13 Feb 2026 5 min read Newsletters

Newsletter #34...There's nothing like February Madness

Between now and next Saturday, girls' hockey will crown its state champion, the boys' hockey regular season will come to a close and the basketball tournaments in Augusta, Bangor and Portland will whittle their way down from the quarterfinals to regional champions.

Oh by the way, there will also be state champions crowned in wrestling, indoor track and skiing.

It's going to be a heck of a ride and while it's exhausting (I'll sleep in March), it's an awful lot of fun too.

Saturday night in Auburn, Yarmouth/Freeport and Cheverus will square off in the girls' hockey state game for the third time in four years.

Yarmouth/Freeport advanced with wins over Brunswick and the Edward Little co-op team, which handed it both of its losses.

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Cheverus, meanwhile, earned hard-fought wins over Falmouth/Scarborough and the Biddeford/Kennebunk/Thornton Academy/Sanford/Wells co-op, not allowing a single goal in 90 minutes of postseason action so far.

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Cheverus beat Yarmouth/Freeport in both the 2023 (3-2) and 2024 (4-0) state games. The Stags are looking their fourth consecutive crown, while Yarmouth/Freeport is eagerly seeking their first.

It could be a classic.

The Expo basketball tournament commences Friday afternoon at the Portland Exposition Building with the Class B South girls' quarterfinals.

The highly-anticipated Class A South boys' quarterfinals will garner everyone's attention Saturday afternoon and evening at the Expo.

After a day off to come up for air, action resumes Monday afternoon and evening at the Expo, as the Class B South take center-stage.

The quarterfinals culminate Tuesday at the Expo with Class A South girls' action.

The semifinals are Wednesday and Thursday at the Expo.

The Class B South boys' and girls' regional finals are Friday, Feb. 20, at the Expo.

The Class A South boys' and girls' regional finals are Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Cross Insurance Arena across town.

Look for game updates on Twitter @foresports, blanket coverage throughout the tournament at Hoffer's High School Sports and come back often for the most detailed game stories you'll find anywhere.

Falmouth football announces new coach

Falmouth's football team announced last week that Brandon Dorsett is taking over as head coach, replacing Spencer Emerson, who stepped down after two seasons, which included a run to the program's first-ever state title in 2024.

Dorsett played at Portland High School, then played at the junior college level in Iowa before competing for Colorado State University. He previously served as the head coach at Westbrook and Brunswick and served as an assistant at South Portland and at Falmouth, where he's spent the past two seasons.

The Navigators went 6-4 last season, losing to Kennebunk in the Class B South semifinals, 21-20.

From Yarmouth to Gorham

After leading Yarmouth's girls' soccer team to a pair of Class B state titles, Andrew Higgins recently stepped down as the Clippers coach.

Higgins will make his next stop in Gorham, where he replaces Jeanne Zarrilli as the Rams' girls' soccer coach (Zarrilli is now coaching the Southern Maine Community College women).

In case you missed it...

Game stories from the past week...

Yarmouth/Freeport beats Brunswick in semifinals

Freeport girls eliminate Yarmouth in preliminary round

Yarmouth/Freeport upsets Red Hornets in regional final

Cheverus girls punch state game ticket again

Gray-New Gloucester boys hold off Cape in prelim

There's also a feature story from this week, on the Cape Elizabeth girls' basketball team, which fell just short of the tournament after a bounce-back season, and its very bright future:

Media

Last Friday's Middays with Mannix and Mannix spot on WJAB:

https://thebigjab.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MMM-2-6-26-Michael-Hoffer.mp3

Last Saturday, Travis Lee was kind enough to let me join him for the 11th annual Hoops8 Basketball Tournament Preview. In case you missed it, here links to the show's segments:

Part 1: https://www.wmtw.com/.../hoops-8-tourney-special.../70277742

Part 2: https://www.wmtw.com/.../hoops-8-tourney-special.../70277739

Part 3: https://www.wmtw.com/.../hoops-8-tourney-special.../70277716

Part 4: https://www.wmtw.com/.../hoops-8-tourney-special.../70277688

Part 5: https://www.wmtw.com/.../hoops-8-tourney-special.../70277686

Part 6: https://www.wmtw.com/.../hoops-8-tourney-special.../70277678

Prediction

Unfortunately, my Super Bowl pick was correct, giving me a final record of 14-7 this season.

Predictions will return in the fall for high school football and the Patriots.

Features

Hoffer's High School Sports, in conjunction with cPort Credit Union, named South Portland senior boys' basketball standout Darius Johnson as our Athlete of the Week.