Spencer Thomas sprints toward the finish line. (Photo by Brea McDonald Photography)

TRACK & FIELD

The Raiders traveled to Gray last Friday for a meet with Cape Elizabeth, Old Orchard Beach and the Patriots. Team-wise, FA placed second on the boys’ side with 53 points and third on the girls’ side with 31 points. It proved to be a good day with warmer temperatures and less wind.

Girls’ highlights:

Skye Collins was first in the 100m. Skye continues to run strong and could be a factor as the season moves forward, Coach Kevin McDonald said.

The 400m saw a 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5th go to Raiders, led by Anna Lasta in 1:05.18, freshman Olivia Pelkie took second in 1:07.21, with Oriagna Inirio, Emily McDermith and Skye Collins rounding out the top 5. Anna met the State standard and Olivia missed the provisional mark by one thousand of a second. These young ladies will form the heart of the Raiders’ 4x400 relay and should be contenders at States. Anna also won the two-mile with a fine time of 11:55.46. She now has qualified in the 400m, 800m, mile and the two-mile — “very impressive with still three meets to go,” Coach McDonald said.

“Anna has been injured, but is willing to do whatever it takes to maintain her fitness,” the coach added. “The results speak for themselves.”

Emily Carty finished third in both the 800m and the mile. Em took 6 seconds off her 800m time, running 2:39.35, getting the provisional mark and 7 seconds off her mile time, running 5:59.38.

“Only a freshman, these are huge breakouts. We look for Em to continue this improvement as we transition to our competitive phase of training,” Coach McDonald said. “Coach Miller is doing a fantastic job with all the mid-distance and distance athletes. There is no denying her system works and works well.”

Back to Olivia Pelkie. Olivia is a freshman and finished fourth in the 200m, second in the 400m and ran a leg on the winning 4x4 relay.

“This young lady has an incredible future. Coach Collins has been working with O.P. and the dividends are starting to pay,” Coach McDonald noted. “A joy to have on the team and a trip to States looks to be in her future.”

Victor Yang clears the high jump bar. (Photo by Brea McDonald Photography)

Boys’ highlights:

Victor Yang continued his winning ways and qualified for States in the triple jump with a 40-feet 7-inch leap. He also finished third in the long jump and won the high jump.

Liuke Yang reached the provisional mark in the javelin with a throw of 132-feet 6-inches.

“Liuke just picked the javelin up a week ago. A student of the sport, Liuke absorbs all that he can about an event. Whether it’s from Coach Cummings, the Internet or video, Liuke studies and as his throws improve, it works,” the coach said.

Liuke is also a half-inch away from States in the long jump and less than a half second away in the 300m hurdles.

Patrick Carty is rounding into form, just missing the standard in the two-mile and running a fine 800m.

Ryan Hewes continues to improve his mile time, taking two seconds off. Another freshman, Ryan ran 5:16.57.

“If Ryan sticks with it, the next couple of years could be a lot of fun,” Coach McDonald said.

Next: The Raiders will host Gray-New Gloucester, Poland, Mountain Valley and York this Friday at 3:30 p.m.

TENNIS CAPTAINS Guulsen Oztosun (middle, left) and Catherine Ashley with Coach Chris Chaffee (right) and Coach Valliere. (Photo by Rachel Damon/FA)

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

The Raiders endured a rough stretch recently, but through it all, the girls persevered and used the games as learning experiences, according to Coach Bob Cobb.

“They have played tough and never yielded a second on the field,” he said. In games against Falmouth, Lake Region and Waynflete, FA controlled the clock. “Against foes we have played before, a notable improvement in play has been recognizable, even by fans,” Coach Cobb said.

The payoff came in a win over Wells in a tightly-fought contest. It was then on to Oceanside for a Saturday contest and their second victory. As of Monday, the Lady Raiders are in sixth place in the toughest division in Maine girls’ lacrosse.

