Messalonskee football team breaks 22-game losing streak
Huge.
Landmark.
Long awaited.
One word or phrase alone cannot do justice to the Messalonskee football team’s 34-8 win over Edward Little last Friday night.
The triumph snapped a 22-game, four-year losing streak for the 1-1 Eagles, the first time the current members of the team have experienced the ecstasy of victory in their high school football careers.
But senior quarterback Brady Doucette didn’t spend much time celebrating the milestone. In fact, his attention turned to the games ahead more rapidly than most people could possibly imagine.
“Right after the game,” he said Thursday afternoon as the Eagles prepared for their away game against Brewer tonight. “We need to get ready for Brewer.”
Doucette, part of a senior contingent that had to endure three years of football frustration, including a junior season essentially lost to COVID-19, has always had to be ready to play.
He and most of his fellow seniors saw meaningful playing time as freshmen due to injuries and a lack of upperclassmen players.
That early experience, Doucette said, has proven to be a blessing.
“It is all coming together now,” he said. [Playing as freshmen] actually really helped us because we have all that experience already.”
Doucette said one of the strengths of this year’s team is that every player, whatever his class year, is committed to excellence.
The importance of such determined unity, he said, cannot be overstated.
“If the young guys are not in it to win as much as the older guys,” he said, “you cannot be a successful football team because you need to have depth.”
That said, Doucette said he benefits greatly from a talented assortment of veteran offensive players to fuel the passing and running game with seniors Jake Thomas and Zach Wilson at wideout, senior Gio Caccamo at dive back, and senior Simon Bessey and junior Bryce Crowell at the slot positions.
In addition, Doucette points to the Messalonskee defense, which has surrendered just 26 points through two games, as a critical component of this season’s success.
Messalonskee athletic director Chad Foye said he was delighted to see the football team end its long losing streak last week.
But then Foye said he is thankful to see all Messalonskee sports teams back to competing with fans in attendance after the COVID-19 ravaged sports seasons of the 2020-21 school year.
“It’s good to see the kids out in the field,” he said, “ and it’s good to see the community come out to watch them without the [pandemic] restrictions we had last year.”