The postseason dash to the finish line began, appropriately, Saturday with the outdoor track state meets (see story).

The tennis team playoffs are underway and baseball, softball and lacrosse are about to commence.

The best part of the spring sports season promises to produce drama and memories for local athletes and teams.

Here’s an overview:

Tennis

The Falmouth boys’ quest for a repeat Class A tennis title began Tuesday. The Navigators earned the top seed in the South Region after a 12-0 regular season and hosted No. 8 Portland (7-6) in the quarterfinals.

In Class B South, four-time defending state champion Yarmouth wound up first after a 12-0 campaign and hosted No. 8 Cony (3-9) in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.

Greely earned the No. 5 seed in Class B South after a 7-5 campaign and played its quarterfinal at No. 4 Cape Elizabeth (9-3) Tuesday.

Freeport finished 1-11 and 10th in Class B South, but only eight teams qualified for the playoffs.

In Class C South, NYA finished seventh at 5-7 and opened at No. 2 Spruce Mountain (8-2) in the quarterfinals Tuesday.

Falmouth’s girls’ team, the reigning Class A South champion, earned the top seed in the region after a 12-0 regular season. Monday, the Navigators advanced with a 5-0 win over No. 8 Scarborough in the quarterfinals. Next up for Falmouth is No. 4 Thornton Academy (10-2) or No. 5 Windham (9-3) in the semifinal round.

Greely, the defending Class B champion, finished third in the South after a 7-5 campaign. Tuesday, the Rangers hosted No. 6 Lincoln Academy (8-4) in the quarterfinals.

Yarmouth finished second in Class B South after a 9-3 season, then beat No. 7 Gardiner, 5-0, in Monday’s quarterfinals. The Clippers will meet either Greely or Lincoln Academy in the semifinals.

Freeport finished 1-11 and 12th in Class B South, but only eight teams made the playoffs.

In Class C South, NYA wound up ninth at 6-6 and went to No. 8 Winslow (3-9) for the preliminary round. If the Panthers advanced, they’ll play at No. 1 Maranacook (11-1) in the quarterfinals.

The semifinals are Thursday on the courts of the higher seeds. The regional finals are Monday of next week at Bates College in Lewiston, which is also where the state matches will be held Wednesday, June 12.

Girls’ lacrosse

Forecaster Country girls’ lacrosse teams are in the mix for state titles in all three classes.

In Class A, Falmouth culminated its first ever undefeated regular season with a 12-5 home victory over Massabesic Friday. Riley Davis led the way with six goals. The Navigators (14-0) earned the top seed for the tournament and will host a state quarterfinal Friday against either No. 8 Massabesic (8-6) or No. 9 Sanford (8-6). Falmouth and Sanford didn’t meet this year and have no playoff history. The Navigators won both prior tournament meetings with the Mustangs, with a 16-2 victory in last year’s preliminary round the most recent.

Yarmouth finished third in Class A at 12-2 after an impressive 9-3 home win over Greely last Wednesday. In that one, Brooke Boone and Neena Panozzo both scored three goals, Aine Powers added two goals and goalie Regan Sullivan stopped six shots.

“The defense had a lockdown game today,” Sullivan said. “We’ve really focused on defense. We practiced different formations. We had a really aggressive ride in the midfield. We were all over them in transition and that led to turnovers that we were able to finish off.”

“Winning on Senior Night means a lot,” said Panozzo. “We have 11 seniors and we wanted to prove we could beat Greely.”

“Tonight was Senior Night, which I think brought our energy up a lot,” Powers said. “It was nice to be supported by the underclassmen. It was great to have all the seniors on the field at the beginning of the game. We feel like last time we played Greely (an 8-7 victory), it wasn’t our strongest game. We wanted to come out strong and end strong.”

“The girls handled the pressure well today,” longtime Clippers coach Dorothy Holt added. “They felt it on Senior Night. Tonight shows the versatility of this group. You play how you practice and we’ve been practicing really hard.”

