GORHAM – With just three weeks left to go in the regular season, the Gorham Rams are in a solid position in the hunt for a spot in the Class A West football playoffs.

The Rams are in the midst of a remarkable turnaround this fall. One year ago, Gorham suffered through a tough 0-8 season, and before this season, Rams’ coach Dave Kilborn said that the team was going to rely on its experienced players to turn things around.

“This group of seniors will work hard and make everyone around them better,” Kilborn said prior to the season. “The key to our season is to stay healthy and play every play as hard as we can. With that level of effort, we will be able to get a couple of wins and fight for a berth in the playoffs.”

It seems that the mission is being accomplished. The Rams have rolled to a 3-2 record so far this season, with the latest win coming at home on Friday night as Gorham easily dispatched Sanford, 35-7.

The win was the second straight for the Rams, who came out of the gate quickly with a 29-6 win over Kennebunk in the season opener on Sept. 2. Things took a rough turn the next two weeks, as Gorham fell to top-ranked Cheverus 35-0 on Sept. 9 and then lost a second straight game to Portland 12-8 on Sept. 16.

But before things could get out of hand for the Rams, they bounced back with a big 37-7 win over Biddeford on Sept. 23 before handing the Redskins a loss last week.

The two straight wins have boosted the Rams in the Crabtree Point standings. In the latest rankings, the Rams are in sixth place overall, with the top eight teams qualifying for the playoffs. Cheverus (5-0) is in first place, surprising South Portland is No. 2 at 4-1, Deering (4-1) is No. 3, Thornton Academy sits at No. 4 with a 4-1 mark and Massabesic, which is also on the rebound from a 0-8 season, is No. 5 at 4-1. Portland is just behind Gorham in seventh place at 2-3 and Windham holds down the No. 8 spot with a 2-3 mark.

Against the Redskins on Friday night, the Rams came out to a blistering start, virtually putting the game away early on by running off 20 unanswered points before the Redskins could get on the board.

The Rams put the game away by using a rushing attack that featured big nights from Matt McKenney (186 yards and two touchdowns), Nick Kilborn (46 yards, two touchdowns) and Jon Woods (20 yards, one touchdown).

McKenney got the Rams’ offense going on the opening drive of the game, as Gorham started off with a 74-yard drive that was capped off by a 10-yard touchdown run from McKenney that made it 6-0 after a missed extra point attempt.

After stopping the Redskins on the next possession, Gorham marched right down the field again and made it 12-0 on a one-yard run from Kilborn. The score remained 12-0 through the halftime break, and it appeared that Sanford was going to draw close on the opening drive of the second half, but the drive was stopped when Sanford wasn’t able to convert a fourth down try, and Gorham took over at its own one.

The Rams marched right back down the field and made it 20-0 on a four-yard touchdown run from McKenney.

Sanford finally got some offense going later in the third quarter, getting on the scoreboard when Redskin quarterback Jon Schroder found Dan Webb with a 36-yard pass to pull Sanford within two scores at 20-7.

But the Rams kept the Redskins off the scoreboard the rest of the way, keeping the rushing attack going and getting a five-yard touchdown run from Woods and another touchdown from Kilborn, this time on a two-yard run to put things out of reach.

While the Rams have put themselves in good shape for a playoff run, there are still some tough obstacles in front of them if they want to make the postseason. With just three games left in the season, the Rams will have to square off against three tough teams, all looking for playoff berths themselves.

First up for Gorham is a Friday night home game against a suddenly resurgent Bonny Eagle squad. After starting out the season a shocking 0-3, the Scots (2-3) have rebounded in a big way, with wind over Scarborough (34-20) and Biddeford (48-0) to get right back into the hunt for a spot in the postseason.

Following the game with the Scots comes a very intriguing contest for the Rams as Gorham will travel to Massabesic on Oct. 14. The game will feature two teams on the rebound from 0-8 seasons, and Massabesic has been strong all season, with just a 39-7 loss to South Portland on Sept. 23 serving as the lone blemish on the Mustangs’ record.

After the clash with the Mustangs, the Rams will close things out with a home game against Scarborough on Oct. 21. The Red Storm currently sit at 2-3, but like the Rams, they feature a strong running attack, and could give Gorham problems as they look to seal up a spot in the playoffs.