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Before 2000, the Winthrop football program was among the more storied in Maine, having won six state championships.

But the Ramblers hit a wall. During the past quarter-century, the program remained consistently strong and was routinely a contender, but kept falling just short of hoisting a seventh Gold Ball.

That all changed Saturday, when the Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale Ramblers rolled to a 41-14 victory over Winslow at Don Roux Field at Lewiston High. They flipped their fortunes by flipping the strategy.

The Class D final was billed as a classic battle between run-heavy teams, but the Ramblers went to the air in the first half, exploiting the height difference between their receivers and Winslow’s defensive backs. In the first two quarters, Winthrop completed all five of its passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns.

“All season, (deep passes) have been our strong suit,” Ramblers senior quarterback Jacob Feith said. “That’s what we go to. When we watched film, we saw what (Winslow) might be susceptible to (those).”

“It really feels incredible,” Feith continued. “To finally make it to states and win like that, it’s just incredible. I personally don’t believe in superstitions. I knew going into (the game), if we played our game, we’d come out with a win.”

Joel Stoneton just wrapped up his 30th overall season with Winthrop football, including serving as head coach from 2004-13 and the past two seasons. While the program didn’t see gold for 25 years, the traditions remained strong. The program remained a shining spot within the community, even in its darkest times, which included the sudden deaths of several former players in the early 2000s, including Fitzpatrick Trophy-winning quarterback Lee St. Hilaire that would eventually turn into a 2006 Sports Illustrated story. Stoneton’s daughter, Kelsey Stoneton, died in 2014 at age 17 due to a pulmonary embolism in her lungs.

While the community suffered, the program was always there. And the fans continued to show on Friday nights.

“This program has given me (a lot),” said an emotional Stoneton before Saturday’s state final. “It’s given me everything. I’ve been through some tough times, but these guys have always been here. It’s good to give back to the community. These guys are my family. It just never goes away. And now these guys have that (bond).”

Between 2000 and Saturday’s victory, Winthrop twice played in state championship games. The Ramblers fell 21-14 to John Bapst in the 2008 Class C final, then 19-16 to Foxcroft Academy in Class D in 2021.

“We’ve been working for this for a long time,” said junior running back Carter Rand, who ran for three scores and threw a touchdown pass Saturday. “We had some (former) seniors here tonight who didn’t get their chance last year. Everybody’s so happy. This is awesome for everybody, our seniors this year. We’ve got another chance next year, and I know we can do it next year, also.”

Nothing replaces the hurt of the past. But as the Ramblers and their families celebrated late Saturday afternoon, it seemed like a weight lifted and a true step forward, both for the program and the community.

“We had a lot of fun this week,” Stoneton said. “It was just about enjoying the moment with the kids and enjoying the culture that we built. It feels great.”

“It just establishes these guys and their march in the program,” Stoneton continued. “We’ve had some guys play for us in the perennial (contender years). This championship is as much for them as it is for us. We’re a family and we’re a family for life, and we tell the kids that. For us to accomplish that, I hope they feel it’s something that they put in place.” That, to me, is the real monkey off our back. We all worked hard for this.”