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

For the most part, the young fall sports season has been played under sunny, warm skies (with the exception of volleyball, of course).

While the weather promises to turn cooler, there’s no reason to expect the same from local high school sports teams, who promise to continue to excel.

The season is starting to take shape and there’s plenty of excitement to come.

Here’s a glimpse at what transpired last week and what’s on tap:

Boys’ soccer

Yarmouth’s boys’ soccer team has lived up to preseason billing.

Last week, the Clippers enjoyed a 2-0 win at rival Greely, then blanked visiting Cape Elizabeth, 4-0, to improve to 3-0. 

Against the Rangers, in a rematch of last year’s Western B Final, Jonathan Groothoff headed home brother Luke Groothoff’s serve in the 32nd minute for a 1-0 lead.

“With Luke, I know I can call for it and he’ll know where I’ll be,” Jonathan Groothoff said. “I took advantage of the space, he served a perfect ball and I just had to head it in and finish.”

That score held up until the 78th minute, when Luke Groothoff steered home a free kick to account for the final score.

“I honestly didn’t thank I’d make it,” Luke Groothoff said. “We were really frustrated. We hit the post four or five times.”

“Greely’s never an easy game,” said longtime Clippers coach Mike Hagerty. “The seniors haven’t lost here in four years (Yarmouth’s last loss in Cumberland came back in 2007). We do make a big deal over the fact that we don’t want to come back here in the playoffs. The field’s in great shape today, but it won’t be in October. We’re more comfortable on our turf.”

In the win over the Capers, Henry Coolidge had two first half goals, while Nico Whitlock and Luke Groothoff also scored. Yarmouth was at Freeport Tuesday, hosts York Saturday and welcomes Kennebunk Monday.

Falmouth improved to 3-0 after home wins last week over Kennebunk (3-1) and Greely (2-0). Against the Rams, John Mullin, Matt Polewaczyk and Ben Wuesthoff all scored. Olin Rhoads had both goals in the victory over the Rangers. The Yachtsmen hosted Waynflete Tuesday, welcome Cape Elizabeth Thursday and go to York Tuesday of next week.

Greely fell to 1-2 after losing at home to Yarmouth and at Falmouth by 2-0 scores. The Rangers actually had a chance to pull even late against the Clippers, before the visitors put it away.

“It could have been worse,” said Greely coach Mike Andreasen. “It’s not a typical Yarmouth team. They’re usually big, strong and outwork us. Today, they were small and outworked us. They’re a technical group, but we were close at the end to tying it up. We had some chances, but we didn’t really test their goalie. They have a number of kids who are comfortable with the ball. We don’t have as many.” 

The Rangers were home with Gray-New Gloucester Wednesday, visit Kennebunk Friday and play at Cape Elizabeth in a playoff rematch Monday.

Freeport lost, 4-0, at home to Gray-New Gloucester last Thursday, then settled for a 3-3 home tie against Wells Saturday. The Falcons hosted Yarmouth Tuesday, go to Gray-New Gloucester Saturday and visit Fryeburg Academy Tuesday of next week.

North Yarmouth Academy started the season 2-0 by virtue of a 5-1 win at Traip Academy and a 4-2 home victory over Sacopee Valley. Henry Quesada had three goals in the win over the Rangers. Against the Hawks, Finn Murray, Ryan Baker, Bobby Murray and Mike Pitts all scored, but the Panthers lost Quesada for the season with a head injury. NYA hosted Traip Academy Tuesday, goes to Fryeburg Academy Thursday, then has a pivotal home showdown versus rival Waynflete Monday before going to Gray-New Gloucester the following day.

Girls’ soccer

Greely’s girls’ soccer team has the look of a championship-caliber squad in the early going. Last week, the Rangers dispatched two of their rivals, visiting Yarmouth (6-3) and host Falmouth (4-2) to improve to 3-0. 

Against the Clippers, freshman phenom Anna DeWolfe scored two minutes in for a quick 1-0 lead. After Yarmouth pulled even, Jocelyn Mitiguy scored on a breakaway, but the Clippers answered again before DeWolfe scored on a corner kick for a 3-2 halftime lead. The offense didn’t stop in the second half, as Izzy Hutnak provided some breathing room and Mitiguy completed a hat trick with two more goals as Greely went on to a 6-3 win.

