The first full week of spring sports action was memorable for many reasons. Perennial powers did their thing, while at least one surprise team stole headlines. Here’s a glimpse:

Baseball

The Cheverus baseball team continues to be one of the big stories in the early going.

The Stags, who opened with a stunning 5-4, come-from-behind victory over three-time defending state champion Deering, ending the Rams’ 50-game win streak in the process, won 10-5 at Kennebunk (rallying from an early three run deficit behind clutch hits from sophomore Louie DiStasio and senior Joe Falconieri) and 6-4 over visiting Massabesic (as DiStasio got the win on the mound and senior Kyle Randall and junior Joey Royer had key hits) last week to improve to 3-0.

Cheverus was at Thornton Academy Tuesday, visits Marshwood Thursday and plays host to Noble Saturday.

Deering has bounced back nicely from its rare defeat. The Rams won 5-0 (in five innings) over visiting Noble, 7-4 at Marshwood and 8-1 at home over Biddeford to improve to 3-1.

Senior Jake Nichols threw a no-hitter against the Knights. In the win over the Hawks, the Rams were down 4-3 going into the sixth, but tied it in that inning, then pushed three runs across in the seventh, taking the lead on junior John Hardy’s triple. Junior Jamie Ross earned the win.

Against the Tigers, Deering pushed across three runs in the first, added two in the third and three more in the fifth. Junior Sam Balzano was solid on the mound, while senior Travis Wade and sophomore Nick Dibiase had multiple hits. Hardy, Nichols and junior Devon Fitzgerald all had two-run hits. Junior Matt Bevilaqua made a jawdropping leaping catch of a line drive in the sixth inning.

The Rams were at Kennebunk Tuesday, play host to rival Portland Thursday and welcome Thornton Academy Saturday.

The young Bulldogs continue to impress. They built on their shocking season-opening 4-3 (eight inning) win over preseason favorite Westbrook with a 4-1 home victory over Kennebunk Thursday. Freshman Caleb Fraser (three hits, five strikeouts) dazzled on the mound, while senior Kyle Reichert and freshman Max Dismore both drove in a pair of runs.

Friday, Portland fell to 2-1 after a 3-2 loss at Biddeford. Senior Adam Gould pitched well in defeat. The Bulldogs were at Massabesic Tuesday, visit Deering Thursday and host Marshwood Saturday.

Waynflete began its season last week with losses to host Old Orchard Beach (8-2) and visiting North Yarmouth Academy (13-2, in six innings). Against the Panthers, senior David Gorsky had a pair of hits, including a double. The Flyers are home with Sacopee Wednesday and go to Old Orchard Beach Monday.

Softball

McAuley, under new coach Robbie Ferrante, continues to dazzle on the softball diamond.

On the heels of their improbable nine-run bottom of the seventh inning rally to beat highly touted Cheverus in the opener, the Lions enjoyed wins at Bonny Eagle (5-0) and over visiting Sanford (4-3).

Against the Scots, freshman Gabby Townsend threw a one-hitter with eight strikeouts and Townsend, junior Kayle Daigle, sophomore Shelby Bryant and freshman Sam Schildroth paced the offense.

In the win over the Redskins, McAuley returned to its dramatic ways, scoring the winning run on Schildroth’s RBI hit in the bottom of the seventh. Senior Allina Verrillo ripped a home run and junior Jen Field earned the victory. The Lions were at Kennebunk Monday, host Deering Wednesday, go to Westbrook Thursday and welcome Windham Monday of next week. Entering the week, McAuley was one win shy of last year’s total.

Cheverus is 2-2 in the early going. After the loss at McAuley, the Stags rolled to an 11-3 home victory over Sanford. Senior standout Theresa Hendrix earned the win on the hill and hit for the cycle.

