SOFTBALL

Raiders 14, Lakers 1: Makayla Cooper belted a two-run home run and a two-run double to ignite a big second inning as Fryeburg rolled past Lake Region at the Academy last Wednesday.

FA took a 1-0 lead in the first as Mackenzie Buzzell singled, moved into scoring position on a Julia Quinn bunt, and scored on a Nicole Bennett base hit.

The Raiders broke the game open with eight runs in the second as 12 players went to bat. Lexi L’Heureux-Carland knocked a two-run single and Bennett whacked a two-run double.

Megan Fuller doubled and scored on a Buzzell hit in the third inning as Fryeburg plated four more runs.

The Lakers avoided the shutout in the fourth as Maddie Rock reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on an Ali Sawyer single. Sawyer also doubled as the Lakers managed six hits off Bennett. Jackie Morse had a pair of hits, while Kaylyn Lorrain and Liz Cole each singled.

Raiders 7, Sacopee 1: Lexi L’Heureux-Carland knocked three hits and Mackenzie Buzzell ripped a triple to pace an 11-hit FA attack as the Raiders rolled past the Hawks at the Academy.

The Raiders (9-4) had doubles from Makayla Cooper and Coen to build a 7-0 lead after five innings. The Hawks broke up pitcher Nicole Bennett’s shutout bid on a solo homerun by Jess Minor in the sixth inning. Sacopee finished with seven hits, and committed two errors.

Fryeburg scored runs in each of the first five innings. L’Heureuex-Carland was 3-for-3 and had two runs batted in, and Mackenzie Buzzell was two for three with three runs scored, and a RBI triple.

BOYS’ LACROSSE

NYA 15, Raiders 10: In a battle between the North and South in Class B, these two Western Maine Conference teams took to the field on a bright sunny day on the campus of Fryeburg Academy. The North prevailed 15-10, bringing North Yarmouth Academy’s record to 2-7, while the Raiders from Fryeburg Academy fell to 5-3.

Trevor LeChance of NYA got the game going just 19 seconds into the contest, giving the Panthers the quick 1-0 lead. NYA followed that goal up at 10:24 when Jeremy Thelven beat FA goalie Yukon King to up the lead to 2-0.

Fryeburg Academy would get on board at 8:56 when Jared Chisari found Evan Caracciolo for the one-timer. The Raiders were not going away and would tie the contest at 2 when Owen Feider-Sullivan found Jake Maidment running from behind the cage to beat Panther goalie Michael Pitts. The teams exchanged goals during the next few minutes. NYA took the lead on a goal by Jeremy Thelven and Fryeburg Academy responded with 3:02 remaining in the first quarter when Jared Chisari won the face-off and raced in to score, knotting the contest at 3 on a short hand goal. NYA scored in a man-up situation to give them a 4-3 lead with 2:25 in the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, the game would open up a little more. The Raiders tied the game at 4 when Jeremiah Schrader scored off a nice pass from Caleb Bowles. NYA responded with a mini run of its own, scoring the next two goals at 10:19 and 9:18.

FA countered on goals from Schrader and Maidment at 8:46 and 7:36, to tie the game at 6. After NYA broke the tie, Fryeburg Academy was up to the challenge by scoring three goals, one each from Schrader, Caracciolo and Maidment to give the Raiders the lead back 9-7 with 3:03 showing on the clock. With 2:50 left, NYA narrowed the deficit to 9-8.

The third quarter was a hard-fought game between the two teams as neither club could beat the goalies. With 4:25 showing on the clock, NYA scored on a goal from Johnson. The Panthers would score again with 1:04 left when LeChance would get a pass from Thelven to put NYA up 10-9.

In the fourth quarter, the Panthers scored the next two goals, pushing the lead up to 12-9. Jeremiah Schrader of FA scored his fourth goal of the game on a feed from Owen Feider-Sullivan, with 6:40 remaining to make it 12-10. The Raiders would fail to score again as the Panthers tallied three unanswered goals.

NYA had a slim shot advantage, 26-23, while FA freshman goalie Yukon King recorded 11 saves.

York 18, Raiders 12: Jeremiah Schrader tallied four goals and had an assist as the Raiders fell to the Wildcats. FA fired 30 shots, but freshman Derek Goldberg had 18 saves for the Cats.

FA goalie Yukon King turned away 16 shots.

Evan Caracciolo and Marcus Schneider each netted two goals for the Raiders, while Caleb Eklund, Ryan Carracciolo, Jared Chisari and Jake Maidment each had one goal. Eklund assisted on two scores.

BOYS’ TENNIS

To recap the final week of Fryeburg Academy boys’ tennis, the Raiders played their last regular season home match against Kent’s Hill.

Harry Yan produced the most exciting match of the year against Cormac Kenny with scores of 6-7, 5/7, 7-6, 7/5 and 10-8 in the third set tiebreaker.