“It’s been nervewracking, but exciting,” DeWolfe said, of being a varsity player as a freshman. “My teammates get me the ball in the right place. They’ve made sure I fit in. Scoring early in a game gives me confidence. If Jocelyn or Izzy serves it in, I know it will be a great ball.”

“We definitely started off not playing our normal game,” Mitiguy said. “Yarmouth controlled the beginning of the game. We slowly got into it. Izzy played nice balls and we knew if we stayed with their last defender, we’d beat them in a footrace.”

“It was a crazy game,” added Rangers coach Josh Muscadin. “A lot of offense and a lot of defensive mistakes. It’s the beginning of a wonderful season. Every team we play will be like that. We have a long way to go.” 

DeWolfe scored twice more to help Greely beat Falmouth. Hutnak and Ellie Schad also tickled the twine. The Rangers were at Gray-New Gloucester Wednesday, welcome Kennebunk Friday and play host to nemesis Cape Elizabeth Monday.

Yarmouth got two goals from Katie Clemmer and one from freshman Olivia Feeley in the loss to Greely, but had too many defensive breakdowns.

“I think we just made some mistakes of inexperience,” lamented longtime Clippers coach Rich Smith. “Territorially, shots on goal, we controlled things. We had some really good chances, but they made the best of theirs. They scored when they needed to. They have good goal scorers. They got the ‘W’ tonight, but I saw a lot of good things out there from my team. Hustle, heart, they fought until the end. Their goalie made big saves. We’ve played good teams in the preseason, but we didn’t see anyone with their speed and finishing ability. We’ll get them again.”

Saturday, Yarmouth fell to 1-2 after a 3-0 home loss to Cape Elizabeth in a playoff rematch. The Clippers hosted Freeport Tuesday, go to York Friday and visit Kennebunk Monday.

Falmouth began the week 2-1 after a 5-0 win at Kennebunk and a 4-2 home loss to Greely. Amelia Waite had two goals, while Marcy Kittredge, Lucy Mahoney and Cali Wiberg all had one in the victory. Against the Rangers, Tyler Spence had both goals. The Yachtsmen went to Waynflete Tuesday (see theforecaster.net for game story), play at Cape Elizabeth Friday and return home next Tuesday to face York.

Freeport dropped a 4-0 home decision to Sacopee Valley last Wednesday, then improved to 1-2 Saturday with a 2-1 home victory over Wells. Becca Cameron had both goals. The Falcons went to Yarmouth Tuesday, visit Gray-New Gloucester Saturday and return home to meet Fryeburg Academy Tuesday of next week.

NYA fell to 0-3 after losses last week to visiting Gray-New Gloucester (2-1) and at defending Class C champion Sacopee Valley (10-0). Anna Laprise had the goal against the Patriots. After going to Traip Academy Tuesday, the Panthers are home with Fryeburg Academy Thursday, visit Old Orchard Beach Saturday and play at rival Waynflete Tuesday of next week.

Field hockey

Falmouth’s field hockey team lost for the first time last Tuesday, 4-1, but bounced back with victories over visiting Greely (2-0) and host Poland (3-1). Lisa Smoluk had the lone goal in the loss. Against the Rangers, Sydney Bell and Devin Sarazin rattled the cage. Smoluk had the go-ahead goal and Elizabeth Amadei made six saves in the win over the Knights. Monday, the Yachtsmen dropped to 3-2 after a 2-0 home loss to Fryeburg Academy. Falmouth was home with North Yarmouth Academy Wednesday, goes to Lake Region Friday and hosts Kennebunk Monday.

Yarmouth has done quite nicely after moving back to Class B this fall. Last week, the Clippers held on to edge host Greely, 3-2. Bre Morrill and Eliza Lunt scored for a quick 2-0 lead, but the Rangers rallied. Then, just before halftime, Abby McDowell put Yarmouth ahead to stay and it held on for the victory. Monday, the Clippers improved to 4-0 with a 2-0 home win over Freeport. Emilie Martin and Molly Wilson scored. Yarmouth was at Gray-New Gloucester Wednesday, hosts Fryeburg Academy Friday and visits Cape Elizabeth Tuesday.

