Southern: Early postseason action promising for local squads

Postseason action is alive and well in Forecaster Country and Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough and South Portland are right in the middle of the fun.

By the end of this week, we’ll be down to a select few teams.

Here’s a glimpse at where things stand:

Cross country

The cross country regional meet was held last Saturday at Twin Brook Recreation Center in Cumberland.

Scarborough’s boys tallied 96 points and came in third behind Portland (44) and Bonny Eagle (77) and qualified for the state meet for the 24th consecutive postseason. The Red Storm were led by Ethan Keller, who placed seventh on the 5-kilometer course in a time of 17 minutes, 22.70 seconds. Also scoring were Atticus Merrium (14th, 17:46.95), Landen Springer (20th, 17:56.15), Baxter Merriam (27th, 18:07.17) and Nicholas Koziell (28th, 18:07.19).

South Portland (204 points) placed seventh and qualified for the third straight year. The Red Riots’ top finisher was Evan Small (11th, 17:39.94). Also scoring were Paul Sames (34th, 18:30.57), Tyler Bryant (49th, 19:09.33), Michael Lawlor (53rd, 19:19.03) and Nolan I’Aboni (57th, 19:26.29).

In the Class A girls’ meet, won by Bonny Eagle with 43 points, Scarborough (227) was 10th and did not qualify for the third straight season. Kyleigh Record qualified as an individual, posting the fifth-best time (20:51.17). Rowan Driscoll (28th, 22:20.53) also qualified as an individual. Also scoring for the Red Storm were Bridget Flannery (59th, 24:45.17), Camdyn Conant (64th, 25:16.39) and Madeline Wolfgram (71st, 26:09.56).

South Portland (261) finished 11th. The Red Riots were hoping to qualify for the first time since 2015, but fell short. Scoring for South Portland were Gabbie Archibald (35th, 23:17.74), Elsa Henriksen (51st, 24:17.95), Julia Tompkins (55th, 24:30.71), Maggie Daggett (58th, 24:43.58) and Iris Young (62nd, 24:56.70).

In Class B action, the Cape Elizabeth girls scored 108 points and came in fourth (York was first with 73). The Capers qualified for the state meet for the 22nd straight postseason. Cape Elizabeth was led by Hadley Mahoney (ninth, 21:02.42). Also scoring were Emma Young (12th, 21:12.27), Hannah Frothingham (15th, 21:39.53), Addie Mazzeo (35th, 23:03.48) and Addison Young (37th, 23:31.53).

In the Class B boys’ meet, won by Freeport with 52 points, Cape Elizabeth had 184 points and finished ninth (only seven teams qualified, so the Capers will miss out on the state meet for the first time since 2001). Finn Morris (18th, 17:58.91), Liam Nudd (19th, 17:59.51) and Sebastian Hesser (24th, 18:45.80) all qualified as individuals. Simon Shyka-Brown (59th, 20:19.25) and Alexander Emery (64th, 20:38.35) also took part.

The state championship meets will be held Saturday in Belfast.

The Class B girls start the day at 11 a.m. The Class B boys’ race is at 11:40 p.m. The Class A girls’ race starts at 1:40 p.m. The Class A boys’ meet begins at 2:20 p.m.

Volleyball

Cape Elizabeth’s Ava Daviault soars for a kill during last week’s preliminary round playoff loss to York. Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald

Scarborough’s volleyball team was the last one standing at press time.

The Red Storm, ranked third in Class A, had no trouble with No. 6 Bonny Eagle in Saturday’s state quarterfinal round, advancing with a straight set victory (25-13, 25-19, 25-12). Scarborough (12-3) went to No. 2 Biddeford (13-2), the reigning state champion, for the state semifinals Wednesday. The teams split two regular season meetings, with the Tigers prevailing at home, 3-0, and the Red Storm winning in their home gym, 3-1. Scarborough had won four of five previous playoff meetings with an epic 3-2 victory in the 2021 state final the most recent.

If the Red Storm advance to the state game, they will take on either No. 1 Gorham (13-2) or No. 4 Deering (12-3) Friday at 8 p.m. at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. Scarborough split a pair of 3-2 decisions against Gorham and did not face Deering this fall. The Red Storm have not faced Deering in the tournament. They’re 4-3 all-time versus Gorham, but the Rams won the most recent encounter, 3-0, in last year’s state semifinals.

