Greater Portland Christian School’s Ethan Spaulding and Jeremiah Hammond celebrate a goal during the Lions’ 10-1 home win over Pine Tree Academy in the season finale Tuesday. Spaulding and Hammond celebrated a lot the past four years, as Spaulding graduates as one of just five Maine players to score over 100 career goals (102) and Hammond finished with 52 goals.

Cape Elizabeth’s Kelsey Kennedy heads toward a sixth-place individual finish at last week’s Western Maine Conference championship meet. The Capers were third in Division I.

The high school golf season is over, but field hockey’s playoffs are underway (see story), cross country just held its conference meet 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.

In Class A, which was won by Cole Anderson of Camden Hills with an 18-hole round of 73, Scarborough’s Anthony Burnham shot a 75 to finish in a three-way tie for third and teammate Ethan Mason shot an 80 to tie for 10th.

In Class B, which was won by Eric Dugas of Maine Central Institute with a score of 73, Cape Elizabeth’s Ryan Collins shot an 80 and tied for fourth, Max Altznauer (85) was 13th, Jack Kelley (86) and Austin Legge (86) tied for 14th and Chris Laprade (90) tied for 22nd.

In the girls’ competition, won by Greely’s Erin Holmes and Lincoln Academy’s Bailey Plourde (who shared the crown after both shot a 73), Scarborough’s Elizabeth Lacagnata and Cape Elizabeth’s Lauren Schonewolf tied for third after shooting 78, Cape Elizabeth’s Mia Spencer (99) tied for 19th and Ava Morse of Greater Portland Christian School came in 40th after shooting 132.

Football

The final week of the high school football regular season is upon us and all three local teams are playoff-bound.

Cape Elizabeth improved to 7-0 last Friday with a 56-0 home romp over defending Class C South champion Yarmouth. A Ryan Weare touchdown run and a Jeb Boechenstein to Ben Ekedahl TD pass made it 13-0 after one quarter. Brett McAlister and Ekedahl had touchdown runs in the second quarter and Boechenstein connected with Ekedahl and Marshall Peterson through the air to make it 40-0 at halftime. Ekedahl returned the second half kickoff for a TD and forced a safety, extending the lead to 49-0 after three periods and in the fourth, Alex Depke’s touchdown run accounted for the final score.

The Capers (tied for first in the Class C South Crabtree Points standings with Wells) has a season-ending showdown at 7-0 Wells Friday night (see theforecaster.net for game story). The winner will have homefield advantage for the playoffs. Last year, the Warriors won, 15-0, at Cape Elizabeth, then shocked the Capers in the semifinals, rallying late to prevail, 20-14.

In Class A South, Scarborough improved to 5-2 and third in the standings with a dramatic 27-14 home win over Cheverus. The game was tied, 14-14, at halftime (the Red Storm’s points came on touchdown passes from Zoltan Panyi to Aren Dickman and Cody Dudley) before Scarborough went ahead to stay in the third period on Owen Garrard’s TD plunge and a Dudley touchdown run in the fourth period produced the final margin.

The Red Storm visit 3-4 Deering Friday in the finale. Last year, Scarborough lost at home to the Rams, 27-7. The Red Storm will likely be the third seed for the playoffs regardless of what happens Friday.

South Portland fell to 2-5 and sixth in Class A South after a 63-14 setback at two-time defending regional champion Thornton Academy Saturday. The Golden Trojans led, 15-0, after one quarter and 35-6 at halftime (Matt Crockett’s TD pass to Finn Zechman got the Red Riots on the board). Thornton Academy pushed its lead to 57-6 after three periods and despite a short Crockett touchdown run, the Golden Trojans went on to the easy victory.

South Portland closes at home versus Portland in the “Battle of the Bridge” Saturday afternoon. Last year, the host Bulldogs won, 31-0, to cut the Red Riots’ advantage in the series which dates to 1907 to 54-43 (with three ties).

Boys’ soccer

The boys’ soccer regular season came to a close Tuesday and an exciting postseason is in store.

In Class A South, Scarborough won’t be the top seed for the just the second time since 2004, but the Red Storm are peaking heading into the postseason. Scarborough closed on a six-game win streak, capped by an 8-0 victory at Massabesic and a 5-0 home triumph over Windham. Against the Mustangs, Noah Stracqualursi scored times and Ben Batoosingh, Noah Drapeau, Marc Guerrette, Cam Thibault and Owen Tyson all added one goal. In the win over the Eagles, Garrett King had three goals and Drapeau scored the other two.