Freeport won its opener against Cape Elizabeth, then lost twice last week, 4-3, at Gray-New Gloucester and 3-0 at home to Kennebunk. Against the Patriots, Bailey Coffin, Maya Bradbury and Chloe Davidson had goals, but Gray-New Gloucester scored with three minutes left to prevail. Morgan Karnes did make 20 saves. Karnes stopped 14 shots in the loss to the Rams. Monday, the Falcons dropped to 1-3 after a 2-0 loss at Yarmouth. Freeport hosts Poland Thursday and goes to Lake Region Tuesday.

Greely fell to 0-4 after losses last week to visiting Yarmouth (3-2) and host Falmouth (2-0), then broke through Saturday with a 3-0 triumph at Cape Elizabeth. Kayla Barry and Alyssa Coyne had goals against the Clippers. In the win, Danita Storey had two goals, while Meredith Dwyer also rattled the cage. The Rangers were home with Traip Academy Wednesday and go to York Friday.

NYA sandwiched losses at Traip Academy (1-0) and at home to York (5-0) around a 6-0 win at the new McAuley/Waynflete co-op team, the CMW Flying Lions. In the victory, Kiersten Marr led the way with two goals. The 2-3 Panthers were at Wells Monday. After going to Falmouth Wednesday, NYA is at Old Orchard Beach Friday and hosts Sacopee Valley Tuesday.

Volleyball

Yarmouth’s volleyball team has won back-to-back Class B state championships and three of the past four. This fall, the Clippers have moved up to Class A and so far, they’ve proved they belong and that they’ll be in the mix come late October.

Last week, Yarmouth improved to 4-0 after beating Cony, 3-0 (25-9, 25-10, 26-24) and Kennebunk, 3-0 (25-6, 25-8, 25-8) and rallying past powerhouse Scarborough, 3-2 (24-26, 25-20, 18-25, 25-23, 15-6). Against Cony, Rachel Chillé had seven kills, while Heather Clark had five kills and six aces and Makenzie Sheehan added four kills and five aces. In the win over Kennebunk, Liz Clark had seven aces and 21 assists, while Alison Clark added five kills and five aces. The victory over the Red Storm was arguably the biggest the program has produced in the regular season. Alison Clark had 13 kills and 13 service points, Liz Clark had 29 assists and Heather Clark finished with 11 kills.    

“I think that the Scarborough match proved to our kids that they can in fact compete with the top programs in Class A,” said Clippers coach Jim Senecal. “I was so proud of them after that match. Prior to our match, Scarborough had already beaten two other premier programs in Greely and Cape. It was a very exciting match that honestly could have gone either way. The turning point in the match came late in the fourth set. Scarborough scored a side-out point to take a 23-21 edge. After a timeout, our girls managed four straight points to take game four and tie the match. That gave us the momentum that we needed and we came out in the fifth set with much more confidence than before to take that set.

“We had the largest crowd we’ve ever had in our gym that night. It was loud and exciting to be a part of. We are certainly enjoying our experience in Class A so far, but we also are very aware that we have a long way to go. There are so many quality teams this year and any one of them has a chance to come out on top. I guess, now you’d have to consider us as one of those teams.”

The Clippers were at Cheverus Tuesday, then face their next huge test Monday when perennial powerhouse Greely, a team Yarmouth’s never beaten, pays a visit.

Speaking of the Rangers, they began the week 2-2 and have had no shortage of thrilling matches. Greely opened with a palpitating 3-2 loss at Falmouth, then lost to Scarborough, 3-2 (11-25, 25-21, 13-25, 25-12, 12-25). Last Thursday, the Rangers went five sets again, but this time prevailed over defending Class A champion Cape Elizabeth in a playoff rematch (25-23, 25-20, 18-25, 20-25, 17-15). Greely was a point from losing in the fifth set, but rallied. Saturday, the Rangers had an easier time, blanking visiting Cony in three sets (25-11, 25-15, 25-16).

“We’re getting better every night,” said Greely coach Kelvin Hasch. 

The Rangers went to Kennebunk Wednesday, host Cheverus Thursday and go to Yarmouth Monday.

