The County Scoreboard: Van Buren Advances, XC Regionals and Four Playoff Games Saturday

The 2026 MPA Soccer Championships are underway, and we've already had a little bit of everything here in the County.

Van Buren's boys are moving on after a 3-1 victory over Schenck on Friday, while Katahdin saw its season come to an end in a close 2-1 loss to Lee Academy.

And we're just getting started.

Four more County soccer teams are scheduled for playoff games Saturday, including a pair of home matchups for Caribou's boys and Fort Kent's girls.

Meanwhile, County cross country runners are headed to Belfast for the Northern Maine Regional Championships, with state championship berths on the line.

Van Buren Moves On With Win Over Schenck

The seventh-seeded Van Buren Crusaders made the most of their home-field advantage Friday, defeating No. 10 Schenck 3-1 in the eight-person boys preliminary round.

Alex Bebout, Dom Burgess and Gavin Cormier each scored for Van Buren.

Marcus Hutchins scored the lone goal for the Wolverines.

The victory sends the Crusaders into the regional quarterfinals, where they'll face third-seeded Calais.

It's another opportunity for Van Buren to keep its season going, although the Crusaders will have a tougher test waiting in the next round.

Katahdin's Season Ends in Close Loss to Lee Academy

Sixth-seeded Katahdin came up just short Friday, falling 2-1 to No. 11 Lee Academy in another eight-person boys preliminary matchup.

Conor Schmidt scored the Cougars' lone goal, while goalkeeper Gage Phillips finished with seven saves.

Lee Academy received goals from Alberto Perez and Martin Tapiador, while Lance Haskell made eight saves.

It was a tough way for Katahdin's season to end, especially after the Cougars put together several strong performances down the stretch.

Schmidt had been one of the County's most productive scorers throughout the season, and Phillips had delivered some impressive performances in net.

The Cougars' tournament run ends in the preliminary round, while Lee Academy advances.

Saturday Brings Four More County Soccer Playoff Games

There's no shortage of soccer on Saturday's schedule, with four County teams looking to keep their seasons alive.

Eight-Person Boys: Houlton Travels to Penquis

Ninth-seeded Houlton heads to eighth-seeded Penquis for a 2 p.m. preliminary matchup.

The Shires will be looking to pick up a road victory and move into the quarterfinal round.

Class B Boys: Caribou Hosts Medomak Valley

Eighth-seeded Caribou will have home-field advantage Saturday when the Vikings welcome No. 9 Medomak Valley for a 2 p.m. preliminary game.

The Vikings finished the regular season with some strong results, including a pair of shutout victories over Hermon.

Now Caribou gets the opportunity to carry that momentum into tournament play.

Class C Girls: Fort Kent Welcomes MCI

Top-seeded Fort Kent begins its postseason Saturday afternoon, hosting eighth-seeded Maine Central Institute at 2 p.m. in a Class C North quarterfinal.

The Lady Warriors enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed, putting them in a strong position as the regional playoffs begin.

Eight-Person Girls: Katahdin Heads to Penquis

Ninth-seeded Katahdin travels to eighth-seeded Penquis for a noon preliminary matchup.

The Lady Cougars will be looking to extend their season with a road victory.

County Runners Head to Belfast for Regional Championships

Soccer isn't the only postseason action happening Saturday.

The Northern Maine Regional Cross Country Championships are being held in Belfast, with County runners competing for the opportunity to advance to next weekend's state championships.

The top seven teams and top 30 individual finishers qualify for states.

County programs are coming off an outstanding performance at last weekend's PVC Championships, where Houlton/GHCA's boys, Presque Isle's girls and Caribou's boys all captured team titles.

Caribou's Pierce Gorneault and Emma Graves also earned individual PVC championships.

Caribou's Thomas Beckum was named PVC Girls Coach of the Year, while Presque Isle's Dylan Marrero earned Boys Coach of the Year honors.

Saturday brings another opportunity for those runners and their teammates to prove themselves against the rest of Northern Maine.

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Week Eight Athlete of the Week nominations are live, until 9 p.m. on Sunday, you can nominate a student-athlete using the link below!

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