The short and sweet spring sports season continues to produce memorable moments for local teams and athletes.

Here’s a glimpse of how things stand as we approach the midway point of the regular season:

Lacrosse: Panthers win a pair of thrillers

North Yarmouth Academy’s girls’ and boys’ lacrosse teams hosted Kennebunk two days apart last week and both squads managed to eke out one-goal victories in very different fashion.

Last Thursday, the undefeated girls’ squad rode three goals from junior Courtney Dumont (she finished with five) to a 5-0 lead in the first half, then had to hold on for dear life. The Rams pulled within 6-4 at halftime and three times drew within a goal in the second half, the last at 8-7 with 13:07 to play. Kennebunk had several great chances to draw even down the stretch, but either missed or were stymied by NYA senior goalie Abigail Moss (eight saves) and the Panthers held on for the win.

“It was really nerve-wracking, but I trusted my defense,” said Moss. “I think we came out and surprised them a little bit and toward the end they picked it up. It was just a really good game.”

“It was basically anybody’s game,” added NYA coach Julia Littlefield. “It was nice to have that 5-0 lead. It was really exciting. It got very interesting at the end. We knew it would be a very tough game.”

The Panthers improved to 5-0 Monday with a 13-10 home win over Cape Elizabeth as senior Rachel Darby scored four times. NYA, first in the latest coaches’ poll, went to Deering Tuesday (too late for print), then sits idle until Tuesday of next week when it hosts Greely.

Saturday afternoon, the boys had their turn. The Panthers were down much of the first half before rallying to make it 5-5 at the break, but entering the fourth, NYA trailed 8-6.

With 5:43 to go, the Rams scored to make it 10-7 and seemingly finish the Panthers, but NYA saved its best work for last.

With 4:22 to play, sophomore Finn Hadlock (from junior Gus Wellin) scored after a turnover to make it 10-8. With 2:17 left, Wellin fed junior Phil Champoux for a man-up goal to pull the hosts within a goal. Just 41 seconds later, Champoux (from junior Cam Smith) scored to make it 10-10.

That set the stage for the dramatic finish. Playing a man down, Kennebunk had the ball in the waning seconds, but threw it away. Smith raced into the offensive end and ignored coach Chris Carpentier’s plea to hold the ball and take possession to start overtime. With 1.5 seconds to go, Smith found Hadlock all alone in front of the goal and Hadlock fired a shot home to give the Panthers a stunning 11-10 win.

“I heard (coach) for a second, but I saw the opening and had to go for it,” Hadlock said. “Cam made a great pass to me. It feels great. This team’s got a lot of heart. We’re a young team. We’re getting there. We just have to keep our heads the entire game.”

“We fought through and never gave up,” Carpentier added. “Anytime you’re down three with that much time left, you get worried. We finished big and showed a lot of character.”

NYA improved to 3-1 with the win. The Panthers (sixth in the latest coaches’ poll) hosted Cape Elizabeth Wednesday (too late for print, see Web site for game story). Saturday, NYA goes to St. Dom’s. Monday, it hosts Waynflete.

In other action, the Falmouth boys continue to impress. The Yachtsmen were tied at powerhouse Cape Elizabeth midway through a 6-3 loss last Wednesday, then erupted in the second half to crush host St. Dom’s 20-6 Saturday to balance their record at 2-2. In the victory, sophomore Nick Bachman had four goals and six assists. Junior Dan Hanley added four goals and one assist.

Falmouth (fifth in the coaches’ poll) went to York Wednesday (too late for print). Saturday, the Yachtsmen host Freeport. Monday, they welcome Bonny Eagle.

The Falmouth girls went to Massabesic Tuesday (too late for print) seeking their first win in four tries. The Yachtsmen fell 10-9 at home to York last Wednesday, then had a game at Cheverus postponed. Falmouth (10th in the coaches’ poll) hosts Marshwood Saturday and goes to Scarborough Tuesday of next week.

The Freeport girls enjoyed a big win Friday at home against previously unbeaten Portland. The Falcons, coming off a 19-7 home loss to Gorham, trailed the Bulldogs 2-0, but scored 11 of the next 12 goals to lead 11-3 at the break en route to a 15-6 triumph. Juniors Emily Drummond and Lucy Whitacre both scored four times. Freeport (2-3) hoped to even its record when it played at South Portland Tuesday (too late for print). Friday, the Falcons are at Windham. Monday, they host McAuley.

Freeport’s boys lost 18-2 at Yarmouth last Wednesday and 6-5 at home to Waynflete Saturday to drop to 0-5 on the year. The Falcons were at Westbrook Wednesday (too late for print), go to Falmouth Saturday and visit defending Class A champion Scarborough Monday.

Greely’s boys snapped a three-game skid with a pair of wins last week: 8-1 over visiting Fryeburg and 8-2 at South Portland. Against the Red Riots, senior Steven Chase and junior Teddy Russell both scored twice. The Rangers (2-3) host Wells Thursday.

