Portland: Football, soccer playoffs winding down

While cross country and field hockey stole the headlines last weekend (see stories), soccer is poised to crown its state champions Saturday and the football postseason is nearing completion as well.

Cheverus, Deering, Portland and Waynflete have all been in the middle of the action so far.

Here’s what you might have missed:

Boys’ soccer

Deering’s Rehoboth Macaia goes up for a header during last week’s semifinal round victory over Falmouth. Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Portland Press Herald

At press time, Deering and Portland’s boys’ soccer teams were preparing for the biggest game they’d ever played against each other, the Class A South Final Tuesday evening in Kennebunk (see our website for game story).

The Rams, seeded third, needed double-overtime to survive both of their previous playoff games, against sixth-ranked Kennebunk in the quarterfinals (2-1), then again versus No. 7 Falmouth in Thursday’s semifinal round. Against the Navigators, the game was scoreless until 12 seconds remained in the second OT, when Nick Simon Mboumba found the net on a gorgeous free kick from 25 yards away to allow Deering to beat Falmouth for the first time in program history and advance, 1-0, reaching the regional final for the first time since 1999.

“It was magic,” Mboumba said, “A moment I will never forget.”

“It’s a great feeling,” Rams coach Joel Costigan said. “I thought the boys played so well. Obviously, fatigue set in and allowed them to counterattack a lot in transition. But amazing feeling all around. What a great way to end with that free kick.”

Portland, the No. 4 seed in Class A South, needed overtime to get past No. 5 Scarborough, 1-0, in the quarterfinals, then couldn’t score at all at top-ranked Windham in Thursday’s semifinals, but the Bulldogs didn’t concede a goal in 110 minutes and the contest went to penalty kicks. There, Portland prevailed, 7-4, with Francisco Samuel ending matters.

“I knew I was going to do it for my teammates,” said Samuel. “One thing I’m going to tell everyone is Portland is going for the states. We’re going to do our best.”

Martin Kalala-Wasukunki, Ronan Mas, Felisberto Mauisi, Jonatas Onosaamba Calombo, Paulo Joao, Luis Ordonez-Franco and Samuel all converted.

“We’ve been practicing penalty kicks since last week, I just trusted in what we have been doing in practice and I choose my side and I shot it,” Kalala-Wasukundi said.

Deering (11-3-2) beat visiting Portland (13-2-1) by a 3-1 score, Oct. 12. The Rams had won two of three prior playoff meetings, including a 3-2 triumph in last year’s quarterfinals.

Deering is 0-4 all-time in regional finals, all coming in the 1990s. The Bulldogs have gone to states three times, the most recent in 2017, but have yet to win a state title, so one of the ancient city rivals will have an opportunity to capture an elusive Gold Ball.

“Portland-Deering. That’s something that can only be made in dreams,” Mas said. “Last time when they beat us, they came out with more energy and since then we haven’t stopped.”

The Deering-Portland winner will take on either Lewiston (13-2-1) or Camden Hills (13-3) in the Class A state final Saturday at 12:30 p.m., at Messalonskee High School in Oakland.

Waynflete, the four-time reigning state champion, ranked fourth in Class C South, blanked No. 5 Lisbon, 3-0, in the quarterfinals, then finally met its match Friday at top-ranked Mt. Abram, falling, 3-0, to finish 8-6-2.

The Flyers’ 17-game postseason win streak came to a close.

“We knew what we were coming into,” said Waynflete’s first-year head coach Will Burdick. “An undefeated team that’s made deep runs in the playoffs before, a really talented team. (Mt. Abram) has some really talented players. (They’re) strong, physical, they bring the energy. We tried to do everything we could. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.

“It (stinks) to go out that way. I’m proud of the way the guys played, especially in the first half, but you’ve got to give credit to Mt. Abram. They’re really talented and they were the better team tonight.”

Girls’ soccer

Waynflete’s Grace Alexander blocks a shot during last week’s semifinal round win at Maranacook. Joe Phelan / Kennebec Journal

On the girls’ side, Waynflete, seeded third in Class C South, reached the regional final for the second year in a row.

After getting past No. 6 Traip Academy, 4-1, in the quarterfinals, the Flyers edged No. 2 Maranacook, the reigning regional champion, 1-0, in last Thursday’s semifinals on a late goal from senior Morgan Earls. The Black Bears had ousted Waynflete in last year’s Class C South Final, so it was a dose of revenge for the Flyers.

“It’s been motivation all season,” said Earls. “We knew Maranacook was going to be tough defenders and we worked really hard. It’s come together. I’ve been outside wing really my whole career and this past year has been my first time really being able to get on those balls. It’s great.

“We call her deadly from three feet away and that stood true tonight,” said Waynflete co-coach Carrie Earls, of her daughter’s decisive goal. “She just cleaned up the back post. She’s done that a few times this year.

“We took a tougher schedule this year to prepare us for this. Last time we faced them, we weren’t ready for their physicality, for their speed, their strength. This year, we’re battle-tested ourselves and I think that helped a lot tonight.”

The Flyers (11-5) advanced to set up a Class C South showdown versus top-ranked North Yarmouth Academy (12-1-3), which won the past four Class D state titles before moving up, Wednesday at 4 p.m., in Lewiston.

The teams split during the regular season, with Waynflete winning, 1-0, in double-overtime, Sept. 29 in Yarmouth and NYA prevailing, 2-1, Oct. 17 on the Flyers’ home turf.

From 2005-09, NYA and Waynflete did battle in the playoffs on an annual basis with three of the meetings taking place in the then-Western C Final. The Flyers are 2-3 versus the Panthers in the postseason, with a 2-1 win in the 2009 semifinals the most recent.

