Greely’s Erin Holmes shows off her trophy after she shared the girls’ state individual golf title with Lincoln Academy’s Bailey Plourde.

Falmouth quarterback Jack Bryant throws a pass under pressure during Friday’s 33-8 home loss to Marshwood.

Yarmouth junior Eva Then and Greely senior Ellie Schad fight for the ball during the Clippers’ 1-0 win Monday night.

Yarmouth’s Alison Clark blocks the shot of Falmouth’s Alaina Birkel during the Yachtsmen’s 3-0 win last week.

(Ed. Note: For the complete Falmouth-Marshwood football, Yarmouth-Greely girls’ soccer and Falmouth-Yarmouth volleyball game stories, with photos, see theforecaster.net)

The high school golf season is over, but field hockey’s playoffs are underway (see story), cross country just held its conference meet (see story) and the football, soccer and volleyball postseasons are set to begin.

It truly feels like fall and there’s a lot going on as local teams hope to extend their seasons.

Here’s a glimpse:

Golf

The high school golf season ended Saturday at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro with the individual championships.

Greely’s Erin Holmes stole headlines by rallying to tie Lincoln Academy’s Bailey Plourde for top honors in the girls’ division with an 18-hole score of 73, which was one-over-par.

Holmes approached her final putt thinking that if she made it, she would finish second after Plourde, her playing partner, had also drained a birdie putt.

“I thought I had to win that hole to win,” Holmes said.

Holmes made her birdie, halving the hole with Plourde. But she got even better news when they compared cards: She and Plourde tied for the win.

“I thought I already lost it after Plourde made the putt on nine, so that came as a surprise to me,” Holmes said.

The two embraced.

“I told her, ‘Nice job, Erin,'” Plourde said. “We have been a lot together the past few summers. I told her, ‘Nice job, you deserved it.’ She didn’t know we actually tied. We cried.”

Greely’s Rachel Smith shot a 79 and tied for sixth. Greely’s Jenna Pavis and Isabella Perry shot 89 and tied for 12th. Yarmouth’s Celia Clark finished with a score of 103 and tied for 25th. Freeport’s Molly Whelan shot 111 and tied for 34th.

In the Class A boys’ competition, which was won by Cole Anderson of Camden Hills, who had an 18-hole score of 73, Greely’s Tate Porter tied for third after a round of 75. Falmouth’s Matt Adamowicz tied for seventh after shooting a 78. Falmouth’s Reed Lonsdale shot an 85 and tied for 18th. 

In Class B, won by Eric Dugas of Maine Central Institute with a round of 73, Freeport’s Ethan Sclar shot an 84 and tied for 11th. Yarmouth’s Ethan Haag shot a 91 and placed 24th. 

In Class C, which was won by Mattanawcook’s Logan Thompson, who shot an amazing score of 67, North Yarmouth Academy’s Jake Malcom shot a 106 to place 28th and teammate Brent Rickett (110) was 29th.

Football

Freeport and Greely’s football teams enjoyed wins last weekend, but Falmouth and Yarmouth went down to defeat.

The Yachtsmen hosted two-time defending Class B champion Marshwood in a rematch of last year’s regional final and weren’t able to avenge it, losing, 33-8.

Falmouth did a lot right in the first half, but couldn’t score, as it dropped a sure touchdown pass, quarterback Jack Bryant had a pass intercepted and a field goal at the horn hit the crossbar. The Hawks led, 13-0, at the break and extended that lead to 27-0 before the Yachtsmen finally got on the board on a 1 yard touchdown run from Bryant and a two-point conversion rush from Brandon Martin early in the fourth period. Any comeback hopes were then dashed, as Bryant was intercepted by Sam Cartmill, who returned the ball 50 yards for a clinching TD.

Falmouth fell to 5-2 with the setback.

“It’s not what we wanted, but it’s a tremendous wakeup call,” said Yachtsmen coach John Fitzsimmons. “They just gave us a wonderful lesson tonight. I felt we’d wind up 7-1, but they just rolled us.”

For Falmouth, which gained 302 yards, but only had eight points to show for it, thanks in large part to its three turnovers and seven penalties for 59 yards, Bryant completed 13 of 32 passes for 159 yards and three picks. He ran 15 times for 101 yards and a touchdown.

“(Marshwood) looked at where they needed to attack, they did it and they beat us,” Fitzsimmons said. “As far as I’m concerned, the wheels came off with too many penalties and interceptions. You can’t do that, especially against a team that can run the ball and kill the clock.”

