Maine
These Maine high school soccer teams can’t escape each other in the playoffs
The Bangor High School and Camden Hills High School of Rockport girls soccer team simply can’t avoid each other in the Class A North playoffs.
For the third consecutive season and seventh in 10 years, the two teams will square off for the Class A North championship and a berth in the state championship game at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cameron Stadium in Bangor.
Each team has won three of the regional title matchups so far, with Bangor earning a 3-2 win a year ago and a 2-1 victory two years ago. Bangor went on to win the state championship last fall with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Scarborough.
They also met in the semifinals in 2022 with Camden Hills notching a 3-1 win.
The teams split during the regular season this year with each winning at home. Bangor triumphed 2-1 on Sept. 20 and Camden Hills avenged the loss with a 3-0 victory on Oct. 16.
“It’s going to be a battle,” said Bangor coach Jay Kemble. “It’s going to be a competitive game between two outstanding teams that have quality players who know how to play the game and compete.”
Windjammers coach Meredith Messer shared a similar sentiment.
“It’s going to be a typical Bangor-Camden game,” Messer said. “Both teams are going to have to work hard. It’ll be fairly aggressive and physical.
“My hope is that there will be goals scored. Both of us like to score goals. We’re offensive-minded. It should be fun,” Messer said.
Neither team has been tested so far in the playoffs with the 14-1-1 Rams beating Mt. Blue of Farmington 7-0 and Brunswick 6-0. The 15-1 Camden Hills squad dispatched Messalonskee of Oakland 8-0 and Mt. Ararat of Topsham 6-0.
Camden Hills has scored 93 goals and given up 11 in its 16 games while Bangor has scored 84 and surrendered 8.
Both teams have dynamic, game-changing sophomores who are leading them in goals.
Camden Hills’ Molly Williams has scored 39 goals including eight in the playoffs while Bangor’s Georgie Stephenson has scored 34 goals.
Center midfielder Williams also has 16 assists and striker Stephenson has 10.
Class A North Player of the Year Clara Oldenburg from Bangor has 25 goals and 26 assists from her attacking midfield position. Messer said sophomore Eve Domareki is Camden Hills’ second-leading scorer with over 20 goals and her freshman sister, Liv, is the third-leading scorer.
Kemble said he has received important goals from Gabby Roy and Gabby Gordon in recent games.
Both teams are also solid in the back with Avery Clark, Sophia Chase and Jo Jo Clukey supplying the Rams with a lot of experience while Camden Hills’ back line features Lucy Ward and Maia Andrews.
Junior Emily Caulkins will start in goal for Bangor with freshman Eliza Gallant in goal for Camden Hills.
There is a lot of mutual respect between the two teams and coaches.
“Camden Hills has a centerpiece with Molly Williams. They have other kids in the middle that surround her. Defensively, they’re a lot like us. They play with four backs that rotate. They can get both (wingbacks) up-field and they have center backs who are strong and athletic. We are a lot alike in terms of skillset and style of play. Whoever makes the fewest errors is probably going to win,” said Kemble.
“Bangor is a really smart team and a great passing team,” said Messer. “They hold their space incredibly well and they are strong. When you look at them, they are physically stronger than most of the other teams. That gives them an advantage with speed and with holding the ball.
“And Georgie is a scorer and any time you have a team that has a legitimate scorer, that’s always tougher to stop. Kids who love to score find a way to score,” Messer added.
It wouldn’t be Mother’s Day without a stop at the florist.
According to Fox Business, about 154 million flowers are sold during the week of Mother’s Day. So it’s safe to say it was a busy day for stores like Estabrook’s Maine Garden Center and Nursery.
Plenty of families stopped by to pick out flowers on Sunday, looking to choose the perfect bouquet for their moms.
“I think Mother’s Day is tradition, you know, and so it’s great to see families here. We have a lot of new families that have come today for the first time with their young children and their mother. Watching the young kids and seeing how excited they are—their eyes light up at all the beautiful flowers,” Tom Estabrook, president of Estabrook’s, said.
Estabrook says Mother’s Day tends to be a great kickoff to the spring season.
The Maine Baseball Team was swept by UMass Lowell in the weekend series, losing on Sunday 5-4.
UMaine scored 3 runs in the 5th inning and 1 in the 6th inning to lead 4-1, but the Riverhawks scored 2 runs in the 7th and then pushed across the tying and winning runs in the 9th inning for the win.
Thomas Stabley started for Maine and went 6.1 innings on the mound. He allowed 5 hits and 3 runs, striking out and walking 1. Owen Wheeler pitched 1.2 hitless innings striking out 2. Sebastian Holt pitched the 9th and took the loss, allowing 2 hits and 2 runs, the big hit a 2-run homer to Nicholas Solozano, his 2nd of the day.
Hunter St. Denis homered for Maine, a solo shot, his 9th of the season, in the 6th inning.
Albert De La Rosa was 2-4. JuJu Stevens , Shane Andrus, Quinn Murphy and Chris Bear each singled.
UMass Lowell is 19-27 while Maine is now 17-30.
The Black Bears will host Merrimack on Tuesday, May 12th in a non-conference game at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 92.9 The Ticket with the pregame starting at 1:30 p.m. Maine then closes out the regular season at home with a 3-game America East conference matchup with Albany Thursday- Saturday.
Check out photos from the game
Maine-UMass Lowell Baseball May 10
The Maine Black Bears hosted the UMass Lowell Riverhawks on Sunday, May 10th
Gallery Credit: Chris Popper
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It seems every season there’s a southern Maine pitcher or two headed to big-time college baseball.
