KENNEBUNK ”“ Kennebunk boys soccer coach Nathan Bean found out four years ago what two of his freshmen soccer players could do when they were put on the field together. In the four years since, opposing teams in the SMAA ”“ and this season the WMC ”“ had to deal with the Rams’ dynamic duo of Robby Burns and Griffin Drigotas.

The two seniors ”“ who have been playing soccer together since they were nine years old ”“ combined to score 17 goals and tally 11 assists for a Kennebunk team that survived its first season of an ultra-tough schedule in the Western Maine Conference iwhile qualifying for the Western Class A playoffs.

Burns and Drigotas were as inseparable on the field as they were difficult to stop, and they collectively earned the distinction of Journal Tribune Boys Soccer Players of the Year.

“I wouldn’t want to game plan to try to deal with both of them,” said Bean. “Both of those guys were huge, and our offense really went around those two guys.”

Bean said he found out early in the pair’s freshmen season that he had something special in the duo. He said he put the two players on the field together late in a scrimmage, and they produced a goal within five minutes. Drigotas took the ball to the corner, then fired a cross right to head of Burns, who in turn found the back of the net. It’s a play that has been on repeat over the last four years.

“It was pretty apparent very quickly that they had nice chemistry on the field, and that they had complementary skill sets, and that they had a really good understanding of the other person,” said Bean.

“We’ve been playing travel soccer since we were nine. We played all through travel soccer on the same team, then also on a premier team together,” said Drigotas, the Rams’ big, fast forward. “I don’t think I’ve ever played a soccer game where he’s not on my team.”

Needless to say, the duo created quite a chemistry together from the time they were nine-year-olds playing youth travel soccer.

“It definitely shows. Even when we played together as freshmen ”¦ when we did play together it showed that we really knew what we were doing, and worked better together. We both looked better as a result of it, and I think that carried through all the way to senior year,” said Burns, a quick, agile center-midfielder. “It’s just really paid off, with all the work that we put in together, and playing together on the same team for so long.”

The years of work together also paid off for the Rams as a whole, as they made the playoffs all four years of the pair’s high school career, including twice advancing to the regional semifinals.

The Rams fell in the prelims to South Portland this season in a game that was decided on penalty kicks. Burns scored the lone goal in regulation for the Rams.

“They were super-talented kids, and had a lot to do with the success that we’ve had the past four years,” said Bean.

Burns’ and Drigotas’ talents aren’t the same, but they complement each other perfectly. Burns praised Drigotas for his athleticism and off-the-ball movement. Drigotas spoke highly of Burns’ foot skills and his scoring ability, especially on free kicks.

Bean said their talents extend beyond that, as Drigotas has an under-the-radar scoring ability with both feet, and he said Burns is the best player in the air that he’s seen in 11 years at the helm of the Rams.

“Both of them are very different players, but tremendous players,” said Bean.

Both players said they know that they’re individual success had a lot to do with how much the other player helped them. Drigotas said that “pretty much everything” he accomplished was in some part due to Burns. Burns said he felt the same.

“Just having that person that you know everything about, and know exactly what they’re going to do, and they what you’re going to do, it makes you look better and it makes them look better,” said Burns.

The duo has most likely played their final game together, as they will be going their separate ways after high school. But an extended run of dual success that lasted nearly a decade proved that, at least with Burns and Drigotas, two is better than one.

— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.