Newsletter #35...Joy of victory and agony of defeat
If anything has become evident over the past week, it's that nothing approaches the thrill of victory in the month of February.
And there's nothing worse than falling short.
No one exulted quite like the Yarmouth/Freeport girls' hockey team, which finally ascended to the pinnacle last Saturday night with a hard-fought 1-0 overtime win over three-time reigning champion Cheverus.
Freshman Avery Guyer played the hero, scoring 4:40 into OT.
"It was an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment and relief," said Yarmouth/Freeport coach Dave Intraversato. "All of the girls' hard work came to fruition. Everyone was over the moon. The girls were so happy. Seeing the joy on their faces was amazing. I always prepare for a loss to have something ready to say to the kids, but it felt totally different to win it."
On the hardwood, no one had a bigger victory than the unheralded Scarborough boys, the No. 8 seed in Class A South, who stunned top-ranked, two-time reigning champion Windham in overtime, 66-62. Three players wound up in double figures and everyone who saw the court contributed.
"We all believed coming into this game," said Red Storm senior captain Carter Blanche. "No one out here thought we'd win, but the only thing that mattered was the people in our locker room. We all believed in each other."
"This one definitely ranks right at the top for me," said Scarborough coach Phil Conley, who has coached two teams to regional titles. "To come in and beat the two-time defending state champs, the one seed, it's an unbelievable feeling. I credit my kids. They've battled all year. People counted us out, but I didn't count my team out and they didn't count themselves out."
Portland's boys also sprung an upset, 34-33, over South Portland in a 6-seed-versus-3-seed contest. The Bulldogs never trailed, then held on for dear life at the end.
"It feels very good," said Portland senior Benilson Lumani, who had 13 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots. "The whole time, I was confident we could win. We always knew we were going to win. Even though they were coming back, we knew we could score more and win the game."
Cheverus' boys, the No. 5 seed in Class A South, watched as No. 4 Thornton Academy attempted a buzzer-beating shot that would have won the game, but the Stags survived, 61-60, when that shot was off the mark.
"I think I have a few more gray hairs for sure," said Stags coach Richie Ashley. "It's just survive and advance. We made enough plays to win."
Oh by the way, Cheverus and Portland each won their semifinal round games as well and will square off in the regional final Saturday night.
On the agony side of things, there were varying degrees of heartache.
Cheverus' girls' hockey team lost almost all of its offense from last year's title team and wasn't sure it would even be able to compete its season at one juncture, due to a small roster and injuries, but the Stags found a way to get back to the state game and take Yarmouth/Freeport to overtime before their reign finally ended.
"I had a really fun time," said Cheverus coach Scott Rousseau. "It was a special group. Tough and resilient. They had grit. They loved playing together and I loved coaching them. They gave me everything they could possibly give. We did some remarkable things. I loved these girls and they seemed to like me. We had a lot of fun. It was a very enjoyable experience."
Then there were the Greely and Windham girls' basketball teams, who had their respective hearts ripped out with a little more force.
The Rangers, ranked fourth in Class B South, went toe-to-toe with No. 5 Marshwood in the quarterfinals and with the game tied late, it appeared overtime was imminent, but instead, Hawks' senior captain Natalie Lathrop banked home an improbable 3-point game-winner at the horn to end Greely's season, 46-43.
"This one hurts," said Rangers coach Todd Flaherty. "We'll think about this for awhile. I told the girls that as a coach, I should have found two more points somewhere, but I just couldn't do it."
Windham, the No. 5 seed in Class A South, was on the brink of a huge upset when it led No. 4 Biddeford by two with under 30 seconds to play in the quarterfinals Tuesday, but Tigers' sophomore sharpshooter Natalia Silva hit a 3-pointer with 23 seconds to do after after an Eagles' turnover, two free throws put it away and Biddeford survived, 45-42, leaving Windham crestfallen but proud.
"It was a great game against a great basketball team with very good players," said Eagles coach Brody Artes. "There's nothing to hang our heads about. It's unfortunate, but I'm super-proud of how the kids battled. They did everything we asked them to do and more. I think we exceeded the expectations coming into the game tonight.
"I just told them I'm proud of them. I think they're proud of themselves. It stings right now but they'll look back and know they played a great game."
We'll leave the final word to Windham boys' coach Chad Pulkkinen, who, along with his assistant coaches and players, had tasted the highest of highs in winning the Gold Ball in 2024 and 2025, but not this time.
"It's definitely painful," said Pulkkinen. "The guys fought to the last horn. They gave me everything they had every day. We had high expectations and they never faltered. We came back and had opportunities to win the game. I'm just proud of my guys' character and how they fought through adversity. They played well. I still feel we're the best team in the state, but we came up short tonight. Still, there's a lot to be proud of."
In case you missed it...
Game stories from the past week...
Greely girls eliminated by Marshwood at buzzer
Freeport girls no match for top-ranked Gray-NG in quarterfinals
Portland boys upset South Portland in quarterfinals
Cheverus boys hang on for dear life, edge TA
Scarborough boys shock two-time champion Windham in OT
Yarmouth/Freeport beats Cheverus in OT for first championship
Yarmouth boys hold off Leavitt in quarterfinals
South Portland girls rally to beat Westbrook
Thornton Academy falls to Sanford in quarterfinals
Windham's upset bid falls just short against Biddeford
Cheverus girls oust Gorham in quarterfinals
Yarmouth boys survive York in OT classic
South Portland girls hold off Sanford to reach regional final
Cheverus girls rally to stun Biddeford in semifinals
Media
A couple of recent WGAN spots with Matt Gagnon:
Feb. 10: https://wgan.com/morning-news/hoffers-high-school-sports-21/
Feb. 17: https://wgan.com/morning-news/hoffers-high-school-sports-22/
Features
Hoffer's High School Sports, in conjunction with cPort Credit Union, named freshman Avery Guyer, of the Yarmouth/Freeport co-op girls' hockey team, as our Athlete of the Week.
Michael Hoffer
Tuesday brought a final Super-Six poll for girls' hockey.
Michael Hoffer
Thursday's Hoffer's High School Sports Podcast featured longtime Channel 8 sports director Travis Lee talking about his career.
Michael Hoffer
See you right back here next Friday.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone.
Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffersports@yahoo.com
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