Meet Hunter Finck, a Gorham High junior and the newest mound star.
Casual fans of Class A South baseball might be wondering, “Hunter who?” After all, Finck threw just one inning for the Rams as a sophomore because of shoulder tightness. It was his Gorham teammate, Wyatt Nadeau, now at Vanderbilt, who was getting the headlines.
But, “when you say Hunter, everyone around here knows who you’re talking about,” said Gorham coach Ed Smith.
For several reasons.
Finck, 17, has been a standout for several years, always playing up an age group or two at the local level. Since he was 15, he’s pitched for Atlanta-based Team Elite Baseball at premier national showcase tournaments. On Dec. 8, Finck, a powerfully built 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-hander, committed to Alabama, a rising program in the power-packed Southeastern Conference.
Throughout the 2025 summer, playing for both Team Elite and Portland-based Maine Lightning Baseball, Finck built his arm strength back up to where it had been in 2024, when his fastball first crossed the 90 mph threshold. But it wasn’t until early October when Finck was ready to show his true self.
In back-to-back tournaments in Florida with Team Elite’s top team, Finck impressed. On the second weekend, competing in the Perfect Game WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Florida, his fastball was up to 93 mph, his curveball was sharp, and a developing changeup was effective.
“It really came to life for Hunter in the fall,” said Brooke Richards, Team Elite’s national high school director. Richards said the college recruiters who rightfully saw question marks around Finck because of his limited track record “were probably scrambling at the same time.”
Alabama coach Rob Vaughn and his staff made an early impression.
Two months later, Finck was touring Alabama’s campus in Tuscaloosa.
On the plane ride home, Finck said he knew he’d found the right spot, and he committed before the plane landed in New England.
Finck would be the first Mainer to pitch for Alabama, but recruiting pitchers from Maine is not new to Vaughn. As the head coach at Maryland (2018-23), Vaughn coached York’s Trevor Labonte for three seasons. Greely’s Zach Johnston originally committed to Maryland before opting to attend Wake Forest.
Finck said there were other schools from the Power 4 conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC) that pursued him.
“I looked at all of them seriously. I thought all of them were great, but I just really wanted to go to Alabama, especially after I saw it,” he said. “I feel like they really wanted me. I have a very good relationship with all of their coaches, so that’s one of the main reasons.”
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WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT HUNTER FINCK?
Gorham senior Miles Brenner is a strong pitcher in his own right. He’s committed to play at Wheaton College, annually among the top NCAA Division III programs in New England.
“What stands out about Hunter is obviously his velocity, his power,” Brenner said. “But it’s also his mindset. He’s always working, always trying to get better.”
Smith, Gorham’s coach, points to several factors that predict future success for Finck: His progression has always “been ahead of the curve;” he’s been a hard thrower from an early age who has the strong frame to support increased velocity; and “his compete level is off the charts.”
Smith and Richards both describe Finck as having a commanding presence and in-control demeanor on the mound.
“For a kid who doesn’t have a lot of innings under his belt, his composure on the mound is very good. It’s very professional,” Richards said. “Pitching-wise, it’s hard stuff. He attacks. It’s a fastball with life. He has good feel for three pitches that typically he’s very good commanding. When he misses, it’s not by much.”
SO FAR THIS SEASON
Though he has a bright future ahead, Finck is focused on Gorham baseball this spring. In his first start, he threw four innings of one-hit ball, striking out eight in an 8-1 season-opening win against Sanford at Goodall Park.
” data-image-caption=”<p>Gorham’s Hunter Finck celebrates after getting out of an inning against Sanford on April 24. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
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On Tuesday, he threw a two-hitter in an 8-0 win against previously unbeaten Cheverus. It was the first time he’d pitched seven innings since his freshman year. Standing tall, with a strong power stride, Finck started the game with a 93 mph fastball and was still throwing 90 in the fourth inning. Through five innings, he allowed two singles, and with sharp command of his fastball and curveball, he did not get to a three-ball count. A few pitches got away from Finck in the sixth and seventh after Gorham scored its eighth run (on a Finck RBI single), but with help from an errorless defense, he worked around a walk in each inning and finished his shutout with nine strikeouts.
The Rams have a deep pitching staff. In addition to Finck and Brenner, senior Wyatt Washburn is another future college pitcher — he’s headed to Colby College. Add in Nadeau and Jack Karlonas (Husson) from last year’s Gorham team, and Finck has benefited from being surrounded by older teammates who can offer advice, give support, and engage in mature conversations about the craft of pitching.
Of Nadeau, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who has drawn regular starts in his first season at Vanderbilt, Finck said, “he helped me to see what it was like to be at that level and show me everything that goes with it. … He showed me what the standard is.”
Washburn said of Finck, “He’s just one of those guys that loves the game of baseball and wants to be doing it all the time. It’s the love of the game and his work ethic.”
With Gorham having plenty of quality pitching, Finck will not be overtaxed. Smith has said he expects to stick to a three-starter rotation. That could also ease the pressure of being “the Alabama kid,” as Smith said he heard opposing players call Finck during the preseason.
The way Finck sees it, his choice of college doesn’t change anything in the present. Opponents might think of him as the Alabama kid, but he’s pitching for the Gorham Rams, always trying to compete and play at his best to help his team win.
“So, nerves are the same,” he said. “Pressure’s the same, in my opinion. Just with a label on it.”
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