The fall sports season is in full swing, and while local teams have had their share of hits and misses, everyone is thrilled to be back in action, enjoying a normal campaign.

Here’s a look back at the week that was:

Football

Freeport’s football team is off to a 2-0 start. After opening with a 33-0 home victory over Madison, the Falcons handled visiting John Bapst Saturday, 46-12. Aidan Heath opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run and a 52-yard interception return for a score by Cooper Delois made it 12-0 after one quarter. In the second period, Tony Casale scored on runs of 2 and 24 yards, Noah Michaud recovered a fumble (caused by Danny Casale) in the end zone and Tony Casale hit Heath with a 27-yard TD pass for a 40-0 advantage at the half. Jackson Carr added Freeport’s final points on a 58-yard run in the third period. The Falcons take their first road trip Friday when they travel to Foxcroft Academy (2-0).

Yarmouth got in the win column for the first time Saturday. After starting with a 54-8 loss at Cheverus, the Clippers defeated visiting Traip Academy, 46-14. Spencer LaBrecque put Yarmouth ahead to stay with a 7-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion. Jaxson Dauphinee added a 40-yard TD run before the Rangers answered to make the score, 14-6, after one period. The Clippers broke it open in the second quarter, as LaBrecque (12 carries, 117 yards, three touchdowns) had touchdown runs of 15 yards and 1 yard and Dauphinee added a TD rush of 10 yards to make it 34-6. Dauphinee (16 rushes, 140 yards, three TDs) added a 6-yard touchdown run in the third period for a 40-6 advantage, then Rufus MacVane added the final points in the fourth quarter on a 4-yard TD run. Yarmouth stays home Friday to welcome Spruce Mountain (1-1).

Falmouth/Greely lost its opener to visiting Gorham, 16-6. The squad was supposed to host Windham Saturday, but that game was canceled. Falmouth/Greely goes to Mt. Blue (0-1) Friday.

Boys’ soccer

Yarmouth’s boys’ soccer team, the reigning Class B champion, not only gave its longtime coach Mike Hagerty a landmark win last week (see story), but is off to a perfect start this fall. The Clippers opened with a 2-0 win at Cape Elizabeth, then blanked both visiting Freeport and host York by 4-0 scores. Against the Falcons, Steve Fulton scored in the first half, then Sutter Augur, Fulton again and Matt Robichaud added second half goals.

“At halftime, we talked about switching fields, and if we did, we knew we’d get them because they’d over-shift,” Augur said.

“It’s great to be back and have a postseason to look forward to this year,” Fulton said. “It’s fun working toward something. We approach every game we play to win. Starting the season strong coming off a great preseason is great. We’re excited to compete with the best teams.”

“Teams want to play us and they want to play us at their best,” Hagerty added. “I’m excited to get everyone’s best game. That allows us to train with a different focus. I tell kids, wouldn’t you rather be expected to be great than to surprise people? Even in the preseason, we were getting everyone’s best games.”

Against the Wildcats, Aidan Kamm and Robichaud scored first half goals, while Fulton and Truman Peters added goals in the second half. The Clippers welcomed Greely Tuesday (see pressherald.com/forecaster-sports/ for game story), visit North Yarmouth Academy Thursday and play host to Poland Saturday.

“We’re off to a really good start, but I think we can still get a lot better,” Hagerty said. “I haven’t found the right combinations on the field. I need to do a better job of finding kids a more consistent teammate to play off of. We’ll get there.”

Falmouth, the reigning Class A champion, is also off to a 3-0 start, blanking visiting Sanford (6-0) and, last week, winning at Massabesic (7-0) and Gorham (2-1). In the win over the Mustangs, Andrew Christie and Mason Farr both scored two goals, while Alex Bezanson, Mason Quiet and Sam Yoon had one apiece. Charlie Adams and Ben Pausman had the goals against the Rams. The Navigators hosted Kennebunk Tuesday and welcome Deering Monday.

