BIDDEFORD — State champion.

That’s a title most high school athletes can only dream of attaining — but that’s exactly what the members of the Biddeford High School field hockey team did on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers won their first state championship since 1990 when they took down powerhouse Skowhegan by a 4-3 score in the Class A final in Portland.

“It still doesn’t feel real … like I don’t feel like I won states. I feel like I still have practice today. It was overwhelming,” said Biddeford senior captain Paige Laverriere on Monday.

Biddeford senior goalie Taylor Wildes, who is also a captain, knew during the offseason that this team had a chance to make history.

“I think I started to realize (we could win states) a little more when we were putting in the work over the summer,” Wildes said. “We went to the weight room. We practiced and had three scrimmages a week during the summer. We always worked hard (during practice) and we kept improving. I don’t want to say I was like ‘yes, we are going to win a state championship,’ but I would say more that I believed we could win a state championship.”

Biddeford’s other senior captain, Hailey Allen, had a different experience on Saturday as the standout was injured during the regional semifinals and was unable to play in the last two games.

“Before we even got on the bus, we were here and I was sad and crying because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to play with them that day, but after (the game) I was so proud of them and I couldn’t have asked for a better season with them,” said Allen.

She had a feeling before the game that the Tigers would be up to the challenge.

“It was really exciting knowing that their intensity was really high and their energy was high in the locker room and on the bus ride there. Just by that, I knew it was going to be a good game and once they were out there and my sister (Abby Allen) got the first goal I was like, ‘OK, we’re in it,’” Hailey Allen said.
This group of Tigers would not only be in the game with a tough Skowhegan squad — they stepped up and earned the right to be mentioned with some of the great Biddeford High teams that won championships before them.

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 780-9017. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.

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