Ali Fraize continues to lead all scorers as Shelby Hesslein, Ali Watson, Mary Shea, Hanna Frye and a returning Kenzie Hill continue to open opportunities for her to get open looks at the cage. Not enough can be said about the players who play in relief, as they allow the Raiders to maintain fresh legs on the field in crucial moments on both sides of the field. The defense has made marked improvement under the leadership of Bridget Tweedie. Cayle Johnson, Mariah Davis and Hanna Rousey complete the unit.

Goalie Jassie Ramsay went down with an injury and sophomore goalie Harmony Legault has stepped in.

Next: The Raiders host Noble on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Kennebunk on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

TENNIS

The Raider girls won their first home match this year against Freeport 4-1 and are now 1-4, after losing to Cape Elizabeth last Wednesday. Wins during a home match against Freeport included number 1 singles player Catherine Ashley, the number 3 but currently number 2 player now, Gulsen Oztosun. The doubles team of Lucy Kneissler and Trishala Manandhar and dynamic duo, sisters Emily and Elizabeth Gryzb, also added victories.

This week, the FA girls trade swings with Waynflete, Freeport and Kennebunk.

“The goal for this week is to continue to go out there and get another good win against Freeport and we are looking to win against Kennebunk. Waynflete will be a tough match for the girls, but a great experience to play against players that play year round,” Coach Chris Chaffee said. “We have to just go on the court and try. If you try, you never know what will happen. They won against Freeport and I think that helped their confidence. Now that we are halfway through the season, the girls are starting to gain match play experience. They are in a routine of playing every day and just working at trying to get the best out of themselves this season.”

Sisters Emily and Elizabeth Gryzb have been playing some great doubles and have a great team work ethic. They have worked hard and improved the most. They have such a desire to learn and want to win and want to get better everyday, their coach said. They are now the number 1 doubles team on the team.

Captain Catherine Ashley has shown great grinding tennis in playing her matches and never gives up. She also has a great positive attitude. The others girls on the team are inspired by her play and her attitude.

The Raider boys are currently 4-2. After beating Freeport to go to 4-0, they lost back-to-back tight, close matches to Cape Elizabeth 3-2 and Falmouth 3-2.

Still undefeated this year are the top 1 and 2 players in the state and they are making a clear statement they are the best of the best. They beat Falmouth’s 1 and 2 singles players and Cape’s 1 and 2 singles players. Waynflete is the next big test for the team on Tuesday and then FA faces Freeport and Kennebunk.

“Teodor Antelj has a lot of talent and is a great ball striker. He plays very smart tactical tennis out there and knows how to win,” Coach Chaffee said. “Tristin Rother brings a lot of experience as well, and has a strong desire to win. He goes out there and is able to outgun his opponent. They both are great tennis players and have a lot of talent.”

Jonathan Burk is back with his doubles partner Nikola Vuleta.

“They are the captain (Jonathan) and co- captain (Nikola) on the team and bring a lot of attacking tennis in their doubles play. They are a great team because they play differently. Nikola plays with a lot of power and Jonathan plays with coming in and attacking the net,” the coach said.

New spots on the team: Nacho Calleja has moved up to play third singles and his competitiveness will help him win a lot of close matches. Jordan Lowe, who is an amazing golfer, is playing number two doubles with Kevin Kim. Jordan is a great athlete and a great student. He always goes out there and gives his best. Kevin Kim, along with Minho Kim, improved the most over the last few weeks as tennis players.

“The goals for the boys are to continue to go out there and get the job done, and take care of business professionally. If we can do that, then we will continue to win, be focused and do some damage,” Coach Chaffee said. “If you can’t, then we aren’t giving it everything. To win, you have to give everything every time. Even if you lose, still you learn from it and you continue to get up and try again.”

SOFTBALL

The Raiders are starting to make their move up the Heal Ratings as the season reaches the midway point.

