The Wells boys’ lacrosse team has come so close to making it to state championship game in recent seasons, falling in the Class C semifinals each of the last two years. This time, the Warriors got over that hurdle, then took one more step.
Wells scored six unanswered goals in the second quarter Saturday, and that was the difference in a 14-9 win over Maranacook/Winthrop for the school’s first state championship.
Maranacook/Winthrop (15-2), No. 1 seed, was also playing in the state final for the first time.
“It’s been a long time coming. We just couldn’t get past that state semis game. I guess that’s all we had to do,” said Wells Coach Matt Petrie.
The game was tied 2-2 after one quarter, but third-seeded Wells (14-3) scored four goals in just over two minutes early in the second to take control. Nathan Bolduc scored two of his team-high four goals to give Wells a 5-2 lead. Sixteen seconds after Bolduc’s second goal, Connor Whitten made it 6-2.
The key was maintaining possession, and that was the result of Dominic Buxton’s dominance on faceoffs. Petrie said Buxton had a 78% success rate on faceoffs this season.
“Dominic Buxton, he’s killing it at faceoffs this year. This is his second or third year at faceoffs for us,” Bolduc said.
Two more goals in the final minute of the first half gave Wells an 8-2 lead at the break.
Hawks Coach Dan Brannigan felt like his team wasn’t at its best in the first half.
“We didn’t show up until the second half … We showed in the second half we can hang with anybody, but unfortunately when you dig yourself a six-goal hole, there’s not much you can do,” Brannigan said. “I think at halftime, they were outshooting us 25-13.”
Trailing 12-5 after three quarters, the Hawks scored the first three goals of the fourth. Ethan Chilton’s goal with 8:52 left cut the Warriors lead to 12-8, but that was as close as Maranacook/Winthrop could get.
Petrie said his team isn’t particularly deep, and injuries to starters Dyllan Davis and Calvin Chase down the stretch tested that depth.
“We had to slow the game down, and it was just clock management. I’m glad we didn’t have to play a fifth quarter,” Petrie said.
Bolduc said the seniors have played lacrosse together since second grade, and that made this championship sweeter.
“We started off as kids, and our program wasn’t taken seriously,” he said. “The past four years, we’ve turned it around, and now we’re state champs. It’s crazy.”
Owen Lyons led the Hawks with four goals and three assists.
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