The fall sports season has reached the point where athletes aren’t just dreaming of winning championships, they’re vying for them, as last weekend, three teams won titles, as golf held its state finals.

While no local golf teams brought home the hardware, two individuals did, and that set the tone for what promises to be a memorable stretch run of action as the soccer, field hockey and volleyball regular seasons come to a close early next week, cross country’s biggest meets are right around the corner and football’s regular season is ticking down as well.

There’s a lot to absorb, so here’s a look back to a dramatic week and a glimpse at what’s still to come:

Golf

Greely’s golf team didn’t qualify for the Class A state match, but last Friday at Natanis Golf Club in Vassaboro, Rangers junior Joe Hansen stole the show, winning a share of the individual championship by shooting a one-under round of 71 on the 18-hole course, tying Scarborough’s Marc Twombly for top honors.

Hansen became the sixth Ranger to win an individual golf title and the first since Will Robinson went back-to-back in Class B in 2003-04.

“It’s awesome,” said Hansen, who shaved 13 strokes off last year’s state score of 84. “My co-medalist is one of my best friends, we’ve known each other since we were 7-years-old. It’s great to have this experience with him. I think I played great. A few shots I could have done better, some putts could have dropped, but I had a great round. I had a great day.”

Hansen made a 30-foot putt for birdie to start his day on the 15th and he hit the pin with his approach on the 17th en route to birdie. He didn’t make a birdie again until the 14th.

“I knew I needed to make a putt; I didn’t know if it was for the win or for the tie,” Hansen said. “I knew it was Marc. I did (make the putt). It was a great experience.”

Hansen’s Greely teammate Brogan Raftice also took part as an individual and finished with a score of 92, leaving him in a 65th-place tie.

Falmouth wasn’t able to repeat as the Class A team state champion, as its score of 331 left it fourth, 14 strokes behind champion Scarborough, eight behind runner-up Cheverus and seven behind third-place Thornton Academy.

The Navigators did produce the Class A girls’ champion, however, in senior Carley Iannetta, who finished with a score of 82, five shots better than runners-up Alexis McCormick of Oxford Hills and Fiona Harmon of Windham.

Iannetta was fourth in 2022 and third last year, but success on the greens helped her finish comfortably ahead.

“It’s great,” Iannetta said. “I’ve been playing for three years here for states and I’ve always been close. This year, I got it done, somehow. It just worked out.”

Iannetta, Falmouth’s first-ever girls’ individual champion, acknowledged some pressure going into her final tournament, but a long par putt on the third hole and a birdie on the 13th helped her settle down.

“It was definitely on my mind. Today, I tried to not totally think about that,” she said. “I was just like ‘It’s my last round of high school golf, let’s try to have fun today.’”

Also scoring for Falmouth were Dante Iannetta, who had a team-best round of 80, Anthony Graceffa (83) and Isaac Laliberte (86). Owen Woolworth (88) and Clayton Casey (95) also took part, but their scores weren’t factored in.

Greely’s Karinna Beacham was ninth in the Class A girls’ competition with a score of 94.

In the Class B match, held Saturday in Vassalboro, Yarmouth finished fourth with a score of 361, 14 shots behind champion Gardiner, two behind runner-up York and one behind third-place Belfast. Winslow Noel highlighted the effort by shooting a round of 83 as an individual, which tied him for fifth. The Clippers’ team score was led by Colby Carnes and Gabe Janczuk, who each shot an 85 to tie for ninth. Also scoring were Hugh O’Donnell (95) and Lucas D’Alessandro (96). Thomas Robinson (98) also took part, but his score wasn’t included.

Freeport (373) came in eighth. The Falcons featured Ryan Savona, whose score of 88 tied him for 17th place. Also scoring were Ryan Nihill (94), Charlie MacDonald (95) and Gavin Konecki (96). Terrence Snow (102) and Carter Costello (103) also took part, but their scores weren’t included.

