Leavitt’s Mason Henderson is brought down by Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale/Kents Hill’s Carter Rivers during their season opener Sept. 6 in Winthrop. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

WINTHROP — Maybe it was just coachspeak to motivate his players; maybe he meant it wholeheartedly. Either way, what Joel Stoneton said to wrap up practice Tuesday got his team’s attention.

“The whole world thinks Leavitt gave it to you,” the Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale football team’s head coach said, referencing his team’s Week 1 win over the Hornets. “Every article they wrote was what Leavitt didn’t do, not what you did. Think about that.”

So, what did Winthrop do? Well, it merely recorded a 30-0 win over a Leavitt team that had averaged 47.5 points per game over 22 straight wins dating back to the start of 2022. It was an effort more than a season in the making for a defense that has made gradual improvements to become a top unit.

Rewind to a year ago, and it’s hard to picture Winthrop being here. The Ramblers began the 2023 season with a 39-33 loss to a Freeport team that would win just three games. The following week, it took overtime for Winthrop to earn a 53-47 win over a Maine Central Institute team that would finish 1-8.

A 41-0 loss to Wells followed, after which Winthrop had given up an average of 44.3 points per game over its first three games. The Ramblers lost 20-12 to Oak Hill the following week, but that loss, though a disappointing one to a rival in the first game on the team’s new turf, felt different.

“It took until that game, but I think that’s when it started to click,” said Hunter Reynolds, who led Winthrop in sacks (seven) and forced fumbles (three) last year and also had a sack Friday against Leavitt. “We just kept it going, and this year, we’ve been on immediately, right from the summer.”

“Click” it did for Winthrop, which allowed just 28 points combined over its next five games to go from 1-3 to 6-3. The Ramblers then made it six straight wins with another solid defensive effort in a 17-14 Class D South semifinal victory over Oak Hill before falling 35-6 to Wells in the regional final.

So, what changed? For one, Stoneton said, Winthrop being able to practice at its own field after the turf was installed paid dividends. The Ramblers had spent the early part of 2023 at nearby Camp Mechuwana, and playing on the cramped field there, he said, was evident in the team’s poor spacing in the loss to Freeport. 

That, though, was only one change. There was an even bigger one in Stoneton’s mind — one that carried over from the other side of the ball.

“I think what happened last year that changed our identity was we started going to an I(-formation) offense and pounding the ball,” Stoneton said. “We took that physicalness from offense and took it to our defense, and I think that really toughened us up and made the difference.”

It helps that Winthrop graduated just one starter, Avry Jones, from that 2023 defense. The defensive line is led by Reynolds, an elite pass-rusher. At middle linebacker, there’s Brock Dewar and Cody Cobb, the latter of whom had 11 tackles (two for loss) and two forced fumbles against Leavitt.

Winthrop’s secondary was also strong Friday, with Ben Porter recovering a fumble and Brody Adams snatching an interception. Those turnovers, as well as an interception by Cobb and a fumble recovery by Brady Hatch, were crucial as Leavitt did gain 316 yards — not an eye-popping number but enough, usually, to avoid a shutout.

“Leavitt messed up a lot, and that gave us the upper hand, but we had to take advantage,” Cobb said. “I think a lot of it was just the emotion we took into the game. Coach had us going ever since last Monday, just talking about how Leavitt was going to come in and punch us straight in the face. We kind of just took that as motivation.”

Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale’ Cody Cobb, left, sacks Lisbon quarterback Keeghan Morrissette during a Class D South quarterfinal football game Oct. 31 in Winthrop. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Perhaps most impressive? That Winthrop did it all without Barrett Perkins, one of the state’s top linemen and an All-Campbell Conference Class D selection last year. Without Perkins, who suffered a knee injury in the offseason, Isaiah Trott and Glaia Ngongo stepped up in the interior for the Ramblers.

“Those two went in there, and they just dominated,” Stoneton said. “They played really well, and our defensive ends, who we also expected some big things out of, they got the job done, too. I really think that’s what made the difference for us against Leavitt is that we won the war up front.”

Perkins, whom Winthrop players say is still making an impact as an emotional leader during practices, hopes to be back by the postseason. That would add another dimension to a Ramblers defense that hasn’t skipped a beat in continuing the improvements it made last season.

Another factor in that defense’s consistency? Stoneton’s return as head coach. Stoneton was the defensive coordinator under predecessor Dave St. Hilaire after previously being Winthrop’s head coach from 2004-13, and with him back in his old post, the team has further embraced a defensive identity.

“You can feel that (carrying over), definitely,” Reynolds said. “Having that as our head coach has kind of turned into our whole motto — just being aggressive.”

Winthrop will be on the road Friday against Lisbon, which beat Poland 34-27 to mark its own winning start to the season. Although the Ramblers beat the Greyhounds 21-0 (regular season) and 43-8 (playoffs) last year, the series is always a tight one — Lisbon leads it 39-36-2 — and Winthrop is ready for a battle.

“People thought we were going to lose to Leavitt, so we’re just going to keep proving them wrong,” Cobb said. “We got better last year, and now we’re back stronger and faster, so we’re going at it with a full head of steam.”