Kevin Kim had a tough match against Sam Onion losing 1-6, and 3-6. Jake Zhu (new number 3 player) lost to Jason Friedman 0-6, 0-6. Number 1 doubles Alex Liu and Jason Huang lost to Owen McDonald and Jose Soler Martin 3-6, 3-6. Number 2 doubles Matthew Liu and Alen Ma lost to Sebastian Hogye and Jose Prunty-Russo 0-6, 1-6.

On Wednesday, May 18, the Raiders went to the MAISAD Tournament hosted by Hebron Academy. FA’s number 1 player Harry Yan played well, winning his first round against Max Peng of Hebron Academy 8-6. In the second round, he faced Wyman Ward of Gould Academy with Ward winning 8-4.

Kevin Kim played Sam Onion of Kent’s Hill, losing a tough match 8-6. FA’s top doubles team of Alex Liu and Jason Huang lost to Divekar/Nusser from Hebron Academy 8-0.

“The boys played well and represented Fryeburg Academy with class. The coaches all commented on the improvement and how hard they played,” Raider Coach Dick Valliere said. “This was a great group of boys. I am encouraged how far they’ve come and the possibility that next year brings.”

GIRLS’ ULTIMATE

Fryeburg Academy’s Ultimate Frisbee girls squared off against Cape Elizabeth last Wednesday after beating Cumberland 13-0 the previous week.

Cape scored first with a quick downwind point and proved to be the first real competition in Maine for the indomitable Fryeburg team.

Fryeburg answered with their own score thrown by Bridget Bailey to Emery O’Connell and the two teams traded downwind points to a score of 3-3. Then, Fryeburg made some adjustments to their defense to stymie Cape’s progress. And as the wind intensified, they zeroed in on every throw and catch, rallying for three, two of them upwind, and brought the score to 6-3. Cape scored once more before Fryeburg was able to take it to halftime with a score of 7-4.

In the second half, it was all Fryeburg, who outscored Cape six to one for a final score of 13-5.

Bailey led the offense, throwing eight assists and scoring once herself. Quick and confident handler movement kept the disc away from Cape’s quick and athletic team. Esmeralda Hernandez found her end zone connection with Bailey’s great throws, scoring five. Emery O’Connell caught three scores and another two went to Anna Mahanor.

On Saturday, the Raiders hit the road, heading to Lyndon Institute in Vermont. The Kingdom Ultimate Tournament was a great opportunity for development of younger players, adding depth to the line as the state tournament approaches this weekend.

In a first round matchup against St. Johnsbury Academy, Bridget Bailey and Emmajo Armington led the team with punishing up-line cuts. Bailey threw for seven assists and Armington for two. Eight different players scored with freshman standout Mae Milo throwing two assists and scoring twice. Her defensive work, along with sisters Erin and Elise Richardson, is promising for the team’s future. St. Johnsbury was unable to keep pace and Fryeburg played to an easy 13-2 victory.

In the second round, the FA girls faced off against the Frisbeasts from Newton, Mass. Bailey’s unstoppable backhand ruled the game and she threw for 10 assists, four to Emery O’Connell and three to Anna Mahanor. Kate Jin, a new sophomore player, scored twice contributing to Fryeburg’s 13-5 win.

The host team, Lyndon Institute, was the third opponent of the day. O’Connell scored six of the team’s 11 points in a tighter 11-7 victory. Mahanor also contributed with two assists and two scores.

Following the third game, many of the upperclasswomen departed for prom. Even in their absence, the remaining players were able to score four against BFA Fairfax, who went on to win the tournament with Fryeburg finishing second.

This Saturday, May 28, the Fryeburg Academy girls will play for the state title at Wainwright Sports Complex in South Portland. Fryeburg's eight senior players will be critical, especially four-year players Bridget Bailey, Kaylee Barboza, Abby Davis, Esmeralda Hernandez and Emery O’Connell. As two-time defending champs, the Raiders look to continue their legacy.

Huxley Lovering catches a score in the end zone in the home game against Cheverus.

BOYS’ ULTIMATE

The Raider boys’ Ultimate had a busy week.

After dropping an 11-8 decision to Cape Elizabeth, the Raiders regrouped for a 13-9 home win over Cheverus.

This was FA’s only home game of the year and it was great to showcase the sport before a home crowd.

“Both teams had a great time playing in front of an enthusiastic crowd. My wife Emily and I made the decision to play some of our girls’ team despite Cheverus only bringing a boys’ team,” FA Coach Chris Strahler said. “We started the game off with one varsity girl at a time, but quickly decided that we could get more of the girls’ team in by playing two at a time, yet still making the game competitive. It was great to see the boys and girls playing together and learning each other’s styles of play after a few years away from the coed scene. I’m looking forward to seeing how they play in coed states in the middle of June.”

The FA offense was able to do some interesting things with Bridget Bailey, Addison Schwarz, and Will Davis relishing the chance to handle together for the first time. It was fun to watch their chemistry. The varsity girls played a fearless game against the much taller Cheverus boys, with seniors Katherine Parker and Emery O’Connell earning some hotly contested D’s.