In Class C, North Yarmouth Academy finished sixth with a team score of 358 (Maranacook was first with a score of 347). The Panthers were led by Deagan Nadeau, who tied for eighth with a round of 85. Devin Dube (88), Sawyer Hebert (89) and Cam Gardiner (96) also scored. Cayne Leive (99) also took part, but his score wasn’t factored in.

Football

On the gridiron, Falmouth’s dream season continued last Friday with a 30-7 win at Gardiner, the Navigators’ sixth victory without a loss this fall. Falmouth led just 7-0 after one quarter and 10-7 at halftime before opening it up in the second half with a third quarter TD and two more in the fourth, capped by a 44-yard pick-six from David Graiver. Quarterback Tres Walker completed 19-of-28 passes for 172 yards and one touchdown. Indi Backman ran 18 times for 124 yards with two TDs.

The Navigators, who are ranked first in the Class B North Crabtree Points standings and have outscored the opposition, 181-37, have a key home showdown versus 4-2 Lawrence, the second-ranked team in Class B North, Friday. Falmouth lost, 27-8, at the Bulldogs last year.

In Class D, Freeport improved to 3-3 and fourth in the Crabtree standings without taking the field, as it beat Lisbon via forfeit, 2-0. The Greyhounds have forfeited consecutive games following a hazing scandal.

The Falcons return to action Friday at 2-4 Mountain Valley. The teams didn’t play last year.

In eight-man action, reigning South region, large school champion Greely improved to 5-1 last Thursday with its fifth consecutive win, 38-22, over visiting Gray-New Gloucester.

The Rangers, ranked fourth in the region, have a key showdown at 5-1 Mt. Ararat, the No. 3 ranked squad, Saturday afternoon. A year ago, Greely lost at home to the Eagles in the regular season (34-28), then beat them in the semifinal round of the playoffs, 38-0.

Yarmouth got in the win column for the first time last Friday, winning at Waterville, 46-26, to improve to 1-5. Quarterback Iggy McGrath threw for 267 yards and set a new program record by firing five touchdown passes. Adam Pelotte had seven catches for 165 yards and three TDs. Cam Boone had a receiving touchdown and also brought back a punt for a score.

The Clippers, who are seventh in the eight-man, large school South region standings, host 1-5 Morse Friday. The teams didn’t play a year ago.

Field hockey

Freeport’s field hockey team, the reigning Class B state champion, improved to 11-0 and first in the Class B South Heal Points standings after blanking host Greely (2-0) and visiting Leavitt (2-0) last week. Against the Rangers, Emily Groves scored in the game’s second minute and Reed Proscia finished off a penalty corner in the second period.

“A fast start was really important,” Proscia said. “We wanted to score early in a grass game and hold on. We all just keep our sticks down in the circle and find our position. That’s what we’ve worked on in practice. I just knew where the ball was going to be.”

“It was important to come out early and score, so we didn’t have to panic,” said senior captain Anna Maschino. “What worked well on corners was getting passes out and knowing it might be bouncy ahead of time. You have to improvise.”

“These games, you just want to make it through,” added Falcons coach Marcia Wood. “We didn’t want to be panicking at halftime with it 0-0 and have them score and have to play catch-up. We wanted to score early and not worry too much.”

Then, against the Hornets, in a possible state game preview, Liza Flower scored from Groves early, then Groves added a second half goal to put the game away, as Freeport made it 19 straight victories dating back to a loss at Leavitt last year.

“We went into the game with one of our goals being to start off strong and keep up the intensity,” Flower said. “That first goal set the tone for the rest of the game. Emily had a beautiful cross to me and I didn’t have to do much.”

“I feel like Leavitt’s perceived as a very strong team and last year’s loss played a factor, so knowing they were who we last lost to, it felt good to beat them,” said Groves.

“It was impressive,” Wood added. “It’s been a great week. The girls have totally stepped up to the challenge. They knew this would be a big week. This was a good test. I feel like we were in possession most of the time and we know we can compete with those teams in the north. They’re all tough.”

The Falcons host the Gray-New Gloucester/North Yarmouth Academy co-op team Wednesday, welcome Cape Elizabeth Friday, then close the regular season at Fryeburg Academy Monday of next week.

