We are on the cusp of playoff thrills in soccer, field hockey, volleyball and cross country, while football teams are making highlights of their own.

The best part of the fall sports season has arrived and local squads will be in the middle of the excitement.

Here’s a glimpse at how it all shakes out:

Football

The top story on the gridiron continues to be the Falmouth Navigators. Last Friday night, in their regular season home finale, the Navigators improved to 7-0 (tying the 2015 team for best start in program history) with a stunningly decisive 48-3 victory over Lawrence. The Bulldogs actually scored first, a first quarter field goal, but Gio Guerrette’s 55-yard touchdown pass from Tres Walker made it 7-3 after one. By halftime, Falmouth had a 34-3 advantage, as Indi Backman broke away for an 80-yard score, Walker hit Ben Robbins from 30-yards out, Backman scored on a 5-yard run and Walker found Logan McVeigh for a 36-yard TD.

“I can’t give myself credit for that touchdown,” Backman said. “I literally did not get touched. It was all blocking, dude. I did nothing. I just ran.”

“Those deep passes definitely feel great,” said Walker. They get our energy up, too.”

The Navigators put it away in the third period, as Walker connected with Joey Guerrette for a 53-yard touchdown, then Owen Bombardier capped the scoring with a 1-yard run. Walker wound up 6-of-7 passing for 150 yards and four TDs, while Backman ran for 146 yards on 13 attempts, scoring twice.

“We want to score every play and if we end up with a first down, that’s great,” said Falmouth’s first-coach Spencer Emerson. “We always say we want fireworks. We want to be able to score from deep. Hit home runs.”

The Navigators’ defense has been almost perfect this fall. The unit, coached by Dylan Rottkov, has surrendered only 40 points in seven games (with nine of those points coming via a safety or a return touchdown by the other team). Falmouth is surrendering only 67 rushing yards per game and has only given up 470 passing yards all season. The unit has 83 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, six interceptions, five fumble recoveries and has scored a pair of touchdowns.

The Navigators project to the be the top seed for the Class B North playoffs and seek a first-ever undefeated regular season when they go to Messalonskee (3-4) Friday night. Falmouth lost last year’s meeting, 48-8, at home.

Freeport improved to 4-3 and fourth in the Class D South Crabtree Points standings after a 22-6 win at Mountain Valley.

The Falcons host 1-6 Poland in their finale Friday. Last year, Freeport lost at home to the Knights, 22-2, in the regular season, then sprung a 32-14 upset in the quarterfinals.

In eight-man large school South region action, reigning regional champion Greely improved to 6-1 Saturday with a hard-fought 30-26 win at Mt. Ararat. Andrew Padgett started the scoring with a 65-yard keeper on the second play of the game. The senior quarterback rushed 12 times for 86 yards and completed one pass for 9 yards. Luke Piper completed 6-of-12 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns, including a 9-yarder to his brother, Wes Piper, in the second quarter. Running back Ben McCarron also scored in the second quarter, giving the Rangers a 22-12 halftime advantage with a 10-yard run. The Eagles came back to take the lead, but with 9:21 to go, Luke Piper hit Ben Kyles for a 48-yard TD and the tandem hooked up again for the two-point conversion to put Greely in front to stay. A late Padgett interception iced it.

“(Mt. Ararat) is a good team, and we really needed this game,” Padgett said. “We came into it thinking it was a playoff game, so we got it done.”

The Rangers have not punted this season.

“You can’t win if you don’t have the ball,” said Greely coach Caleb King. “That’s the way we look at it.”

Greely, which is third in the region (the two teams get quarterfinal round byes) closes at 1-6 Morse Friday. The teams didn’t meet a year ago.

