By Michael Hoffer
MaxPreps.com
It's been a busy week for high school sports in the state of Maine as a huge pool of championship contenders has been whittled down to a mere few in baseball, softball and lacrosse. Track and tennis have completed their seasons and championships were won in stirring fashion.
Baseball: Deering Still Looking Good
Deering went undefeated this spring and earned the top seed in the Western A playoffs. Easy wins over South Portland and Biddeford sent the Rams to the regional final where upstart Westbrook awaits, a team many thought was a year away. In Eastern A, top-ranked Brewer meets No. 6 Hampden Academy.
In Western B, two surprise teams, No. 3 Lincoln Academy and No. 9 Cape Elizabeth, square off. The Eastern B title will come down to No. 2 Gardiner and No. 4 Old Town.
In Western C, No. 3 St. Dom's plays No. 4 Livermore Falls. The Eastern C title comes down to No. 1 George Stevens Academy and No. 2 Searsport.
Western D features top-ranked Richmond playing No. 2 Rangeley. The Eastern D Final will be contested by No. 2 Katahdin and No. 4 Southern Aroostook.
State final games are Saturday in Bangor and Standish.
Softball: Scarborough Still Rolling
On the softball side, defending Class A state champion Scarborough continues to dominate. The Red Storm, who haven't lost since the 2006 regional semifinals, held off Cheverus and South Portland to set up a date with No. 2 Biddeford in the regional final. In the east, No. 1 Brewer and second-ranked Bangor do battle.
In Western B, defending state champion Cape Elizabeth, the third seed, meets top-ranked Fryeburg in the regional final. Winslow, ranked third, and No. 8 Medomak Valley play in the Eastern B Final.
In Western C, top-ranked Georges Valley battles No. 3 Telstar. The top two teams, Sumner and Calais, meet for the Eastern C title.
In Western D, No. 1 Richmond and No. 2 Buckfield meet for the right to go to the state final. The winner will face the winner of Eastern D, either No. 1 Ashland or No. 3 Bangor Christian.
The state championship games for all classes are Saturday in Brewer and Standish.
Boys Lacrosse: NYA and Yarmouth Meet Again
The 2008 season has been the best to date for the sport of boys lacrosse in Maine. A new tiered schedule led to an abundance of memorable contests. All four regional finals are compelling.
Yarmouth and North Yarmouth Academy square off yet again in Eastern B. The winner gets either Cape Elizabeth or upstart Greely in the state final.
In Western A, Scarborough is in its third straight regional final and hoped to get past No. 8 Kennebunk. The Rams upset top-ranked Thornton Academy and No. 5 Cheverus to advance. The Eastern A Final came down to (no surprise) No. 1 Lewiston and No. 2 Brunswick, who were as close as close can be in the regular season. Both teams won on the other's field and the squads wound up tied in the final Heal Points standings, necessitating a coin toss which determined the Blue Devils would earn the top seed.
The Class A and B state championships are Saturday in Portland.
Girls Lacrosse: Waynflete Closing on Crown
Waynflete's season of dominance was just two wins shy of another state title when the Flyers hosted Greely in the Western B Final Wednesday.
Waynflete crushed the Rangers in the regular season and have annually broken Greely's heart in the playoffs. The winner of that game will get either North Yarmouth Academy or Yarmouth in the state final. The crosstown rivals met for the fifth year in a row in the regional final, with the home team winning the previous four.
In Western A, Scarborough's second half surge earned it the top seed and the Red Storm reached the regional final where they faced defending Western B champion Kennebunk (which moved up a class this spring). The winner of that game will almost certainly face undefeated Brunswick (which plays Oxford Hills in its regional final) in Saturday's state game.
The Class A and B state championship games are Saturday in Portland.
Michael Hoffer is the sports editor of The Forecaster, a family of weekly newspapers based in Falmouth. Michael can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net
