(Ed. Note: For the complete Yarmouth-Waynflete boys’ soccer, Falmouth-Yarmouth, NYA-Sacopee Valley and Yarmouth-Cape Elizabeth field hockey and Falmouth-Scarborough volleyball game stories, with photos, see theforecaster.net)

Autumn is definitely upon us and the games are taking on greater importance.

Local squads remain very competitive in all sports and look to keep winning as the stretch runs nears.

Here’s a glimpse:

Football

Falmouth and Yarmouth’s football teams remained unbeaten and Greely got in the win column for the first time last weekend.

The Yachtsmen built on their big victory over Biddeford with a workmanlike 26-7 triumph at Mt. Ararat to improve to 4-0. Falmouth took a 12-7 lead after one quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run from Connor Aube and a 5-yard pass from Jack Bryant to Nick Wissemann. A Connor Aube 1-yard TD run and a two-point conversion pass made it 20-7 at halftime. Aube then broke a 99-yard touchdown run in the second half to put it away. Aube finished with 163 yards on 14 carries. 

Falmouth (now first in the Class B South Crabtree Points standings) has another huge test Friday when 3-1 Leavitt pays a visit. The teams have no history. A Yachtsmen win would give them the inside track for the top seed in the region and homefield advantage for the playoffs.

The Clippers improved to 4-0 with a 48-12 win at Fryeburg Academy. Touchdown runs from Jack Snyder and Cody Cook put Yarmouth up, 14-0, after one period. Cook (94-yards) and Snyder added second quarter TDs for a 28-0 lead at halftime. Johan Thoma threw a touchdown pass to Michael Hagerty and Cook (who finished with 175 yards) scored on another long run in the third quarter for a 41-0 lead and after the Raiders scored a pair of TDs, a Remi Leblanc touchdown run accounted for the final score.

The Clippers (second to Cape Elizabeth in Class C South) will face their first big challenge of the season Friday when 3-1 Wells pays a visit. Last year, Yarmouth lost at the Warriors, 21-14.

The Rangers improved to 1-3 with a 41-8 home win over Gorham. Sam Peck did a little of everything, scoring a touchdown on the ground, finding paydirt on a punt return and throwing for another score. Joey Casella and Case Steuer both added two TDs.

Greely (ninth in Class B South) is at 2-2 Morse Friday. The teams didn’t play last year.

Freeport fell to 0-4 after a 56-12 home loss to Cape Elizabeth. The Falcons struck first on a touchdown pass from Eli Fox to Brady Lafrance to lead, 6-0, but the Capers erupted for 29 unanswered points in the second period to take a 29-6 advantage to the half. Cape Elizabeth stretched its lead to 42-6 after three quarters and added two more scores in the fourth, sandwiched around a long TD pass from Josh Burke to TJ Morrill, to account for the final margin.

Freeport (ninth in Class C South) is home with 1-3 Fryeburg Academy Saturday. The teams didn’t meet last fall.

Boys’ soccer

Both Falmouth and Yarmouth’s boys’ soccer team fell from the unbeaten ranks last week.

The Yachtsmen’s win streak ended at five games last Monday with a 2-1 loss at York. Falmouth responded with a vengeance Friday with a 13-0 home drubbing of Poland. Devin Russell had the goal in the loss. Ten players scored against the Knights, with Hayden Farr leading the way with three goals. Jonah Speigel added a pair. The Yachtsmen (second to Thornton Academy in the Class A South Heal Points standings at press time) went to Greely Tuesday, play at Yarmouth Saturday (see theforecaster.net for game story) and visit Cape Elizabeth Tuesday of next week.

The Clippers took a two-year, 14-game win streak to Waynflete Friday, but went down to defeat for the first time this fall. Yarmouth fell behind, 1-0, in the first half and 2-0 early in the second. Matt Dostie got a goal back in the 62nd minute, but the Clippers couldn’t produce the equalizer and fell to 6-1.

“Our energy wasn’t where it needed to be, especially after that first goal,” said Yarmouth coach Mike Hagerty. “We knew Waynflete’s good. Down the middle is their strength and we kept wanting to go there. I thought they defended very well and I thought we were impatient. I didn’t think we had the right energy. No team is unbeatable. These kids got a really good lesson. We needed to be patient. The field’s plenty wide enough, we just didn’t make it wide. We acted like teenage boys who thought they’d just get it done. We didn’t create when we needed to.”

