KENNEBUNK — When it came to the 2018 Class A South girls lacrosse regional final there was really no question in most people’s minds which two teams would be competing for a trip to the state finals.
The Kennebunk Rams were moving up from Class B to Class A after winning back-to-back state titles, and the Massabesic Mustangs were the defending Class A champs with a ton of talent returning. The only question was where would the regional final be played? On the turf at Massabesic’s recently renovated athletic complex or on the natural grass field in Kennebunk?
The Rams answered that question when they picked up a hard-fought 7-6 win over the Mustangs in late May. That regular season game was also played at Kennebunk High — and the No. 1 Rams (13-0) are hoping the home-field advantage in Wednesday’s Class A South final will propel them to their fourth straight state final.
“I think it’s very big. It’s very big for these kids to be at home, have their fans here … I think it’s huge and I think they can do it,” said Kennebunk coach Annie Barker.
“Home-field advantage is huge for us just to have the support. (Our fans) travel pretty well, but there’s nothing like playing on your home field,” added Kennebunk senior Hallie Schwartzman.
Both Barker and Schwartzman agreed that getting to play on grass instead of turf will help the Rams against a fast and physical Massabesic squad.
“We play on grass and there’s a huge difference between a beautiful, turf stadium and our stadium, so that’s definitely a factor,” Schwartzman said.
“The grass is really thick,” Barker said with a laugh.
Schwartzman will be trying to do something most high school lacrosse players could only dream of — play in her fourth straight state championship game.
“It’s an amazing opportunity and I’m really thankful and lucky that I’ve had the opportunity to go to three state finals and have a chance at a fourth,” said Schwartzman. “It has kind of made my high school career everything. It wouldn’t be the same without the state games, without the regional finals. Sports have been a huge part of my life and there’s nothing like playing in a state championship game.”
Mia Murray, who is one of four senior captains, would love to play in another state final but knows Massabesic won’t go down without a fight.
“I think that’s the goal, but right now we’re just trying to get past Wednesday’s game. It’s just one day at a time right now,” said Murray. “They are a super athletic and smart team and they’re going to play the full 50 minutes. We just have to come ready to battle them, both physically and mentally, because they are coming to get us right now.”
Schwartzman echoed that sentiment.
“They have a strong senior class and they have a lot of individual talent,” said Schwartzman of Massabesic. “They are very good at turning that individual talent into team talent. They are very fast, very strong and very scrappy. You have to earn groundballs.”
One thing helping Murray, Schwartzman and fellow seniors Brie Beaudette and Erin Gorton is the fact that they have already graduated from Kennebunk High and can focus exclusively on lacrosse.
“It’s amazing. I can spend so much time just watching film and focusing before practice and games. I don’t have  any extra distractions right now, which is super nice,” Murray said.
“My life essentially, right now, consists of lacrosse and nothing else,” added Schwartzman. “That’s really nice to just kind of relax and move on from high school but we have one thing to finish up and that’s the lacrosse season and I hope to do that in the best way possible.”
Murray and her fellow KHS graduates have been trying to get the younger players to take advantage of the opportunity in front of them.
“Our senior class is super tight knit and we’re really just trying to pump everyone up because we’ve all been here … we’ve all been through this a bunch of times so we’re trying to get everyone else to just seize the moment and enjoy this ride,” said Murray.
Barker had plenty of praise for the KHS Class of 2018, which will go down as one of the most successful in program history.
“That senior group has been great. They are great leaders. They are great kids,” said Barker. “They are not only good kids on the playing field, but in the classroom and in the community. They are very well respected … they just have the whole package.”
— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.