The Clippers, who are riding an eight-game win streak, hosted No. 14 Oxford Hills (5-9) Tuesday afternoon in the preliminary round. The teams didn’t play this year and had no playoff history. If, as expected, Yarmouth moves on to the quarterfinals Friday, it will host either No. 6 Cheverus (9-5) or No. 11 Cape Elizabeth (6-8). The Clippers edged the visiting Stags, 10-8, April 23 and won the lone prior playoff meeting, 20-10, two years ago in the Class A North semifinals. Yarmouth beat the host Capers, 15-10, April 27 and beat them at home as well May 21, 13-7. The Clippers are 4-2 all-time versus Cape Elizabeth in the playoffs, with a 14-10 preliminary round victory last year the most recent.

“I’m really confident,” said Panozzo. “I have confidence in every single one of our players, from D to attack. We’re just focused on the next game ahead of us and working on what we can improve on.”

“We’re eager to take on the challenge,” Sullivan said. “Class A is wide open. We’ve proved we can give the top teams a run for their money. We’re ready to compete in playoffs.”

“We’ve got such a strong group,” Powers said. “It did take us awhile to get in the groove, but it only matters what happens in June. Having some ups-and-downs helps build a stronger team by the end. It helps going through that so we can perform at our best in June. We know there’s a lot of pressure is on us to get to the state final like we usually do. We feel the pressure and we want to perform to that pressure. We just need to believe in ourselves and work as a team. We have so many strong players from Regan up to the attack. We have a lot of experience and we know what it takes and I think we’re ready.”

“We still have a lot of work to do,” added Holt. “We have to keep turnovers low and when we have the ball, put it in the back of the net. We moved to Class A to play with the best teams in the state and it’s super-fun. Everyone is getting better. Now the fun begins.”

The Class A state semifinals are next Tuesday at a location to be announced. The state game is Friday, June 14 at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

In Class B, Freeport and Greely could be on a state final collision course.

The Falcons, who won Class C a year ago, then moved up to Class B this spring, finished on a 12-game win streak and improved to 13-1 with a 7-6 victory at NYA last Wednesday. Freeport was down two goals in the fourth quarter, but rallied, as Lana DiRusso had three goals, Mia Levesque scored the go-ahead goal on a free position and goalie Reilly Curtis made 13 clutch saves, including one as time wound down.

“I was just reacting, watching the defense and watching the players,” Curtis said. “I just had to keep my eyes open. It was a huge sigh of relief when the final horn went off. I was panicking a little bit after the third quarter, but I knew we weren’t done.”

“I think our energy was low at the beginning,” Levesque said. “Things weren’t going our way, but once we got out of our heads, we found the energy to come back. We needed the competition going into playoffs. This will prepare us.”

“They outplayed us and outhustled us and wanted it more at first,” Freeport coach Marcia Wood added. “They got those quick goals. That caught us off-guard, then we had bounces go against us, but when the ball needs to go in the back of the net, I have girls who can do that.

“Going 13-1 is great after replacing most of the defense and the goalie. We’ve had to rely on other people and spread out the shooting and the goals. We had some close games. Having those were helpful.”

The Falcons finished second in Class B behind undefeated Mt. Ararat and will host No. 7 Camden Hills (10-4) in the state quarterfinals this weekend. The teams didn’t play during the regular season. The lone prior playoff meeting came in the 2007 Eastern B quarterfinals, an 8-7 Freeport victory.

“I’m ready for playoffs,” said Curtis. “We just need to work on fundamentals. Catching, throwing, ground balls. If we solidify that, we’ll be good.”

“A lot of us have played in state championship games and that will help us handle pressure,” said Mia Levesque. I think that we’ll come out strong for playoffs.”

Greely, the two-time reigning Class B champion, wound up 8-4 after a 9-3 loss at Yarmouth and a 15-3 victory at Messalonskee. In the setback, the Rangers got a goal apiece from Jane Flynn, Asja Kelman and Eva Williams, but it wasn’t enough.

“(Yarmouth’s) defense was really strong and it was also about possession for us,” Greely coach Becca Koelker lamented. “That was our Achilles’ (heel) tonight. They played a different defense and we struggled to move the ball and we couldn’t finish shots. We had a few shots hit the post and if we finished those, it would have been a more even game, then we lost the momentum.  I’m really proud of our defense. Now, our focus going forward is getting the attack to click and I think we’re getting closer.”