The Yachtsmen (now third behind Kennebunk and Biddeford in the Class B South Crabtree Points standings) close the regular season at home versus rival Greely Friday in the “Battle of Route Nine.”

Greely won its fifth game in a row Friday, holding off visiting Mt. Ararat, 8-6, to improve to 5-2 (fifth in Class B South). Quarterback Nick Gauvin scored the touchdown and Joey Cassella added the two-point conversion rush for the Rangers’ lone points. 

The Falmouth-Greely showdown Friday promises to be memorable (it almost always is) and there is much at stake in regards to Crabtree Points and playoff positioning. Last year, the host Rangers stunned the undefeated Yachtsmen, 16-6. 

“The guys know what’s on the line,” Fitzsimmons said. “Greely’s on a roll. They’ll come in here with a lot of confidence. The difference can be huge in where we end up in the seedings.” 

In Class C South, Freeport improved to 3-4 Saturday afternoon with an 18-6 home win over Lake Region. The Falcons clung to a 12-6 halftime lead and put it away late on a quarterback sneak for a touchdown from Josh Burke.

Freeport (seventh in the region) goes to Yarmouth for the “Battle of the Bay” Friday night. Last year, the Class C South champion Clippers rolled to a 40-14 win at the Falcons.

Yarmouth is also 3-4 after dropping its fourth game in a row, 56-0, at Cape Elizabeth. The Clippers are ranked sixth in Class C South heading into their finale.

Boys’ soccer

The boys’ soccer regular season came to a close Tuesday and all five local teams will be advancing to the playoffs.

Falmouth began the week first in the Class A South Heal Points standings. Last week, the Yachtsmen improved to 10-2-1, shutting out host Gray-New Gloucester (2-0) and visiting Kennebunk (4-0). Hayden Farr and Olin Rhoads had the goals at the Patriots. Nate Arrants had three goals and Farr one versus the Rams. Falmouth closed home versus York Tuesday.

Yarmouth once again was battling Maranacook (and Cape Elizabeth) for the top seed in Class B South when the week began. Last week, the Clippers dominated visiting Freeport, 8-0, then settled for a 1-1 draw at York. In the victory, Matt Dostie scored twice, while Max Allen, John Clinton, Tahj Garvey, Luke Groothoff, Gibson Harnett and Eric LaBrie all had one goal. Harnett scored the goal in the tie. Yarmouth (10-2-1 and second behind Maranacook in the Heals) closed at home versus Greely Tuesday night.

The Rangers entered that game 7-6 and sixth after extending their streak to four with a 3-1 victory at NYA Saturday. 

Freeport finished the regular season 6-7-1 after losses at Cape Elizabeth (4-1) and Yarmouth (8-0). Eriksen Shea had the goal against the Capers. The Falcons were eighth in Class B South at press time and could host a preliminary round playoff game.

In Class C South, NYA finished the regular season at 9-4-1 after a 3-2 victory at St. Dom’s and a 3-1 home loss to Greely. In the win, Alastair Swett scored twice, including the winner, and Michael Adams also tickled the twine. Linus Maurer made four saves. The Panthers were ranked fifth in the region at press time.

The boys’ soccer playoffs begin Friday with the preliminary round. The quarterfinals are Tuesday. Those rounds will be contested on the fields of the higher seeds.

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, Yarmouth’s march toward an undefeated season hit a speed bump Saturday in York with a 3-1 loss. Olivia Feeley had the goal. The Clippers then returned to form Monday with a 1-0 home win over defending Class B champion Greely on Callie Decker’s second half goal (assisted by Feeley on a corner kick).

“I was getting a little frustrated, but the key was to get people in the box and get a foot on the ball,” Decker said. “We were hoping a goal was coming. It was a beautiful cross by Olivia. It was all her. I was just in the right place at the right time. I just got a foot on it and it happened to go in. It felt really good.”

The Clippers went just 1-for-15 on corner kicks, but their defense, led by Ella Antolini, did the rest and Yarmouth prevailed on its Senior Night, sweeping Greely in a season for the first time this century.

“(Greely’s) a really good team, but we have such a deep bench which we haven’t had before,” Antolini said. “We have so many solid defenders who are confident and keep us composed in the back. We’ve matured as a team and we’ve realized that we have to stay composed and collected.”

