The spring sports season, circa 2024, had to be seen to be believed.

And even then, there were times it was seemingly beyond belief.

For the most part, Mother Nature was gentle and local athletes rose to the occasion from mid-April right through the middle of June, providing drama and winning games, matches and meets in memorable fashion.

Every sport saw at least two champions crowned from our small coverage area, a staggering feat.

And those titles weren’t run of the mill, either. They came in the most scintillating fashion possible.

Before we soak up what’s left of summer and think about a fall sports season that’s closer than you might think, let’s hail the finest athletes and teams that the spring of 2024 had to produce:

Spring state championship teams

Cheverus Stags softball, Class A
Falmouth Navigators boys’ lacrosse, Class A
Falmouth Navigators boys’ tennis, Class A
Falmouth Navigators girls’ tennis, Class A
Greely Rangers girls’ lacrosse, Class B
Greely Rangers boys’ outdoor track, Class B
Greely Rangers girls’ outdoor track, Class B
North Yarmouth Academy Panthers softball, Class D
Scarborough Red Storm baseball, Class A
Scarborough Red Storm girls’ outdoor track, Class A
South Portland Red Riots boys’ outdoor track, Class A
Waynflete Flyers girls’ lacrosse, Class C
Waynflete Flyers boys’ tennis, Class C
Yarmouth Clippers baseball, Class B
Yarmouth Clippers boys’ lacrosse, Class B
Yarmouth Clippers girls’ lacrosse, Class A
Yarmouth Clippers boys’ tennis, Class B

Spring regional champions/state runners-up

Cape Elizabeth Capers boys’ lacrosse, Class A
Falmouth Navigators girls’ lacrosse, Class A
Freeport Falcons girls’ lacrosse, Class B
Waynflete Flyers girls’ tennis, Class C South
Yarmouth Clippers girls’ tennis, Class B South

Spring individual state champions

Tennis
Sofia Mavor, Yarmouth, girls’ singles

Outdoor track
Ruby Prentiss, Falmouth, Class A girls’ shot put
Ruby Prentiss, Falmouth, Class A girls’ discus
Samuel Anania, Greely, Class B boys’ pole vault
Jacqueline Franklin, Greely, Class B girls’ 400
Owen Partridge, Greely, Class B boys’ 400
Victoria Zandan, Greely, Class B girls’ 300 hurdles
Victoria Zandan, Greely, Class B girls’ long jump
Graca Bila, NYA/MCW, Class C girls’ 200
Graca Bila, NYA/MCW, Class C girls’ 300 hurdles
Rahel Delaney, NYA/MCW, Class C girls’ racewalk
Sarah Moore, NYA/MCW, Class C girls’ high jump
Sarah Moore, NYA/MCW, Class C girls’ long jump
Sarah Moore, NYA/MCW, Class C girls’ triple jump
Soren Stark-Chessa, NYA/MCW, Class C girls’ 800
Nathan Blades, Portland, Class A boys’ two-mile
Samantha Moore, Portland, Class A girls’ mile
Dylan Brown, Scarborough, Class A boys’ javelin
Laurel Driscoll, Scarborough, Class A girls’ two-mile
Emerson Flaker, Scarborough, Class A girls’ 100
Emerson Flaker, Scarborough, Class A girls’ 200
Emerson Flaker, Scarborough, Class A girls’ 400
Isabella Harmon, Scarborough, Class A girls’ pole vault
Kyleigh Record, Scarborough, Class A girls’ 800
Arnaud Sioho, South Portland, Class A boys’ 110 hurdles
Arnaud Sioho, South Portland, Class A boys’ 300 hurdles
Arnaud Sioho, South Portland, Class A boys’ long jump
Arnaud Sioho, South Portland, Class A boys’ triple jump
Ethan Hoffman, Yarmouth, Class B boys’ shot put

Michael’s top five games:

5 Windham 3 Cheverus 1 (softball)

On the afternoon of May 24, in the regular season finale, Windham hosted Cheverus in a battle of 15-0 softball teams. Not only were the teams’ perfect records at stake, but so was the top seed for the upcoming Class A South playoffs. The reigning state champion Eagles found out immediately that the Stags were legitimate, as Hailey Lamontagne hit an RBI single in the top of the first inning. With freshman ace Addison DeRoche, who had yet to surrender a run, on the mound, Cheverus appeared on its way to victory, but the Stags couldn’t solve Windham ace Brooke Gerry the rest of the way and after Gerry scored on a wild pitch to tie it in the fourth, Kennedy Kimball momentarily made DeRoche look mortal with a fifth inning home run and the Eagles tacked on one more run to take a two-run lead. In the top of the sixth, Cheverus loaded the bases with two outs and Ashley Connor threatened to play the hero when her blooper down the rightfield line dropped fast, but Windham’s rightfielder Kyla Harvie dove and made a highlight reel catch to preserve the lead and the Eagles held on to finish undefeated. The Stags, meanwhile, got ready for the rematch.

4 Yarmouth 5 York 4 (baseball)

It was a come-from-behind victory that only longtime Yarmouth coach Marc Halsted could pull from the recesses of his aggressive baserunning mind. In a Class B South semifinal that was twice delayed by thunder and lightning, the reigning regional champion Clippers were on the brink of going home, but refused to surrender and instead, produced one of the most scintillating, improbable victories in the program’s history. Third-ranked York went ahead with two runs in the first and after the first weather delay, second-seeded Yarmouth pushed across three in the bottom of the fourth. In the top of the fifth, the game was halted again and after it resumed, the Wildcats scored twice to lead, 4-3, an advantage they took to the bottom of the seventh. There, with one out, senior Andrew Cheever kept hope alive with a single, classmate David Swift followed with another single and senior Sam Lowenstein walked to load the bases. That brought up senior Jack Janczuk, who produced a bunt for the ages, as Cheever, the tying run came home with ease and when the throw went to first, Swift dashed home as well to win it, 5-4, and the Clippers’ heroics were just beginning.

3 Yarmouth 2 Greely 1 (baseball)

Yarmouth upped the dramatic ante even further in the Class B South Final against a terrific, top-ranked Greely squad. The Clippers fell behind, 1-0, after one inning, then left an abundance of base-runners on as they were stymied time and again. The only good news for Yarmouth as it equally flustered the Rangers, as they left the bases loaded on three occasions including in the bottom of the sixth, when they had a chance to break it open. In the top of the seventh, with one down, Lowenstein singled and Janczuk followed with a walk. When senior Sam Bradford struck out, the Clippers were truly on the brink of defeat. That brought up junior second baseman Alec Gagnon, a valuable player at different positions over the course of the season, now replacing senior leadoff man extraordinaire Matt Gautreau, who was sidelined by injury. Gagnon wasn’t having the best afternoon, making two errors and striking out with the bases loaded, but after he got down in the count two strikes, he worked it even, then came up with the biggest swing of his life, jolting everyone on hand by lining a two-run triple to center to score Lowenstein and Janczuk to put Yarmouth in front. Cheever slammed the door in the bottom of the seventh and the Clippers had the inspirational victory and four days later, they would cap their run by beating Caribou, with comparative ease, in the state game.

2 Yarmouth 13 York 12 (boys’ lacrosse)

Yarmouth’s flair for the dramatic wasn’t limited to the diamond this spring. The Clippers’ boys’ lacrosse team also did its part to give its followers gray hair and heart palpitations. After a solid 11-3 regular season, which was capped by a win at three-time Class A champion Cape Elizabeth, Yarmouth rolled past Gray-New Gloucester/Poland and Messalonskee to reach the Class B state final against a York squad which had eliminated it with ease in the 2023 semifinals and enjoyed a 14-7 win on the Clippers’ home turf during the regular season. This time, however, Yarmouth went toe-to-toe with the Wildcats for 48 minutes. Then one more for good measure. The Clippers fell behind early, 3-1, then scored five straight goals. York answered with a 4-1 run and the game was deadlocked, 7-7, at halftime. Yarmouth scored three goals in the third quarter and it held an 11-8 lead with under five minutes left, but the Wildcats rose up and rallied, pulling even, then going on top with just 15 seconds left. The Clippers were on the ropes, but somehow got off the canvas and with just 2.4 seconds to play, senior standout Colter Olson’s seventh assist of the day set up sophomore Hakon Yeo for an exhilarating tying goal. Then, a minute into the first “sudden victory” overtime session, Olson did it himself, scoring his fourth goal of the game, despite being swarmed by defenders, and Yarmouth had the most dramatic win in program history, as well as its seventh championship, 13-12.

