The 2010 golf season has come to a close. Field hockey’s playoffs are underway and cross-country’s regional meet will be held Saturday, which is when the football regular season ends. Soccer’s postseason is set to begin (please see story) and there will be plenty of drama in the weeks to come.

Here’s an overview:

Golf

After golf’s team championships were bestowed a week ago, individuals had their turn at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro Saturday.

In Class A, Deering’s Rocco Spizuoco shot a 77, but that was second to Gorham’s Mike Arsenault (72). Deering’s Joe Walp (80) placed fifth. Cheverus’ Kyle Bourassa tied for sixth with an 81. Teammate Quinn O’Hanlon tied for 21st with an 85. Cheverus’ Andrew Cloutier shot an 87 to tie for 26th. Deering’s Matt Bevilacqua and Cheverus’ Nick Burns tied for 30th at 92.

In the girls’ competition, won by Fort Kent’s Ali Prescott (79), Portland’s Stephanie Rogers shot a 127 to place 28th and Dering’s Delaney Loring (132) was 31st.

Field hockey

Cheverus and Waynflete qualified for the field hockey playoffs.

The Stags weren’t able to finish as strong as they’d hoped, falling, 2-0, at home to Thornton Academy in the regular season finale last Tuesday. That setback gave Cheverus a 10-4 mark and the No. 4 seed in Western Class A.

Wednesday (at 3:30 p.m.), the Stags host No. 5 Kennebunk (10-3-1) in the quarterfinals. Way back on Sept. 8, in Cheverus’ home opener, it blanked the Rams, 3-0. The teams have no playoff history. If the Stags advance, they’ll likely go to top-ranked, defending state champion Scarborough (13-1) in Saturday’s semifinals. The Red Storm routed the visiting Stags, 6-1, Oct. 8 and eliminated them, 3-2, in last year’s regional final.

Deering (0-13-1), McAuley (3-11) and Portland (6-8) failed to qualify for the postseason. The Rams finished with a 2-1 loss at South Portland last Tuesday, while the Bulldogs closed with a one-goal loss at Sanford (3-2) and a 2-1 victory at Marshwood.

In Western C, Waynflete turned back the clock and had its finest season since the Disco Era. The Flyers closed the year with a 2-0 victory at Traip last Monday to post a mark of 8-5-1, their first winning record since 1979.

Waynflete will take part in the postseason in a non-open tournament year for the first time since last century. As the No. 6 seed, the Flyers had the unenviable task Tuesday of going to No. 3 North Yarmouth Academy (13-1), the defending regional champion and 2008 state titlist.

Waynflete didn’t have much luck with the Panthers this fall, losing 11-0 in Yarmouth on Sept. 21 and 5-1 at home, Oct. 7. The teams last met in the playoffs in the 2001 first round (a 4-0 NYA triumph). If the Flyers could spring an epic upset, they’d go to either No. 2 Livermore Falls (13-1) or host No. 7 Jay (5-9) in the semifinals Saturday. Waynflete didn’t face either team in the regular season or ever in the playoffs.

Looking ahead, the regional finals are next Tuesday at Scarborough High School. The Class A, B and C state games are Saturday, Oct. 30, at the University of Maine in Orono.

Cross-country

The cross-country regular season ended last week.

Cheverus hosted Deering, McAuley, Portland and South Portland last Thursday.

In the boys’ meet, Deering edged Cheverus by a point (37-38). Stags standout Jack Terwilliger was the top individual (17 minutes, 5 seconds). The Rams were led by Sean Perry (second, 17:22). Portland didn’t participate.

On the girls’ side, defending Class A champion Cheverus, the top-ranked team in the coaches’ poll, won with 39 points. After runner-up South Portland (46) came McAuley (78), Deering (93) and Portland (112). Stags junior Emily Durgin was the fastest individual (17:58.5). Junior Ella Ramonas led the Rams with a third-place showing (20:14.4). The Lions featured Becca Kaiser (fourth, 20:49.7). The top Bulldog was Maxine Eisenberg (17th, 22:52.8).

Waynflete joined Greely and Merriconeag at NYA Friday. The boys were runners-up to the hosts as junior Abshir Horor won the race in 16:52. The girls came in first as sophomore Martha Veroneau won in 20:31.

Next up is the regional championships Saturday at Twin Brook in Cumberland. Teams in the top half of each region qualify for the state meet. Waynflete’s boys take part in the Western C meet at 11:10 a.m. The girls begin at 11:45 a.m. Class A boys start at 12:20 p.m. Girls run at 12:55 p.m.

The state meets are Saturday, Oct. 30, in Belfast.

Football

While Cheverus was winning a thriller and Portland suffered another tough loss last weekend (please see stories), Deering quietly improved to 6-1 with a 42-7 home drubbing of Westbrook. The Rams avenged a 12-10 setback at the Blue Blazes from a year ago as senior standout Jamie Ross three TD passes and ran for another. Devin Fitzgerald had two scores (on a reception and a fumble return). The Rams, second to Cheverus in the Western A Crabtree Points standings, go to the Stags Saturday in a game that will determine the top seed for the upcoming playoffs. A year ago, Deering lost at home to Cheverus, 30-21.

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

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Waynflete’s sophomores Josh Espy (left) and Abukar Adan slog toward top 10 finishes at the Flyers’ regular season-ending cross-country meet in Yarmouth Friday. Espy was fifth individually and Adan ninth as Waynflete was second to host NYA in the team competition.

Waynflete senior Hannah Rindlaub was ninth in the girls’ meet Friday as the Flyers came in first.

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