Summer weather made a welcome return in recent days, but the focus around here is on autumn, as local fall teams continue to impress.

The biggest games and events are yet to come and here’s a glimpse at what you might have missed and what’s upcoming:

Football

Freeport’s football team improved to 2-0 last Friday with a 38-8 home win over Lake Region. The Falcons were coming off a bye, but remained sharp, going up, 8-0, on Adam Ulrickson’s 17-yard run and Colby Petrin’s two-point conversion rush less than a minute into the contest. Later in the first quarter, quarterback Anthony Panciocco hit Caden Benedict for a 42-yard score and Ulrickson rushed for two more points and a 16-0 advantage. A 36-yard touchdown pass from Panciocco to Aidan Michaud and an 84-yard TD burst by Tre Morris made it a 32-0 contest at the half. Petrin’s 2-yard touchdown run accounted for Freeport’s final points. The Falcons had 237 rushing yards.

“We had some time to prepare, as we had two weeks of film on (Lake Region),“ Panciocco said. “I think we were prepared and it showed on the scoreboard.”

“You never know coming out of a bye how it’s going to go,” Freeport coach Paul St. Pierre said. “Luckily, we had two weeks to heal, rest and prepare. Guys hadn’t played in two weeks and really wanted to get out there.”

The Falcons hope to improve to 3-0 Saturday when they go to 1-2 Fryeburg Academy. The teams didn’t play a year ago.

The Falmouth/Greely co-op team lost its second game in a row and fell to 1-2 after a 48-0 setback at Oxford Hills. The Yachtsmen were down, 20-0, after one quarter and 41-0 at the half.

Falmouth/Greely is home against 2-1 Mt. Blue Friday. The teams didn’t meet in 2018.

Yarmouth also fell to 1-2 after a 14-12 loss at Maranacook. Jack McGrath scored both touchdowns, on runs of 5-yards and 1-yard.

The Clippers finally play at home Friday when 2-1 Mt. Ararat pays a visit. The teams didn’t meet last season.

Boys’ soccer

Falmouth’s boys’ soccer team rallied for a 2-2 tie at Kennebunk, then blanked host Deering, 3-0, last week to improve to 4-0-1. In the deadlock, Gus Ford and Charlie Adams scored. In the victory, Adams, Sam Gearin and Mason Farr had the goals.

“We’re good in the air and everyone on defense is fast,” said Gearin. “We don’t give up many chances.”

“We want to get better each day,” said longtime Falmouth coach Dave Halligan. “That’s our goal. If we do, the wins will take care of themselves.”

The Yachtsmen were home with Bonny Eagle Tuesday, go to Cheverus Friday (see pressherald.com/forecaster-sports/ for game story) and welcome Windham Tuesday of next week.

Yarmouth remained perfect after winning last week at defending Class B South champion Freeport (1-0) and at home over defending Class D state champion North Yarmouth Academy (8-0). Liam Ireland scored the only goal against the Falcons.

“It was a battle, but we played well as a team and we grinded it out,” Ireland said. “It was a tough challenge. They had injuries, so when we play them again, we’ll have to play even harder.”

“I’m pleased with the outcome,” said longtime Clippers coach Mike Hagerty, who has never lost to Freeport in his 23 seasons. “It felt like we moved the ball well. There’s not a lot of separation between the top teams. Any of us can knock off any of the other teams on any night.”

In the win over the Panthers, Cam Merrill scored twice and Ireland, Sutter Auger, Alejandro Coury, David Hattan, Thomas Kuhn and Will Nicholas all had one goal. Yarmouth (6-0) hosted Fryeburg Academy Tuesday, welcomes Poland Saturday and goes to York Tuesday of next week.

Greely beat host Fryeburg Academy (5-1) and visiting Waynflete (1-0) last week to improve to 3-1-1. In the win over the Raiders, Silas Cunningham, Ethan Fraser, Samuel Jenkins, Aidan Melville and Jonathon Piesik all had goals. In the victory over the defending Class C champion Flyers, who were unbeaten in 21 straight games, Nathaniel Dudek scored late in the first half and goalkeeper Schuyler Wetmore made eight saves.

“I got subbed in and I had to switch with my partner quickly and that didn’t give them time to set up and focus on my position,” said Dudek, of his goal. “I just ran and swerved and the ball was right there.”

“We had a couple humbling games, so it’s nice to come out and get a win against a top team,” said Wetmore.

“Waynflete’s that good,” added Rangers coach Mike Andreasen. “Look what they’ve done in recent years. I don’t want to use the word surprised, but I’m happy to beat them.”

Greely was home with Gray-New Gloucester Tuesday and plays at Cape Elizabeth Tuesday of next week.

Freeport, which has played several games with key players injured, fell to 2-2-1 after 1-0 losses last week at home to Yarmouth and at York.

“It’s frustrating, but it gives some of the other guys a chance to play minutes that we’ll need from them at the end of the season,” said Falcons’ coach Bob Strong, after losing to the Clippers. “I think we leave this game a better team.”

