Southern: Another exciting week in the books

The fun continued for local teams last week and as summer gives way to fall, it’s clear that the best is yet to come.

Here’s a glimpse:

Football

Scarborough’s Tim Crockett looks for running room during last week’s home win over Marshwood. Ben McCanna / Portland Press Herald

All three local football teams are 2-1 after last weekend’s action.

Scarborough made it two straight victories by holding off visiting Marshwood, the four-time reigning Class B champion, 29-28, in a thriller.

The Hawks marched the field to start the game and went ahead 7-0, but Scarborough roared right back. After a long run from Griffin Denbow, Tim Crockett hinted at a huge night to come with a 3-yard TD run to tie it up. Two plays in the second period, Marshwood took the lead again, but again, the Red Storm countered as quarterback De’Angelo Alston hit Charlie Murray for an electric 38-yard touchdown pass to even things up again, 14-14.

Scarborough would get the ball to begin the second half and went ahead to stay when Crockett scored on a 3-yard run and he added the two-point conversion rush and the Red Storm took a 22-14 lead to the fourth period. There, Crockett scored his third touchdown, from a yard out, six seconds in, but Scarborough wasn’t home free just yet. The Hawks answered like the champions they are, getting within a point before Crockett preserved the victory by blocking an extra point.

“We talked about it in practice and I just saw that the snapper was low and I just made a play,” Crockett said.

“I was ready for an overtime game, but we blocked it,” Murray said. “Timmy’s great. He’s stepped up in a big way this year. That block was a game-sealer.”

While Marshwood would have one last chance, a final desperation heave was intercepted by Red Storm Tom Hassett and Scarborough held on,

“It’s not the way we drew it up, but I’m proud of the way our guys fought,” said Scarborough coach Packy Malia. “It’s a rare thing these days to see guys fight back when they fall behind. This is very good for us. A lot of people were talking when the schedule came out and said we’d be lucky to win one of our first three games, but we’ve come out 2-1, so I’m pretty happy.”

The Red Storm finished with 411 yards of offense.

Crockett excelled with three TDs and 31 yards on just six rushes. He also caught five passes for 53 yards and completed a pass for seven yards. Alston wound up 13-of-28 passing, good for 186 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Murray had four catches for 83 yards and a score and ran seven times for 79 yards. Denbow, despite being limited by injury, ran for 84 yards on 10 attempts.

Scarborough turned the ball over twice and committed six penalties for 59 yards.

“We’re still making a lot of mistakes offensively,” Malia said. “I don’t think anybody can really stop us, other than ourselves. We had penalties and dropped passes tonight.”

The Red Storm travel to 1-2 Lewiston Friday night.

“We obviously we need to shore some things up defensively,” Malia added. “We still have to have more consistency on offense.”

South Portland’s bid for its first 3-0 start since 2001 fell by the wayside with a tough 14-13 setback at Massabesic. Red Riots quarterback Jaelen Jackson scored an early touchdown, but South Portland couldn’t convert the extra point and led just 6-0 at the half. After the Mustangs went on top, the Red Riots scored again and took a 13-7 advantage to the fourth period, but with just 45 seconds remaining, Massabesic scored and added the extra point for the victory. South Portland hopes to bounce back Friday when it hosts Cape Elizabeth. It will be the first-ever countable meeting between the neighboring towns, aka the Filieo Bowl, as current Red Riots coach Aaron Filieo previously coached the Capers for 15 seasons (see pressherald/forecaster/forecaster-sports/ for game story).

Cape Elizabeth, the reigning Class C champion, bounced back from its loss at Wells by handling visiting Falmouth, 36-14, in the teams’ first meeting in a decade. The Capers struck first when quarterback Mike Foley scored on a 15-yard run for a 7-0 lead after one quarter. Foley’s 15-yard TD scamper then made it 14-0 at the half. Nick Laughlin added a 33-yard touchdown run in the third period and after the Navigators got on the board with an interception return, Foley put it away with two more scoring runs, the first from 24 yards out and the second from 10. Foley ran for 107 yards and four scores on 12 carries and Laughlin finished with 159 yards and a TD on 15 carries. Cape Elizabeth goes to South Portland Friday.

Boys’ soccer

Cape Elizabeth’s Andrew Trachimowicz heads the ball away during the Capers’ 2-1 victory over Waynflete Tuesday. Photo courtesy Lisa Mims.

