The first team state championships of the spring sports season, outdoor track, were bestowed Saturday.

Tennis will crown its team champions this coming weekend.

And then, it will be a mad dash to the finish line for baseball, softball and lacrosse.

If you blink you might miss it, so here’s a look back at the events of last week and an overview of what’s to come:

Outdoor track

At the Class A state outdoor track meet Saturday in Bangor, the Scarborough boys’ juggernaut rolled on, tallying 89 points to win its third consecutive championship and its fifth since 2016. Jayden Flaker was first in both the 110 hurdles (14.52 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (39.25), while Nick Connolly placed first in both the discus (57 feet) and shot put (153-0). Zach Barry won the mile (4 minutes, 20.21 seconds) and came in third in 800 (1:57.93). Toby Martin was first in the pole vault (13-0) and sixth in the 110 hurdles (15.87). Adam Bendetson was third in the 2-mile (9:42.65). Justin Liang finished fourth in the shot put (44-10.75). The Red Storm’s 4×100 relay team (Connolly, Flaker, Noah Batoosingh and Parker Killiard) was second to Cheverus in 43.28. The 4×400 relay squad (Killiard, Batoosingh, Barry and Flaker) finished fifth (3:31.06).

South Portland (28 points) placed eighth. The Red Riots were led by Jacob Ramos, runner-up in the 800 (1:57.39), and Amir Broadus, who was second in the shot put (56-9.75). Alexandy Pierre was fourth in the racewalk (8:11.09). John Heffernan finished sixth in the racewalk (8:14.07). Lucas Lefebvre was seventh in the racewalk (8:22.94). Brady Guay finished seventh in the long jump (21-2.75). Arnaud Sioho was seventh in the triple jump (41-6.5). South Portland’s 4×800 relay team (Kyle Hartford, Jack Nickerson, Chase Porter and Ramos) placed fifth (8:24.4).

In the girls’ Class A meet, won by Bangor with 97 points, Scarborough (43) finished third. The Red Storm was led by its first-place 4×400 relay team (Bailey Stoddard-Baughman, Caroline Fallona, Julia Black and Emerson Flaker, 4 minutes, 11.96 seconds). Flaker was runner-up in the 400 (57.86 seconds) and placed fifth in the 200 (26.92). Fallona was fourth in the 100 (12.48) and sixth in the 200 (26.97). Emma Saraceno was fifth in the long jump (16 feet-6.5 inches). Caroline Benson finished seventh in the pole vault (8-3). Scarborough’s 4×100 relay team (Saraceno, Stoddard-Baughman, Black and Fallona) was runner-up to Gorham (50.7). The 4×800 relay squad (Sofia Tierney, Una Djuranovich, Emma Goodwin and Kyleigh Record) finished fourth (10:33.35).

South Portland did not score.

At the Class B state meet on Mt. Desert Island, Cape Elizabeth’s girls (70 points) were second to York (113). Tori Hews won the 100 (12.72) and the 200 (26.53). The Capers were also first in the 4×100 relay (Caroline Concannon, Grace Gray, Marcella Hesser and Hews, 50.93) Hadley Mahoney was runner-up in the mile (5:10.19) and second in the 2-mile (11:38.72). Emma Young placed third in the mile (5:24.19) and was sixth in the 800 (2:25.33). Gray was fifth in the 100 (13.08) and seventh in the 200 (27.69). Cape Elizabeth’s 4×400 relay team (Maya Nelson, Young, Mahoney and Hews) was runner-up to York in 4:14.97. The 4×800 relay squad (Young, Evelyn Agrodnia, Penny Haydar and Mahoney) was fourth (10:20.07).

York also won the boys’ competition with 97 points. Cape Elizabeth (32) was eighth. Vaughn Lindenau won the 2-mile (10:00.32). Owen Patry finished third in the 2-mile (10:09.43) and fourth in the mile (4:37.08). James Rickman came in fourth in the 400 (52.75). The Capers’ 4×800 relay team (Patry, Seb Hesser, Lindenau and Carter Abrahamsen) was runner-up to Freeport (8:32.15).

The outdoor track season finishes up for select athletes Saturday in New Britain, Connecticut, with the New England championship meet.

Tennis

The tennis season came to a conclusion in recent days with some tough losses for local teams.

The Cape Elizabeth girls, the reigning Class B South champions, were the No. 2 seed in the region and defeated No. 10 Gardiner (4-1) in the quarterfinals and edged No. 3 Greely (3-2) in the semifinals, but in Tuesday’s regional final in Lewiston, the Capers lost to No. 1 Lincoln Academy (5-0) to finish the year 13-2.

Scarborough, ranked second in Class A South after a perfect regular season, advanced with a 4-1 quarterfinal round victory over Gorham, then had its title dreams dashed by No. 3 Falmouth in the semifinals, losing, 3-2, to end up 13-1.

Cape Elizabeth’s boys, ranked eighth in Class B South, beat No. 9 Cony (5-0) in the preliminary round, then lost to top-seeded, defending state champion Yarmouth in the quarterfinals, 4-1, to finish the year 5-9.