In the victory, Kelman had six goals and four assists and Kylie Lord added three goals. The Rangers earned the No. 4 seed in Class B and will host No. 5 Cony (10-4) in the quarterfinals Friday at 5:30 p.m. The teams didn’t meet this year. Greely took the lone prior playoff encounter, 16-3, in the 2022 state semifinals.

“We’ll have some things to work on going into playoffs and we’ll have some time to work on it,” Koelker said. “Things are clicking, but we have to do it the whole game. There’s a lot of parity. We’re excited for playoffs.”

The Class B state semifinals are Wednesday of next week at a location to be announced. The state game is Saturday, June 15 at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

In Class C, NYA finished 6-8 and seventh after dropping a close 7-6 home decision to Freeport. Gwen Curran and Ava Wilkinson both had two goals, but the Panthers couldn’t hold a fourth quarter lead.

“I’m proud of our effort,” said NYA coach Molly Moss-Stokes. “I’m totally thrilled. I’ve been hoping all season our hard work will pay off. Freeport has moved up in class, so it was nice to play them without having to see them again (in the playoffs). We did great on draw controls today. The things we’ve been focusing on in practice paid off. The next step is being in a close game and pulling out a victory. That’s what we’ll focus on.”

The Panthers have a showdown at No. 2 Waynflete (10-4) in the state quarterfinals Saturday at 11 a.m. The Flyers beat host NYA, 14-5, back on May 2. Waynflete has won five of eight prior playoff meetings, but the past three have gone to the Panthers, with last year’s 11-10, double-overtime triumph the most recent.

“It’ll be interesting,” said Moss-Stokes. “What we need to do is have focus and determination. I just want the girls to have confidence. I’ve seen it from the start, but I don’t think they have until recently. We’re excited.”

The Class C state semifinals are Wednesday of next week at a location to be announced. The state game is Saturday, June 15 at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Boys’ lacrosse

On the boys’ side, Falmouth and Yarmouth are both surging entering the playoffs.

The Navigators earned the top seed for the Class A playoffs after culminating a 13-1 regular season with a 16-1 victory at Gorham and a 12-5 home win over Thornton Academy. Against the Golden Trojans, Hayden Davis scored five goals and Gio Guerrette added three.

“This shows that we always love to compete,” said Cole Allan, who scored twice. “We’ve worked hard. The whole group is willing to put the work in.”

“We just look to the next game,” said defenseman and captain Miles Thaxter. “This was circled on the calendar like any other game. We came out and competed and that’s what we love to do.”

“We didn’t want to leave anything to chance,” added Navigators coach Dave Barton. “We’ve talked all week about TA being one of the best teams we’ll have a chance to play and all we can do is play them today. What I love about this group, they love to compete. Whether (our playoff seed was) locked up or not, it didn’t matter to the guys.  This is what we need. Games like this make us better.”

Falmouth will host either No. 8 Hampden Academy (9-5) or No. 9 South Portland (7-7) in Friday’s state quarterfinal round. The Navigators didn’t face the Broncos this year and the teams have no playoff history. Falmouth defeated the visiting Red Riots, 16-3, May 22. In the teams’ lone prior playoff meeting, South Portland sprung an 8-4 upset in last year’s semifinals.

“We want everyone’s best punch,” said Allan. “We like the challenge. We just have to keep putting in the work. I think we really want it.”

“Credit to the guys,” Barton said. “We’ve wanted this since our season ended a little early last year. I’m certainly proud of the guys. Everything from here on out is earned.”

The Class A state semifinals are next Tuesday at a location to be announced. The state game is Friday, June 14 at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

In Class B, Yarmouth closed with a 9-8 win at three-time reigning Class A champion Cape Elizabeth last Wednesday. the Clippers, who let a three-goal lead slip away in a home loss to the Capers earlier this season, closed it out this time, as George Brown and Hakon Yeo both scored twice and Colter Olson added a goal and two assists before helping running out the clock at the game’s conclusion.