The week started on Monday with a home tilt against Falmouth. The Raiders wasted no time scoring, plating six runs in the first two innings. Highlights were Makayla Cooper’s two-run single and Nicole Bennett’s three-run homerun to left field.

Bennett was cruising on the mound for four innings until Falmouth answered with five runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth. Suddenly, the Raiders found themselves down 9-6.

FA fought back and erupted with five runs in the bottom of the sixth. It started with back-to-back hits by Julia Quinn and Makenzie Buzzell. Later in the inning, senior Amanda Gillette hit a deep two-run double to put the Raiders up for good, 11-9.

Repeat hitters on the day were Makenzie Buzzell, Kristen Chipman, Julia Quinn and Amanda Gillette.

Up next, a long trip to York on Wednesday to face the unbeaten Wildcats and their star pitcher, Stephanie Rundlett.

The game would go back and forth and into extra innings before York prevailed 4-3 in eight innings.

After being scoreless through three frames, Fryeburg got on the scoreboard first in the fourth inning on a triple by Kristen Chipman, who then scored after a wild pitch and passed ball. York answered with a run in the bottom half.

In the fifth, Fryeburg eased out to a 2-1 lead when Julia Quinn led off with a walk, stole second and third base, and scored on another passed ball. York would answer in the bottom half on a costly error. The game would go to extra innings, where Fryeburg would score in the top of the eighth with back-to-back hits by Makenzie Buzzell and a RBI single by senior Kristen Chipman.

York wouldn’t be denied on this day as they struck for two runs in the bottom half of the inning on three hits and a error to beat Fryeburg 4-3.

The next day (last Thursday), the Raiders traveled to Greely. The Raiders looked ready to avenge the previous day’s loss right on the first pitch of the game as Makenzie Buzzell hit a leadoff homerun over the centerfield wall to make it 1-0. The Raiders added two more runs. Greely stormed back to take a 4-3 lead after two innings.

Fryeburg then got two runs in the third to retake the lead and erupted for seven runs in the top of the fifth — the big hit being a two-run double by Lexi L’Heureux-Carland to make it 11-4.

Seemingly running out of gas, the Raiders surrendered seven unanswered runs in the sixth to tie the game. This game would also head into extra innings, where the Raiders got the bats going with four runs in the top of the eighth highlighted by a two-run double by Morgan Crowther.

However, it was not to be the Raiders’ afternoon as FA was unable to stop Greely from making yet another great comeback as they would score five runs to win the slugfest 16-15.

“The two losses seemed to have the team very emotional and frustrated,” Assistant Coach Chris Dutton said.

There was no time to dwell on it as the team took to the field for the third straight day against one of their biggest rivals — Cape Elizabeth.

Bennett was out due to an illness, so freshman Hailey Hudson got the call to take the mound.

Fryeburg had the bats working all day as they made a statement — scoring four in the first, four more in the second, three more in the third, and four in the bottom of the fifth to finish off the Capers 15-3 in a game called after five due to the 12-run rule.

Hailey pitched very well by scattering eight hits and striking out three to earn her first win.

Busy day on offense was highlighted by Julia Quinn 2-for-3 and 3 runs scored. Makenzie Buzzell was 3-for-4 and 4 runs scored, Kristen Chipman again was 3-for-4 with 4 RBI, and Makayla Cooper recorded 3 RBI.

“This was a long week. The team seemed to find themselves. Before Friday’s game against Cape, there was an extensive team talk where things were evaluated, and what things needed to be adjusted. It made Friday’s win a good one and the team seems ready to start making a run for June,” Coach Dutton reported. “Coach Apt likes the effort overall, and keeps preaching ‘teamwork’ and believing in each other, as well as pushing each other to get us to the next level.”

Fryeburg improved to 6-3 and moved up to fifth in the Class B West Heals with a 24-0 win over Freeport Monday.

Nicole Bennett pitched a complete game (five innings) allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out nine.