If Waynflete advances to the state game for the first time since 2016, it will battle either Fort Kent (15-1) or Bucksport (16-0) Saturday at 10 a.m., at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham.

In Class A South, Cheverus, the No. 5 seed, which shut out No. 12 Marshwood, 3-0, in the preliminary round, then upset No. 4 Thornton Academy, 3-2, in overtime, in the quarterfinals, was ousted last Thursday at top-ranked Scarborough, 2-0, to wind up 11-4-2.

“We missed an open net from eight yards off a corner 10 minutes, then surrendered a goal to Scarborough three minutes later,” lamented longtime Stags coach Craig Roberts, who reached the 100-victory plateau earlier this year. “Scarborough’s second goal came three minutes after the break. Scarborough is a good team and deserved to win, but when I look at our play in that game, we were much more complacent and disconnected than we’d been down the stretch, as if being a regional semifinalist was good enough. I’m not complaining about being a regional semifinalist, it’s something we’ve achieved fairly consistently recently (five of the past six postseasons), but as a small school drawing from a variety of communities, I think we need two things to make that next step.

“One is obviously good soccer players and good complimentary athletes who play soccer. We have that in spades, but, it’s paramount that those soccer players make the new and complementary players feel included and at ease. Reese Belanger and Sofia Pothier took care of that latter piece for much of the past two years. With a returning leadership group composed mostly of club players, a big focus will be on getting them to assume that role too. It won’t simply be enough for them to be good players on the field and let everyone else worry about the other piece.

“Second, there has to be a recognition that complacency is our enemy. In my opinion, complacency breeds mediocrity and then accountability typically goes out the window. Coming up short is always someone else’s fault. We need a singular focus and sense of urgency among each of the players on a consistent, daily basis so that the moment doesn’t become too big when the lights go on late in the playoffs. Considering the fact that our leadership group next year consists primarily of seniors who are club players, the fact that none of them earned all-region honors, the fact that most missed out on all-conference awards for first and second team, and finally the fact that we exited the playoffs as we did this year, there should be plenty of motivation among them to bring that urgency each day.”

Football

Portland’s Cordell Jones fights off a tackle attempt en route to a touchdown in last week’s victory over rival South Portland. Michael Hoffer / The Forecaster

Portland’s football team began its title quest Monday (too late for this edition). The Bulldogs completed the regular season last Tuesday with a 34-6 home win over rival South Portland in the 108th “Battle of the Bridge.”

Portland, which hadn’t played a game in 18 days, showed no rust, taking a quick 7-0 lead, as after Aidan McGowan returned the opening kickoff 74 yards, Cordell Jones scored on a 5-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. Jones helped the Bulldogs add to their lead in the second period, first breaking free for a 16-yard touchdown run, then catching a gorgeous 30-yard TD pass from quarterback Louis Thurston to make it 21-0 at halftime.

South Portland got some life in the third quarter, recovering a fumble in Bulldogs’ territory, then getting on the board, but Portland countered with a backbreaking 79-yard TD scamper from Hunter Temple before Jones’ fourth score, a 54-yard touchdown run, brought the curtain down on a 34-6 victory to finish 8-0.

“It was a great team win over our rivals, but now everybody’s 0-0,” said Jones.

“It’s been one of the stranger years I’ve had to coach with the bye weeks, but it’s great to go 8-0,” said first-year Portland coach Sean Green. “At the end of the day, we have a greater goal, but I’m just really proud of the kids for showing up and buying into the program and culture. They’re the ones executing on the field and doing their jobs.”

The Bulldogs, ranked first in Class A North, welcomed No. 4 Lewiston (4-5) Monday in the semifinals (see our website for game story). Portland handled the host Blue Devils, 47-6, Sept. 15 and won two of three prior playoff encounters, with a 27-13 victory in the 2017 A North semifinals the most recent.

“We’ve talked about it since November of last year (when we lost to Skowhegan in the Class B state final) and how we’d bring it home this year,” said Temple. “Everyone’s been locked in all season. Going 8-0 is nice, but we want the Gold Ball.”

“We’re excited to play at home and it’s tremendous to be here, but we have to perform regardless of where we play,” Green said. “We’ve talked since the beginning of the season about the potential for a championship run being there, but potential doesn’t mean anything. We know what we can be, but we have to go out there and take it.”

If the Bulldogs reach the regional final, they will host either No. 2 Oxford Hills (7-2) or third-seeded Windham (5-4), likely on Saturday. Portland didn’t face the Vikings this season and beat the visiting Eagles, 35-7, on Sept. 29.

Deering, the No. 5 seed in Class B South after its best regular season in eight years, met its match last Tuesday in the quarterfinals, losing at No. 4 Westbrook, 30-22, to wind up 4-5. The Rams held a 3-0 lead after one quarter on a Tavian Lauture 30-yard field goal, but trailed, 18-16, at halftime despite a 39-yard Joey Foley touchdown run and a 48-yard Foley TD reception from Lauture. A Miles Hibbard 24-yard interception return for a score kept Deering within two, 24-22, heading for the fourth period, but there, the Blue Blazes added a touchdown to put it away.

In Class C South, Cheverus, the No. 3 seed, was eliminated at second-ranked Fryeburg Academy Friday, 34-15, to finish the year 6-3. The Stags fell behind, 21-0, at halftime. Quarterback Gio St. Onge got Cheverus on the board with a 4-yard touchdown run in the third period, but the Raiders countered to make it 28-6. After Fryeburg Academy scored one last touchdown, Elijah Timlin scored on a 22-yard scamper and the Stags added a safety, but it was far too little, too late.

Press Herald staff writers Steve Craig and Glenn Jordan and Central Maine newspapers staff writers Dave Dyer and Travis Barrett contributed to this story.