Northern: Football, soccer playoffs winding down

While cross country and field hockey stole the headlines last weekend (see stories), eight-man football and soccer are poised to crown their state champions Saturday.

Not surprisingly, local squads have been in the middle of the action so far and they’re not done yet.

Here’s what you might have missed:

Football

Greely players show off the regional championship trophy following Saturday’s 40-22 victory over Brunswick. Photo courtesy Brianna LaRochelle.

Greely’s football team returned to stand-alone varsity status last year at the eight-man, large school level and promptly went 0-7. The Rangers then began this season 1-3, but would you look at them now, 48 minutes from an improbable Gold Ball.

Greely, which won its final three games to earn the No. 2 seed in the South region, had no trouble with second-seeded Mt. Ararat in last Tuesday’s semifinals, rolling to a surprisingly decisive 38-0 victory. A 43-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Padgett to Ryder Simpson set the tone and made it 8-0 after one quarter. Padgett then hit Wes Piper for a 39-yard score and a 16-0 halftime lead. In the third period, Jerik Phillips broke away for a 44-yard TD run and in the fourth, touchdowns from Phillips (2-yard run) and Padgett (1-yard run) put it away.

“We’ve just got to play hard-nosed football, play downhill and eat up blocks,” Simpson said. “We know we’re the most physical team, so we just had to show it.”

Saturday night, the Rangers hosted No. 4 Brunswick, which was coming off a semifinal round upset of reigning state champion and top-seed Yarmouth, in the South Region Final and again, never trailed.

Greely, playing in its first-ever regional final at any level, needed less than two minutes to go on top, as after Piper and his defensive mates sparked a Dragons’ four-and-out, the Rangers scored on their second offensive play, a 60-yard dash from Padgett. Later in the first quarter, Phillips broke free for a 25-yard touchdown run and a 12-0 advantage. The Dragons pulled within four, but on fourth down, Padgett connected with Piper for a 55-yard TD to make it 18-8 at halftime. Brunswick crept within two in the third period, but again, Padgett took care of matters with his legs, rumbling 70-yard to paydirt to make it 26-16. In the fourth quarter, Phillips scored on a 25-yard run and after the Dragons scored a final touchdown, Phillips accounted for the final score with his third TD, from 6-yards out, to cap a 40-22 victory.

“It’s amazing, the best feeling in the world,” said Piper. “We were thinking it was possible. We just had to believe in ourselves. We had grit from the get-go.”

“It’s crazy,” Padgett said. “I’m so thankful for all the work we’ve put in. It’s paid off and it means a lot to all of us. After our third loss, we were a little down on ourselves, but we realized we didn’t want to be like last season. We put the work in and now we’re going to states.”

“This is awesome,” said Greely coach Caleb King. “The guys bought in. I told them my goal is to win the Gold Ball and they had to believe it. I knew this group could do it if they believed. They have and we’re going (to states).”

Saturday in Bangor, the Rangers (6-3) will meet Mt. Desert Island (8-1) in the eight-man large school state final. Kickoff it at 11 a.m.

Greely and MDI didn’t play this fall and have no playoff history.

The Rangers’ first-ever game as a varsity team came at home versus MDI back in 2003 and resulted in a 14-7 victory.

With that in mind, what would be more fitting than Greely’s first-ever championship game victory coming against the same foe?

“We just have to keep our game up and keep Greely football going,” said Piper.

“We have one more,” Padgett said. “We’re not done yet. It’s a long drive, but we’re ready. We’ll put in the same work we’ve been putting in all season. We’ll stay consistent and do what we do best. Everyone didn’t believe in us, but here we are. We want that Gold Ball.”

“MDI is obviously a good football team, but we’re a good football team too,” added King. “We’ll focus, make sure we don’t have any mistakes and do what we do well and capitalize on their weaknesses.”

Freeport, ranked fifth in Class D South, upset No. 4 Poland, 32-14, last Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Saturday, the Falcons met their match in the semifinals, falling at top-ranked Wells, 42-7, to wind up 3-7. Freeport was down, 21-0, after one quarter and 42-0 at halftime. A 1-yard James Coffin touchdown run in the fourth period accounted for the Falcons’ points.

Boys’ soccer

Falmouth’s Elijah St. Louis battles for the ball during last week’s double-overtime loss at Deering in the Class A South semifinals. Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Portland Press Herald

Yarmouth’s boys’ soccer team is still alive, barely, in its quest for a fourth consecutive Class B championship, while Falmouth’s Cinderella run came to a close last week.

The Clippers, seeded first in Class B South, had no trouble with No. 8 Fryeburg Academy in the quarterfinals, advancing with a 5-1 victory, but last Wednesday, at home against fourth-ranked York, Yarmouth got pushed for over 80 minutes before finding a way to survive.