Last Wednesday, Cheverus lost 3-2 at Kennebunk despite a pair of hits from junior Jasmyn Welch and a triple from senior Anna Snook. Friday, the Stags evened their mark with a 5-0 blanking of visiting Deering as Hendrix threw a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts and had a pair of hits and senior Audrey Grinnell ripped a two-run homer. Cheverus looked to go over the .500 mark for the first time Monday when it played at Westbrook.

The Stags are home with Windham Wednesday, play at Noble Friday and welcome Marshwood Monday of next week.

Deering fell to 1-3 after its loss to Cheverus. The Rams, who opened with a 5-0 home blanking by Biddeford, got in the win column last Monday with a 20-5 (five inning) romp at Portland. It was 17-1 after an inning-and-a-half. Senior Katie Pickering and junior Jennifer Lynch both had two hits, including a triple, and senior Netta Brown added a pair of base hits. Junior Kaylee Wheeler earned the win.

Deering lost 9-3 (in five innings) to visiting South Portland Wednesday (Brown again had two hits and Pickering doubled), then was blanked 5-0 at Cheverus. The Rams were home with Bonny Eagle Monday, play at McAuley Wednesday, host Sanford Friday and visit Kennebunk Monday of next week.

Portland is still seeking its first win. After opening with a 15-3 (six inning) loss at Kennebunk, the Bulldogs fell to Deering (despite a home run from freshman Leeann Reichert), 9-8 at Westbrook (Reichert tripled and freshman Ashley Frank had two hits) and 7-3 at home to Windham (Reichert homered again and added a double) to fall to 0-4. Portland hoped to get in the win column Monday at Noble.

The Bulldogs host Marshwood Wednesday, visit Gorham Friday and welcome Massabesic Monday of next week.

Boys’ lacrosse

While the Portland boys’ lacrosse team is up to its old tricks (please see story), Cheverus is also on a roll. The Stags got off to a slow start, falling 8-3 at home to South Portland and 8-7 (in overtime) at Scarborough, but have since won three straight: 12-7 at Biddeford, 9-8 at home over Thornton Academy and 7-4 over visiting Marshwood to improve to 3-2.

In the win over the Golden Trojans, Cheverus got the game-winner from junior Garrett Naimie midway through the fourth quarter. Junior Evan Jendrasko added three goals and two assists and senior Stefano Caiazzo had two goals and three assists. Against the Hawks, Jendrasko had four goals and two assists, while Caiazzo added two goals. The Stags (10th in the most recent coaches’ poll) seek to keep the good times rolling Wednesday at home against Bonny Eagle. Friday, they go to Messalonskee.

Deering has struggled since losing junior standout Carleton Allen to a knee injury. The Rams, who opened with wins over Marshwood (16-3) and Thornton Academy (6-2), fell 15-9 at South Portland in the game Allen suffered his malady.

Friday, Deering dropped to 2-2 on the year with a 5-4 (overtime) home loss to Biddeford. Senior Riley Asbury forced OT with a late goal, but the Rams couldn’t pull it out. Senior Jackson Sewall had a pair of goals in defeat. Deering is home with Westbrook Wednesday and visits Cony Saturday.

Waynflete opened with an 18-9 home loss to powerhouse Falmouth. Sophomore Chris Burke scored six times in defeat. Friday, the Flyers evened their record at 1-1 with a 15-5 home romp over York. Freshman Zander Majercik led the way with four goals. Senior Miles Beaven added three. Waynflete was at Greely Monday, hosts Fryeburg Wednesday and welcomes Westbrook Saturday.

Girls’ lacrosse

On the girls’ side, the big news came Monday when Waynflete coach Cathie Connors earned a landmark victory (please see story). Last week, the Flyers won their opener, 14-3, at home over Greely (behind three goals each from senior Amy Allen and junior Scout Haffenreffer), then lost, 7-6, Friday at North Yarmouth Academy (despite three goals and an assist from senior Morgan Woodhouse), ending their 22-game win streak (see theforecaster.net for both game stories). Waynflete is home against red-hot Yarmouth Thursday, goes to longtime rival Kennebunk Saturday, then visits Cape Elizabeth Monday of next week.