“I think we’re just starting to put the pieces together,” said junior midfield standout Lizalyn Boudreau. “We’ve played really well these past few games. Everyone gunning for us motivates us to show what we can do.”

“We’ve been growing together and playing together for so many years and we all want to get another shot to be state champs,” said Maschino. “It’s all about how we play together as a team.”

“We have a target, but we’ve played well with that I think,” Proscia said. “It’s helped us.”

“We just need to work together and if we do, I think we’re very capable of going all the way again,” said Groves.

“We just have to keep the hunger going and stay focused,” added Wood. “We’ll collect ourselves and refocus and get ready for playoffs. There are some very good teams that will be gunning for us, but I feel good about these girls stepping up.”

Yarmouth is hot on Freeport’s heels and improved to 11-1 and second in Class B South after recent home wins over York (2-1) and Edward Little (6-0), the only team to beat it in last year’s regular season. Against the Wildcats, Leah Carroll and Celia Zinman scored a goal apiece. In the victory over the Class A Red Eddies, the Clippers’ 11th in a row, Erica O’Connor had two goals and Maya Nasveschuk, Madeline Nieter, Zoe Sammon and Madison Wiles added one apiece.

“We’re having a great season and our record shows it,” said Wiles. “We came out for revenge after our only loss last season, so this feels really good.”

“The girls wanted a little bit of revenge from last year,” said Yarmouth coach Bre Morrill. “It’s a nice confidence boost. They know Class A isn’t 100 percent based on skill, but on school size, but still, winning this was something they were striving for.”

The Clippers host Lake Region Thursday, then close at St. Dom’s Monday of next week.

“I think we just need to continue to come together,” said Wiles. “We all have the same goal. We’re so unbelievably motivated. We’re all in it to win it. We’re so ready.”

“The hope is to play at home,” Morrill said. “We just have to keep doing what we’re doing. We look forward to Lake Region, then what we hope is one last grass game, then playoffs. It’s anyone’s game. The upset train is there and we just hope we won’t get on it. We’re excited to keep the intensity going for playoffs.”

GNG/NYA was third in Class B South at 10-1 after a 3-0 win at Edward Little last week. Kenlie Nadeau scored all three goals.

GNG/NYA goes to Freeport Wednesday, visits Poland Friday and closes at home versus Greely Monday of next week.

Speaking of Greely, it was 4-6 and eighth in Class B South following last Wednesday’s 2-0 home loss to Freeport. The Rangers got six saves from goalie Mya Vickerson.

“I’m really proud of our defense today,” said Greely coach Burgess LePage. “It feels great to have held them. We worked on our marking and minimized their threats. Grass is such an equalizer with their speed. Now, we feel frustrated to have not put the ball in the cage. It almost came together, but not quite.”

The Rangers hosted Poland Tuesday, go to Traip Academy Thursday, visit Cape Elizabeth Saturday, then close at GNG/NYA Monday of next week.

“We need to connect offensively and get our momentum going so we can bring that into the tournament,” said LePage.

In Class A South, Falmouth lost at Biddeford last week (4-0), then improved to 7-4 Monday with a 2-0 home win over Scarborough. Against the Red Storm, Ani Bush and Allie Sweetser each scored once.

“I think tonight we just played with a ton of confidence and took a lot of initiative going to the ball,” said Sweetser. “We weren’t hesitant and really believed in ourselves. We came in knowing we could win and we were ready to work hard.”

“We’ll take it,” said longtime Falmouth coach Robin Haley. “I knew it would be an evenly-matched game. It was back-and-forth. We definitely had to work for our two goals. I’m proud of the way we hung in there right from the get-go.

After going to Noble Wednesday, the Navigators (fifth in Class A South) visit Sanford Saturday, then close the regular season at home versus Windham Tuesday of next week.

“We just have to keep playing like we did tonight, trust each other, put the ball in the net and believe we can win,” Sweetser said. “We struggled at the start of the season, but I think we’re definitely climbing up now.”