Ben LeConey, Ben Darling, and Huxley Lovering seemed to be unstoppable in the cutting line, scoring many of Fryeburg’s points. One memorable point came on an assist from Will Davis as he threw a curving throw from the sideline. The disc flew out of bounds (intentionally), right over his mother’s head, curving back into the end zone to be caught for the score.

“We are very thankful to the Cheverus squad for making the trip to Fryeburg so we could host a game. Not many Ultimate teams are willing to make the trek, so we greatly appreciate teams that are,” Coach Strahler said.

On Saturday, both the boys and girls Ultimate teams headed to Lyndonville, Vt. for the 2nd annual Kingdom Ultimate Tournament.

The boys had a great start to the day, with a victory over Mount Manfield Union High School. Fryeburg quickly got into a rhythm that MMU found difficult to stop. After the first half, the score was 7-1 Fryeburg. Ben LeConey led the stats with 5 goals, 2 assists, 5 D’s and only one throwaway.

“Those are amazing stats that I’ve never seen before. I knew that I would need Ben later in the day, so he rested nearly the entire second half,” the coach said.

This allowed MMU to eventually come back, but not enough to change the outcome of the game. The final score was 13-9 and all of the Fryeburg players, including some JV swing players were able to get in. Manny Baptista had an excellent assist to Greg Wesley-Watson. He threw a perfectly timed, perfectly-placed 50-yard huck, not an easy feat for a freshman player.

FA’s second game of the day was against Burlington High School. This team was much more athletic than MMU and a better test for the Raiders.

“We played them really well during the first half, making sure to take advantage of every single turnover of the disc,” Coach Strahler said.

Points were traded back and forth for the first half until something kicked in for Fryeburg. Near the end of the half, Fryeburg kicked it up a notch and scored a few in a row, putting the halftime score at 6-4. With Fryeburg receiving the disc out of half, FA should have been able to continue that streak going and pad their lead. Unfortunately Burlington came out of half hot and an adjustment FA made did not work so well.

“We tried switching from our normal horizontally-oriented offense to a vertically-oriented offense to take advantage of the narrow field. We don’t normally play vertical stack, so we had some difficulty making the necessary adjustments,” Coach Strahler said. “It threw off our flow a bit too much and we never were able to pick it back up.”

Burlington ended up going on a 6-1 run, with a final score of 10-7 at time cap. It was a demoralizing game, which led to a quick defeat in the next game against BFA Fairfax. “The game against Burlington was particularly upsetting because we let the game get away from us so quickly. Had we lost the game, but played the second half well, it wouldn’t have felt so bad.  Burlington went on to the finals and got second in the tournament,” the coach said. “Knowing that we could have been there, competing for first place, was upsetting.”

The Raiders have had a tough tournament season this year, not gaining the chemistry that they usually rely on.

On Saturday, May 28, USA Ultimate will host the Maine State Championship event at Wainwright Athletic Complex in South Portland. Games start at 1 p.m. and should continue until 5 p.m. or so. Currently, the Fryeburg boys’ team is the number four seed and the girls’ team is the number one seed. Seeding could possibly change before Saturday based on results from the league.

TRACK & FIELD

At the annual Tri-County Clash held at Sacopee Valley, the Raider girls placed second overall with 105.5 points, just behind the host Hawks, 107.5.

Meanwhile, the Raider boys were third in the five-school meet with 71 points, behind the Hawks 141 and Lake Region 73.

Girls’ Results

100 meters: 1. Skye Collins 13.0; 4. Camelia Ghadfa 14.7; 5. Brea Conder 14.8

200 meters: 1. Skye Collins 27.5; 3. Emily McDermith 29.6; 4. Erika Dennery 30.1

400 meters: 1. Emily Carty 1:02.8; 2. Olivia Pelkie 1:03.9; 5. Emily McDermith 1:04.9

300 meter hurdles: 3. Madeline Choyce 1:04.6

4X400 relay: 1. FA, 4:35.0

4X800 relay: 1. FA, 10:17.3

Shot Put: 2. Casey Kneissler 30-9; 5. Brea Conder 25-0

Discus: 4. Casey Kneissler 75-2

Javelin: 4. Irina Norkin 67-4; 5. Casey Kneissler 64-9

1600 Racewalk: 3. Jessica Frum 10:31.4

Boys’ Results

200 meters: 1. Evan Wadsworth 24.1; 3. Max Kummer 26.2

400 meters: 2. Evan Wadsworth 55.6

800 meters: 1. Christian Bedell 2:10.2; 3. Max Kummer 2:21.0

1600 meters: 2. Patrick Carty 4:51.3; 5. Alfie Walker 5:11.2

3200 meters: 1. Patrick Carty 10:33.7; 2. Brian Ward/Sims 11:24.7

4X400 relay: 1. FA 3:55.9

4X800 relay: 1. FA 10:02.0

1600 Racewalk: 3. Matthew Powers 14:57.1