The Red Storm finished 11-3 and fourth in Class A South and earned a bye into Tuesday’s quarterfinal round. Scarborough will host either No. 5 South Portland (11-3) or No. 12 Sanford (5-8-1). The Red Storm won, 4-1, at the Spartans Sept. 6 and 2-0 at the Red Riots Sept. 15. Scarborough is 2-0 all-time in the playoffs versus South Portland (a 4-0 win in the 2009 Western A quarterfinals and a 2-0 victory in the 2013 quarterfinals) and 1-0 against Sanford (a 2-1 overtime win in the 2003 Western A quarterfinals).

South Portland finished even hotter than the Red Storm, winning its final nine games to go 11-3. The Red Riots capped their regular season with a 5-0 victory at Noble. Princiel Kuniecki had two goals, while Charlie Cronin, Alecks Kaurin and Cooper Mehlhorn all added one.

South Portland finished fifth and will host No. 12 Sanford in a preliminary round playoff game Friday. Back on Sept. 3, in the regular season opener, the Red Riots beat the visiting Spartans, 1-0, on Anthony Perron’s overtime goal. The teams have no playoff history.

In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth continued the local theme of strong finishes by winning its final seven games to wind up 11-2-1 and third in the Heals. The Capers closed with a 3-1 victory at York last Thursday behind two goals from Connor Thoreck and a goal and two assists from Nico Sabbatini. 

Cape Elizabeth will welcome either No. 6 Greely (7-7) or No. 11 Leavitt (4-7-3) in the quarterfinals Tuesday. The Capers don’t play the Hornets in the regular season and the programs have no playoff history. Cape Elizabeth beat the Rangers twice this fall, 1-0 in Cumberland Sept. 15 and 2-1 at home nine days later. The teams have met 13 times in the playoffs dating to 1978. The Capers hold a 7-6 edge, although Greely won the most recent encounter, 1-0, in the 2014 Western B semis.

Looking ahead, the semifinals will be Saturday, Oct. 29 on the fields of the higher seeds.

In Class D South, Greater Portland Christian School missed the playoffs with a 5-8-1 record (the Lions finished 12th, but only 10 teams qualified). Regardless, GPCS made a lot of noise late in the season. Record-setting noise. The Lions closed with a 10-0 home win over Chop Point and a 10-1 home victory over Pine Tree Academy. In the win over Chop Point, senior Ethan Spaulding scored four goals to give him 95 for his career, moving him into fifth all time in state annals. Jeremiah Hammond added two goals, giving him 50 for his career, as he becomes the third player in program history to reach that milestone. Spaulding then became just the fifth Maine player to ever reach 100 career goals with seven more against Pine Tree Academy (giving him 102, to go with 34 assists). Hammond added two more goals to finish with 52 goals and 34 assists. 

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, Scarborough finished second to Gorham in the Class A South Heal Points standings with a 10-2-2 record after a 4-2 home win over Massabesic and a 2-0 victory at Windham. Against the Mustangs, Leah Dickman and Gaby Panagakos both scored twice. Panagakos then scored in each half against the Eagles, giving her 22 goals for the season, which sets a new program record. 

The Red Storm will host either No. 7 Portland (7-3-4) or No. 10 Sanford (8-5-1) in the quarterfinals Wednesday. Scarborough settled for a 2-2 home draw with the Spartans, Sept. 6, then beat the visiting Bulldogs, 3-0, Oct. 1. The Red Storm are 2-0 against both potential foes in previous playoff games. Scarborough last beat Sanford, 3-1, in the 2012 Western A quarterfinals. The last meeting with Portland came in the 2004 quarterfinals (a 1-0 win).

South Portland wasn’t able to qualify for the Class A South playoff field, finishing 4-9-1 and 14th (only 12 teams made the cut) after a 4-0 win at Massabesic and home shutout losses to Windham (2-0) and Noble (1-0). Against the Mustangs, Brooklynn Ortiz scored her first career goal and Meghan Graff, Callie O’Brien and Juliana Selser also scored. 

“This season has been a huge improvement over prior years, but it’s still a big disappointment to not make the playoffs,” said South Portland coach Jeff Selser. “We were just one goal away in so many of our games. I’m incredibly proud of how our team played. We’ll look to keep improving next year.”

Cape Elizabeth will be the No. 4 seed in Class B South after a 7-5-2 campaign. The Capers closed with a 1-1 home tie against York and a 1-0 victory at Gray-New Gloucester. Against the Wildcats, Olivia Cochran had the goal. Prezli Piscopo’s first half tally stood up against the Patriots.

Cape Elizabeth will host either No. 5 Morse (12-2) or No. 12 Lincoln Academy (5-6-3) in the quarterfinals Wednesday. The Capers don’t play either team in the regular season. Cape Elizabeth has never played Lincoln Academy in the playoffs. The Capers beat the Shipbuilders, 6-1, in the 2014 Western B quarterfinals in the lone prior encounter.

