Everything that Wells and Payton MacKay does starts in the weight room. When the senior running back lifts, his teammates stop what they’re doing and pay attention. (TAMMY BELANGER PHOTOGRAPHY)

Every season of Payton MacKay’s career at Wells High has ended with a championship. 

The Warriors hoisted the Gold Ball as members of Class C in 2016, the senior’s freshman year, and the last two seasons have ended with Wells atop of the Class D mountain. This year, it’s a return to Class C. Despite the constant changes around them, MacKay and the Warriors stay grounded in what Wells football is all about. 

“I’m super lucky to be apart of three years of ongoing, amazing teams … Not a lot of people can say that they’ve been apart of that,” MacKay said. “To be apart of it for three years in a row is insane … but that’s in the past. We’ve got to focus on what’s ahead of us.” 

MacKay admits that he feels some pressure to deliver another title. The Warriors enter the year having won 28 consecutive games, the 18th current longest streak in the nation. None of that matters, though, to Wells and head coach Tim Roche. He knows the Warriors are going to lose again someday and that’s OK, he said, as just simply making the playoffs is step No. 1 when they talk at the start of the season. 

“Our goal isn’t to go undefeated. We don’t talk about going undefeated,” Roche said. “We want to win every game but we don’t look at the schedule and say this (game) is big or that game is big … We’re not satisfied with anything we’ve done. It’s a great thing for the town, it’s a great thing for us, it’s a great thing for the school, but now we have to just keep it going.” 

Last year’s Fitzpatrick Trophy winner, halfback Tyler Bridge, has graduated, leaving his place in the Warriors backfield open for MacKay, who came into his own toward the end of the season after he filled in for an injured Matt Tufts at fullback. In the state title contest against Foxcroft, a 55-20 Wells’ win, MacKay rushed for 171 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns. The two games prior, he racked up 465 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. 

“I was like, ‘Oh my god,’ that’s a lot more (rushing attempts) than I expected,” Mackay said. “I wanted the ball, so once I got the chance I wanted to take advantage of it as best as I could.” 

MacKay studied the way Bridge carried himself at all times and learned how to lead by example. He worked his butt off in the weight room, said MacKay, a trait the understudy is now known for today. 

“We always knew he was going to be a good football player – he didn’t know it – and this is where it changed for him here in the weight room,” Roche said. “We’ve known since eighth-grade what kind of player he would be for us eventually.” 

The transition from fullback to halfback in the Warriors’ wing-T formation calls for more runs to the outside and a different blocking schemes, but the move to an expanded role both on the field and in the locker room doesn’t phase MacKay. 

“Seeing (Bridge) and what he did last year, winning the Fitzpatrick (Trophy) was really cool for us as a community,” he said. “I’m excited … We’re all in this together. We’re all in it to win it.” 

In addition to being the primary ball carrier for a team that might throw five times a day if Roche isn’t feeling like his usual self, MacKay patrols the Warriors defense from his safety position. He’s a freak athletically, and he’s probably a better athlete all-around than Bridge is, said Roche.

“That’s the beauty of Wells football right now – you kind of have to wait in the wings a little bit,” Roche said. “You might be very good but the kid in front of you is just a little better and you have to wait your turn. That’s nice because it creates some competition.” 

One of Roche’s favorite examples of the type of dedication MacKay has for football came during the preseason last year. Roche, who wanted to do something nice for the players after a long week’s camp, paid for an ice cream truck to deliver frozen treats at the end of the day. While the rest of the Warriors were selecting their popsicles and ice cream sandwiches, MacKay stood back to the curiosity of his coach. 

When Roche asked MacKay if there was anything he’d like, the athlete told the coach he couldn’t have dessert because Wells had an upcoming game. 

“That’s that leadership … That’s the quiet leader in him,” Roche said. “Ever since he didn’t have an ice cream, I’ve gained a whole new respect for him. I told my wife, ‘That’s a kid who you want in your program right there.’ … He’s a team guy, which is what Wells sells. He buys in. As long as we win, he doesn’t care. That’s what we need. I think that’s what makes us successful.”