1 Cheverus 2 Windham 0 (softball)

If you were one of the fortunate ones on hand June 11 at the University of Southern Maine, you’ll never forget what you saw. Arguably the finest softball game in state annals. Certainly the best pitcher’s duel. For the second time in less than three weeks, Cheverus and Windham matched up in front of an overflow crowd and this time, DeRoche and Gerry were almost untouchable and the game went on and on and on into the night. The second-seeded Stags and top-ranked Eagles kept going down by strikeout and neither team was able to score for nine innings. Something had to give and finally, in the top of the 10th, Delia Tremble and Kelsey Cassidy produced RBI hits to produce two runs. Then, in the bottom half, DeRoche, fittingly, capped the biggest win in program history (to date) with her 23rd strikeout (Gerry had 21) and after 2 hours and 36 minutes of high-intensity softball, Cheverus had a 2-0 victory that will long be hailed. Four days later, the Stags won their first ever state championship, but this is the game that will live on in legend.

Michael’s top five stories:

5 Utter dominance on the track

Our coverage area produced a pair of state championship outdoor track teams in Class A, as South Portland’s boys and Scarborough’s girls duplicated their triumph from the indoor season. If that wasn’t enough, both Greely teams won the Class B crown in the final event. An abundance of individuals finished atop the heap as well (see above).

4 Tennis (titles) anyone?

The story was similar on the tennis court. First, Yarmouth senior standout Sofia Mavor won the girls’ singles championship in late May. The team tournament saw an abundance of local squads raise the trophy as well. In Class A, Falmouth’s boys went back-to-back while the girls reversed last year’s narrow setback by beating Brunswick. Yarmouth’s boys won a fifth consecutive Class B crown while the Clippers girls fell just short. Waynflete’s boys continued their staggering streak by capturing Class C for a 16th straight season. The Flyers girls hoped to join the boys at the pinnacle but fell a point short.

3 Brilliance on the diamond

Baseball and softball featured top teams from the area enjoying championship celebrations June 15. Scarborough’s baseball team wasn’t expected to be the last Class A team standing, but the Red Storm were nearly perfect and downed Messalonskee for their first title in five years. Yarmouth survived a pair of mighty scares in the regional tournament, then handled Caribou in the state final for its first Class B crown since 2017. On the softball side, Cheverus made history with its first Class A title, while NYA went back-to-back in Class D.

2 Five out of six lacrosse titles

Of the six lacrosse state finals contest June 14-15 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland, only one didn’t end with a local team dancing in celebration. In Class A, Falmouth’s boys finally solved Cape Elizabeth when it mattered most and the Navigators won a championship for the first time in eight years, crushing the three-time reigning champion Capers, 18-5. Yarmouth’s girls, after ending Kennebunk’s reign in the semifinals, rode a second half surge to a 12-8 win over Falmouth in the state final, winning at the big class level for the first time. The following day, Yarmouth’s boys ended York’s Class B reign with a most memorable 13-12 overtime victory (see above). In the girls’ contest, Greely built a 7-1 halftime lead then held off a furious second half Freeport rally and three-peated, 8-7. Class C then saw the Waynflete girls defeat Wells, 14-7, for their first championship since 2021.

1 Clippers and Stags stand alone

Ultimately, it was Cheverus and Yarmouth stealing the majority of headlines. The Stags’ softball title capped a school year for the ages, one which also saw championships in field hockey, ice hockey and basketball. The Clippers won boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer and volleyball in the fall and had some individual glory in the winter, but they saved their best for spring, as in a four-day span, boys’ tennis won a fifth straight title, girls’ lacrosse captured an inspirational crown, boys’ lacrosse won in seemingly impossible fashion before baseball capped it off with a decisive victory in its state final.

We’ll never forget the spring of 2024!

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

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Clippers crowned champion, over and over and over and over again