The Clippers (third in Class B South) was at Cape Elizabeth Tuesday (see theforecaster.net for game story), hosts Falmouth Saturday and goes to York Tuesday of next week.

Greely evened its record at 3-3-1 with a 6-0 home win over Freeport last Thursday. Jacob Nason had a hat trick, while Henry Melville, Will Pidgeon and Lucas Watt also had goals. The Rangers (sixth in Class B South) were home against Falmouth Tuesday, go to York Saturday and welcome Kennebunk Tuesday of next week.

Freeport fell to 1-5-1 and 1oth in Class B South after a 3-1 loss at Fryeburg Academy and a 6-0 home setback to Greely. Caiden Shea had the Falcons’ goal against the Raiders. Freeport was home with Lake Region Tuesday, visits North Yarmouth Academy Friday and plays at Poland Tuesday of next week.

NYA had three tough tests last week and went 2-1. After edging visiting rival Waynflete, the Panthers suffered an agonizing 1-0 double-overtime loss at Gray-New Gloucester. Thursday, NYA improved to 5-2 (and fourth in Class C South) with a 2-1 home win over Wells. Michael Pitts had both goals. The Panthers went to Sacopee Valley for a playoff rematch Tuesday and host Freeport Friday.

Girls’ soccer

Greely’s girls’ soccer team remained perfect at press time, beating host Freeport, 4-1, Friday to improve to 7-0. Jocelyn Mitiguy had three goals and Courtney Sullivan scored the other. The Rangers (first in the Class B South Heal Points standings at press time) were home with Falmouth Tuesday, play host to York Friday (see theforecaster.net for game story) and go to Kennebunk Tuesday of next week.

Yarmouth appears to be hitting its stride, improving to 4-3 and ninth in Class B South after a 3-0 home victory over Wells last Thursday. Gretchen Barbera, Cory Langenbach and Eavan O’Neill had the goals. The Clippers were at defending regional champion Cape Elizabeth Tuesday (see theforecaster.net for game story), host Falmouth Saturday and welcome York Tuesday of next week.

Freeport fell to 1-5-1 after a 1-1 home tie versus Fryeburg Academy and a 4-1 home loss to Greely last week. In the deadlock, Taylor Rinaldi had the goal. The Falcons (12th in Class B South) were at Lake Region Tuesday, host NYA Friday and visit Wells Monday.

Falmouth rallied to tie visiting York, 1-1, then improved to 4-2-1 with a 9-0 home victory over Poland last week. In the tie, Alex Shapiro had the goal. Amelia Waite and Sydney Williams both scored twice against the Knights. The Yachtsmen (fourth in Class A South) went to Greely Tuesday, visit Yarmouth Saturday (see theforecaster.net for game story) and host Cape Elizabeth Tuesday of next week.

NYA lost its seventh in a row last Tuesday, 7-0, then got in the win column and improved to 1-7 after an 8-0 home victory over Pine Tree Academy Friday. The Panthers (16th in Class C South) hosted defending Class C champion Sacopee Valley Tuesday, visit Freeport Friday and play at Lake Region Tuesday of next week.

Field hockey

Yarmouth’s field hockey team, which moved up to Class B this fall, earned a landmark victory last week. After a 4-0 win at Cape Elizabeth (Eliza Lunt, Ally MacLeod, Emilie Martin and Abby McDowell had the goals), the Clippers suffered their first blemish of the season in a 0-0 tie at Kennebunk. Saturday, Yarmouth went to Falmouth, a team the Clippers hadn’t beaten since Sept. 12, 2003.

After not scoring in 76 minutes at Kennebunk, it took Yarmouth just 70 seconds to grab the lead for good at Falmouth, as Molly Wilson redirected Bre Morrill’s hit. The Clippers doubled their lead early in the second half when MacLeod scored, from McDowell. The Yachtsmen got a goal back, but Yarmouth held on to end a 16-game skid at the hands of Falmouth, 2-1.

“A win is really nice because we hadn’t faced them since freshman year,” said senior defensive standout Sammy Middleton, who was in kindergarten the last time Yarmouth beat Falmouth. “We really wanted it today and I think it really showed. Sometimes we got frustrated, but we huddled and we pumped each other up.”

