The number of survivors has dwindled, but there are some city teams still very much in the title hunt as a huge week dawns.

Cross country (see story) and volleyball wrapped up their seasons Saturday, while field hockey and soccer will crown champions this coming Saturday.

Only football will continue beyond that date.

Here’s a glimpse at what happened during a memorable week, who’s left and what’s to come:

Football

On the gridiron, Deering and Portland begin their playoff runs this Friday, while Cheverus’ campaign came to an end last week.

The Stags, ranked fifth in Class B South, was no match for No. 4 Marshwood in last Friday’s quarterfinal round, losing, 49-7, to finish 2-7. Cheverus struck first, but the touchdown was called back by a penalty.

“That’s been our nemesis all year,” said Stags’ first-year coach Skip Capone. “We’ve had a lot of red-zone opportunities and we haven’t finished drives and that’s on us as coaches.”

The Hawks led, 21-0, after one quarter, 43-0, at the half, and 49-0 after three quarters. Cheverus’ touchdown came in the fourth period, on a 7-yard pass from freshman Will Baker to Devin Kelly. Colby Ross returned to quarterback for the first time since suffering a leg injury in the first quarter of the first game of the season. He completed 8 of 15 passes in the first half for 71 yards but was intercepted twice.

“At the end of the day, they’re just better than us,” Capone said.

Portland wrapped up its regular season with a 39-21 victory at South Portland in the “Battle of the Bridge” to improve to 7-2, beat its rival for the fourth straight season and cut the Red Riots’ all-time advantage in the series, which dates to 1907, to 56-50 (with three ties).

Justin Bouchard opened the scoring with a 37-yard field goal, then Cordell Jones caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Louis Thurston for a 9-0 advantage after one quarter.

“The defender tipped it in the air and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to go get this thing,'” said Jones. “Then, they missed a tackle, I saw green and I was gone. I didn’t really look back.”

Jones then scored on a 64-yard touchdown run, but South Portland crept back to 19-14 at the half (Bouchard had a 30-yard field goal in that stretch). The Bulldogs turned the game for good when they stopped the Red Riots on fourth down on the South Portland side of the field. Jones then scored on a 14-yard run and after Jones had an interception, Aidan McGowan rumbled 20-yards for a score to make it 33-14. Jones’ 16-yard TD scamper accounted for Portland’s final points.

Jones finished with 168 yards rushing on 12 carries and had two catches for 81 yards.

“I’m obviously biased, but I think Cordell Jones is the best football player in the state,” Bulldogs coach Sean Green said. “Offense, defense, special teams, you name it. He can do it all for us. He lines up everywhere on the offensive side of the ball for us.”

Portland is the top seed for the Class A North playoffs and will host No. 4 Windham (3-6) Friday at 6 p.m., in the semifinals. Back on Sept. 13, the Bulldogs beat the visiting Eagles, 29-7.

Portland is 4-2 all-time versus Windham in the playoffs, with a 42-6 loss in the 2017 regional final the most recent.

Deering earned a bye into the semifinals after a 7-1 campaign, its best since 2008. The Rams, the No. 2 seed, will host No. 3 Massabesic (7-2) Friday at 6 p.m. Deering edged the host Mustangs, 21-14, Sept. 27.

The Rams lost both prior playoff encounters, with a 21-14 (overtime) loss in the 2005 Western A semifinals the most recent.

Deering is hosting a postseason contest for the first time since 2015.

Field hockey

Cheverus’ field hockey team began the week two wins from a repeat Class A state title, but the final steps are going to be daunting.

The Stags, ranked first in Class A South after another perfect regular season, got pushed by No. 8 Massabesic in last Tuesday’s quarterfinals, but prevailed, 2-1, behind goals from Sophia St. John (set up by Sadie Collins) and Lucy Johnson. In Saturday’s semifinals, against No. 4 Thornton Academy, Cheverus returned to its scoring form, rolling to a 6-0 victory to improve to 16-0. Zoey Radford had a hat trick, while Johnson, Lillian Magda and Jaylee Radford rattled the cage once apiece.

Wednesday, the Stags battle No. 2 Biddeford (14-2) in the Class A South Final. The game will be played at Falmouth High at a time to be announced. Cheverus twice beat the Tigers this fall, both by 2-0 scores. The Stags won the only prior playoff matchup, 5-0, in last year’s regional final.

If Cheverus moves on to the Class A state final for the fourth consecutive year, it will face either Skowhegan (14-2) or Brewer (14-2) Saturday in Auburn, at a time to be announced.