Cape Elizabeth’s boys’ soccer team is off to its best start in a dozen years. The Capers improved to 5-0-1 after recent victories at Freeport (3-0) and at home over three-time reigning Class C champion Waynflete (2-1). Against the Falcons, Eddie Caldera scored twice and Alex van Huystee added a goal. In the win over the Flyers, Cape Elizabeth fell behind early, but tied it when Philip Coupe scored on a corner kick and Caldera produced the eventual game-winning goal on a penalty kick.

“We definitely knew this would be a very good game,” said Caldera. “It’s a good game against (Waynflete) every year.”

“Holding them off was tough,” Coupe said. “We knew we could do it. It’s fun to come away with the win.”

“It was a great game,” Raymond said. “They’re a very good team. It was a great test for our guys. I think we’re lucky to get them when we got them since they hadn’t hit the meat of their schedule yet.”

The Capers are at Lake Region Friday, then go to Poland Tuesday of next week.

“Things are going really well,” Raymond said. “We’ve played our rivals once and everybody is going to be different next time. I think there’s a lot of really good teams. I wouldn’t say one team has put itself above the rest. One of the best things about this group is they continue to have a great time. There’s a lot of fun and energy in practice. I think we’ll continue to improve as the season goes on.”

Scarborough and South Portland were unbeaten at press time.

The Red Storm improved to 5-0 last Wednesday with a 2-1 home victory over Kennebunk. Will Fallona and Kilson Joao had the goals and Nick Ouellette made five saves. Scarborough is at Biddeford Friday and hosts Falmouth in a pivotal showdown Monday (see pressherald.com/forecaster/forecaster-sports/ for game story).

South Portland improved to 6-0 after doubling up visiting Sanford (6-3), holding off host Gorham in a playoff rematch (1-0) and edging visiting Kennebunk (2-1). Against the Spartans, Josue Guerrero and Divin Mpinga both scored twice, while Joey Hanlon and Jayden Kim added one goal apiece. Curtis Metcalf scored the lone goal in the win over Gorham. Versus Kennebunk, Metcalf and Mpinga each scored once. The Red Riots go to Portland Saturday (see pressherald.com/forecaster/forecaster-sports/ for game story).

Greater Portland Christian School was 3-1 after a 4-1 loss to Islesboro and victories over Temple Academy (8-2) and Chop Point (3-2, in overtime). Isaiah Irish scored the lone goal in the setback. Against Temple Academy, Papa Osei had four goals, Irish three and Nicholas Boyce one. Osei had all three goals, including the one in OT, versus Chop Point. The Lions were home with Chop Point Wednesday.

Girls’ soccer

Cape Elizabeth freshman Maisie Rayback fights for possession during Tuesday’s 7-0 win at Waynflete. Michael Hoffer / For The Forecaster

On the girls’ side, three-time reigning Class B champion Cape Elizabeth continues to dominate all comers, improving to 6-0 on the year and 65-2 since the start of the 2018 season after recent victories over visiting Freeport (4-0) and host Waynflete (7-0). Against the Falcons, Evelyn Agrodnia had two goals and Noelle Mallory and Maisie Rayback added one apiece. In the win over the Flyers, Agrodnia had three goals, Mallory one goal and three assists and Heather Campbell, Caroline Concannon and CC Duryee added one apiece.

“I didn’t think I’d play this big a role this quickly, but it’s been really fun,” said Mallory, a freshman, who has 10 goals already this year.

“I think we’re working really, really well as a team and we have a good connection,” said Agrodnia, who has scored nine times. “I have a great group of people around me.”

“We’re getting goals all over the place,” added Capers’ coach Graham Forsyth. “We have four or five or six girls who can score any game. Evelyn’s had a few goals. Noelle is as strong a freshman as you can get. Heather Campbell has stepped up. (Senior) Piper (Duryee) has stepped up massively. It’s great to have that much of a threat attacking.”

Cape Elizabeth hopes to make it 15 straight victories Friday when it hosts Lake Region. The Capers are home versus Poland Tuesday.

“We’re slowly getting to where we want to be,” Forsyth said. “I think people look at our results and say it’s the same old Cape, but for teams that have played against us, there’s a little bit of fragility there. We go through spells where we’re easy to play against. The girls are willing to learn. We’re trying to get to a level where every game is domination.”

Scarborough improved to 5-0 after a 6-0 win at Kennebunk last week. Lana Djuranovic led the way with three goals and Delia Fravert, Paige Garlock and Ali Mokriski all finished with one. The Red Storm returned to action Thursday at home versus Biddeford and play at Falmouth Saturday.

South Portland fell to 1-5 after recent losses to visiting Gorham (3-0) and host Kennebunk (1-0). Katie O’Hare saved 13 shots versus Gorham and made eight saves in the loss to Kennebunk. The Red Riots hosted Portland Thursday and go to Marshwood next Thursday.