“We knew we had to keep playing like it was 0-0 and come out our hardest and play like we really wanted it,” MacLeod said.

“This year has been sort of a surprise,” Wilson said. “Our leaders have stepped up and have helped push us through the season. We’ve jelled together and we work well as a team. We’re a close-knit family. Other teams aren’t as close as us. That helps us a lot.”

“It feels good,” added Yarmouth coach Mandy Lewis. “It’s the first time in my career that we’ve beaten Falmouth. We knew it would be a big game tonight.”

The Clippers improved to 9-0-1 and second in the Class B South Heal Points standings with a 5-1 home win over Cape Elizabeth Monday.

It took less than six minutes for Yarmouth to go on top when MacLeod scored on a penalty corner. Emilie Martin and McDowell then rattled the cage to put the Clippers on top, 3-0, at halftime. If that wasn’t enough, Yarmouth ended all doubt early in the second half, as in a 23-second span, Wilson and McDowell again scored goals to stretch the lead to 5-0

 “We know even though we’ve done really well, we have to get pumped up every game to keep our streak going,” said McDowell. “I think we’re all pretty surprised. We were nervous going into Class B, but we’ve stepped up to the challenge and we’re having fun with it.”

“Monday games can always be tricky, especially when you have a Saturday game before-hand,” said Lewis. “We had a meeting before the game and talked about the importance of coming out with intensity. We were worried about our intensity coming off such a big game, but the second half I thought was much better than the first.”

Yarmouth will get a chance to truly measure where it stands in the regional pecking order when defending Class B champion York pays a visit Thursday. The Clippers go to Poland Tuesday.

Greely was 3-6 and eighth at press time after a 3-2 home win over Poland and a 3-2 loss at Gray-New Gloucester last week. In the victory, Hannah Rose scored twice and Mariah Wilcox had the eventual winning tally. Lizzie Brown made six saves. In the loss, Wilcox and Kayla Barry rattled the cage and Brown made 16 saves. The Rangers were at Freeport Wednesday (see theforecaster.net for game story), host the McAuley/Waynflete co-op team Saturday and play host to Gray-New Gloucester Tuesday of next week.

Freeport saw its skid hit five games last Wednesday with a 2-1 loss at Lake Region (Alexa Koenig had the Falcons’ goal). Friday, Freeport ended its losing streak with a 5-0 home win over Sacopee Valley, thanks to two goals from Bailey Coffin. The Falcons dropped to 2-6 and 10th in Class B South after a 5-0 loss at York Monday. Freeport was home with Greely Wednesday, hosts Falmouth Saturday and goes to Fryeburg Academy Tuesday.

Falmouth blanked visiting Gray-New Gloucester, 3-0, last Thursday (Sydney Bell, Kate Kelley and Lisa Smoluk had the goals), then fell to 6-4 Saturday with a 2-1 home loss to Yarmouth, despite a goal from Devin Sarazin.

“Falling behind was hard, especially against an undefeated team, but I’m proud of how we played in the second half,” said Yachtsmen coach Robin Haley. “Yarmouth had their ‘A’ game today. We just came up short.”

Falmouth (sixth in Class A South) was home with Cape Elizabeth Wednesday, goes to Freeport Saturday and visits Kennebunk Tuesday.

NYA has won four in a row and is peaking at an optimal time. Last week, the Panthers blanked visiting Sacopee Valley and Traip Academy by 1-0 scores to improve to 6-4 and fifth in Class C South. Against the Hawks, freshman Amber Rose had the goal.

“I think it was a tough game to play,” Rose said. “It was very nervewracking. Their goalie was very strong.”

“The kids have done a tremendous job,” said NYA coach Julia Sterling, who returned to the program this fall. “My team has the most spirit and the most camaraderie. It’s just another NYA group of kids that cares so much about each other. I feel so honored to be part of it. It’s fun to be back.”

Rose also had the goal against the Rangers. NYA was home against Wells Wednesday, then is idle until Wednesday of next week when Cape Elizabeth pays a visit.

Volleyball

Greely’s volleyball team stretched its win streak to six after a 3-0 (25-15, 25-10, 25-15) victory at Biddeford last Thursday. Hannah Butland had 21 assists and Molly Chapin had 10 kills. The Rangers (6-2 and sixth in Class A Heal Points standings) hosted defending Class A champion Cape Elizabeth Tuesday, welcome Falmouth Thursday and go to Scarborough Tuesday of next week.