After a scoreless first half which saw the Clippers put more shots on frame, but York have the most optimal scoring opportunity, each squad had great chances in the second half, but Yarmouth senior goalkeeper Ian O’Connor came up huge and the Wildcats had a goal waved off. As a result, the game went to a 15-minute, “sudden victory” overtime, where O’Connor had to dive to make the save of his life to keep the season alive before the Clippers finally broke through with 5:13 on the clock, when Zach Kelly, no stranger to clutch goals, sent the ball home to produce an unforgettable 1-0 victory.

“The ball bounced around, came to me and I chested it, it hit off another player and I just kind of ran into it and it went into the goal,” said Kelly. “I was just in the right place.”

“We wanted it,” said O’Connor. “We had more chances, so the probability was that we were going to score first. York’s a great team. It’s hard to beat a good team three times. They bring it and have a great culture. They didn’t quit either. It was a privilege to play against them.”

“I’ve told people since preseason that York’s one of the top teams in the state and they showed it tonight,” added longtime Yarmouth coach Mike Hagerty. “I think it was a very even game, a wonderful game. We both had chances. I was obviously happy with the result, but for stretches of the game, (York) played their style better than we played ours.

“We had to remind the guys going to overtime that this is fun. You want to be in games like these and you remember them for the rest of your lives. I think we started the game well and ended the game well and the overtime went well. That all happened when we connected passes and used the width of the field. We weren’t successful going down the middle. I felt like we had better quality chances, but boy, did they have some good ones and they had a goal taken away. We don’t panic. We were a little better at the right time, but we could have easily lost and held our heads high. York was deserving to be one of the final four.”

The Clippers (14-2) take their 15-game postseason win streak into Wednesday’s Class B South Final versus second-ranked Cape Elizabeth (11-4-1) in a game that will be played at 6:30 p.m., at Deering High School in Portland.

Yarmouth split with Cape Elizabeth this fall, winning, 4-1, at the Capers Sept. 14, then falling at home, 3-1, Oct. 16. The Clippers have won four of five prior playoff meetings, with a 3-2 victory in last year’s thrilling Class B South Final the most recent.

“It’s a privilege to have expectations,” O’Connor said. “It’s an honor. We’re not scared of expectations. I’m excited we’ve got another week. I want to put it to good use.”

“It will be a heck of a match,” said Hagerty. “I’m just glad we can extend our season. I’m happy to be with this group another week. These seniors are great players and great kids.”

If Yarmouth makes it back to the state final, it will battle either John Bapst (14-1-1) or Ellsworth (13-2-1) Saturday at 6 p.m., at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham.

Falmouth, meanwhile, was only seeded seventh in Class A South, but after downing No. 10 Westbrook in the preliminary round, 4-1, it upset No. 2 Gorham, 3-2, in the quarterfinals to earn a trip to No. 3 Deering last Thursday for the semifinals. There, the teams couldn’t score in 80 minute of regulation or in the first overtime. In the second, Evan Mayo came within inches of winning it for the Navigators, but his bid was knocked down at the line by the Rams’ goalie.

“My only thought was to get it on frame,” Mayo said. “He bobbled it. I couldn’t really see the ball because of the (defensive) wall.”

Deering then won it, 1-0, on a free kick with 12 seconds to go, ending the game, 1-0, and Falmouth’s season at 10-5-2.

“We didn’t win the game, but the defense gave us a chance,” said longtime Navigators coach Dave Halligan. “I’m so proud of these guys. They didn’t win a championship, but they played like champions.”

Girls’ soccer

Yarmouth’s Aine Powers leaps to celebrate with teammates after scoring a goal during last week’s semifinal round victory over Freeport. Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald

On the girls’ side, North Yarmouth Academy and Yarmouth are closing in on repeat titles, while Freeport and Greely weren’t as fortunate.

The Clippers, who won Class B a year ago and are ranked first in Class B South this fall, defeated No. 8 Morse, 2-0, in the quarterfinals, then downed No. 4 Freeport, 3-1, in last Wednesday’s semifinals. Aine Powers, the team’s leading scorer, found the goal twice in the first half, then set up Taylor Oranellas in the second half. Rosie Panenka gave the Falcons some life with a late free kick goal, but Yarmouth was able to close it out and advance.

“I barely had open lanes in the game today, so when I did, I had to hit it,” Powers said. “I felt good when I hit it.

“We’re a team that never gives up,” Oranellas said. “Even if we’re down, we persevere. We’re not going to stop.”

“We’ll take it,” added Clippers coach Andy Higgins. “It took us a little while to get going and that’s kind of expected with the layoff we had. When the girls start clicking, it’s fun to watch. Our kids have such heart. They battle. They’re the ones who believed we could get to this point when not a lot of other people did. We’ll ride their leadership as far as we can.”