Field hockey

Cape Elizabeth Grace Gray takes a shot during a home victory over Yarmouth Monday. Gray scored five times in the win. Ben McCanna / Portland Press Herald

Cape Elizabeth’s field hockey team is hitting its stride. The Capers, who lost to York, 6-0, in their opener, have since won five straight, including recent victories over visiting Greely (5-0), host Lake Region (3-1) and visiting Yarmouth (7-1). Against the Rangers, Grace Gray scored twice and Sophia Chung, Clio Cook Sharp and Kaitlyn McIntyre also rattled the cage. In the win over the Lakers, McIntyre scored twice, Abbie Homicz also had a goal and Gray added three assists. Gray then stole the show versus the Clippers, scoring five times. McIntyre and Lulu Stoecklein also had goals in that one.

“I think losing to York really made us want to work harder,” Gray said. “We’re working hard to get everything down and work better as a team together.”

“It was nice for Grace put up the goals,” said Capers coach Maura Bisogni. She had a lot of assists last week, which is great because she’s getting a lot of attention and being marked pretty heavily. She’s a force up there, to say the least.”

Cape Elizabeth look to make it six straight Friday at Gray-New Gloucester. Saturday brings a trip to Greely and the Capers visit Fryeburg Academy Wednesday of next week.

Scarborough took a 4-0 record into Wednesday’s showdown at undefeated Biddeford (see pressherald.com/forecaster/forecaster-sports/ for game story). The Red Storm’s most recent outing resulted in a 6-0 win at South Portland/Westbrook last Thursday, as Stella Grondin and Daisy Stone had two goals apiece and Anjali Bhatnagar and Sabrina Ocampo added one each. Scarborough has a home showdown versus defending state champion Cheverus Friday, goes to Noble Monday and welcomes Kennebunk Tuesday of next week.

The South Portland/Westbrook co-op team earned its first victory last week, 1-0, at Portland/Deering, as Leah Cromarty scored the goal and Emily Keefe preserved the win with 11 saves. South Portland/Westbrook then fell to 1–1 after a 6-0 home loss to Scarborough and an 8-1 setback at Thornton Academy. Emily Keefe made 23 saves against the Red Storm and stopped 17 shots against the Golden Trojans. After hosting Windham Wednesday, South Portland/Westbrook is at Bonny Eagle Friday and goes to Gorham Tuesday of next week.

Volleyball

Scarborough’s defending Class A champion volleyball team, bounced back from its first loss with a dramatic 3-2 home win over Gorham last Friday. The Red Storm dropped the first two sets, but rallied to tie the final three to improve to 4-1 on the season. Scarborough was at Yarmouth in a showdown of defending champions Thursday (see pressherald.com/forecaster/forecaster-sports/ for story), hosts Biddeford in a rematch of last year’s Class A Final Monday and goes to Marshwood Wednesday of next week.

South Portland was 2-5 after losses at Yarmouth in straight sets (7-25, 25-27, 11-25) and at home to Sanford in four games. The Red Riots visit Thornton Academy Monday and welcome Windham Wednesday of next week.

Cape Elizabeth, a Class B state finalist last year, was 4-2 after a straight-set (25-21, 25-15, 25-19) home win over Wells and a 3-0 loss at York in recent action. After playing at Westbrook Thursday, the Capers host Biddeford Saturday and go to Falmouth Tuesday of next week.

Cross country

On the trails, local teams converged in Gorham Saturday for the Southern Maine Classic.

The Scarborough boys were second to Portland, with South Portland placing fifth and Cape Elizabeth 15th. Individually, the Red Storm were paced by Adam Bendetson (third in a time of 15 minutes, 44.21 seconds). The Red Riots’ top finisher was Kyle Hartford (14th, 16:58.85). The Capers were led by Finn Morris (22nd, 17:18.48).

In the girls’ meet, won by Bonny Eagle, Cape Elizabeth was third, Scarborough 10th and South Portland 12th. Capers junior Hadley Mahoney was first individually in 17:55.63. The Red Storm were paced by Kyleigh Record (22nd, 21:03.45). The Red Riots’ top finisher was Anna Brown (33rd, 21:31.24).

Golf

On the links, Scarborough continues to surge, improving to 7-0 after recent victories over reigning Class A champion Falmouth (11-2) and Cheverus (7.5-5.5).

South Portland improved to 5-2 after downing Deering (13-0) and Portland (11.5-1.5).

Cape Elizabeth beat Freeport, Poland and York at a match last week. The Capers had a team score of 169, besting the Wildcats (174), Falcons (181) and Knights (198).