Yarmouth won its second straight game and improved to 2-5 and seventh in eight-man, large school South region (the top six teams qualify for playoffs) after a wild 52-48 home win over Morse, the Clippers’ second consecutive victory. Quarterback Iggy McGrath hit Wyatt Gawtry for a 9-yard score and a quick 8-0 lead, but the Shipbuilders went ahead, 12-8, after one quarter. After Morse scored again to make it 20-8, Burke Harke scored on a 5-yard run, then a 12-yard McGrath-to-Gawtry TD pass gave Yarmouth a 24-20 halftime advantage. The back-and-forth continued in the third period, as the Shipbuilders went in front, McGrath hit Cam Boone from 5-yards out for a 30-26 lead, McGrath and Gawtry connected from 42-yards out and Morse answered to pull within two, 36-34, heading to the fourth quarter. There, An 18-yard scoring pass from McGrath to Boone made it 44-34. After a Shipbuilders’ touchdown, McGrath and Gawtry hooked up one final time, from 48 yards out. Morse answered, but it wasn’t enough and the Clippers held on to prevail. McGrath threw for 306 yards and five touchdowns. Gawtry set a new school record for catches (12) and had 186 yards and four TDs. Harke was the star on the ground, rushing for 109 yards and a score.

Yarmouth finishes at 5-2 Mt. Ararat Friday. A victory in that one would likely propel the Clippers into the playoff mix. Yarmouth won last year’s meeting with the Eagles, 30-6.

Boys’ soccer

All five local boys’ soccer teams appear playoff-bound.

Greely took a 12-0-1 record into Tuesday’s regular season finale, at home versus Wells. Last week, the Rangers beat visiting Gray-New Gloucester (5-0) and host Mt. Abram, the reigning Class C state champion (4-1). Against the Patriots, Connor Skillin had two goals and Gavin Byrne, Ethan King and Owen Piesik (three assists) added one apiece. In the win over the Roadrunners, Bez Mendelsohn scored twice, while Piesik and Hunter Caiazzo both added a goal.

Greely projects to be the top seed in the Class B South playoff field. The Rangers last had an undefeated regular season in 1984. Greely last was the top seed in a tournament field in 1985.

Yarmouth, the four-time reigning state champion, was 10-1-2 and third heading into Tuesday’s finale at Cape Elizabeth (see our website for game story). Last week, the Clippers won at York (3-1). Ian Lawrence scored twice, Luis Cardoso had the other goal and Ian Minnihan assisted on all three.

Yarmouth will not secure the top seed in the region, something that last happened in 2016. The Clippers will be second or third depending on the result of their finale.

Freeport finished the regular season 3-10-1 after a 4-0 home loss to Cape Elizabeth last week.

The Falcons were ranked ninth at press time (10 teams qualify in Class B South) and should make the playoffs for the ninth consecutive postseason.

In Class A South, Falmouth finished the regular season a solid 11-2-1 after wins at Sanford (8-0) and at home over Marshwood (4-1). In the win over the Spartans, Wyatt Braun, Jaxson Cameron, Ali Carter, Charlie Creswell, Riley Dutoit, Kian Long, Simon Wissink and Sam Yoon had one goal apiece. Against the Hawks, Wyatt Carlson, Antony Grimes, Evan Mayo and Yoon all scored once.

The Navigators were ranked second in the standings at press time.

In Class C South, North Yarmouth Academy was 7-5-1 and fourth heading into Tuesday’s finale at rival Waynflete (see our website for game story). Last week, the Panthers beat visiting Wells (1-0) and lost at Traip Academy (2-1). Zach Leinwand had the only goal versus the Warriors.

An NYA victory or tie at Waynflete would allow the Panthers to stay in the No. 4 spot and host a quarterfinal, likely against the Flyers.

The preliminary round of the tournament begins Saturday on the fields of the higher seeds. The quarterfinals are next Wednesday, also on the home pitch of the higher seeds.

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, the story is similar, as everyone will take part in the postseason.

In Class A South, Falmouth was 8-3-2 following a 1-1 home tie against Thornton Academy last week. Mackenzie VerLee scored the goal with Gwen Long getting the assist. The Navigators closed at Noble Tuesday.

Falmouth was ranked fifth in the Class A South Heals at press time and will likely remain in that spot.

In Class B South, Greely was first in the standings at 9-0-4 heading into Tuesday’s finale at Wells. Last week, the Rangers won at Gray-New Gloucester (8-0) and settled for a scoreless home draw versus Hall-Dale. In the victory, Abby Lennox scored twice and Avery Bush, Sophie Cyr, Jackie Franklin, Molly Partridge, Lily Pierce and Tori Zandan added one goal apiece.

Greely last posted an undefeated regular season record in 2000 and last was ranked first for the playoffs in 2015, the year of its most recent state title.

