(Editor’s note: For the complete Greely-Falmouth girls’ soccer and Greely-Falmouth field hockey game stories, please visit theforecaster.net)

As September gives way to October, all fall sports are heating up and playoff jockeying is underway. Here’s a glimpse at where local squads stand:

Boys’ soccer

While Yarmouth was rallying past Falmouth in another epic between those rivals (please see story), Freeport, Greely and NYA continue to try to improve their postseason positioning.

The Falcons (coming off a 3-1 loss at Greely and a 5-0 triumph at Lake Region last week) took a huge step Monday with a 2-1 win at Cape Elizabeth. Seniors Josh Weirich and Jack Dawe (who scored twice versus Lake Region) had the goals.

“It was a big win for these guys,” said Freeport coach Joe Heathco. “We beat (Cape Elizabeth), 3-0 (Oct. 5, 2005), when Elliott Townsend was here, but I think this is the only other win and first at Cape. These boys work hard and the biggest thing is that they play as a team. They believe in what we are doing and don’t worry about who is doing what. They just try and play good soccer and execute the game plan tactically. We got some breaks last night and took advantage of a couple of mistakes and played within ourselves.”

The Falcons moved up to fifth in the Western Class B Heal Points standings. They’re looking to end a two-year playoff drought. Freeport has another test Saturday when it hosts Falmouth (game time was moved to 3:30 p.m., due to SAT testing).

“I think we have been showing better composure and continue to work on our shape, especially on defense,” Heathco said. “Hopefully we can get a lot better as October comes and contend when it counts most.”

The Rangers last Tuesday beat visiting Freeport, 3-1 (freshman Mitchel Donovan, sophomore Ted Hart and senior Paul Witte scored), then suffered a tough 2-1 home loss to Yarmouth two days later. Hart tied the game midway through the second half, but the Clippers struck late. Monday, Greely got an early goal from senior Will McAdoo and went on to tie host Falmouth, 1-1. The Rangers (3-5-1 and eighth in the Western A Heals) were at Gray-New Gloucester Wednesday and face Falmouth again, at home, Tuesday of next week.

The Panthers entered the week 3-3-2 and seventh in Western C after losing to Sacopee (2-1) and tying Gray-New Gloucester (0-0) last week. Senior captain Forest Milburn had the goal against the Hawks (on a penalty kick). NYA was at Wells Wednesday, hosts Waynflete Friday (the game was moved to 5 p.m.) and hosts Buckfield Tuesday of next week.

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, while Falmouth was edging Yarmouth in overtime (please see story), Greely continues to dazzle in Class A.

The Rangers bounced back from their lone loss with victories over host Freeport (3-0, thanks to goals from Julia Mitiguy, Sara Schad and Libby Thomas) and visiting Yarmouth (5-1, as Mitiguy, Thomas, Audrey Parolin, Sammi Toorish and Kristina Volta all scored) last week.

Monday, Greely hosted rival Falmouth and, after falling behind 1-0 on an early goal from Yachtsmen junior Cassie Darrow, dominated play the rest of the way. Schad tied the game before halftime. Toorish set up Parolin for the go-ahead goal, then scored one of her own on a free kick. Tallies from Mitiguy and Schad brought the curtain down on a surprisingly easy 5-1 victory, which also featured a pair of assists from both Toorish and Volta.

“In the first half, I think we came out, I wouldn’t say scared, but we were scattered,” said Parolin. “There were a lot of long balls we don’t usually do. After the goal, we possessed and played our game.”

“I didn’t expect to beat them 5-1,” Kennedy said. “That’s a good team. We possessed the ball the way I want. We’ve worked on some new things offensively. Three of the five goals came from things we work on in practice. We’re starting to get it. To score 10 and give up two in the past two games is the exciting part. I’m proud of them.”

Greely (now 7-1 and second in the Western A standings) hosted Gray-New Gloucester Wednesday and has a rematch at Falmouth Friday. The Rangers also play at Fryeburg Tuesday of next week.

“We always are going to strive to get better,” Kennedy said. “Offensively, I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to how we play. We need more consistency. We don’t lack for confidence, but we’re not cocky. We’re doing a good job, but we can always do better.”