“It was a big win for us,” said Yarmouth coach Jon Miller.

The Clippers will be the 3 seed for the Class B tournament and will host either No. 6 Mt. Blue (10-4) or No. 11 Gray-New Gloucester/Poland (7-7) in the quarterfinals Friday. Yarmouth didn’t face the Cougars this year and are 4-0 all-time against them in the tournament, with a 19-2 preliminary round victory two years ago the most recent. The Clippers beat the visiting 26ers, 18-7, in the regular season opener April 11. The teams have no postseason history.

Freeport beat visiting NYA, 11-8, in the regular season finale last week to wind up 9-5 and seventh in Class B. The Falcons host No. 10 Camden Hills (8-6) in the preliminary round Thursday at 5 p.m. The teams didn’t meet this spring. Freeport won the lone prior playoff encounter, 13-12, in the 2014 Eastern B semifinals.

If the Falcons move on to the quarterfinals this weekend, they’ll visit No. 2 Messalonskee (12-2). The teams didn’t play this year and have no playoff history.

Greely ended up 7-7 and ninth after closing with a 7-6 win at Wells last Wednesday. Angus Perry had four goals and Bez Mendelsohn added a pair. The Rangers go to No. 8 Gardiner (9-5) for the preliminary round Wednesday at 4 p.m. The teams didn’t play this season. Greely won both prior playoff meetings, with an 11-9 victory in last year’s preliminary round the most recent.

If the Rangers advance, they’ll go to top-ranked, defending state champion York (13-1) in the quarterfinals this weekend. Greely lost, 18-4, at the Wildcats May 23. The Rangers beat York, 17-9, in the 2019 semifinals in the lone prior playoff encounter.

The Class B state semifinals are Wednesday of next week at a location to be announced. The state game is Saturday, June 15 at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

In Class C, NYA ended up 5-9 and sixth after closing with an 11-8 loss at Freeport last Wednesday. NYA goes to No. 3 Wells (11-3) in the quarterfinals Friday. The Warriors won the regular season meeting, 7-4, May 15 in Yarmouth. The Panthers are 2-0 all-time versus Wells in the playoffs, with a 7-5 win in last year’s semifinals the most recent.

The Class C state semifinals are Wednesday of next week at a location to be announced. The state game is Saturday, June 15 at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Softball

On the diamond, NYA’s defending Class D champion softball team is the top seed in the South Region after a 15-1 regular season. The Panthers welcome No. 8 Greenville (7-7) in the quarterfinals Thursday. The teams didn’t meet this year. NYA won the lone prior playoff meeting, 15-6, in the 2005 Western D quarterfinals.

In Class B South, Freeport earned the No. 3 seed after capping the best regular season in program history at 14-2 with a 15-0 (three-inning) home win over Cape Elizabeth last Tuesday. Rosie Panenka had two hits, scored twice and drove in three runs and Alison Brown had two hits and scored twice. Izzy George didn’t allow a hit in three innings of work. The Falcons host No. 6 Oak Hill (10-6) or No. 11 Lincoln Academy (6-10) in the quarterfinals Thursday. Freeport didn’t play Oak Hill this year and the teams have no playoff history. The Falcons beat the visiting Eagles, 6-2, May 6 and captured the lone prior playoff encounter, 7-2, two years ago in the preliminary round.

Greely finished 8-8 and eighth in Class B South after closing with a 10-0 (five-inning) loss at reigning state champion York. The Rangers hosted No. 9 Lake Region (9-7) in the preliminary round Tuesday. Greely split with the Lakers this year, falling on the road April 25 (9-8, in nine-innings) and prevailing at home May 6 (3-2). The Rangers lost the only prior playoff meeting with Lake Region, 6-2, in the 2005 Western B quarterfinals.

If Greely advanced to the quarterfinals, it would go to top-ranked York (16-0). The Rangers lost the teams’ lone prior playoff encounter, 4-3, in the 2016 Class B South Final.