Yarmouth bounced back from its lone loss with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-20) home win over Mt. Desert Island Friday. Liz Clark finished with 20 assists, Rachel Chillé had nine service points and Alison Clark had seven kills. The Clippers (6-1 and fourth in Class A) had a tough test at Scarborough Tuesday, visit Gorham Thursday and welcome Kennebunk Tuesday of next week. 

Falmouth was 6-2 and third at press time. Last week, the Yachtsmen dropped a tough five-set decision at Scarborough, 25-19, 17-25, 25-22, 18-25, 13-15.

Lydia Farmer had 13 kills, Julia Treadwell added 10 and Amanda Watson had 27 assists, but it wasn’t enough.

“I think we’re pretty equal teams, but we showed more inconsistency today,” said first-year Falmouth coach Molly Northway. “It came down to errors. Our passing just wasn’t there. We have some things to work on. We have to put points away. We’ve lost to two great teams.”

The Yachtsmen then blanked visiting Kennebunk and Monday won, 3-0, at Cony,. Falmouth goes to Greely Thursday, makes the long trip to Mt. Desert Island Saturday, then hosts Biddeford Tuesday.

NYA fell to 3-5 and seventh in Class B after losing at home by 3-0 scores to Washington Academy (21-25, 13-25, 6-25) and Machias (22-25, 20-25, 19-25) Saturday. Zelda Clegg had six kills against Washington Academy. Suzanna Butterfield had 14 digs and 10 kills and Clegg added eight kills against Machias. The Panthers were home versus Lake Region Tuesday, go to Jonesport-Beals Friday and visit Sumner and Bucksport Saturday.

Cross country

Freeport, Greely, NYA and Yarmouth took part in the Manchester (New Hampshire) Invitational last weekend.

The Rangers girls were second in the small school category. Katherine Leggat-Barr (19 minutes, 23 seconds) and Carolyn Todd (19:25) were seventh and eighth individually. The Clippers came in eighth, the Falcons were 10th and the Panthers finished 20th. Yarmouth produced sixth-place individual Abigail Hamilton (19:18). Freeport was led by Lily Johnston (24th, 20:24). NYA’s Megan Alberding placed 48th (21:38). 

Greely came in third in the boys’ small school race. Ryan Morrison led the way with a ninth-place finish (16:38). Yarmouth, paced by individual runner-up Luke Laverdiere (16:03), was 12th. Freeport came in 16th. Henry Jaques finished seventh individually (16:28).

Closer to home, Falmouth joined Traip and Wells to Poland. The Yachtsmen boys were first, as Sean Soucy (17:11) and Josh Simensky (17:41) placing first and second individually. The girls were also first, as Gina Pardi (21:10), Hannah Berzinis (21:14) and Kaleigh Wimert (21:40) placed second, third and fourth individually.

Maine Coast Waldorf school joined Gray-New Gloucester and Kennebunk at Lake Region. The boys finished first as Tucker Pierce was the top individual (15:04) by over a minute. The girls were second to Kennebunk, but Fiona Ahearne was first individually in 18:42.

This weekend, local teams with the exception of Freeport will take part in the Festival of Champions in Belfast. The Falcons join Fryeburg Academy and Old Orchard Beach at Poland. 

Golf

Falmouth’s golf team knocked Cheverus from the unbeaten ranks last week, 9-4. 

Greely improved to 7-0 with a 9-4 home win over Westbrook last week.

Yarmouth beat Waynflete, 6-1, then blanked Freeport, 7-0.

NYA suffered a 5.5-1.5 loss to York, then improved to 5-3-1 with a 6-1 victory over Freeport.

The qualifier for the girls’ state tournament was held Monday. Greely’s Erin Holmes had the second-best score, a 75 (Thornton Academy’s Haskilla Rivai shot a 70). 

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

Sidebar Elements

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Yarmouth senior Sammy Middleton breaks up the rush of Falmouth junior Sydney Bell during the Clippers’ 2-1 victory Saturday night. Yarmouth beat the Yachtsmen for the first time since 2003.

North Yarmouth Academy’s Dana Nichols fires a shot during a match last week. The Panthers were 5-3-1 at the start of the week.

Falmouth’s Caroline DeNoia blocks a shot during last week’s 3-2 loss at Scarborough.