In Class A South, South Portland, ranked fifth, beat No. 12 Bonny Eagle (5-0) in the preliminary round, then lost, 3-2, to No. 4 Cheverus in the quarterfinals to finish 10-4.

Baseball

The title quest of Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough and South Portland’s baseball teams is underway and all three squads passed their first playoff test.

The Red Storm, which closed the regular season on a seven-game win streak to earn the No. 4 seed in Class A South, defeated No. 13 Bonny Eagle, 5-1, in Monday’s preliminary round. Harrison Griffiths earned the win, while Ashton Blanchette and Thomas Donahue had two hits apiece. Scarborough (13-4) hosted No. 12 Marshwood (7-9-1) in the quarterfinal round Thursday. The Red Storm won, 1-0, at Marshwood in the regular season. Scarborough was 2-2 all-time versus the Hawks in the playoffs, with a 4-1 loss in the 2014 Western A quarterfinals the most recent. If the Red Storm move on to Saturday’s semifinals, they will either go to No. 1 Thornton Academy (15-1) or welcome No. 8 Sanford (10-7).

South Portland, the reigning state champion, ranked third in Class A South, improved to 14-3 Monday after dispatching No. 14 Deering, 11-1, in five innings in the preliminary round. Nolan Hobbs earned the win, Andrew Heffernan had two hits and four RBI, Ryan Thurber contributed two hits and three RBI and Richie Gilboy drove in a pair of runs. The Red Riots advanced to host No. 6 Westbrook (10-6-1) in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. South Portland beat the visiting Blue Blazes, 5-0, during the regular season. The Red Riots won three of four prior playoff meetings, with a 4-0 loss in the 2010 Western A quarterfinals the most recent. If South Portland advances to Saturday’s semifinals, it will either go to No. 2 Falmouth (15-2) or host No. 7 Portland (10-6-1).

In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth, ranked fifth, blanked No. 12 Wells, 5-0, in Tuesday’s preliminary round. Owen Tighe drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, Aidan Connelly hit a two-run double, Gabe Harmon had three hits and Antonio Dell’Aqulia added a pair, as Curtis Sullivan threw a three-hitter and struck out nine to earn the win. The Capers (10-7) were at No. 4 Yarmouth (11-6) for the quarterfinals Thursday. The Clippers won the regular season meeting, 6-4. Cape Elizabeth won three of four prior playoff encounters, with a 6-5 (nine-inning) victory in the 2018 Class B South quarterfinals the most recent.

The Class A South Final is Tuesday of next week at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. The Class B South Final is the same day at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham.

Softball

All three local softball teams also won their preliminary round games.

Scarborough, ranked fifth in Class A South, defeated No. 12 Cheverus, 10-0 (in six innings) Saturday. Angelina Pizzella homered twice and drove in five runs, AJ Swett also hit a home run, Maddie Russo doubled twice and Natalie Moynihan earned the victory with a two-hitter, while also belting a pair of hits. The Red Storm (12-4) traveled to No. 4 Massabesic (12-4) for the quarterfinals Wednesday. The Mustangs won the regular season meeting, 7-1. Scarborough is 1-0 all-time versus Massabesic in the playoffs, enjoying a 10-0 victory in the 2018 Class A South semifinals. If the Red Storm were able to advance, they’d go to No. 1 Windham (14-2) or host No. 9 Thornton Academy (8-8) in Saturday’s semifinal round.

South Portland, seeded 10th in Class A South, upset No. 7 Noble in its prelim, rallying for a 5-4 victory Tuesday. Elise Connor tied the game with a home run and Julia Flaherty completed the comeback with an RBI single. Mia Micucci earned the win, striking out 11, and also had an RBI single. The Red Riots (8-8) were at No. 2 Biddeford (14-2), the reigning regional champion, Thursday in the quarterfinals. The Tigers won the regular season meeting, 13-0 (in five innings). The teams split four prior playoff meetings, with South Portland enjoying a 10-3 victory in the 2013 Western A quarterfinals in the most recent encounter. If the Red Riots sprung an upset, they’d either go to No. 3 Kennebunk (14-2) or No. 6 Portland (11-5) in Saturday’s semifinal round.

Defending Class B champion Cape Elizabeth, ranked fifth in Class B South, had no trouble with No. 12 Wells in Tuesday’s preliminary round, rolling to a 19-2 (five-inning) victory. The Capers moved on to play at No. 4 Leavitt (12-5) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The teams didn’t play this year. The Hornets won all four prior playoff meetings, with a 6-3 victory in the 2017 Class B South preliminary round the most recent. If Cape Elizabeth moved on to Saturday’s semifinals, it would either go to top-ranked York (16-1) or host No. 8 Freeport (12-5).

The Class A South Final is Tuesday of next week at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. The Class B South Final is the same day at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham.

Boys’ lacrosse

Cape Elizabeth’s boys’ lacrosse team saved its best for last and earned the top seed in Class A South. The Capers, the reigning Class A state champions, finished their regular season with a 16-1 victory at Greely last week. Cape Elizabeth (10-2) began its title defense Thursday at home in the quarterfinals versus No. 8 Sanford (6-7). The teams didn’t meet this year and had no playoff history. If, as expected, the Capers advanced, they’d host either No. 4 Scarborough (9-3) or No. 5 Gorham (6-6) in Saturday’s semifinals.