“(York) got our attention because it’s important for the girls to know that they can lose,” first-year Clippers coach Josh Thornton added. “We didn’t have time to train in between, so it was good to see us bounce back. When the girls stay confident and trust each other, they’re a great group to watch.”

Yarmouth finished 12-1-1, setting a new program mark for regular season wins (the 1996 and 2010 teams had 11) and will be the top seed for the upcoming playoffs.

“The girls still want more,” Thornton said. “We get to stay on our field and we love being at home. Now, it’s up to the girls. I think if we play well, we should win, but the reason we love the sport is that anyone can beat anyone on a given day. Every team will play hard against us, but that’s good. We know we have a good team.”

Greely finished 10-4 with the loss and will be either the second or third seed in the region. 

“Hopefully we’ll see (Yarmouth) again when it counts,” Rangers coach Josh Muscadin said. “We adjusted what we need to do and I think the girls know what they’re up against. When you are the defending champs, everyone looks to knock you down. We have to worry about our game and not the other teams. We have to execute. The fun begins now. Now the season actually starts.”

Freeport wound up 7-5-2 (its best record since 2013) after a 2-0 home loss to Cape Elizabeth and a 1-0 home victory over Lake Region last week. Catriona Gould had the goal in the win. The Falcons (seventh in Class B South at press time) will likely host a prelim this weekend.

In Class A South, Falmouth continued its surge last week with wins at home over Gray-New Gloucester (6-1) and at Kennebunk (2-0), making it six straight victories and eight wins in nine games. Against the Patriots, Mia Cooney produced a hat trick while Amelia Waite, Madison Wolf and Lauren Wendland also tickled the twine. Waite and Wolf both had goals against the Rams. The Yachtsmen (9-4 and sixth in the region at press time) closed at York Tuesday.

The girls’ soccer playoffs begin Saturday with the preliminary round. The quarterfinals are Wednesday. Those rounds will be contested on the fields of the higher seeds.

Volleyball

All four local volleyball teams will take winning records and high hopes into the playoffs.

Greely hosted Portland in the regular season finale, not having lost a set or a match all season. Last week, the Rangers swept host Bonny Eagle to improve to 13-0 and first in the Class A Heal Points standings. Greely will be the top seed for the playoffs.

Falmouth was 10-3 and third in Class A after an important three-set (31-29, 25-22, 25-18) victory at Yarmouth last Tuesday. The Yachtsmen rallied for a dramatic win in the first game, fighting off five set points, then finished off the match behind 22 assists from Alaina Birkel.

“We had the mentality to never give up and we played our hearts out,” said Madi Tait, who had seven kills. “It definitely paid off and that skyrocketed our confidence. We’ve worked on our mental toughness and this showed that we’re a mentally tough team.”

“We do a good job not thinking about the score much,” said Amanda Watson, who had nine service points. “It didn’t get to us that we were down. It was exciting. We had lots of energy.”

“I think this was our best match,” added Yachtsmen coach Molly Northway. “This will help us for the rest of the season. We’ve had an up-and-down season, but hopefully this is our momentum shift to move forward and take it to the next level.” 

Falmouth closed at South Portland Tuesday.

Yarmouth got 21 assists from Dominique Moran and 19 kills from Alison Clark in the loss to the Yachtsmen, but couldn’t recover from letting the first set slip away.

“This match was a lot of fun,” Clippers coach Jim Senecal said. “I enjoyed it. It was what we expected, but we didn’t get them at the end. We feel like we were Falmouth’s equal even if the score didn’t reflect it. Every ounce of credit goes to them. They did a great job.”

Yarmouth improved to 10-3 and seventh with a 3-0 (25-5, 25-11, 25-16) home win over Brunswick. Rachel Chillé led the way with 10 aces. The Clippers closed at Biddeford Tuesday in a pivotal match for playoff seeding.

In Class B, NYA finished the regular season 11-3 after a four-set (16-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-27) home loss to Cheverus. The Panthers were second behind Calais in the Heals and could be in line to host more than one playoff match if they advance. 

The postseason continues Saturday with the quarterfinals on the courts of the higher seeds. The semifinals are Wednesday of next week on the courts of the higher seeds and the Class A state match will be Friday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m, at Gorham High School. The Class B state match is Saturday, Oct. 29 at 12 p.m. at Mt. Desert Island High School.

Sun Journal staff writer Nathan Fournier contributed to this story.

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