To say the Windham High football team came out of nowhere last season wouldn’t be entirely accurate. There were murmurs in the preseason that the Eagles had talent offensively, that they’d certainly improve upon their 1-7 record from a year before.

But Windham defied nearly all expectations, winning its final six regular-season games, hosting and soundly defeating Massabesic in the Class A West quarterfinals, and building a halftime lead before ultimately falling on the road to Thornton Academy, 28-25, in the semifinals.

With many skill position players back, including quarterback Jackson Taylor, running back Jack Mallis and wide receiver Matt Gledhill, the Eagles won’t be sneaking up on anyone this season. Local football fanatics and casual fans alike see Windham as a legitimate contender. Expectations have been elevated.

For Eagles coach Matt Perkins, that doesn’t mean a thing.

“I said the same thing to our coaching staff as I did to our guys,” Perkins said after practice Tuesday evening. “The first thing I said to them the other day is, ‘Everybody says we’re going to be great, but let’s not forget that last year they said we wouldn’t win two games. So, what’s that mean? It means nothing. Predictions mean nothing.'”

Sure, a 7-3 season and the team’s first-ever playoff win gives Windham confidence heading into the new season, which got underway Monday, the first day of fall practice for southern Maine high school teams. Getting mentioned with Bonny Eagle, Thornton Academy and Deering on the short list of SMAA contenders feels pretty good.

“It’s definitely nice to have status,” Gledhill said. “We’ve just got to prove it now.”

Taylor echoed the sentiment: “We’re still trying to prove ourselves. We didn’t take the whole thing last year. We still fell short of our goal. Obviously we feel good about last season, but it’s in the past.”

And plenty of work lies ahead.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Perkins said. “We’ve got to get better. Even our returning starters have a lot to do to get better. We felt we let one get out of our hands last year at TA.

“We had one of the top teams in the state on the ropes, at their place, undefeated, and we let one slip through. I don’t know if it was part of the growing pains or not, but our determination is to fix that.”

Windham is entering only its fifth season in Western Maine Class A. The Eagles made the move from the East after a 7-2 season in 2004. They received a rude welcome.

“We left the East – and no offense to the East, there’s great coaches and great teams – but when we came to the West, we were pretty excited and thought we’d do fine. We got our nose bloodied quite a bit and it took us a few years to finally grow up,” Perkins said.

Prior to last year’s breakout season, Windham posted the following records in the West: 2-6, 3-5 and 1-7. Even when they were struggling to get wins, Perkins wanted to get his Eagles to put up a fight every Friday night. That meant physical football, hitting the opponent in the mouth.

“It’s always been our M.O. – before we can stamp that we’re actually here and we belong, we have to be physical,” Perkins said.

“Now, we finally feel like we’re getting there,” he added. “We can be physical with teams. I can remember going against Bonny Eagle and Deering and we were just shaking our heads saying, ‘Good Lord.’ They just come after you. We’re hoping that now we’re one of those teams.”

The physicality on the offensive line last season gave Taylor time in the pocket to find receivers. The result was one of the league’s best passing attacks, complimented nicely by the strong and speedy Mallis in the backfield.

“Windham is going to be tough,” said Bonny Eagle coach Kevin Cooper, whose teams have won two straight and four of the last five Class A state titles. “In high school football, it does start at the quarterback position and skill positions. Windham obviously does have a great quarterback. They’ve got a great running back.”

Mallis said the atmosphere in practice hasn’t changed much from last year. “It’s about the same,” he said. “We’re going to work.”

The goal, too, is the same, he said.

“Always, your goal is to play for a state championship and win it,” Mallis said. “You’ve got to aim at what you want – perfection.”

It’s just that now there are folks outside the Windham huddle that also believe in the team. Bonny Eagle needs to replace its quarterback and running back. Thornton’s offensive line was hit hard by graduation. Deering graduated its star running back.

With so much back, Windham is no longer an underdog.

“It’s new, but it what we all expected,” Gledhill said. “We’re ready for it and looking forward to it.”

Yet Windham also has holes to fill. Three offensive linemen graduated. New guys will have to be broken in and cohesion developed. It’s no easy task, but Matt Wilson, a returning starter at right guard, said early signs are promising.

“We’re coming together pretty good,” said Wilson, a senior who will also play defensive end. “We’ve got the center and guard returning. The new guys are working together pretty good. We’re learning it.”

The defense, somewhat overshadowed by the offense last season, will also feature some new faces.

“The defense is looking great,” said senior linebacker Dylan Sabasteanski. “Our secondary is looking great. The defensive line is a little small, but they’ll get better, they’ll be good.”

A season ago, the Eagles were the feel-good story of the league, going from one win to nearly playing for a regional championship. This year, the stakes are raised. There’s only one possible happy ending.

“A lot of us are seniors now and this is our last bid,” Taylor said. “We want to take it all the way. We want to win the whole thing.”

Windham quarterback Jackson Taylor, shown here attempting a pass during practice on Tuesday evening, returns to lead the Eagles offense.
Staff photo by Tom Minervino