South Portland finished 12th in Class A and lost in straight sets at No. 5 Sanford in last Thursday’s state preliminary round to finish 3-12.

Cape Elizabeth, the No. 8 seed in Class B, was swept out of the playoffs by No. 9 York (10-25, 16-25, 21-25) in last Thursday’s preliminary round to finish 8-7.

“The way we played in the last game is how we should been playing the whole match,” longtime Capers coach Sarah Boeckel said. “Giving up runs early in games has been a problem all year. York wasn’t going to let us dig out of a hole today. We’re very evenly matched. I didn’t think it would be easy, but I didn’t think we’d go down in three. We fought, but we just made too many mistakes.”

The Capers return the core of this year’s squad, which will be right back in the hunt.

“I’ve got pretty much everybody coming back and we have to remember this so we come into next season hungrier,” Boeckel said. “It’s a young team. I’m psyched they’re all coming back. We’ll come back strong.”

Boys’ soccer

All three local boys’ soccer teams entertained title hopes at press time.

Cape Elizabeth, which earned the No. 2 seed in Class B South after a 9-4-1 campaign, hosted No. 7 Morse (6-5-4) in the quarterfinals Wednesday. The teams didn’t meet this fall and played just once previously in the postseason, in one of the most storied state games ever contested, a 2-2 tie back in 1988.

If the Capers moved on to Saturday’s semifinals, they’ll host either No. 3 Lincoln Academy (10-1-3) or No. 6 Freeport (7-4-3).

The Class B South Final is Wednesday of next week at Deering High School in Portland. The state game is Saturday, Nov. 4 in Topsham.

In Class A South, Scarborough earned the No. 5 seed and blanked No. 12 Marshwood, 2-0, in the preliminary round last Friday to improve to 10-4-1. Matt Fallona and Kilson Joao scored the goals and Carter Blanche had a pair of assists. The Red Storm went to No. 4 Portland (11-2-1) for the quarterfinals Wednesday (see our website for game story). Scarborough lost, 3-0, at home to the Bulldogs Sept. 26. The Red Storm captured all five prior playoff meetings, with a 3-1 victory in the 2014 Western A semifinals the most recent.

If Scarborough moved on to Friday’s semifinals, it will go to No. 1 Windham (13-0-1) or host No. 8 South Portland (7-5-3).

South Portland eliminated ninth-ranked Bonny Eagle, 1-0, in its preliminary round test last Friday. Tim Caouette had the lone goal. The Red Riots were at Windham for the quarterfinals Wednesday. South Portland lost at home to the Eagles, 3-1, Oct. 10. The teams had no playoff history.

The Class A South Final is Tuesday of next week in Kennebunk. The Class A state game is Saturday, Nov. 4 at Messalonskee High School in Oakland.

Girls’ soccer

Scarborough’s Sarah LeFebvre battles South Portland’s Brooke Lawton for possession during the Red Storm’s 5-0 victory in Tuesday’s Class A South quarterfinals. Michael Hoffer / The Forecaster

On the girls’ side, reigning state champion Scarborough, the top seed in Class A South, passed its first playoff test Tuesday, beating No. 8 South Portland, 5-0, in the quarterfinals.

The Red Riots had advanced courtesy a 3-0 preliminary round victory over No. 9 Noble Friday. Marina Bassett, Nola Gorneau and Emma Travis each scored once.

Tuesday, South Portland’s Maci Rauscher hit the post two minutes in and the rest of the game was all Scarborough, as senior standout Lana Djuranovic scored twice in the first half and after Paige Garlock scored to make it 3-0 Red Storm at halftime, Talia Borelli and Maggie Booth added second half goals to put it away.

“I didn’t even realize until I was on the field that it could be our last time playing,” Borelli said. “That really motivated us. Everyone went in with as much high intensity as they could and put their whole heart out there.”

“They caught us off-guard a little bit, but our main goal tonight was to score first and score early,” said Djuranovic, who will play at the University of Miami in Florida next year.

“Our attacking pressure today is what I was most happy about,” added longtime Scarborough coach Mike Farley. “When a team plays a lot of players behind the ball, you have to put them under pressure and drive and attack and we did a good job of that most of the game. It was really good to see a balanced attack. We can rotate 16 players. That makes it tough to defend. When they’re all dangerous, it’s big for us.”

The Red Storm (14-1) advanced to host No. 5 Cheverus (11-3-2) in the quarterfinals Friday.