Freeport, which started with a 1-0 win at York, fell at Yarmouth, 4-0, before improving to 2-1 with a 2-1 home win over Greely Friday.

Goalkeeper Colin Cronin made six saves against the Clippers.

“I think the difference was (Yarmouth’s) conditioning,” said Falcons assistant coach Ray Grogan, who was filling in for Bob Strong. “They’re a good team and they’re in better shape. They were still flying in the second half and we weren’t. We’ve got to get that improved. We had a couple decent chances, we have to capitalize on those.”

In the victory, Alex Graver (from Bobby Strong) and Owen Rusiecki scored the goals. Freeport went to Lake Region Tuesday, visits Cape Elizabeth Friday and welcomes Fryeburg Academy Tuesday of next week.

Greely started by blanking host Poland, 10-0, then lost at Freeport (2-1) and held off visiting Cape Elizabeth Saturday by a 2-1 score to improve to 2-1. In the win, Isaac Dusch and Ethan Njitoh had the goals. The Rangers went to Yarmouth Tuesday and host Lake Region Friday.

NYA, the reigning Class D South champion, started with a 1-0 victory at Richmond, then last week, fell at home to Waynflete, 2-1, and beat visiting Wells, 2-0, to improve to 2-1. Against the Flyers, the Panthers gave up two goals in the first eight minutes, then rallied in the second half, getting a goal off a corner kick from Daxton St. Hilaire before falling just short.

“It was a tale of two halves,” NYA coach Matt Williams said. “I was really happy with our response. It’s not easy to go down two goals.”

In the victory, Wyatt Thomas converted a penalty kick and Bryce Poulin also found the net. The Panthers went to St. Dom’s Tuesday, host Yarmouth Thursday and welcome Traip Academy Saturday.

“We’ve got a lot of growing up to do,” Williams said. “We’ve got a lot to learn as far as figuring out where to be. A lot of guys are doing too much and they don’t need to. We’re where we need to be for this point of the season and we still have a long way to go.”

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, two-time reigning Class D champion NYA won its first three games, all by shutout. After opening with home victories over Old Orchard Beach (9-0) and Richmond (5-0), the Panthers blanked host Waynflete, 5-0, last week, as Hayden Wienchkowski scored twice and Angel Huntsman, Emily Robbins and Michala Wallace added one apiece. After hosting St. Dom’s Tuesday (see pressherald.com/forecaster-sports/ for game story), the Panthers welcome Traip Academy Saturday.

Falmouth won its first two games by shutout, 4-0 at Sanford and 8-0 at home over Massabesic, before settling for a scoreless home tie against Gorham. In the victory over the Mustangs, Elise Gearan had three goals, Abbie Ford a pair, and Whitney Adams, Patty Riley and Mackenzie Verlee (three assists) each had one apiece. In the tie, goalkeeper Jordan Wolf made seven critical saves. The Navigators were at Kennebunk Tuesday and host Bonny Eagle next Tuesday.

Yarmouth, which dropped its opener, 2-0, at two-time reigning Class B champion Cape Elizabeth, bounced back last week with wins at Freeport (5-2) and at home over York (3-0). Against the Falcons, Ava Feeley scored twice and Katelyn D’Appolonia, Grace Lestage and Trinity Sinker all had one goal. In the win over the Wildcats, Feeley set up Vada Harpool for a goal with 23 seconds to go before halftime, then Feeley scored twice in the second half.

“It was big to score that (first) goal,” Harpool said. “It really turned the game around.”

“We’re so happy to have a normal season,” Feeley said. “We’re a pretty young team, but that’s made us closer. We’ve been able to connect well.”

“There were a lot of solid efforts today and we needed that,” added Yarmouth coach Andy Higgins. “We needed to hold them to a 0 on the board. It’s a lot of fun to come out every day and compete. It’s a great group of kids.”

The Clippers were at Greely Tuesday and go to Poland Friday.