Waynflete, seeded sixth in Class C South, was eliminated by No. 3 St. Dom’s, 9-0, in last Thursday’s quarterfinals to wind up 7-5-1.

Boys’ soccer

Portland’s boys’ soccer team was still standing at press time after a pair of dramatic wins last week.

The Bulldogs, seeded fourth in Class A South, needed penalty kicks to get past No. 5 Gorham in the quarterfinals last Wednesday. Portland got a quick goal in the first half from Ronan Mas, but the Rams tied it, then neither team scored again the rest of regulation or during a pair of 15-minute overtimes. Thanks to conversions from Baptista Muanda, Osvaldo Silva and Silvo Mbayi, the Bulldogs prevailed in the PK round, 3-1, to win the game, 2-1.

Saturday, Portland went to top-ranked Windham and stunned the Eagles for the second year in a row. Just five minutes in, Paulo Joao scored, from Muanda, but Windham pulled even off a corner kick late in the first half. Both teams had great chances in the second half but couldn’t finish and it appeared overtime was going to be the end result, but with just 6:41 remaining in regulation, Joao set up Pedro Bunga, playing his first game on offense all year, for the go-ahead goal and the Bulldogs held on, 2-1, to improve to 13-2-1.

“That was all coach’s work right there,” said Bunga, through his interpreter, Mateta Antonio. “I was happy when I got moved to offense. I was waiting for this moment.”

“I told everyone at halftime that we’ve worked too hard to be here and not win and I didn’t want to go penalties,” said Mas.

“It wasn’t easy,” added longtime Bulldogs coach Rocco Frenzilli. “Credit to Windham. They were number one for a reason. I’m just so proud of these young men for what they’ve been able to accomplish. Words can’t describe it. We knew coming in it would be difficult with the team they have. They didn’t go through the season with one loss for no reason. We respected them, but no fear. That’s what we do with every team we play.”

Portland battled No. 3 Scarborough (14-1-1) in the Class A South Final Tuesday afternoon (see our website for game story).

On Sept. 28, Portland and host Scarborough settled for a 1-1 tie. The Bulldogs were just 3-4 all-time versus the Red Storm in the playoffs despite last year’s 1-0 double-overtime win in the quarterfinals.

“We’ll try to keep putting all the pieces together,” said Mas. “I think this game was the closest to the complete puzzle and I think next game, we can build off that.”

“We just have to keep working together, show up to practice and do what we’re supposed to do,” Bunga said, through Antonio.

“The guys come in every day ready to play, ready to work and they’re looking forward to practice Monday,” added Frenzilli. “ It’s going to be a great chess match and I’m just happy we’re going to be there.”

If the Bulldogs move on to the Class A state final for just the fourth time ever, they’ll look to secure their first-ever championship Saturday at Morse High School in Bath at a time to be announced against either Camden Hills (14-1-1) or reigning champion Lewiston (13-2-1).

Deering, the reigning regional champion, ranked sixth in Class A South, survived No. 11 Marshwood in the preliminary round (1-0, in overtime), but last Tuesday at No. 3 Scarborough, the Rams met their match and were eliminated, 2-0, to finish 8-7-1. Deering had eight first half corner kicks but couldn’t finish and the Red Storm turned the game with a goal just before halftime.

“We controlled possession and had more scoring opportunities in the first half, but Scarborough played excellent defense,” Rams coach Joel Costigan said. “I’m super-proud of the guys tonight. It was wax and wane. It’s been a project since the summer. The coaches and captains spoke at the end of the game and told everyone to keep their heads high.

“We have some eager young players and we’ll just look for the underclassmen to come back next year and focus from the get-go and make sure we leave everything on the field.”

Waynflete, ranked fifth in Class C South, upset No. 4 North Yarmouth Academy, its longtime rival, in a thrilling quarterfinal last Wednesday in Yarmouth. The Flyers gave up a goal late in the first half and found themselves a little over two minutes from elimination before Lucas Plumb tied it up and forced overtime. After the first 15-minute, “sudden victory” OT didn’t produce a result, Waynflete won it in the second, as Jeff Adey, who whiffed on a sure goal earlier in the contest, headed home Duncan Isherwood’s corner with 10:38 remaining.

“Great ball by Duncan,” said Adey. “I went over to (Duncan) and said, ‘Just put it back post for me.’ It was a terrific ball and I just went up to get it. Seeing the ball float in, I knew this was it. Everything after that was a blur.”

“That goal was crazy,’ said goalie Lila Fremont, who made six saves, including a pair of point blank stops in the first overtime. “I sprinted over as fast as I could. We just knew we had to get it done. Going into overtime, we knew we had the momentum. We talked about coming out strong.”