Freeport was at Cape Elizabeth in a regional final rematch Tuesday (see pressherald.com/forecaster-sports/ for game story), hosts Wells Thursday, visits Traip Academy Saturday and goes to Poland Tuesday of next week.

NYA fell to 1-4-1 after shutout losses last week at home against Richmond (2-0) and at Yarmouth (8-0). Alexandre Saul made a dozen saves against the Clippers. After playing at Lake Region Wednesday, the Panthers host St. Dom’s Saturday and go to Richmond Tuesday of next week.

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, Freeport took a 5-0 record into Tuesday’s showdown at defending Class B champion Cape Elizabeth (see pressherald.com/forecaster-sports/ for game story). Last week, the Falcons defeated host Yarmouth (1-0) and York (2-0). Catriona Gould scored the lone goal against the Clippers on a penalty kick and Leah Rusiecki made saves. In the win over the Wildcats, Gould and Carly Intraversato each tickled the twine. Freeport is at Wells Thursday, hosts St. Dom’s Saturday and welcomes Poland Tuesday of next week.

Yarmouth fell to 3-1-1 after a 1-0 home loss to Freeport last week. The Clippers went to Fryeburg Academy Tuesday, visit Poland Saturday and play at York Tuesday of next week.

Greely lost its first four games, but bounced back last week with a pair of wins, 5-0 at Poland and 9-3 at home to Fryeburg Academy. Katherine Clancy and Kaci O’Grady both scored twice, while Chelsea Gravier had the other goal in the win over the Knights. In the win over the Rangers, Sawyer Dusch had three goals, while Clancy, Gravier, O’Grady, Paige Evans, Ellie Holt and Elle Joliet all finished with one. The Rangers (2-4) visit Waynflete Saturday and host Cape Elizabeth Tuesday of next week.

Falmouth was also unbeaten at press time, taking a 4-0-1 mark into Wednesday’s showdown at Bonny Eagle. Last week, the Yachtsmen played visiting Kennebunk to a 1-1 draw, then blanked visiting Deering, 4-0. Lexi Bugbee had the goal against Kennebunk.

“It wasn’t our best performance, we left our style of play,” Falmouth coach Andrew Pelletier said. “We played differently due to a bit of pressure. Kennebunk played really well tonight and kudos to them.”

In the win, Jayda Gamedah had two goals and Abby Ford and Alyse Guerin finished with one apiece. The Yachtsmen welcome undefeated Cheverus in a pivotal battle Saturday mornin (see pressherald.com/forecaster-sports/ for game story) and play at Windham Tuesday of next week.

Defending Class D champion NYA improved to 5-0-1 after downing host Richmond (1-0) and visiting Rangeley (9-0) last week and host Old Orchard Beach (8-3) Monday. Natalie Farrell had the goal and goalkeepeer Carly Downey made six saves.

“We came out ready for the pressure,” Downey said. We had to stay back and be ready as our midfielders had to drop more and stay connected, move as one. I think we did a pretty good job with that in the second half.”

In the win over the Lakers, Farrell scored four times, Serena Mower added three goals and Angel Huntsman and Lila Jackson had one goal apiece. Against the Seagulls, Mower had four goals, while Farrell, Huntsman, Rylie McIntyre and Alev Yilmaz had one apiece. The Panthers are home with Traip Academy Saturday and welcome Richmond Tuesday of next week.

Field hockey

Freeport’s field hockey team has returned to form, bouncing back from a 2-1 loss at York in a regional final rematch last Tuesday to beat visiting Fryeburg Academy (3-1), host Yarmouth (4-0) and visiting Wells (7-2), improving to 5-2-1 in the process. Aynslie Decker, Kyla Havey and Ally Randall scored in the win over the Raiders. Against the Clippers, Decker and Randall scored in the first half, Autumn Golding and Sydney Silva added second half goals and defensive standout and captain Rachel Harmon made a tremendous defensive save late to preserve the shutout.

“I wanted that shutout,” Harmon said. “There’s nothing more I want than to save a goal.”

In the win over the Warriors, Decker had two goals and Golding, Harmon, Havey, Faith Cleaves and Hannah Groves all had one.

Freeport hosts defending Class B South champion York Wednesday evening in a pivotal showdown (see pressherald.com/forecaster-sports/ for game story) and goes to Greely Tuesday of next week.

“We get York on turf and if we can play like we did against Fryeburg and (Yarmouth), I hope to give them a really good game,” Falcons’ coach Marcia Wood said. “We have to stay focused. We need to keep scoring. We can’t have droughts.”

Yarmouth downed host Greely (2-1) and lost at home to Freeport (4-0) last week, then beat visiting Gray-New Gloucester, 2-0, Monday to improve to 4-3 at the midway point. In the win over the Rangers, Abby Hill and Anna Pires scored the goals. In the loss, Cassie Walsh made a half dozen saves.

“We just couldn’t get it going,” Clippers’ coach Tracy Quimby said. “We’ll keep working at it. We want to string together a couple good games and move forward.”