“We wanted to secure a playoff spot and now we want to go as high as possible,” said Haley. “Cheverus, Biddeford and Gorham are the big three teams. They’ve shown that and they’re scoring a lot of goals. Some games, we’re able to do that and other games, we’ve fallen short. We just want to keep building, keep everybody healthy and hopefully peak at the right time.”

Boys’ soccer

On the pitch, Greely’s boys were atop the Class B South Heals at 10-0-1 after extending their win streak to 10 games with recent victories at Cape Elizabeth (4-0) and York (2-1). Bez Mendelsohn scored all four goals against the Capers. In the win at the Wildcats, Mendelsohn and Owen Piesik each scored once.

The Rangers hosted Gray-New Gloucester Tuesday, go to reigning Class C state champion Mt. Abram Friday and close the regular season at home versus Wells Tuesday of next week.

Yarmouth was 9-1-2 and second in Class B South after downing host NYA (7-1), visiting Mt. Ararat (5-0) and visiting Freeport (3-1). Against the Panthers, Luis Cardoso scored a pair of goals and Gideon Ahrens, Zacarias Binda, Nate Buchanan, James Hartnett and Ian Lawrence added one apiece. In the win over the Eagles, Binda had two goals and Ahrens, Buchanan and Cardoso each finished with one. Against the Falcons, Ahrens, Lawrence and George Brown scored the goals.

The Clippers go to York Saturday, then close the regular season at Cape Elizabeth Tuesday of next week.

Freeport fell to 3-9-1 and ninth in Class B South after a 1-1 home tie versus Waynflete, a 1-0 home loss to York and Monday’s 3-1 setback at Yarmouth. Against the Clippers, Noah Dugan had the goal and goalkeeper Mason Vintinner made seven saves.

The Falcons finish the regular season Thursday at home versus Cape Elizabeth.

In Class A South, Falmouth was 9-2-1 and second in the Heals after last week’s 2-2 home tie with top-ranked Windham. Evan Mayo and Simon Wissink scored for the Navigators, but the Eagles drew even with just 12 seconds left in regulation.

Falmouth is at Sanford Friday and closes the regular season Monday at home versus Marshwood.

In Class C South, NYA was 6-4-1 and third following home losses last week to Class B contenders Yarmouth (7-1) and Morse (1-0). Jesse Mutagoma scored against the Clippers and goalkeeper Gavin Thomas made eight saves.

The Panthers hoped to snap a three-game skid when they hosted Wells Tuesday. NYA goes to Traip Academy Thursday, then finishes the regular season at Waynflete Tuesday of next week.

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, Falmouth produced one of the most dramatic victories in program history last Tuesday. Hosting Scarborough, the two-time reigning Class A state champions, the Navigators appeared destined for overtime, but Finley Van Til floated home a 30-yard blast with under a second to go to produce a 2-1 come-from-behind triumph. Mackenzie Ver Lee also scored. Falmouth then improved to 8-3-1 and fifth in the Class A South Heals after a 2-1 win at Massabesic Monday. Margo Hesson and Annabel Ross scored the goals.

The Navigators host Thornton Academy in a key test Thursday, then close the regular season at Noble Tuesday of next week.

In Class B South, Greely was 8-0-3 and first after rallying for a 1-1 home tie against Cape Elizabeth last Wednesday. The Rangers got the equalizer from Lily Pierce with 2:46 to go in regulation.

“It was a good game,” Greely coach Rachel Williams said. “We had a couple of errors that cost us big-time and we had a couple of chances that we didn’t finish the way we could have and that made it a neck-and-neck game. We came back, which is always a victory for us. I feel like we dominated for a good chunk of the game.”

The Rangers were at Gray-New Gloucester Tuesday, host Hall-Dale Friday and close at Wells Tuesday of next week.

“We need to continue honing our skills and limiting our mistakes,” Williams said. “We just need to be more consistent. We’re not as attached to our field as some other teams, so we’re excited to move forward and do the best we can wherever we land.”

