The police and fire departments in Scarborough had to turn out twice Saturday night to escort state championship soccer teams to the high school.
That doesn’t often happen at a Class A school.
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It’s been nine years since teams from the same school have won Class A boys’ and girls’ soccer titles.
Mt. Ararat did it in 2003 and Cape Elizabeth swept the Class A soccer state championships in 1997. The Capers also did it in 1988, but they had to share the boys’ championship with Morse after the two teams played to a draw in the state final. Waterville swept Class A in 1983.
It’s no easy feat.
“It was definitely tough,” said Austin Downing, who led the Scarborough boys with 15 goals. “We had to overcome some challenges within our team to make sure we had the best functioning team that we could produce. By the end of the season I would say we got it, and we were able to have the best team that we could have.”
The Scarborough boys claimed their third state championship in five seasons, cruising to a 4-0 win against Mt. Ararat, while the girls pulled out a 2-1 win over Bangor in double overtime to claim their second Gold Ball in three years.
It was an especially satisfying accomplishment for the seniors from both squads.
“Of course, winning a state championship your freshman, sophomore or junior year is important, but winning it your senior year is a whole different thing,” said Chris Cleary, a senior defender on the boys’ team. “It was our last game, our last chance to really leave an impact.”
“I’ve been on the winning team as a sophomore and I was on the losing team as a junior,” said Sarah Martens, who scored the winning goal in all four tournament games for the Red Storm. “It feels so much better being on the winning team and having that underneath you, knowing you were part of the game and put your 100 percent into it.”
“Being a senior and winning is just a great feeling,” said Jessica Meader, a senior midfielder. “It’s your last game. You can’t go back. You can’t improve upon it next year and hope you get back where you were.”
The boys were in the state final for the first time since winning back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009.
“The last two years before this were pretty painful, losing to Kennebunk in the first round (in 2010) and then last year in (the regional final) to Windham,” said Trevor Sparda, a senior midfielder. “Then, this year, just winning like that, 4-0, is stuff you dream about.”
The Class A finals were played at Hampden Academy, a 2½-hour, 133-mile bus ride from Scarborough. The Class B and C games, meanwhile, were played at Scarborough’s Kippy Mitchell Sports Complex.
“We got back during the awards ceremony at the Class B boys game,” Downing said. “The girls interrupted the Class B girls’ game.”
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com
Twitter: PaulBetitPPH
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