Against the Patriots, Hill and Arabella Solari rattled the cage. Yarmouth is home versus Cape Elizabeth Friday and goes to Fryeburg Academy Tuesday of next week.

Greely enjoyed a 2-1 home overtime win over Gray-New Gloucester last week, then fell to 2-5 after losses to visiting Yarmouth (2-1) and at Fryeburg Academy (5-0). Haley McAuslin scored against the Clippers. The Rangers go to Poland Friday and welcome Freeport Tuesday of next week.

Falmouth enjoyed recent wins at Noble (2-1) and at home over Gorham (1-0) to improve to 3-4. Mary Kate Bayer and Sarah Wentworth had the goals in the victory over the Knights. Against the Rams, Veronica Grobe scored. The Yachtsmen were at South Portland Tuesday, host Massabesic Thursday and go to Marshwood Wednesday of next week.

NYA lost, 5-0, at Gray-New Gloucester last week, then improved to 2-4 Monday with a 7-0 home win over Sacopee Valley. Katie Larson, Emilia McKenney and Lilly Weinrich all had two goals, while Brynn McKenney scored the other in the victory. The Panthers were at St. Dom’s Tuesday, host Traip Academy Friday and welcome St. Dom’s Tuesday of next week.

Volleyball

Falmouth’s defending Class A state champion volleyball team extended its win streak to 17 matches after blanking host Deering and visiting Greely (25-8, 25-11, 25-13) last week. Annika Hester had 14 kills and Katie Phillips added 13 against the Rangers. After hosting Portland Tuesday, the Yachtsmen (5-0) welcome Marshwood Thursday, then go to Biddeford Tuesday of next week.

Yarmouth’s defending Class B champion squad won its fifth successive match and improved to 5-1 after blanking host York (25-20, 25-20, 25-17) Friday. Maggie Murray led the way with 15 kills. The Clippers were home versus Nokomis Tuesday, go to Brewer Saturday and visit Wells Tuesday of next week.

Greely fell to 1-4 after a four-set home loss to Cheverus (25-22, 21-25, 14-25, 23-25) and a three-set setback at Falmouth (8-25, 11-25, 13-25) last week. In the loss to the Stags, Katie Fitzpatrick had seven kills and Eliza Rowland finished with eight aces. Audrey Boyle had 12 digs and Samantha Goldburg five kills against the Yachtsmen. The Rangers are home versus Gardiner Friday, go to Mt. Desert Island Saturday and welcome Nokomis Tuesday of next week.

NYA lost at home in three games to York last Wednesday, then evened its record at 3-3 with a five-set victory at Cony (25-19, 20-25, 16-25, 25-9, 15-11). The Panthers are home against Westbrook Friday and welcome Woodland and Calais Saturday.

Cross country

Greely took part in the Manchester (New Hampshire) Invitational meet last weekend. The Rangers boys were fifth, the best showing of a team from Maine, and were led by Sam Wilson (15th individually in 17 minutes, 18 seconds). The Greely girls came in 17th. Marin Provencher (18th, 21:01) was the top individual.

Freeport and Maine Coast Waldorf joined Sacopee Valley and Traip Academy at Gray-New Gloucester. The MCW boys were first, as Aiden Kusche (18:26) and Seamus Woodruff (18:30) were the top two individuals. Freeport came in second and was paced by Martin Horne (third, 18:40). MCW was first in the girls’ meet too, as Olivia Reynolds (22:09.20) was tops individually. The Falcons came in second as a team and featured second-place individual Jillian Wight (23:00.90).

Falmouth ran with Biddeford, Kennebunk and Thornton Academy at Deering. Falmouth won the girls’ meet. Maeve Walsh led the way with a third-place finish (23:16). In the boys’ meet, the Yachtsmen were third behind the hosts and Kennebunk. Michael Smoluk finished seventh (17:49).

Friday, Falmouth joins Deering, Portland, Sanford and South Portland at Westbrook, Yarmouth hosts Freeport, MCW, Gray-New Gloucester, St. Dom’s and Traip Academy, Greely is home with Cape Elizabeth, Waynflete and York and NYA welcomes Old Orchard Beach and Wells.

Golf

Freeport’s golf team improved to 9-1-1 after wins last week over Cape Elizabeth (7-1) and Poland (7-0).

Falmouth entered the week 4-2 after a 9.5-3.5 win over Cheverus and a 7.5-5.5 loss to Portland last week. The Yachtsmen finished with home matches versus South Portland and Scarborough.

Greely was 6-3 after an 11-2 win over Westbrook and a 7-6 loss to Thornton Academy last week and a 8.5-4.5 loss to Gorham Monday. The Rangers close at home with Bonny Eagle Thursday.

NYA finished the regular season 9-5 after  7-0 wins over Lake Region and Old Orchard Beach.

Yarmouth finished the regular season 3-7 after a 6-1 win over Poland and a 4-3 loss to Gray-New Gloucester.

The WMC state match qualifier was Tuesday. The SMAA state meet qualifier will be held Monday.

Journal Tribune staff writer Sam Bonsey and Times Record staff writer Eric Maxim contributed to this story.

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

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