“It’s been a rivalry since as long as I can remember,” added Flyers coach Will Burdick, who took part in many Waynflete-NYA battles during his time as a player. “It’s nice to come to their place and get a win. Both teams played their hearts out and I’m just glad we were on the winning side of it. We knew it was going to be a battle.”

Waynflete hoped that win would spark a run, but Saturday, at top-ranked Hall-Dale, the Flyers lost, 4-2, to finish 7-8-1. Plumb scored both goals in his swan song.

Girls’ soccer

Cheverus’ girls’ soccer team, the No. 4 seed in Class A South, survived fifth-ranked Falmouth in a quarterfinal thriller last Tuesday, 2-1. Jill Foley gave the Stags an early lead, but the Navigators tied the score on a free kick in the second half. With overtime looming, Sophia Monfa played the hero with 44 seconds to go, burying a free kick to win it.

“I knew I had to do something quickly,” Monfa said. “I noticed that their wall wasn’t protecting the goal. I asked the ref if I could go for and he was like, ‘Go for it.’ The goalie was looking the other way and I just kicked it. I think I just caught them off-guard. I don’t think anyone thought I’d randomly kick it, but I did to see what happened. We hoped they wouldn’t score, but we knew if they did, we had to respond.”

“I don’t care if you’re a senior captain, that takes guts to take that shot,” said longtime Cheverus coach Craig Roberts. “Guts and soccer IQ. They were scrambling a little to set up, she recognized that and she hit it hard and low on net. You never know what can happen. Fortunately, it went in.”

Saturday, the Stags were eliminated by top-ranked Windham, 3-0, to finish 11-3-2. Cheverus conceded two goals in 33 seconds in the ninth minute and couldn’t recover.

“We played better than we did the first time against them,” said Roberts. “Getting down two early, we could have easily collapsed, but we showed resilience and for that, I’m so proud of the girls.”

Graduation will take a big chunk out of this team’s production and leadership.

“There will be a leadership vacuum next year, but we’ll build a culture first where we care about each other and play for each other,” said Roberts. “Then, we’ll try to fill some of those voids. It’s going to take the summer and some of the fall to build some resilience and togetherness.

“I’m sad this year is gone, because it was a great year, but I’m looking forward to next year.”

Waynflete, the reigning Class C state champion, earned the No. 6 seed in Class C South and gave third-ranked rival NYA all it could handle in last week’s quarterfinals before falling, 2-1, to finish 5-9-1. Fallon Culley scored the goal on a penalty kick.

Volleyball 

Cheverus and Deering’s volleyball teams made spirited postseason runs before meeting their respective match last week.

The Rams, seeded ninth in Class A, beat No. 8 Edward Little in four games in the preliminary round, then gave top-ranked Biddeford fits in last Monday’s quarterfinals. Deering was on the brink of victory in the first game, but dropped it, 26-24. After taking the second, 25-20, the Rams lost the third set, 25-16, but they were on the brink of winning the fourth game to extend the match to a winner-take-all, first-team-to-15-points fifth set only to have the Tigers rally for a 26-24 win, ending Deering’s season at 6-10.

“That’s exactly what I expected the girls to do,” said Rams coach Nika Francois. “We came in hot. I love that we didn’t back down. We had the energy all the way to the last point. It was a great game. I’m really proud of my team and of our season. This is (Biddeford’s) house and they were number one, so all the pressure was on them. All I wanted the girls to do was come in and play and that’s what they did. We came back. We’re very resilient. This team doesn’t give up.

“It’s a new team. I had to rebuild. From the team that played Biddeford first game to the team now, it’s completely different and I’m very proud of them.”

Cheverus, the No. 10 seed, first upset No. 7 Windham in five games in the preliminary round, then knocked off No. 2 Thornton Academy in four sets in the quarterfinals. Last Wednesday, the Stags went to No. 3 Gorham, the reigning state champion, and lost in three games (10-25, 22-25, 9-25) to wind up 6-11. Cheverus was up, 21-13, in the second game and could have made things interesting, but after an impossible save gave the Rams the next point, they seized control of the match and went on to win a repeat championship over Biddeford Saturday.

“It’s been amazing,” Powers said. “We’re a small school, 365 kids, playing in Class A. We made nice strides. We beat Scarborough for the first time in program history and we made it to the semifinals for the first time.

“We’ll miss the seniors, but we have kids coming up who can fill the gaps. We have kids who will be back next year. I’m looking forward to it.”

Press Herald staff writer Travis Lazarczyk contributed to this story.

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

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