Scarborough blanked visiting Cheverus, 3-0, Sept. 20. The Red Storm are 7-0 all-time versus the Stags in the playoffs, with last year’s 2-1 semifinal round victory the most recent.

“I think we have the passion to win,” said Djuranovic. “We just need to keep a good mentality and put all of our effort in the games. Last year when we played (Cheverus), they were super-defensive. They did a good job of parking the bus. This year, we just need to come in knowing they’ll do that and figure out a way to get around it.”

“I think as long as we play together, that’s all that matters,” Borelli said. “We need to have the same intensity we had tonight. We understand they’ll fight back just as hard. We want to win it again very badly.”

“Cheverus will play us tough and we’ll have to attack and get after them for 80 minutes,” Farley added. “We know they always come in organized. I’m glad it’s here on turf and we can make the game fast. The girls are really focused. Everyone is raising their level of the game.”

The Class A South Final is Tuesday of next week in Kennebunk. The state game is Saturday, Nov. 4 at Messalonskee High School in Oakland.

South Portland finished 8-6-2 with its loss at Scarborough. Goalkeeper Amelia Burton-Fowler made 17 saves.

“The girls really came together and played for each other,” said Red Riots coach Tyler Pelletier. “We have a lot of youth and I can’t say enough about our seniors and how they led us. Our future is bright. We have a lot coming back and coming up. This was a step forward and we’ll keep going.”

In Class B South, second-ranked Cape Elizabeth blanked No. 7 Wells, 3-0, in its quarterfinal Tuesday to improve to 13-2. Noelle Mallory had two goals and Addie Miller also found the net. The Capers host No. 3 Greely (8-5-2) in the semifinals Saturday. Cape Elizabeth beat the Rangers twice this fall, 4-1 Sept. 7 in Cumberland and 2-1 at home Oct. 5. The Capers hold an 11-10 all-time edge over their rival in the playoffs with a 5-0 victory in the 2021 quarterfinals the most recent.

The Class B South Final is Wednesday of next week at Deering High School in Portland. The state game is Saturday, Nov. 4 in Topsham.

Field hockey

The field hockey postseason is also underway.

In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth, the No. 5 seed after an 8-5-1 campaign, was at No. 4 York (7-5-2), the perennial powerhouse, in the quarterfinals Wednesday. The Capers swept the Wildcats this season, winning 3-2 in York Sept. 14 and 1-0 at home Oct. 16, and is 5-2 all-time versus the Wildcats in the playoffs, although York took the most recent encounter, 2-1, in the 2004 quarterfinals.

If Cape Elizabeth moved on to Saturday’s regional final, it will either go to top-ranked Yarmouth (12-1-1) or host No. 8 Wells (5-9).

In Class A South, Scarborough finished fourth after an 8-6 regular season. The Red Storm hosted No. 5 Falmouth (8-5-1) in Wednesday’s quarterfinal Round. Scarborough won, 2-0, at the Navigators Oct. 11. The Red Storm are 2-1 all-time in the playoffs versus Falmouth, but the Navigators won the most recent encounter, 1-0, in the 2019 preliminary round.

If Scarborough advanced, it will go to top-ranked Cheverus (14-0), the reigning regional champion, Saturday for the semifinals.

The Class A South and Class B South Finals will be contested Wednesday of next week in Fryeburg. The state games will be held Saturday, Nov. 4 in Lewiston.

Football

South Portland’s football team stayed alive in its quest to make the playoffs with a 7-0 victory at Scarborough last Friday. Alex Horton scored the only points on a 9-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The Red Riots improved to 4-4 and were clinging to the fourth and final playoff seed in Class A South at press time. South Portland closes the regular season at 7-0 Portland Friday night in the “Battle of the Bridge.”

Scarborough fell to 1-6 with its loss to South Portland. The Red Storm (sixth in Class A South) closed at 4-4 Thornton Academy Thursday.

In Class C South, Cape Elizabeth finished the regular season 2-6 with a 6-3 victory at Freeport last Friday night. Mike Foley’s first quarter touchdown run held up and allowed the Capers to earn the No. 4 seed in the region.

Cape Elizabeth hosts No. 5 York (2-6) in the quarterfinals Friday night. The Capers edged the visiting Wildcats, 30-27, Sept. 29. Cape Elizabeth has beaten York in all four prior playoff encounters, with a 40-27 victory in the 2018 Class C South quarterfinals the most recent.