“We still have a ways to go,” Higgins said. “We’re still figuring some things out and our rotations. The girls are dialed in and focused. We didn’t get the result we wanted the first game against Cape, but we’re hungry.”

Greely started with shutout wins over Poland (8-0) and Freeport (3-0), then fell to 2-1 Saturday after a 3-0 loss at Cape Elizabeth. Against the Falcons, Elle Jowett, Chelsea Graiver and Ally Martin scored the goals. In the loss, goalkeeper Elise Ekowicki made 11 saves.

“I’m so excited about my team,” first-year Rangers coach Rachel Williams said. “The girls are positive and excited to play. We’re learning a lot and learning fast. We’re looking forward to competing the rest of the season. We just need to play quicker and be a bit more confident and remember it’s the next phase of Greely soccer.”

The Rangers hosted Yarmouth Tuesday, go to Lake Region Friday and welcome Gray-New Gloucester Tuesday of next week.

Freeport fell to 0-3 after losses last week to visiting Yarmouth (5-2) and at Greely (3-0). Megan Driscoll scored both goals against the Clippers. The Falcons sought their first win Tuesday at home against Lake Region, play host to Cape Elizabeth Friday, then go to Fryeburg Academy Tuesday of next week.

Field hockey

Falmouth’s field hockey team started the year with a 2-0 loss at Scarborough, but has since defeated visiting Kennebunk (4-1), visiting Windham (3-2) and Monday, won, 2-1, in double-overtime, at Thornton Academy in improve to 3-1. Against the Eagles, Chloe Bush had two goals, including the winner, while Charlize Kelly also scored and goalie Jenna Nunley stopped nine shots. In the win over the Golden Trojans, Bush scored in regulation, then set up Kelly to end it in the second OT. After welcoming Noble Friday, the Navigators play at Gorham Monday.

Yarmouth dropped its opener to visiting St. Dom’s, 4-3, then beat visiting Freeport (2-1), host Greely (1-0), host Wells (3-0) and Monday, improved to 4-1 with a 4-0 home win over Gray-New Gloucester. Chloe DiGula had the only goal against the Rangers. In the win over the Warriors, Sophie Smith, Colleen Lynch and freshman Lauren Hallee (first varsity goal) scored. Against the Patriots, Smith had three goals while Cat Jordan also rattled the cage. The Clippers host Poland Wednesday, welcome Cape Elizabeth Saturday (see pressherald.com/forecaster-sports/ for game story), then play host to York Monday.

Greely started with one-goal losses to visiting Lake Region (1-0), at Fryeburg Academy (2-1) and at home to Yarmouth (1-0) before edging host NYA/Waynflete (2-1) Saturday to improve to 1-3. Against the Raiders, Leyla Rabbat scored the goal and Savanna Harvey made 18 saves, but Fryeburg Academy scored on a penalty corner after time expired. In the victory, Marisa Crowley and Meredith Brubaker scored the goals. The Rangers go to Freeport Wednesday (see pressherald.com/forecaster-sports/ for game story) and welcome Fryeburg Academy Tuesday of next week.

Freeport started the year 0-3 after losses to visiting York (4-0), at Yarmouth (2-1) and at Cape Elizabeth (5-0). The Falcons host Greely Wednesday, visit Fryeburg Academy Friday and play at Poland Tuesday of next week.

The NYA/Waynflete co-op squad started with home losses to St. Dom’s (3-1) and Greely (2-1). Emilia McKenney scored against the Rangers while Elli Howerton-Lynch made seven saves. A 3-1 win at Wells followed on Monday. The team is at Sacopee Valley Wednesday and hosts Traip Academy Friday.