Freeport has dropped recent decisions to visiting Greely (3-0), host Waynflete (2-1) and visiting Cape Elizabeth (4-1). Senior Alex Mitch scored versus the Flyers. Junior Jocelyn Davee had the goal in the loss to the Capers. The Falcons (3-6 and 12th in the Western B Heals) go to Fryeburg Friday and host Falmouth Tuesday.

In Western C, NYA got its first win for new coach Matt Andreasen last Tuesday, 2-1, over visiting Sacopee. Senior Moira Lachance and sophomore Chloe Leishman scored. Last Thursday, the Panthers fell to 1-6 with a 2-1 loss to Fryeburg (Leishman scored and freshman goalkeeper Scout Fischman had a standout effort). The Panthers (12th in the region) hosts Old Orchard Beach Thursday and Waynflete Saturday. Tuesday brings a visit from Buckfield.

Field hockey

Greely hosted Falmouth in a field hockey showdown Friday. The Rangers, coming off a 3-2 loss to reigning regional champion York the night before (despite goals from Julia Maine and Freyja Victory), got back in the win column, 1-0, thanks to a second half goal from junior Jess Wilson and superb goal-tending from senior Emma Seymour, supported by the defense of senior Maggie Norton and her teammates.

“It feels good to finally win a really close game,” said Seymour, who just started playing field hockey this year. “It always stinks to lose the close ones. I was really scared. I didn’t want to let my teammates down. I wanted to stop the ball and keep us in the game.”

“(Emma’s) an amazing athlete who is very easy to coach,” Greely coach Kristina Lane Prescott added. “She hangs on every word. She wants it. She’s willing to give everything she’s got. You can’t ask for more than that. She’s a great kid. We have such a strong defense. That’s what carries us through every game.”

The Rangers (5-3 and fourth in the Western B Heals) went to Cape Elizabeth Tuesday, play at Yarmouth Saturday and welcome Lake Region Tuesday of next week.

Falmouth was coming off a 4-1 setback at Fryeburg (senior Catherine Hebson had the goal). The Yachtsmen (4-3-1 and fifth in the region) went to York Tuesday, host Gray-New Gloucester Thursday, welcome Wells Monday of next week and Fryeburg two days later.

Yarmouth remains in playoff contention. After an eight-day break between games, the Clippers (4-3-1 and ninth in the Heals) went to Fryeburg Tuesday. They host Greely Saturday, go to Gray-New Gloucester next Monday and welcome Lake Region Wednesday.

In Western C, defending state champion NYA split a pair of games last week. First, the Panthers were a 3-0 home winner over Waynflete. The game was scoreless at halftime, but Jen Brown, Carly Lappas and Katherine Millett all had second half tallies.

“We’re still in a second-half mode,” said Panthers first-year coach Tracy Quimby. “We hope to change it. We did some things right. We had some great shots on cage. We’re doing well. I think Sacopee and Freeport will give us a run for our money. Hopefully, we can pull ourselves together and be strong.”

Indeed, NYA lost, 4-3, at Sacopee Valley Friday, to fall to 4-3. Millett had one goal, Olivia Madore the other two. The Panthers (second to Sacopee in the Heals) hosted Freeport Tuesday, visit Old Orchard Beach Thursday and host the Seagulls Saturday. NYA goes to Traip Tuesday of next week.

Freeport was a 4-0 winner at Gray-New Gloucester last Wednesday as Jenny Breau had two goals, Mia Thomas and Katie Turner one each. The Falcons then held off visiting Traip, 3-2, Friday, as Breau, Turner and freshman Abigail Smith scored. Freeport (6-2 and fourth in the Heals) was at NYA Tuesday, visits Poland Saturday, hosts Waynflete Monday and has a big game at Sacopee next Wednesday.

Volleyball

Local volleyball powers Falmouth and Greely squared off Saturday afternoon. The Rangers, coming off a 3-0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-14) home win over Cony, hosted the Yachtsmen, who beat Yarmouth, 3-1 (25-15, 25-21, 29-31, 25-10), then lost, 3-2 (20-25, 26-24, 19-25, 25-12, 9-15), to Scarborough in previous action.