Two-time reigning state champion Yarmouth was 6-2-3 and second to Greely in Class B South following last week’s 2-1 come-from-behind victory at Class A North contender Mt. Ararat. Fiona John set up Taylor Oranellas for the tying goal, then scored the decisive tally.

The Clippers were at Freeport Tuesday, go to York Saturday, then close at home versus Cape Elizabeth Tuesday of next week.

Freeport was 7-3-1 and fifth in Class B South after a 3-0 win at Waynflete and a 5-4 victory at York last week. Against the Flyers, Lucy Riggs and Silvi Strong scored in the first half, then Kenzie Cochran put it away in the second half.

“We’ve learned to work as a team,” said Cochran. “We’re working together to push the ball forward.  We transition as a team and get the ball to the corners and get off shots. We’ve learned going through tough games to support each other more and more. We’ve really bonded.”

“Our girls were focused on getting the ball forward,” said Freeport coach Dave Intraversato. “We talk about looking at the netting and not the goalie and good things happen.”

In the win over the Wildcats, Kessa Benner, Lana DiRusso and Julia Whalen all scored, while the Falcons twice benefited from two York “own goals.”

Freeport hosted Yarmouth Tuesday, goes to Cape Elizabeth Thursday, then closes at home versus Wells Saturday.

“We’re working on scoring and we have to remember that we can’t lose if we don’t let any in,” Cochran said. “We want to make a run. We really want it this year.”

“We’re putting it together,” Intraversato said. “We have to stay focused. We’ve got some good teams ahead of us. If we could get some wins, we’ll be sitting pretty. It’s always a goal to get a playoff game at home.”

In Class C South, NYA was 9-3 and fourth following last week’s 6-0 win at Morse. Lyla Casey, Del Daniel, Alicia Fontana, Ella Giguere, Natasha Godfrey and Emily Robbins all scored once.

The Panthers play at Traip Academy Thursday, then close at home versus Waynflete Tuesday of next week.

Volleyball

On the volleyball court, five-time reigning Class B champion Yarmouth was 9-2 and third in the Class B statewide Heals after outlasting reigning Class A champion Gorham in five games last week. The Clippers won the last two sets, including a 15-11 victory in the decisive game.

Yarmouth was at Greely Tuesday, hosts York in a pivotal match Thursday (see our website for story), then closes at Cape Elizabeth Monday of next week.

Falmouth was 7-5 and eighth in Class B following wins last week at Scarborough (3-0) and at home over Cheverus in five games (16-25, 26-28, 25-15, 25-22, 15-12). Against the Stags, Hannah Roche had 32 assists and Abby Shaw finished with 15 assists and 11 aces.

The Navigators (who had won four straight matches) hosted Gorham Tuesday and close at Deering Thursday.

Greely was 8-4 and 11th following straight set wins at Gray-New Gloucester and at home over Wells (25-20, 25-23, 25-20) last week. Against the Warriors, Annabelle Talley had 16 kills and Maddie Croteau added 13 assists, two blocks, five digs and three kills.

The Rangers, who had won seven straight matches, hosted Yarmouth Tuesday and close at Cape Elizabeth Thursday.

In Class C, NYA fell to 1-11 and ninth after 3-0 losses at Maranacook and Bucksport.

The Panthers hosted Lake Region Tuesday and close at Gray-New Gloucester Thursday.

Cross country

Falmouth joined Gorham and Scarborough for a cross country meet at Windham last week. The Navigators girls finished first and were led by individual runner-up Georgia Moon (19 minutes, 55.8 seconds). Falmouth’s boys were second to Scarborough. Frederick Brill placed sixth (18:03.5).

Greely joined Poland and Waynflete at York. The Rangers boys and girls both came in second to the Wildcats. Rowan Barry was the individual runner-up in the girls’ race (22:18). William Coull placed fourth in the boys’ competition (18:31).

The Western Maine Conference championship meet is Wednesday in Standish.

Press Herald staff writer Drew Bonifant contributed to this story.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. 

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