Freeport finished the regular season 9-3-2, its best mark since 2019, after a 3-0 home win over two-time reigning state champion Yarmouth, a scoreless draw at Cape Elizabeth and a 1-0 home win over Wells. In the victory over the Clippers, the Falcons’ first over their nemesis since Sept. 17, 2019, Claire Nadeau had two goals and Kenzie Cochran scored the other. Isla Pattershall had two assists and goalkeeper Karleigh Costello saved six shots. Costello had 10 saves in the tie versus the Capers. Lucy Riggs scored the lone goal in the win over the Warriors.

The Falcons were ranked third in Class B South at press time. If they wind up there, it would be the first time since 2001 they’re seeded in that spot.

Yarmouth was 6-3-4 and fourth in Class B South following a 3-0 loss at Freeport and a scoreless draw at York. Marian Pitney made five saves against the Falcons. The Clippers closed at home versus Cape Elizabeth Tuesday.

The last time Yarmouth didn’t hold the first or second seed, the year was 2018.

In Class C South, NYA was 10-3 and third heading into Tuesday’s finale against visiting rival Waynflete, the reigning state champion. Last week, the Panthers enjoyed a 3-2 win at Traip Academy, avenging a loss from earlier this season. Delphine Daniel, Delia Fontana and Caroline Matusovich scored one goal apiece.

The preliminary round of the tournament begins Friday on the fields of the higher seeds. The quarterfinals are next Tuesday, also on the home pitch of the higher seeds.

Field hockey

Freeport’s field hockey team finished the regular season undefeated (14-0) for the first time in program history after downing visiting Gray-New Gloucester/North Yarmouth Academy (3-1) and blanking visiting Cape Elizabeth (5-0) and host Fryeburg Academy (5-0). Against GNG/NYA, Emily Groves had two goals and one assist and Reed Proscia finished with a goal and an assist. In the win over the Capers, Groves scored twice and Liza Flower, Lydia Porter and Megan Ritz added one apiece. Against the Raiders, Flower and Anna Maschino both scored twice and Groves rattled the cage as well, her 19th goal of the year.

The Falcons will be the top seed in Class B South, the first time they’ve had top honors at any level since 2000.

Yarmouth wound up 13-1 and second in Class B South, the Clippers’ best mark since 2014, following a 9-0 home victory over Lake Region and a 2-1 win at St. Dom’s. Against the Lakers, Erica O’Connor had two goals and Brooke Abbott, Harper Featherstone, Robyn Felmley, Maya Nasveschuk, Madeline Nieter, Madison Wiles and Chloe Wright added one apiece. In the victory over the Saints, Felmly and O’Connor had a goal each.

GNG/NYA posted a 12-2 regular season mark and wound up third in Class B South after a 3-1 loss to Freeport and wins over Poland (3-1) and Greely (2-1).

Greely finished 6-7-1 and sixth in Class B South following a scoreless home tie versus Poland, a 5-0 win at Traip Academy, a 2-1 victory at Cape Elizabeth and a 2-1 setback at GNG/NYA.

If the seeds hold, Greely and GNG/NYA will meet again next week in the quarterfinals.

In Class A South, Falmouth was 8-5 and sixth entering Tuesday’s regular season finale versus visiting Windham. Last week, the Navigators host Noble (4-1) and lost at Sanford (2-1). Ani Bush had the goal and Avary Davis made 10 saves against the Spartans.

The preliminary round of the playoffs will be held Friday and Saturday. The quarterfinals are Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Those games will be contested on the fields of the higher seeded teams.

Volleyball

Falmouth, Greely and Yarmouth’s volleyball teams will all be in the thick of the action in the Class B tournament.

The Clippers, the five-time reigning state champions, were ranked third at press time after finishing the regular season at 10-4 following a five-set (25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 19-25, 11-15) loss at Greely, a four game (25-12, 23-25, 25-20, 26-24) home win over York and a four set (19-25, 25-10, 17-25, 25-27) setback at Cape Elizabeth. In the victory, Grace Keaney led the way with 15 kills and five blocks. Norah Lushman had a dozen assists and Laila Brewer had 11 assists.

