shy of the state record, and also had three assists. Sydney Brunelle and Joey Pompeo added two goals apiece and Radford, Caroline Rousseau and Mikayla Talbot finished with one goal apiece. Lily Johnson assisted on two goals and is now five points shy of 100 for her career. Cheverus closed the regular season at Noble Monday and will be the top seed for the upcoming Class A South playoffs.

“I feel like we just have to play our best each game and we can’t think about games beyond of that,” Lily Johnson said. “We’re very confident. Our defense has gotten a lot better and our offense works well together.”

“We can’t get content,” Arsenault said. “We have to keep pushing and growing every day.”

Portland/Deering finished 4-10 after losing at Sanford (5-0), at home to South Portland/Westbrook (2-1) and at Windham (7-1) and beating host Kennebunk (3-0). Maya Zager scored against the Eagles. Portland/Deering was ranked 12th in Class A South at press time, but only 10 teams make the playoffs.

In Class C South, Waynflete was 4-7 and eighth after a 1-0 home win over Fryeburg Academy and a 1-0 (overtime) home loss to Mt. View. The Flyers closed the regular season Monday at home versus Sacopee Valley.

The field hockey playoffs begin this weekend on the fields of the higher seeded teams.

Volleyball

Deering’s volleyball team finished the regular season with a sparkling 11-3 mark after a five-set loss at reigning Class A champion Biddeford and a four-game  (23-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-21) victory at Portland. The Rams project to be the No. 4 seed in Class A when the postseason starts. 

Cheverus was 8-5 and seventh in Class A entering Monday’s finale at Biddeford. Last week, the Stags lost in three sets at Bonny Eagle (22-25, 23-25, 22-25) and beat visiting Kennebunk in three games.

Portland was 8-5 and ninth in Class A following a four set (25-12, 25-23, 21-25, 25-17) home win over Windham and a four game (25-23, 21-25, 16-25, 21-25) home loss to Deering. The Bulldogs closed at South Portland Monday.

The volleyball state playoffs begin this weekend on the courts of the higher seeded teams.

Cross country

Waynflete’s girls came in fifth at the Western Maine Conference championship meet last week in Standish (Greely was first). The Flyers were paced by Grace Alexander, who had the third-best individual time (20:56). Waynflete’s boys came in 10th (Freeport was first). Pi Crosby paced the Flyers with a 22nd-place finish (18:59).

The regional championships will be held Saturday at Twin Brook Recreation Center in Cumberland.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. For game updates and links to game stories, follow him on Threads: @foresports2023

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