Greely’s girls fell to 0-4 after a 13-9 loss at Cape Elizabeth Saturday and a 14-2 setback at longtime nemesis Waynflete Monday. The Rangers (ninth in the latest coaches’ poll) are home with Cheverus Friday and go to NYA Tuesday.

Yarmouth’s boys and girls had home showdowns with Scarborough and Kennebunk respectively Tuesday night (please see story, page 23).

Baseball:

On the diamond, while Greely went down to its first defeat and Freeport was earning its first win Monday (please see stories, page 23), Yarmouth appears to have righted its ship.

Last Thursday, the Clippers went to Wells and won 10-3. Saturday, they rolled to a 15-0 (five inning) home win over Freeport to improve to 4-3. Yarmouth was home with Cape Elizabeth Wednesday (too late for print), goes to Freeport Saturday and hosts Greely Tuesday.

Falmouth was idle for a week before going to Greely Tuesday (too late for print). The Yachtsmen (2-3) hosted York Wednesday, welcome Lake Region Friday and visit Poland Monday.

In Western C, NYA is sizzling. Recent wins at Waynflete (2-1, in eight innings, on junior Dean Darien’s two-run double) and at home over Old Orchard Beach (4-3, on sophomore Alan Brown’s game-winning hit) left the Panthers (winners of six out of seven) 6-3 on the year. NYA went to Sacopee Wednesday (too late for print), plays at St. Dom’s Friday and hosts Freeport Monday.

Softball: Yarmouth coming to life

On the girls’ side of the diamond, the Clippers of Yarmouth made it two out of three Friday, blanking visiting Freeport 7-0. Sophomore Abbie Hutchinson struck out 12 and allowed just one hit. Yarmouth (2-4) hosted powerhouse Cape Elizabeth Wednesday (too late for print), goes to Freeport Saturday and plays host to Greely Tuesday.

Those Rangers fell to 4-4 Monday after a 2-1 home loss to Cape Elizabeth. Greely was coming off a 9-1 home win over Poland. The Rangers, who were home with Falmouth Tuesday and played at Gray-New Gloucester Wednesday (both games were held too late for print), are idle until Tuesday when they go to Yarmouth.

Falmouth took a 1-4 mark into Tuesday’s game at Greely. The Yachtsmen hadn’t played in almost a week. Falmouth was home with York Wednesday (too late for print), hosts Lake Region Friday and goes to Poland Monday.

Prior to losing to Yarmouth, Freeport downed visiting Old Orchard Beach 5-1. Monday, the Falcons dropped to 2-6 on the year with a 3-2 loss at Lake Region. After playing at Wells Wednesday (too late for print), Freeport hosts Yarmouth Saturday.

Track: Falmouth, Greely earn wins

After their respective meets were rained out last week, the Falmouth and Greely outdoor track powerhouses returned to action Monday in style.

The Yachtsmen hosted Greater Portland Christian School, NYA and Poland and both the Falmouth boys’ and girls’ teams came in first. The Panthers were third in both meets.

Greely’s girls downed host Gray-New Gloucester, Sacopee, Wells and Waynflete, while the Rangers boys came in second to Sacopee.

Freeport and Yarmouth joined Sacopee and Traip and Fryeburg last week. In the boys’ meet, won by Sacopee, the Falcons were fourth and the Clippers finished fifth. On the girls’ side, where Fryeburg took top honors, Freeport was third and Yarmouth placed fifth.

Tennis: Falmouth beats NYA in showdown of champions

On the hardcourts, defending Class B girls’ state champion Falmouth went to reigning Class C champion North Yarmouth Academy Monday and continued its perfect campaign with an emphatic 5-0 win. The powerhouse Yachtsmen improved to 6-0 by winning all five matches in straight sets. The Panthers fell to 5-1.

Falmouth’s boys improved to 5-2 Monday with a 5-0 home win over NYA, which dropped to 1-6.

Greely’s boys gave defending Class C champion Waynflete all it could handle before falling 3-2 Monday in Cumberland. The loss dropped the Rangers to 3-2 on the year. The Greely girls lost 4-1 at Waynflete and are now 1-5 on the season.

Yarmouth’s boys took a 4-1 mark into Tuesday’s match with Lake Region (too late for print). The Clippers girls’ team is 3-2 to date.

Freeport’s girls won their second match of the season Monday, 4-1 over visiting Old Orchard Beach, to improve to 2-3 on the year. The Falcons boys haven’t been as fortunate. They’re 0-6 and are still seeking their first point.

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

Falmouth’s second singles standout Annalise Kump showed her form during her 6-2, 6-1 win over NYA’s Anna Jaeger as the defending Class B champion Yachtsmen stayed perfect on the 2009 season with a 5-0 win at the Panthers Monday. (Brian Beard photo)

Sidebar Elements

---

Falmouth’s Kellen MacDonald and Alec Dunn were neck-and-neck during the 110 hurdles during Monday’s meet. MacDonald wound up edging Dunn for first place by a tenth of a second. (John Jensenius photo)

Copy the Story Link