Elsewhere, Cheverus is 1-1 after falling, 15-14, in overtime, at Massabesic, before bouncing back for a 15-7 home victory over McAuley. Senior Grace Fitzpatrick had five goals in the loss, which saw the Stags rally from 10 goals down. In the win, senior Emily Van Duzer had a whopping nine goals. Cheverus hosted Portland Monday, visits Deering Thursday and hosts Messalonskee Friday.

Deering opened with a 5-5 home tie against Windham in the rain last Tuesday. Senior goalie Julie Pallozzi came up huge, making 22 saves, including several from point blank range in the four overtime sessions. Senior Lindsay Dearborn and junior Zahra Abu both scored twice. Friday, the Rams fell to 0-1-1 with a 15-4 loss at Kennebunk. Pallozzi made 18 saves in that one. Deering was at sizzling Scarborough Tuesday, plays host to Cheverus Thursday and goes to Lewiston Saturday.

McAuley dropped its first two games, 17-7, at home to Gorham and 15-7 at Cheverus. Senior Olivia Locke and junior Tori Tenenbaum both scored twice against the Rams. Junior Olivia Porch had 12 saves against the Stags. The Lions sought their first victory when they hosted South Portland Tuesday. Thursday, they go to Biddeford and Monday they visit Edward Little.

Portland rolled in its opener, downing visiting Biddeford, 15-1, behind four goals from sophomore Catherine Flaherty and three from senior standout Nancy McAdam. Thursday, however, Portland fell to 1-1 after a 17-3 home loss to Scarborough. The Bulldogs were at Cheverus Monday, visit Windham Thursday and play at Gardiner Friday.

Track

The outdoor track season commenced last week. Cheverus’ boys won a meet at Biddeford, which also included Gorham and Kennebunk. The girls’ squad competed agains the same foes and placed second. Deering’s boys (with Scarborough and Thornton Academy) were at Marshwood and came in fourth. The girls’ team competed against the same schools, at Thornton Academy, and was also fourth. Results for Portland’s boys’ meet and McAuley and Portland’s girls’ meet with Bonny Eagle, Noble and Westbrook were unavailable at press time. Waynflete joined Greely and North Yarmouth Academy amd Traip Friday, where both Flyers teams placed fourth. The Southern Maine Activities Association and Western Maine Conference will join forces for joint meets this week.

Tennis

The Waynflete boys’ tennis team continues to defeat all comers. The two-time defending Class C champion Flyers beat Cape Elizabeth (3-2) and defending Class B champion Yarmouth (5-0) in their first two outings, extending their match win streak to 32.

In Class A, Cheverus is also 2-0, having defeated Thornton Academy (4-1) and Biddeford (5-0). Deering is 0-2, having lost to South Portland (3-2) and Bonny Eagle (4-1). Portland is 1-2. The Bulldogs sandwiched losses to Bonny Eagle (3-2) and Windham (5-0) around a 3-2 victory at Massabesic.

On the girls’ side, defending Western A champ Portland is off to a promising start, downing Bonny Eagle, Massabesic and Windham all by 5-0 scores. McAuley was a 5-0 winner at Marshwood in its first match, then improved to 2-0 Friday with a 4-1 home victory over Thornton Academy. Cheverus is also undefeated under new coach Erin Ovalle. The Stags have 4-1 victories over Thornton Academy and Biddeford to their credit. Deering also took a 2-0 mark into the week after enjoying wins over South Portland (4-1) and Bonny Eagle (5-0).

In Western C, Waynflete has a pair of impressive victories over Class B contenders, beating Cape Elizabeth (4-1) and Yarmouth (3-2).

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

Portland senior standout Nancy McAdam prepares to fire a shot during Thursday night’s 17-3 home loss to Scarborough.

Portland junior Melania Jankowski turns the corner on a Scarborough defender during Thursday’s game. The Bulldogs fell to 1-1 on the season after a 17-3 setback.