FALMOUTH — His team’s job was done, but Spencer Emerson wasn’t quite done coaching.
Moments after a 35-7 win over Lawrence in the Class B North football title game last Friday, Falmouth’s first-year head coach bellowed to his players to stand behind the 40-yard line. He then looked carefully, making sure not a single toe was out of place before his captains stepped up to accept their regional championship plaque.
“We preach attention to detail every single day in everything we do,” Emerson said. “We never know what detail it’s going to be that’s going to change the game. Whether it’s the way your locker’s set up, the way you put your helmet down or the way you take a knee after practice, there’s no wasted movement or detail.”
It’s a mindset that’s fueled Falmouth (10-0) to its first state championship game. Combine that mentality with a group of playmakers, and you have an unbeaten team set to face reigning champion Kennebunk (10-0) for the Class B title at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
Falmouth established itself as the top team in Class B North early in the season and outscored opponents 317-49 in the regular season. Although some teams (Cony in Week 3, Messalonskee in Week 8, Lawrence last week) hung around for a bit, the Navigators always pulled away late in games.
How a player removes a helmet or jogs onto the field may seem trivial, but players have embraced the concept that consistency pays off in games and film sessions.
“It teaches us that everything we do has to be consistent,” said Joey Guerrette, a senior wide receiver and defensive back. “You never know what you’re going to see, but you want to be prepared. We take a lot of pride in that, and I feel like that’s contributed a lot to our success.”
Doing the little things right can set up any team for success, but especially one as talented at Falmouth. The Navigators feature top athletes all over the field, making them tough to beat.
Falmouth is loaded with speed, starting with the Guerrette brothers at receiver and in the secondary. Gio Guerrette ran the first leg for Falmouth’s 800-meter relay indoor track team at the Class A meet, which was just 0.05 seconds shy of tying a state record. Joey, meanwhile, is quick to point out that he beat out his brother by 0.01 seconds in the 55-meter dash.
Those two are also lacrosse all-Americans, as is Indi Backman, a Class B North Player of the Year candidate as a running back and linebacker. Throw in Ben Robbins and Owen Ross at running back and defensive back, Luke Roy at receiver and safety, and Tres Walker at quarterback, and it’s tough to match Falmouth in terms of personnel.
“There’s just so many of us, especially in the receiver room,” Gio Guerrette said. “We’re all different in terms of our strengths, and we can all contribute in different ways. … We know that everybody can score and that everybody can tackle. We’re all dangerous.”
In Week 3, Robbins’ 65-yard interception-return score sealed a 21-7 win over Cony. Leading Messalonskee 17-14 in the fourth quarter in Week 8, Falmouth got a 67-yard touchdown catch by Gio Guerrette and a long punt return by Robbins. Last week, Joey Guerrette’s 76-yard interception return for a touchdown put the Navigators up 28-7 and effectively buried Lawrence in a game in which five Falmouth players score touchdowns.
While natural speed and athleticism can’t be taught, there’s still plenty the Navigators do to convert that speed into winning football. During the summer, Falmouth did a lot of speed training work focusing on cuts and movement – again, the little details that turn good teams into great ones.
“We do a lot of agility circuits and stuff that focuses on change of direction, whether that’s pedaling, sideways runs, going around cuts, round cuts, square cuts or bent-knee cuts,” Emerson said. “We place a lot of emphasis on functional movement, and our kids have really been able to dial into that and make it show on the field.”
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