Greely would handle Falmouth in four close games (23-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-18) and took an 8-0 record and the top spot in the Class A Heals into Tuesday’s home match versus Cape Elizbaeth. Greely welcomes Mt. Desert Island Saturday and reigning Class A state champion Biddeford Tuesday of next week.

The Yachtsmen fell to 5-3 and fourth in Class A with the loss. Tuesday, Falmouth was home against NYA. Saturday brings a trip to Biddeford. Monday, the Yachtsmen host Gorham.

In Class B, Yarmouth has moved up to second in the Heals with a 6-3 record after storming through Down East rivals last weekend. The Clippers first dispatched visiting Kennebunk in three games (27-25, 25-23, 25-15), then blanked Machias (25-17, 25-14, 25-19) and Sumner (25-16, 25-20, 28-26) and eked out a five-game decision over Jonesport-Beals (25-17, 25-13, 21-25, 21-25, 15-8). Yarmouth was at NYA Tuesday, visits Lake Region Friday and welcomes Cony Tuesday of next week.

NYA began the week 2-7 and ninth in Class B after going 2-3 on a Down East trip. The Panthers were twice beaten by Jonesport-Beals (3-0 and 3-1), beat Machias (3-0) and Sumner (3-1) and lost to Calais (3-0). NYA was at Falmouth Tuesday, goes to Scarborough Monday and welcomes Kennebunk Wednesday of next week.

Cross country

The Greely boys’ cross country team (ranked third in the latest coaches’ poll) turned heads a state away last weekend when it finished first among 32 teams in the small school division at the Manchester (N.H.) Invitational. Nate Madeira was fifth individually (17 minutes). Stefan Sandreuter (eighth, 17:05), Isaac Emery (22nd, 17:37), Nestor Taylor (25th, 17:48) and James Currie (28th, 17:52) also scored.

Freeport (ranked ninth by the coaches) came in fifth, as Taylor Saucier led the way with an 11th-place showing (17:19). NYA  (seventh in the coaches’ poll) was ninth as Cam Regan impressed with a fourth-place finish (16:59).

On the girls’ side, in the Manchester small school race, Greely was fifth out of 24 teams as standout sophomore Kirstin Sandreuter was the second-fastest individual (19:42). Freeport came in 12th and was led by Nina Davenport, who was 42nd (22:58). NYA didn’t score as a team, but Hillary Detert had the 37th-best time (22:17).

Closer to home, Yarmouth hosted Gray-New Gloucester, Lake Region and Merriconeag. The girls were second to Merriconeag (which is ranked 10th by the coaches), but Sarah Becker was the top individual (24:28). Merriconeag’s Teagan Wu was third (24:49). The Clippers boys finished fourth (Merriconeag was first). Individually, Merriconeag’s Jack Pierce was first (18:57). Yarmouth’s Braden Becker came in third (20:17).

Falmouth’s second-ranked boys and ninth-ranked girls won a meet at Wells (which also featured Poland, Sacopee and Traip). Tim Follo won the boys’ race (16:38), while Madeline Roberts was runner-up on the girls’ side.

Thursday, Freeport and Greely (along with Gray-New Gloucester) visit York. Saturday, Merriconeag and NYA (along with Cape Elizabeth) go to Fryeburg. Also that day, Falmouth and Yarmouth will compete in the Belfast Invitational Cross Country Festival of Champions.

Golf

The golf regular season is about to come to a close and local teams are thinking about October glory.

Yarmouth edged Wells, 4-3, Monday and improved to 9-4. Freeport beat Old Orchard Beach, 6-1, and lost to Gray-New Gloucester by the same score Monday and took a 3-8 mark into Thursday’s match at Sacopee.

In Class A, Falmouth began the week 5-2, but closed with matches against dangerous Deering, Scarborough and Cheverus. Greely beat host Windham, 9.5-3.5 last week to improve to 7-1. The Rangers were at Thornton Academy Tuesday and close the regular season Thursday at Gorham.

The girls’ state qualifying match was Wednesday at Willowdale Golf Course in Scarborough. The boys’ state qualifying matches are Monday.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.