With the end of the regular season rapidly approaching, local football teams need victories and three of them delivered last weekend.

Yarmouth’s was the most impressive, as the Clippers went to Cape Elizabeth and enjoyed a surprisingly decisive 27-7 triumph.

Freeport balanced its record with a 33-6 home win over Lake Region.

Falmouth got back on track by handling visiting Fryeburg, 40-14.

Only Greely fell short, but the Rangers hung tough with visiting York in a 35-21 setback.

Teaching moment

Yarmouth went to Cape Elizabeth still stinging from a 22-15 home loss to Wells in a game in which the Clippers’ special teams let one slip away, which also happened in an earlier loss to Leavitt.

Yarmouth grabbed a 7-0 lead on a Matt Klepinger touchdown run, but the Capers drew even after one quarter. The Clippers went back on top, 14-7, on another Klepinger TD run, but in the third period, a roughing the punter penalty seemingly gave Cape Elizabeth life. Instead, Yearmouth rose to the occasion, shutting down the threat, then putting it away in the fourth period behind touchdown runs from Cody Cook and Thomas Lord.

“I knew it would be the toughest game of the year,” said Clippers coach Chris Pingitore. “(Cape’s) physical, very athletic and has a lot of weapons. They’re a lot like us. I knew we’d have to fire on cylinders. We haven’t played them in high school varsity, but it’s a big rivalry. One difference was that our defense didn’t break. The biggest difference was the way we reacted to the roughing the punter penalty which gave them a second chance. Unlike Leavitt and Wells, it wasn’t our downfall. We stopped them, then had a hell of a fourth quarter. The seniors weren’t going to let it get away this time. It was a full team effort. Our pass defense put a lot of pressure on Wolfinger. Jack Snyder and Race Morrison did a great job blanketing their deep game.”

Matt Woodbury finished with 113 yards and 17 tackles. Rhys Eddy had 14 tackles.

Yarmouth (4-2 and fourth in the Western Class C Crabtree Points standings) goes to Poland (1-5 and eighth) Friday, then closes with a home game versus Freeport in the “Battle of the Bay.”

“We can’t overlook Poland,” Pingitore said. “There are trap games and this could be a trap game coming off an emotional high. If we win out, we could be in third place. It might come down to a third-place tie with Spruce Mountain and it may come to a coin toss. I’d be more comfortable at three. I don’t want to play Cape again. We’d have a chip on our shoulder if we play Leavitt or Wells.”

In the hunt

Elsewhere in Western C, Freeport improved to 3-3 by handling visiting Lake Region, 33-6, ending a two game-skid in its home finale.

An early touchdown pass from Eli Fox to Jake Perry and a David Scheadler tuouchdown run made it 13-0 Falcons after one quarter. After a Lakers’ score, Fox hit Perry again to make it 20-6 at the half. In the third quarter, Schealder scored on a short run and Fox and Perry hooked up one final time to account for the final score.

Freeport (3-3 and sixth in Western C) makes its first trip to Rumford to face 1-5 Mountain Valley (ninth in the standings) Friday night. The Falcons, who appear playoff-bound, then close at Yarmouth.

In Western B, Falmouth, coming off a 44-22 loss at Westbrook, made quick work of Fryeburg. Tyler Rolfe had a TD run and Noah Nelson hit Justin Rogers through the air for a 14-0 advantage after one quarter. Two long scoring runs from Storm Covens and another from Connor Aube made it 34-6 at halftime. Nelson found Aube for another TD to finish the Yachtsmen’s scoring.

Falmouth (4-2 and sixth in the Western B Crabtrees) visits Mt. Ararat (3-3 and eighth) Friday night. The Yachtsmen then close at home versus Greely.

Another test

Greely was 3-1 after a 41-8 triumph at Westbrook Sept. 27. The Rangers then lost at undefeated and top-ranked Kennebunk, 42-21, and Friday, couldn’t stop visiting York. The Wildcats led, 7-0, after one period. After Greely tied the score on a 1-yard Sam Peck run and Christian Kroot PAT, York went ahead, 14-7, at halftime and added a third period TD to make it 21-7. The Rangers got another Peck score (a 2-yard run) to pull within 21-14 after three, but the Wildcats scored twice more in the fourth and a 33-yard pass from Matt Pisini to Connor Hanley only brought Greely within 35-21, which was the final.

“We were a little more competitive than we were with Kennebunk,” said Greely coach David Higgins. “We just weren’t able to connect a couple of plays, which will happen with a young team.”

The Rangers (fifth in the Western B Crabtrees) now have the daunting task of hosting 5-1 Cony (second in Eastern B) and its prolific aerial attack Friday night. The teams have no history. Greely then closes at Falmouth.

“We’ve seen them on film and we know their quarterback (Ben Lucas) is a big-time player,” Higgins said. “They throw all the time. That’s different than what we’re used to. I’m not sure how we’ll respond. We hope to give them a game.”

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

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Yarmouth senior Matt Woodbury tackles a Cape Elizabeth ballcarrier for a loss during Friday’s surprisingly decisive 27-7 win.

With coach Chris Pingitore looking on Yarmouth sophomore Jonathan Snyder intercepts a pass during Friday’s victory.

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