SOUTH BERWICK — After losing in the Class B state championship game last year, the Marshwood Hawks came into this season with some “unfinished business,” according to junior Brett Gerry.
What Gerry and his teammates didn’t realize was that slogan would have some extra meaning as the Hawks prepare for a second-straight Western Maine final.
Third-seeded Marshwood will face off against No. 1 Kennebunk on Saturday for the Class B West crown. The Hawks will also be seeking revenge for a 21-14 loss to the Rams during the regular season.
“We were soft. We weren’t physical enough,” Gerry said of his team during that regular season match-up. “We didn’t play to our full potential.”
“I think we’ve definitely come a long way since week four,” said senior captain Beau Blanchette. “A lot of mistakes killed us in that game.”
Marshwood head coach Alex Rotsko said the regular season match-up was a long time ago, and that his team has gotten better every week.
The Hawks responded to the loss with the Rams by winning their next three games by a combined score of 171-25. But then Marshwood lost its regular-season finale to York, 28-19. Blanchette said the team learned another lesson in that game.
“I seriously think that losing to York was a wake-up call for us. We have a lot of talent, just sometimes we don’t utilize it,” said Blanchette. “Now we know what we’re capable of.”
The Hawks “got back to basics” in the playoffs, according to both Blanchette and Gerry, and beat Falmouth 57-0 in the quarterfinals before trouncing York 45-16 last week.
“We’re playing well right now, I think, and it’s a good time to be playing well, through the playoffs,” said Rotsko.
Now the Hawks are “pretty fired up” for a rematch with Kennebunk. But both coach and players said they know it won’t be easy. The Marshwood defense has to try and figure out the Rams’ option offense ”“ which Blanchette admitted confused them at times.
Rotsko said stopping the option offense starts with discipline, particularly by the defensive ends and inside and outside linebackers. Gerry, one of the linebackers tasked with stopping the Rams’ running attack, said his group needs to follow its keys and trust the coaches.
“I feel better this week than the first time we played them,” Rotsko said of his defense.
The second-year coach also said that creating turnovers, something the Hawks have been able to do all season, will be a big factor as well.
“Even just fourth down and punts are as a good as (turnovers),” said Blanchette.
Both coach and players said they expect to be able to move the ball on offense, but Rotsko also admitted “you got to have a home run now and then.”
Blanchette and Gerry said they weren’t pleased with how the team played in their first game against the Rams, but feel much more confident the second time around. And Gerry said that knowing Kennebunk is all that is standing in the way of another trip to the state title game is extra motivation to make amends for the regular season loss.
As Gerry said: “We have unfinished business.”
— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.
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