Falmouth’s girls’ tennis team is the state champion.

Again.

As if there was every any doubt.

Saturday afternoon at Lewiston High School, the Yachtsmen won their third straight Class A crown, their ninth consecutive title overall and extended their nine-season match win streak to an unthinkable 141.

Falmouth cruised through a 12-0 regular season and as the top seed in Class A South, ousted No. 8 Deering and fourth-ranked Thornton Academy by 5-0 scores in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

Last Thursday, in the regional final at Bates College in Lewiston, the Yachtsmen figured to be pushed by undefeated No. 2 Scarborough, but advanced by a 4-1 score.

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Julia Brogan, the state singles champion, beat Megan Nathanson at first singles (6-2, 6-3), Caroline Ray was a 6-0, 6-1 winner over Emily Keenan at second singles and Kate Kelley completed the singles sweep with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Bryce Nitchman at No. 3. Falmouth’s first doubles team, Amanda Watson and Mary Hyland downed Kaicee Flaherty and Caitlin Merrill, 6-3, 6-2. Annie Gott and Mia Cooney at second doubles, lost a close 5-7, 4-6 decision to Anna Driscoll and Brielle Hardy.

Saturday, in the Class A state match, Falmouth squared off with an undefeated team, Lewiston, which also has quite the pedigree. The Yachtsmen wouldn’t be denied, as they won, 5-0.

Brogan beat Maddi Roy, 6-0, 6-0, at first singles, Ray was a 6-0, 6-1 winner over Alanna Taylor at second singles and Kelley downed Lizzy Michaud, 6-1, 6-1, at third singles. Watson and Hyland rallied to win their thrilling first doubles match, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), and Gott and Cooney got back in the win column with a 6-3, 6-1 decision over Corinne Laberge and Sierra Melanson.

“It was quite a thrill to win another state championship and the girls had a great time,” said Falmouth coach Bill Goodspeed, who continued the dynasty started by Sandra Stone. “Our new assistant coach, Lori Poulin, had an unforgettable first season.”

Falmouth finished 16-0 for the eighth year in a row. The Yachtsmen haven’t lost a match since a 3-2 home setback to Waynflete way back on May 2, 2008, when this year’s seniors were in fourth grade and the freshmen were in first grade. They last lost in the playoffs in the 2007 semifinals to York. That means Falmouth has won 36 straight postseason matches, an amazing streak of its own.

The thought of a team winning 10 consecutive championships is inconceivable, but the Yachtsmen will have that opportunity next spring. Despite graduating Brogan, Gott and Ray, they will be the favorite one more.

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“We lose three of our starting seven,” Goodspeed said. “Our 2017 team will certainly have a different look, but we have four veteran juniors stepping in. We also have some promising new players who have developed fast this year and some incoming players as well. The season will certainly have its challenges and we hope to create another great memory for the girls.”

Falmouth’s boys’ team wasn’t as fortunate.

Like the girls’ squad, the Yachtsmen also went 12-0 in the regular season and earned the No. 2 seed behind undefeated Thornton Academy for the Class A South playoffs. Falmouth had no trouble with No. 7 South Portland (5-0) in the quarterfinals, then edged sixth-ranked Deering (3-2) in the semifinals.

Last Thursday, the Yachtsmen met No. 1 Thornton Academy in the regional final and despite a valiant effort, fell short.

Matt Adamowicz outlasted Junxi Xiao, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, at third singles and the first doubles tandem of Jordan Bruce and Greyson Cohen was a 6-0, 6-3 winner over Dylan Gooch and Jared Waterhouse, but the Golden Trojans won at second doubles (Jackson Dohse and Asher Thompson over Trey Fallon and Calvin Spencer, 6-3, 6-2), first singles (Dariy Vykhodtsev over Alex Klemperer, 6-2, 6-2) and second singles (Viktor Schwarz over Peter Stegemann, 6-0, 6-3) to take the 3-2 decision, ending Falmouth’s season at 14-1.

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

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Falmouth’s girls’ tennis team shows off a championship trophy for the ninth straight year after winning the Class A title Saturday.


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