GORHAM — The Gorham High boys’ lacrosse team thought it might just grab the top spot in Class A South if it beat Thornton Academy in Tuesday’s regular- season finale.

The Rams did what they could, winning 10-7. The mathematics of the Heal point system were cruelly unimpressed.

Gorham (10-2) actually slipped from second to third in the Class A standings. Westbrook (9-3) pushed its way into second thanks to a late-season surge capped by a win Tuesday against Windham.

Based on the Heal points on the Maine Principals’ Association website, Scarborough – which Gorham beat – remains No. 1 and gets the lone bye into the regional semifinal.

“It’s just Heal points. We’re the underdog again,” Gorham Coach Dan Soule said. “So we just keep rolling.”

The Class A quarterfinals begin June 8. Gorham will likely host No. 6 Biddeford and Thornton would host No. 5 South Portland and Westbrook gets No. 7 Massabesic.

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Gorham jumped on Thornton and led 3-1 after a quarter.

Cam Wright’s one-handed catch and falling one-handed underhand, no-look goal made it 4-1 early in the second quarter.

Gorham took advantage of turnovers and ground balls late in the half.

Tristan Brunet scored consecutive goals – the first after he intercepted an attempted clearing pass, the second on a clean pass from Alex York – and then assisted on Chris Tucker’s goal in a two-minute span to give Gorham a 7-1 halftime advantage.

“You know, sitting in second for so much of the season we’ve been overlooked by so many teams,” Brunet said. “We just want to come out and prove to everyone that we had it in us. Show them what we had.”

Tucker and York (two assists) each scored three goals to lead Gorham. Brett Stiles also scored once. Goalie Carter Landry made 14 saves – 10 in the second half.

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“Carter played amazing in net. You can always count on him. Every day,” York said.

Landry was aided by a strong defense that started up top with midfielders like Brunet, versatile and speedy Joe Gallant, and Brady Rioux.

“Defensively we played really good one-on-one,” Soule said.

If Thornton’s top-side players did get a look then it was usually quickly shut down by Gorham’s long-pole defenders, with Mat Anderson and Sam Burghardt having strong games.

Trailing 10-4 after three quarters, Thornton (8-4) outshot Gorham 16-1 in the fourth quarter and cut into the lead. Wyatt LeBlanc scored three goals for Thornton.

Thornton Coach Ryan Hersey said his team’s slow start was similar to its last game, an 11-8 home loss to Westbrook.

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“We come out and we kind of freelance (offensively) and lo-and-behold you have Westbrook and Gorham that are very technically sound teams and that are going to make you pay,” Hersey said.

“We made a good comeback in the fourth quarter but it was a little too late.”

Brunet said regardless of where the Rams finished in the regular-season standings the goal remains the same.

“To win a state championship,” Brunet said. “That’s the goal every year. It’s definitely the goal this year and we’re looking like we’re in a very prime position to do that.”


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