Falmouth built on its 3-2 season-opening win over Greely with two more victories last week: 3-0 over Biddeford and 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-17-25-21) over Windham. After going to Gorham Tuesday, the  Yachtsmen host Cape Elizabeth in a state final rematch Thursday (see theforecaster.net for story). Next Tuesday, Falmouth is at Scarborough.

NYA started with a thrilling 3-2 (21-25, 24-26, 26-24, 25-16, 15-10) home win over Wells, then lost by the same score at Lake Region and Saturday fell to 1-2 with a 3-0 (12-25, 12-25, 12-25) home loss to Bonny Eagle. In the victory, Suzanna Butterfield had 10 aces, 14 service points and seven digs. Zelda Clegg add 10 service points, eight aces, seven kills and six digs, Jordan Ackerman finished with 13 service points and 10 receptions and Cam Woods added seven receptions and three aces. Against the Scots, Clegg had 10 digs, Maggie Larson and Hailey Frager each had seven and Ackerman finished with five. Butterfield added three aces, three kills and three digs. The Panthers were home against Deering Tuesday, visit Portland Thursday and go to South Portland Monday.

Cross country

Freeport hosted Falmouth (along with Cape Elizabeth, Old Orchard Beach and Sacopee Valley) in a compelling early-season meet last weekend. The Falcons boys, the defending Class B champion, produced the top two individuals, but the Yachtsmen edged them for first in the team standings. Freeport’s Chandler Vincent was first (16 minutes, 37.21 seconds) and Henry Jaques was second (16:57.68). Falmouth was paced by Jeremiah Sands (third, 17:13.19). The Yachtsmen won the girls’ meet also with the Falcons coming in third. Falmouth’s Mira Wyman was first individually in 20:41.86. Freeport was led by Lily Johnston, who came in third in 21:06.31. 

NYA hosted Greely, Maine Coast Waldorf, Kennebunk and Poland. In the girls’ meet, the Rangers were first, MCW came in second and the Panthers didn’t score as a team. Greely freshman Carolyn Todd was the individual winner in 20:36. MCW’s Fiona Ahearne was second (20:43). NYA’s Lea Webster was 18th individually in 25:30. In the boys’ meet, Greely, paced by individual winner Ryan Morrison (17:00.30), came in first. MCW was second and NYA didn’t score. Tucker Pierce of MCW was second individually in 17:07.90. The Panthers top finisher was Jack Kostelnik, who was 14th (19:22.50).

Yarmouth joined Fryeburg and York at Gray-New Gloucester. The Clippers girls were first behind individual winner Abigail Hamilton (20:23). The boys were second to York, even though Luke Laverdiere came in first overall (16:39). 

This weekend, Greely hosts Cape Elizabeth, Lake Region, Old Orchard Beach and Waynflete, Yarmouth welcomes Falmouth, Kennebunk and Sacopee Valley, Freeport hosts MCW and Poland and NYA joins Gray-New Gloucester, Traip and Wells at Fryeburg Academy.

Golf

Greely’s golf team is off to a strong start. Last week, the Rangers blanked Westbrook, 13-0, and downed Thornton Academy, 9.5-3.5, to improve to 4-0.

Falmouth lost, 9.5-3.5, to Cheverus, then dropped an 8-5 decision to Portland to fall to 2-2 on the year.

NYA and Gray-New Gloucester played to a 3.5-3.5 tie. The Panthers then fell to 3-1-1 with a 6-1 loss to Cape Elizabeth.

Freeport dropped a 4-1 decision to Poland, then lost, 6-1, to Lake Region to fall to 0-4.

Yarmouth beat York, 4.5-2.5, to improve to 3-0.

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

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Yarmouth sophomore Luke Groothoff and Greely senior Austin Nowinski soar for the ball during the rivals’ showdown last Tuesday. Groothoff had a goal and helped the Clippers to a 2-0 win.

Greely senior standout Jocelyn Mitiguy plays the ball during last Tuesday’s contest against Yarmouth. Mitiguy scored three times to help the Rangers prevail, 6-3.

Freeport’s Chandler Vincent leads the pack at the start of last Friday’s meet between the host Falcons, Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Old Orchard Beach and Sacopee Valley. Vincent was first individually (teammate Henry Jaques placed second), but the defending Class B champions were second as a team to the Yachtsmen.