Yarmouth wound up 5-11 and 15th in Class B South, but only 12 teams make the playoffs. The Clippers closed with a 14-6 win at Fryeburg Academy, as Avery Buchanan had four hits and drove in six runs, Julia Brown had three RBI, Leah Muentener added three hits, Julia Lawwill singled and tripled and Cat Rich had two hits and earned the victory with a complete game.

In Class A South, Falmouth wound up 1-15 and 16th, but just 12 teams qualified for the postseason.

The softball semifinals are Saturday on the fields of the higher seeds. The Class B South and Class D South Finals are Tuesday of next week at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. The Class B and Class D state games are both Saturday, June 15 in Standish.

Baseball

Greely’s baseball team surged into the tournament, winning its final five games, capped by a stunningly decisive 18-0 (five-inning) victory at York in the finale last Tuesday to wind up 14-2 and first in Class B South. Ryder Simpson homered and drove in three runs, Marky Axelsen scored three runs, added two hits and drove in two, Wes Piper and Wyatt Soucie both scored three times and Kyle Soule had three hits and four RBI.

The Rangers will host either No. 8 Freeport (9-7) or No. 9 Lincoln Academy (8-8) in Thursday’s quarterfinal round. Greely swept the Falcons this year, 8-5 at home May 2 and 10-2 in Freeport May 17. The Rangers are just 1-4 all-time versus Freeport in the playoffs, with a 2-1 loss in the 2022 Class B South Final the most recent. Greely didn’t face the Eagles this year. The Rangers have won all five prior playoff encounters, with an 8-0 victory in the 2022 preliminary round the most recent.

Yarmouth, the reigning regional champion, earned the No. 2 seed in Class B South after closing with a 7-2 win at Fryeburg Academy last Tuesday to improve to 12-4. Andrew Cheever and David Swift led the way with three hits apiece and Aaron Mason and Graeme Roux added two hits each. The Clippers will host either No. 7 Wells (10-6) or No. 10 Morse (6-10) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Yarmouth split with the Warriors this year, eking out a 3-2 (nine-inning) home victory April 26, then falling at Wells, 6-3, May 24. The teams have no playoff history. The Clippers didn’t play the Shipbuilders this spring and the teams have no playoff history.

Freeport closed the regular season with an inspirational 3-2 (10-inning) home victory over Cape Elizabeth. Will Maneikis tied the game with a squeeze bunt in the seventh. Liam Emmons tied it again in the eighth, with a two-out, two-strike double. Jacob Cass then bunted home Thomas Roy with the winning run in the 10th. The Falcons hosted No. 9 Lincoln Academy in the preliminary round Tuesday. Freeport lost, 5-0, at home to the Eagles May 6. Lincoln Academy won the only prior playoff encounter, way back in the 1985 Western C semifinals (8-7).

In Class A South, Falmouth finished second at 13-3, but has been idle since May 25.

“It’s a longer layoff than we’re used to,” Navigators coach Mike D’Andrea said. “Here in Maine, our season’s really condensed into a few weeks. It always feels like the season’s really stuffed into three weeks. But we’re all in the same boat, luckily, and we all deal with it. I think everybody’s going to try to continue some live at-bats. I think that’s necessary going into playoffs. You’re facing some really strong pitching. You’ve got to stay sharp and just see ball out of hand and not get stagnant.”

The Navigators will host either No. 7 South Portland (10-6), the reigning state champion, or No. 10 Deering (6-10) Thursday in the quarterfinals. Falmouth beat the host Red Riots, 7-0, April 25 and is 2-1 all-time versus South Portland in the playoffs, with a 6-5 semifinal round loss in the 2022 semifinals the most recent. The Navigators blanked the visiting Rams, 6-0, May 9. Falmouth won the only prior playoff encounter, 4-0, in the 2016 Class A South quarterfinals.

In Class C South, the Waynflete/NYA co-op team finished 6-10 and 11th, but only 10 teams made the playoffs, so it fell short for the first time in five seasons.

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

The Class A state game is Saturday, June 15 in Augusta. The Class B state game is also June 15, in Standish.

Press Herald staff writer Drew Bonifant contributed to this story.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.