State ‘D’ finals in Hampden Both games set for Wednesday

Ashland High School’s pursuit of state championships in both boys and girls soccer will conclude Wednesday at the Weatherbee Complex in Hampden.

The Class D state finals involving the Eastern Maine champion Hornets were rescheduled for that location on Monday by the Maine Principals’ Association. Those matches, both against Western Maine champion Richmond, originally were scheduled for Saturday at Schenck High School in East Millinocket but were postponed due to inclement weather.

Wednesday’s Class D doubleheader begins with the boys match at 4:30 p.m. followed by the girls match at 6:30.

The Ashland boys (15-1-1) are making their first appearance in a state final since winning it all in 1997, while Richmond (14-1-1) will be playing in its third straight state title game. The Bobcats lost to Van Buren 2-1 last year and to Bangor Christian 5-2 in 2005, and won its last state title in 1998.

The undefeated Ashland girls (15-0-2) are back in the state final for the first time since 1996, and are in search of the programs’ first state title since 1989. Richmond (12-3) lost to Lee Academy 2-1 in last year’s state championship match, and is seeking its first state crown since 2001.

Schoolgirl state finals in Classes A, B and C are slated for 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The Class C match pits Lee Academy (17-0) against North Yarmouth Academy (11-4-2) at Hampden, while Winslow (17-1) will face York (11-4-2) in the Class B match at Lewiston High School and Waterville (16-0-1) will play Gorham (16-0-1) in the Class A final at Windham High School.