Fryeburg opened the game, scoring 11 runs in the first inning with Makayla Cooper, Amanda Gillette and Morgan Crowther each knocking in two runs. Lexi L’Heureux-Carland added a solo home run in the second inning. The Raiders scored 12 runs, highlighted by two bases loaded triples by Bennett in the fourth inning and by Crowther in the fifth inning. Crowther finished 3-for-5 with 5 RBI and Kristen Chipman went 4-for-5 and 4 runs scored. Makayla Cooper and Bennett both finished with 3 RBI. Repeat hitters were Hailey Hudson, Amanda GIllette, Makayla Cooper, Nicole Bennett, Mackenzie Buzzell 3, Morgan Crowther 3, and Kristen Chipman 4.

Next: The Raiders travel to Gray-New Gloucester on Friday, host Greely on Monday and travel to Kennebunk on Wednesday. All games are 4 p.m. starts.

ULTIMATE

The Raider girls’ ultimate team beat Cape Elizabeth 12-5 last Wednesday, May 6. The girls continued their dominant defense, switching back and forth between man and zone defenses, making Cape continually adjust their offense. FA worked well together on offense and used both their short and long games to string together scores.

The boys’ ultimate team lost to Cape Elizabeth 13-3. FA showed vast improvement over the game and the previous week. Their defense was much stronger. There was a lot more communication on defense and they were able to force many turnovers. Unfortunately, the offense wasn’t able to click all of the time so the score ended up quite lopsided.

On May 8, FA hosted a home game against Windham and lost 15-14. FA played both boys and girls, but it was mostly a boys’ game since Windham had one female player. It was a windy day so the Raiders played a lot of zone defense so their best defender, Ben Darling, could stop the long throws that Windham was fond of throwing. The wind created a lot of turnovers on both sides and the game was close the entire way after Fryeburg came back from an early deficit.

“The three boys’ games have shown continual improvement and I am confident that that trend will continue for the remainder of the season,” Coach Chris Strahler said. “The girls have been strong all season and are continuing to grow team chemistry so they are less reliant on the deep throws of Bridget Bailey.”

Next: Both teams will be heading to the Pioneer Valley Invitational this weekend in Northampton, Mass. They will each play six games, three each on Saturday and Sunday.

“I’m hopeful that they will be able to grow their team chemistry in this intense weekend of ultimate,” Coach Strahler said.

BOYS’ LACROSSE

Raiders 18, Lake Region 5: Corey Thibodeau scored seven goals. Ryan Caracciolo netted three goals and collected eight assists to lead the Raiders past Lake Region Tuesday at home.

FA (1-4) built a 3-0 first quarter lead working the combination of Thibodeau and Caracciolo. Joe Schrader added a man-up goal with 1:13 left on the clock.

After the Lakers opened the quarter with a goal, the Raiders answered on goals by Thibodeau (7:46), AJ Worcester (6:45) and Huxley Lovering (6:16).

After the Lakers made it 6-2, the Raiders closed the half in strong fashion, scoring four unanswered goals — Owen Feider-Sullivan (4:20, assisted by Jake Maidment), Caracciolo (3:18, assisted by Thibodeau), Caracciolo (2:19, unassisted) and Markus Schneider (1:36, assisted by Malik Mobley) — for a 10-2 advantage.

The Raiders outscored the Lakers 3-1 in the third — goals by Schneider (7:53, assist to Caracciolo), Caracciolo (6:54) and Thibodeau (3:39, assisted by Caracciolo).

FA added five more goals in the final quarter — 11:07 by Feider-Sullivan, 8:100 Thibodeau, 7:12 Jermiah Schrader, 4:22 Thibodeau, 0:43 Thibodeau.

Goalie Malik Mobley recorded four saves. FA outshot the Lakers 30-9.

Next: The Raiders host Freeport today, May 14 at 4 p.m., travel to Mt. Blue on Saturday for a 10 a.m. contest and host Wells on Tuesday and St. Dom’s on Wednesday, both games starting at 4 p.m.