In Class D South, GPCS rode a late surge to the seventh and final playoff spot. The Lions closed with a 1-0 home win over Pine Tree Academy Tuesday to finish 4-7-2. Courtney Spaulding scored the goal. GPCS will visit No. 2 Buckfield (8-6) in the quarterfinal round. Buckfield twice beat the Lions this fall: 11-2 Sept. 6 at home and 4-0 Oct. 8 in South Portland.

Looking ahead, semifinals will be played Saturday, Oct. 29, on the fields of the higher seeds.

Volleyball

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

Scarborough, the defending Class A champion, will be the No. 2 seed in Class A this fall after finishing 13-1, on a 13-game win streak. The Red Storm closed with 3-0 wins over visiting Biddeford (30-28, 25-21, 25-22) and host Cony.

Scarborough hosted No. 15 Marshwood (7-7) in a preliminary round playoff match Thursday. The Red Storm had no history with the Hawks. If victorious, Scarborough remains home Saturday (time to be announced) to battle either No. 7 Bonny Eagle (10-4) or No. 9 Deering (9-5) in the quarterfinals. The Red Storm have no history with the Scots. They beat the Rams in three sets Sept. 27, but have never met them in the postseason.

Cape Elizabeth earned the No. 12 seed with an 8-6 mark after finishing with 3-0 home wins over Deering (25-20, 25-19, 25-21) and Massabesic. Against the Rams, Maggie Dadmun had 21 assists and Anna Torre added eight kills.

The Capers had to make the long trip to No. 5 Mt. Desert Island (9-5) Thursday for a prelim. The teams didn’t play this fall. They met once prior in the postseason (a 3-1 Cape Elizabeth victory in the 2013 quarterfinals). If the Capers advanced, they’d go to No. 4 Falmouth (11-3) or host No. 13 Kennebunk (7-7) in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Cape Elizabeth lost the season opener at the Yachtsmen in three sets and didn’t face the Rams this year. The Capers are 1-1 all-time in the playoffs versus Falmouth (losing in five sets in the 2013 semifinals and beating the Yachtsmen in five thrilling sets to win the 2014 state title). Cape Elizabeth has no playoff history with Kennebunk.

South Portland wound up 5-9 and 14th in Class A after four set losses at Kennebunk (13-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-25) and at home to Falmouth (12-25, 22-25, 25-16, 18-25). Kayla Brown had 16 assists and Molly Mawhinney seven kills against the Rams. Brown finished with 17 assists and Mawhinney added 11 kills versus the Yachtsmen. 

The Red Riots went to No. 3 Biddeford (12-2) for the preliminary round Thursday, the program’s first ever playoff match. South Portland lost in three sets at the Tigers Sept. 29. 

Looking ahead, 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. 

Cross country

Cape Elizabeth took part in the Western Maine Conference cross country championship meet last weekend in Standish.

The Capers boys were third in Division I behind Falmouth and Freeport. Cape Elizabeth was led by freshman Jack Bassett (seventh, 17 minutes, 57 seconds). Also scoring were Arsen Scheindel (16th, 18:31), Aidan Willitts (21st, 18:50), Rohan Freedman (31st, 19:12) and Will Corsello (33rd, 19:16).

Cape Elizabeth’s girls also placed third in Division I behind York and Falmouth. The Capers were paced by Kelsey Kennedy (sixth, 20:49). Also scoring were Emma Shedd (seventh, 20:54), Camilla Grosso (eighth, 20:56), Liv Palma (10th, 21:09) and Alicia Lawrence (31st, 23:02). 

Scarborough and South Portland wrapped up their regular seasons last weekend.

The Red Storm hosted Bonny Eagle, Gorham and Windham. The boys were first as a team and produced the top three finishers in Shamus Malia (16:51), Connor Griffin (16:52) and Andrew Griffin (16:55). The girls came in fourth. Bethany Sholl (third, 19:34) was the top individual.

The Red Riots hosted Biddeford, Thornton Academy and Westbrook. The boys were third behind the Blue Blazes and Tigers and were paced by Xander Keiter (second, 15:02). The girls’ team came in fourth. Thaovy Duong placed 11th (19:00).

Twin Brook Recreation Center in Cumberland will be the site of the Southern Maine regional championship meets Saturday.

The day begins with the Class B boys’ race at 11, where Cape Elizabeth will compete. The Class B girls’ meet starts at 11:35 a.m. Scarborough looks for the Class A boys’ title and South Portland also runs at 2 p.m. The Class A girls start at 2:35 p.m.

The state meet will be held in Belfast Saturday, Oct. 29.

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