Al Kirk is retiring after 39 years as Deering High’s wrestling coach and will be succeeded by one of his former wrestlers – Ryan Hutchins.

Kirk, 77, was a high school coach in Florida and New York and a college coach in Arkansas and Florida before taking over at Deering. In all, he coached for 50 years. Kirk was inducted into the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame in 2004.

Al Kirk, head wrestling coach at Deering High for 39 years, will turn the program over to one of his former wrestlers.

“I’ve thought about it for awhile and it’s time,” Kirk said to The Forecaster about his retirement. “It’s hard to leave it though. It’s been fun.”

Hutchins, a 1997 Deering graduate and the 1997 Class A champion at 125 pounds, has coached at Westbrook and Scarborough high schools. He was chosen as Maine coach of the year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 2010 after Westbrook won its first regional title in Eastern Class A.

“What better transition for a program with the same coach for 39 years than to have one of the proteges from that coach take the reins,” Deering Athletic Director Melanie Craig told The Forecaster.

FIELD HOCKEY

YORK 3, CAPE ELIZABETH 1: Sydney Bouchard netted a pair of goals and assisted on Cassie Reinertson’s goal, leading the Wildcats (5-1) past the Capers (2-3) in York.

Isabel Berman pulled the Capers within one when she scored from a scramble with 8:25 left, but Bouchard countered two minutes later.

YARMOUTH 7, GRAY-NEW GLOUCESTER 0: Lydia Guay scored three goals to lead the Clippers (5-1) over the Patriots (1-5) in Yarmouth.

Kyaira Grondin added two goals and an assist, and Maggie Gunville had a goal and an assist. Cate Ralph netted the other goal, and Emilie Martin recorded three assists.

SACOPEE VALLEY 4, OLD ORCHARD BEACH 0: Grace Sanborn got her first varsity goal and Haiden Sawyer had two assists for the Hawks (5-1) in a win over the Seagulls (0-4-1) in Hiram.

Savanna Marlowe, Tiffany Garland and Isabelle Eldridge also scored.

BOOTHBAY 6, HALL-DALE 0: Sydney Meader scored three goals and Chloe Arsenault added two as the Seahawks (6-1) downed the Bulldogs (2-5) in Farmingdale.

Page Brown added a goal and an assist for Boothbay, which led 3-0 at halftime.

GIRLS’ SOCCER

CHEVERUS 2, PORTLAND 0: Emma Gallant’s two first-half goals provided the margin of victory for the Stags (4-1) against the visiting Bulldogs (1-5).

Gallant converted Caroline Taylor’s assist 13:36 into the match, then scored on a free kick from 22 yards with four minutes left in the first half.

OLD ORCHARD BEACH 1, ST. DOMINIC 1: Emma Theriault scored for St. Dom’s (3-1-1) on a 30-yard free kick three minutes into the match, and Shani Plante countered for OOB (3-1-1) in the second half as the teams played to a tie in Auburn.

Plante scored off a corner kick from Payje Leclerc.

OAK HILL 4, WISCASSET 1: Sydney Drew scored a pair of goals and added an assist to lift the Raiders (6-0) to a victory in Wales.

Vanessa Dunn scored for the Wolverines (4-2).

BOYS’ SOCCER

MARSHWOOD 5, WINDHAM 1: Turner Goodenough scored three goals, and the Hawks (4-3) jumped out to a 4-1 lead at halftime against the Eagles (2-4) in Windham.

Sam Fitzgerald and Henry Honkonen added a goal apiece.

Andrew Sayer scored for Windham.