Yarmouth (14-1-1) advanced to take on No. 2 Cape Elizabeth (14-2) in the Class B South Final Wednesday at 4 p.m., at Deering High School in Portland.

Yarmouth beat Cape Elizabeth twice this season, 1-0 at home Sept. 14 and 2-0 on the road Oct. 17 in the regular season finale. The Clippers are just 2-4 all-time versus the Capers in the playoffs, with a 3-0 setback in the 2021 regional final the most recent.

“We’ll focus on staying strong and healthy,” Powers said. “We all have the same goal. We just have to want it more and come out strong and do what we do.”

If Yarmouth gets back to the state final, it will take on either Ellsworth (13-2-1) or Hermon (12-3-1) Saturday at 3:30 p.m., at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham.

Freeport finished 8-5-3 with its semifinal round loss at Yarmouth. The Falcons were hoping to get through to the regional final for the first time since 1990, but it wasn’t to be.

“It’s hard to win when you don’t score, but we got the pressure going at the end,” Freeport coach Dave Intraversato said. “We got the young girls in and they showed they can play.”

The Falcons graduate several key players, but many younger kids received trial by fire this fall and should be primed to be even bigger contributors in 2024.

“It should be a good next few years for us,” Intraversato said. “We have five freshmen on our roster. They’ll be older and stronger next year. I hope they can get some goals for us. We’ll get back to the drawing board.”

Greely, the No. 3 seed in Class B South, got past No. 6 York in overtime, 1-0, in the quarterfinals, but Friday at second-ranked Cape Elizabeth in the semifinals, an early deficit proved too much in a 3-0 setback which ended the Rangers’ campaign at 8-6-2. Greely had a goal waved off, hit the post and had several promising shots saved by Capers goalkeeper Ellis Piper.

“I think we outplayed them for a good part of the game, but none of our chances fell the way they should have,” said Rangers coach Rachel Williams. “We’ve not been able to come back historically after getting down, so coming back today shows we’ve made a lot of progress and shows a lot of growth.

“I’m super-proud of the girls. I just wanted them to get one more ‘W.’ The girls played really well. We have a deep team. We’ve come so far the past couple years. I feel like a lot of people don’t think we’re in contention, then here we are in November and Cape doesn’t want to play us and Yarmouth doesn’t want to play us because we’re dangerous.”

Greely loses some top talent to graduation, but also returns a lot and could break through in 2024.

“We have a few really special seniors we’ll really miss,” Williams said. “They’ve been a big part of our soccer community and everybody knows them. They’ve been so important in helping build this program. They’re leaving behind something great.

“We only lose a few key players, so we have a lot to build on. The younger girls have learned a lot over the course of the past three months. We’re so close.”

In Class C South, NYA, the four-time reigning Class D state champion which moved up this year, rolled into the regional final. The top-ranked Panthers ousted No. 8 Sacopee Valley, 3-0, in the quarterfinals and in Friday’s semifinal round, eliminated No. 4 Hall-Dale, 5-2, behind three goals from Lyla Casey and single tallies from Natasha Godfrey and Jordan Nash, who scored her first varsity goal.

“My goal was to get a hat trick today,” said Casey.

“We kept scoring and kept our confidence,” Godfrey said.

“The girls are dialed in right now,” NYA coach Ricky Doyon added. “As the game went on, we got even better. We had good runs. We didn’t take advantage of all our opportunities, but we took advantage of five. I was able to get a lot of players in.”

The Panthers (12-1-3) will take on rival Waynflete (11-5), the No. 3 seed, in the Class C South Final Wednesday at 4 p.m., at Lewiston High School.

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 Panthers are 3-2 versus the Flyerers in the postseason, with a 2-1 loss in the 2009 semifinals the most recent encounter.

It means a lot to move up in class and get to the regional final,” Casey said. “We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing so far. We’ll just play our game.”

“We do have something to prove going from Class D to Class C,” added Doyon. “We want to show that NYA isn’t going anywhere. We’ve lost quality players and we haven’t had dominant games, but the girls are doing what they need to do. I’m very pleased.

“I’m looking forward to (playing Waynflete). I suspect it will be a good game. We’ll do what we do. We know who their players are they know who our players are. We’ll make adjustments as we have to. They have the same goal we do. We’ll see what happens. It’s all about getting that win and going to states. We’re not done. We have to win two more games.”

If NYA advances to the Class C state final Saturday at 10 a.m., at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham, it will take on either Fort Kent (15-1) or Bucksport (16-0).

Press Herald staff writers Steve Craig and Glenn Jordan contributed to this story.