The Red Storm finished fourth after closing with a frustrating 6-5 home loss to Falmouth last Thursday. Finn Pedersen had three goals and Ben Kerbel made 10 saves, but Scarborough was held scoreless for over 33 minutes in one stretch.

“I can’t explain it,” Red Storm coach Zach Barrett said. “We have the capacity to create plenty of opportunities. I don’t know what it is. The guys aren’t doing what we teach and they’re not playing the way we practice.”

Scarborough hosted No. 5 Gorham in the quarterfinals Thursday. The Red Storm won the regular season meeting, 12-7, on the road. Scarborough was 4-0 all-time versus the Rams in the playoffs, with a 6-5 victory in the 2017 Class A South semifinals the most recent.

“Now, it’s win or go home,” said Barrett. “We know Gorham well. Getting back on track is about our focus in practice and commitment to each other and making sure we make sure we play the right kind of lacrosse. We have what it takes.”

If the Red Storm advanced, they’ll likely have a semifinal round showdown at Cape Elizabeth.

South Portland finished its season of resurgence at 10-2 after closing with a 10-4 home win over Kennebunk last week. The Red Riots got three goals from Lucas Mehlhorn to pace a balanced attack.

“We’re just working hard,” Mehlhorn said. “We still have to sharpen up our stick work. We’ll continue to work on that. I think we have a good shot. We have the pieces and we’re a family. We can make something happen.”

“We knew that we had a strong core group and that we returned a lot of guys,” said South Portland second-year coach Dan Hanley. “We talked about raising the standard for the program. We’ve come a long way, but there’s a long way to go as well.”

The Red Riots, ranked third in Class A South, opened their playoff run Thursday at home versus No. 6 Bonny Eagle (4-8) in the quarterfinals. South Portland opened the regular season with a 19-3 home victory over the Scots and prevailed in the teams’ lone prior playoff encounter, 15-1, in the 2018 Class A South quarterfinals. If the Red Riots moved on to Saturday’s semifinals, they’ll likely go to No. 2 Thornton Academy (11-1). South Portland handed the Golden Trojans their only loss this spring, 11-10, back on April 20. The Red Riots have won six of eight prior playoff meetings, with a 13-4 loss in the 2018 Class A South semifinals the most recent result.

“We know this region’s tough and if you want to win a championship, you have to beat the best teams,” Hanley said. “Whatever it takes to get there, we’ll be ready. We’ve come a long way.”

Looking ahead, the Class A South Final is next Wednesday on the field of the highest seed.

Girls’ lacrosse

On the girls’ side, Cape Elizabeth, ranked fifth in Class A South after closing the regular season with a 14-11 win over Freeport last week (Claire McDonald and Annaliese Rudberg both scored four times to help the Capers erase a halftime deficit), had no trouble with No. 12 Bonny Eagle in Monday’s Class A South preliminary round, prevailing, 17-5, as 10 different players scored (McDonald led the way with three goals). Cape Elizabeth (7-6) was at No. 4 Thornton Academy (8-4) in the quarterfinals Wednesday. The teams didn’t play this year and had no postseason history. If the Capers advanced, they’d be at top-ranked Kennebunk (12-0) in Saturday’s semifinal round.

Scarborough, the No. 6 seed, which went 6-6 in the regular season after closing with a 12-4 home loss to Massabesic, got back on track in Monday’s prelim, handling No. 11 Noble, 22-7. Molly Henderson scored seven goals and had five assists, Natalie Bilodeau added six goals and three assists and Meagan Donovan finished with four goals.

“We really needed this for our confidence,” Bilodeau said. “It gives us a lot of hope as we move on in the playoffs.”

“We needed a game like this,” Red Storm coach Emily Field said. “Frustratingly, we’re a second half team, but it’s nice when the second half does come together the way it did. Now, we need to play that way in the first and second halves.”

Scarborough moved on to face No. 3 Marshwood (8-4) in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The Red Storm lost, 10-5, at the Hawks in the regular season and are 2-1 all-time versus Marshwood in the playoffs, with a 16-3 loss in the 2015 Western A Final the most recent matchup.

“I’m excited about the road we have,” Field said. “I don’t think we have pieces missing to win any of these games. We’ve learned that it’s playoffs and it’s 0-0 and we get to rewrite how this ends. We know we can hang with all of those teams. It doesn’t really matter the seed. It’s comfortable to come out as the underdog.”

If Scarborough was able to spring an upset, it would go to No. 2 Massabesic (11-1) or host No. 7 Biddeford (7-6) in Saturday’s semifinals.

Looking ahead, the Class A South Final is next Wednesday on the field of the highest seed.

South Portland, which ended the regular season with a 9-6 home win over Noble (behind five goals from Zoe Baker), earned the No. 10 seed in Class A South, but lost at No. 7 Biddeford, 13-7, in Monday’s preliminary round to finish the year 6-7. Baker had three goals in the defeat.

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

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