Volleyball

Falmouth’s volleyball team saw its 31-match, three-year win streak come to a close Saturday. The Navigators started with a 3-0 win at Cheverus and a 3-1 (25-17, 25-21, 15-25, 25-12) home victory over Bonny Eagle, but they fell to 2-1 after a 3-0 (17-25, 9-25, 19-25) home loss to Cape Elizabeth. In the win over the Scots, Emily Charest had eight aces, 14 assists and 10 kills, and Bella Joyner added 11 assists. Against the Capers, Mackenzie Nichols led the way with five blocks, four service points and three kills. Charest added five kills.

“It’s been a good run,” said Navigators coach Larry Nichols. “The kids know we lost three dominant seniors, but that there’s a tradition with the program and they want to get back to something like that. That’s a great feeling to have as a coach.”

Falmouth hoped to bounce back Tuesday at Greely. After going to Portland Friday, the Navigators are home with Biddeford Tuesday of next week.

“All the matches seem tough this year, but we’re tickled to have a season,” Nichols said. “I try to keep that in mind. Where we end up in October is hopefully not where we are right now.”

Two-time reigning Class B champion Yarmouth started with a four-set (25-15, 16-25, 25-17, 25-17) victory at Cape Elizabeth and a straight set (25-21, 25-11, 27-25) home win over Greely. Against the Capers, Allie McClafferty had 11 kills and Elena Miller added nine. In the victory over the Rangers, McClafferty had nine kills and Sophie Dickson had 23 assists. The Clippers were at Gray-New Gloucester Tuesday, host South Portland Thursday and visit Cheverus Tuesday of next week.

Greely started with a 3-1 home loss to Cape Elizabeth. After beating host Windham in straight sets, the Rangers fell at Yarmouth in three games (21-25, 11-25, 25-27). Olivia Talley had eight kills against the Clippers. Greely was home with Falmouth Tuesday, welcomes Gray-New Gloucester Friday and goes to Lake Region Monday.

NYA began with a 3-0 loss at Gray-New Gloucester then dropped a five-set home decision to Sumner Saturday to fall to 0-2. Against Sumner, Maddy Vaillancourt had 10 digs, nine aces and six assists; Madilyn Onorato added eight kills; Emma Rothrock had six aces; Sarah English five kills; and Charlotte McLatchy five aces. The Panthers hosted Brunswick Tuesday, welcome Lewiston Friday and play host to Jonesport-Beals Saturday.

Cross country

Yarmouth hosted Maine Coast Waldorf, Gray-New Gloucester and Sacopee Valley in a cross country meet. The Clippers won the girls’ competition, as Madeleine Jones finished third individually in 22:31.20. MCW was second, although it had the top individual, Nora Goldberg-Courtney (22:06.20). In the boys’ race, MCW’s Louis Walker was first (18:37.0) and his team was second to Yarmouth, which was paced by Cam Pernal (third, 19:01.70).

Falmouth joined Deering and Noble at Sanford. The Navigators boys were first and Logan Ross was the top individual (17:03.66). The girls also came in first, as Lila Findlay was second (first for scoring purposes) in 22:35.25.

NYA, took on Lisbon, Old Orchard Beach and Wells in its first meet. The Panthers boys were fourth and boasted the second-fastest individual, James Tourigny (19:10.47). The girls didn’t score as a team. Liv Urbanek was eighth (27:31.03).

Greely hosted Lake Region, Poland, St. Dom’s and York. The girls won their race, as Annie Reynolds was second individually in 22:02. The Rangers boys were second to the Wildcats as Mitch Parent was third individually (18:27).

Freeport joined Traip Academy at Fryeburg Academy. The boys placed first with the top six finishers, including winner Henry Horne (18:02). The girls’ squad was also first, as Jillian Wight led the team with a second-place showing (21:32).

Golf

Freeport’s golf team, the defending Class B state champion, won three of its first four matches.

Greely, the reigning Class A champion, took a 1-1 record into the week.

Falmouth improved to 4-0 Monday after an 11-2 win over Cheverus. The Navigators have a showdown with Scarborough next Tuesday.

Yarmouth was 2-0 at the start of the week.

NYA was 0-1 at press time.

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

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