When the Western Maine Class A football playoffs begin this weekend, there will be the usual names in the tournament such as Cheverus and Thornton Academy.
There is a new team, however, that is joining the party this time.
The Kennebunk Rams capped off a great season on Saturday, beating Noble 14-8 in their annual homecoming game. That made the Rams 5-3 and they grabbed the seventh spot for the playoffs.
Kennebunk has struggled the past few years to put together a winning record. It’s come close several times, but seemed to find itself on the short end of close games.
Not this season. Saturday’s win marks the first time since 2007 that the Rams qualified for the playoffs. They finished 4-4 that season and snagged the eighth seed, but went on to lose to No. 1 Bonny Eagle.
The Rams also made the playoffs in 2004 at 4-4. Again, they lost to No. 1 Bonny Eagle in the first round.
This season’s 5-3 mark is the first time since 2001 that the Rams finished above .500, when they finished 5-4 in Class B. This year is the first time ever that Kennebunk finished above .500 in Class A.
What this year’s Kennebunk team showed is that with hard work and dedication, good things will eventually happen. The Rams aren’t the greatest team in Class A, but they have a good group of upperclassmen who showed what it meant to never give up.
The Rams could’ve easily thrown in the towel after opening the season with a 22-0 loss to Scarborough and then 54-6 against Massabesic the next weekend.
But from there, something clicked, as the team beat Biddeford, South Portland, Gorham, Bonny Eagle and Noble, winning five of their last six games. Kennebunk nearly won six straight games, but was unable to beat Windham, which won 17-14.
Sports can be difficult to gauge, but heart and desire can carry a team a long way.
Ӣ Ӣ Ӣ
Today’s editorial was written by Sports Editor Al Edwards representing the majority opinion of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less