“It’s so easy in a game like volleyball where there’s a point every single play to lose momentum, but when you get it back, it allows us to coast through a few points,” said Brewer. “Our energy, our bench were amazing. It was a mix of relief and exhilaration at the end because we were so excited. It was both fun and stressful. York’s a really good team and it’s fun to play against them because it’s always competitive. It was about energy and it was such a good feeling to be back in our home gym.

“(Winning on Senior Night) means so much. We have a large senior class. We’ve grown with the program. It’s rewarding how to see how well we’ve worked together and we’ve had so much fun together. We have some really amazing defenders that hustle so much. That and our aggressive offense.”

“This definitely wasn’t an easy one,” said Clippers coach Erin Quirk. “The girls fought the whole time and it was amazing to see. This was good for us getting ready to go into playoffs.”

Yarmouth now turns its attention to another title run, but it knows it won’t come easily.

“Class B has a lot of great teams, but I feel like we have the skill,” Brewer said. “We just need to communicate and go for the ball. If we play like we did tonight, I think we can pull it out.”

“We need to make sure we’re playing our game on our side at all times and get other teams out of system,” Quirk said. “For us, it’s just building our confidence back. We know there are some tough matches ahead. We want to find our groove as a team and get our offense swinging hard and our defense keeping balls off the ground. We want to get more matches here at the high school.”

Greely surged at the end of the season, winning its final nine matches to wind up 10-4. After edging visiting Yarmouth in five games (21-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-19, 15-11), the Rangers’ first win over the Clippers since Sept. 27, 2016, Greely held off host Cape Elizabeth in four games (25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 25-16). In the victory over Yarmouth, Annabelle Talley had 22 kills and 11 digs, Maddie Croteau added 12 assists and seven digs, Maggie Wilder had 11 digs and Maddie Huntington finished with 10 blocks. Against the Capers, Talley led the way with 15 digs and eight kills and Riley Bonner-Combes added seven aces, four kills and three digs. Greely was ranked sixth in Class B at press time.

Falmouth also caught fire late in the year, winning its final six matches to wind up 9-5. Last week, the Navigators defeated visiting Gorham, the reigning Class A state champion, in a five set thriller (17-25, 25-21, 25-21, 15-25, 15-5), then won at Deering in straight sets. Against Gorham, Sofie Asbjornsen had 18 kills, Hannah Roche added 19 assists, Abby Shaw had 18 assists and Oliva Clark finished with nine kills. The Navigators were ranked seventh in Class B at press time.

In Class C, NYA wound up 1-13 and ninth (eight teams make the playoffs) following 3-0 setbacks to visiting Lake Region and host Gray-New Gloucester (15-25, 23-25, 16-25) last week.

The volleyball playoffs begin Thursday with the state preliminary round. The quarterfinals are Saturday and Monday. Those matches will all be contested on the home floors of the higher seeds.

Cross country

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

Freeport, Greely, Maine Coast Waldorf, NYA and Yarmouth all took part in the Western Maine Conference championship meet last week in Standish.

In the boys’ competition, won by Freeport, Yarmouth finished third, Greely was fourth, NYA finished 13th and MCW placed 14th. Individually, the Falcons produced the individual runner-up in Alex Gilbert, who had a time of 17 minutes, 7 seconds. The Rangers were led by William Coull (fifth, 17:48). The Clippers’ top finisher was Cameron Pernal (15th, 18:55). Leighton Doyle led MCW with a 54th-place finish (21:00). The Panthers were paced by Mael Saint-Hilaire (58th, 21:08).

The girls’ meet was also won by Freeport, which was led by Lucy Huggett (fourth, 20:40). Yarmouth finished fourth as a team and was paced by Madeline Jones (sixth, 21:18). Greely placed sixth as a team and featured Rowan Barry (third, 20:39). MCW came in seventh as a team and had the top individual in Soren Stark-Chessa (20:29). NYA didn’t score as a team. Hadley Smith had the 17th-best individual time (22:22).

Golf

In last week’s recap of the Class B golf state match, the score of Yarmouth’s Winslow Noel was omitted. Noel, who qualified as an individual, shot a score of 83 and tied for the fifth-best round in Class B. The Clippers finished fourth as a team.

Press Herald staff writers Drew Bonifant and Steve Craig and Times Record staff writer Cooper Sullivan contributed to this story.

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

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