AUGUSTA — From ineligible to historic. That’s now the story of the 2024 Falmouth football team.

A year after a forfeited game amidst a 2-6 season forced them to miss the playoffs, the Navigators are Class B North champions. Falmouth earned that title Friday night, winning the first regional crown in program history with a 35-7 victory over Lawrence in regional final at Fuller Field at Cony High School.

“It feels amazing,” said Falmouth quarterback Tres Walker, who completed 11 of 16 passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns and an interception. “We’re a whole family; we stay together, and we work (as a team) for each other. … It just feels great.”

Logan McVeigh, Gio Guerrette and Ben Robbins all had touchdown receptions for Falmouth, which advanced to face Class B South champ Kennebunk (10-0) in the state championship game next Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. Joey Guerrette had returned an interception for a touchdown for the Navigators as well.

Despite forcing two Lawrence turnovers, top-ranked Falmouth (10-0) was in a scoreless deadlock with the Bulldogs for much of the first half after a penalty negated what would have been a long touchdown pass. With 5:20 left in the second quarter, the Navigators finally took the lead on a 28-yard run from Owen Ross.

Falmouth scored again as the first half expired when Walker hit McVeigh for a 6-yard touchdown pass. No. 3 Lawrence (7-4) forced a turnover to start the second half before scoring on a 35-yard pass from Michael Hamlin to Preston Roy, but the Navigators answered as Walker threw touchdown passes to Gio Guerrette and Robbins.

“We just have that mentality where the most important play is the next play,” said Falmouth Coach Spencer Emerson. “Good plays are going to happen, and bad plays are going to happen, but the most important thing is that you keep climbing. These kids really embody that, and they were able to respond.”

Lawrence kept its slim hopes alive going into the fourth quarter, driving into Navigators territory following Walker’s touchdown pass to Robbins. On third-and-8 from the Falmouth 37, though, Joey Guerrette intercepted Hamlin and took the ball 76 yards for a touchdown to make it a four-score game with 10:42 to go.

The win marked the next step in a turnaround for a Falmouth program that was in turmoil as recently as January. Following the tumultuous 2023 season, former head coach John Fitzsimmons resigned after a petition signed by 22 of 30 players urged the school board for his removal, citing safety concerns.

Under Emerson, though, Falmouth had big expectations for 2024. Many opposing coaches believed the Navigators were the most athletic team in the Class B North, and they showed that in using their speed and strength to outscore foes 317-54 across eight league games this year.

“We have some really talented athletes and a lot of kids who are committed to our offseason weight-room and speed training and things like that,” Emerson said. “I’ve always said that coaches will get you to the point of attack, and then it’s about letting DNA take over, and that’s what they do.”

Lawrence, who won the Class B North title last fall, bulldozed its way through the region last year. After falling to the Navigators 48-3 in the teams’ encounter in Week 7, the Bulldogs won three straight to return to the B North final.

The formula that got Lawrence back there, though, was missing Friday night. Hamlin (5 of 14, 104 yards) made a few big passes for the Bulldogs, but Falmouth held Lawrence’s vaunted rushing attack to just 100 yards on 40 carries and forced four turnovers.

“They were pretty aggressive with their linebackers; they maintained the perimeter pretty well, and that made it tough for us,” said Lawrence Coach John Hersom. “We were a little careless, I think, maybe just trying too hard to get something going. We were playing hard, but we just hurt ourselves too many times.”

Now, the stage is set for an appetizing Class B state championship game between Falmouth and Kennebunk, both unbeaten. The Navigators will try to earn an elusive Gold Ball for the trophy case, while the Rams will be looking to defend their state title from last year.

As sweet as this win tasted, Falmouth players immediately turned their attention to next week after celebrating with their regional title plaque. Dethroning the state champ the week after knocking off the reigning regional winner would be a storybook ending to the Navigators’ campaign.

“It feels great, but we’ve got another goal,” Joey Guerrette said. “The job’s not finished yet, so we’ve got to keep on working.”