Kyle Wells scores in overtime to give Kennebunk a victory over Messalonskee, after the Messalonskee girls lead from wire to wire against Mt. Ararat.
Our Communities. Our Teams. Our Future. We’re proud to make high school sports coverage free for everyone, because these moments matter. At Maine State Credit Union, we’re here for the people and places that make Maine strong. Let’s go! Learn more at mainestatecu.org . Purchase this image View 15 photos OAKLAND — This was the same field and the same round as last year’s unforgettable playoff showdown between the Kennebunk and Messalonskee boys lacrosse teams. The Rams had their hearts broken that mid-June night, but this time they were on the winning end. Kyle Wells made certain of that. Wells scored 34 seconds into overtime Friday, giving 10th-seeded Kennebunk an 11-10 victory over second-seeded Messalonskee at Veterans Field. The win sends the Rams to a semifinal on Tuesday at Mt. Ararat High against No. 3 York (9-5) or the No. 6 Gray-New Gloucester/Poland co-op (9-6). “When we lost to them last year, it hurt — we feel it to this day — and now, to deliver that same pain, it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before,” Wells said of last year’s playoff loss, in which Messalonskee came back from six goals down. “It’s surreal; you can’t describe it, really.” Earlier Friday, the second-seeded Messalonskee girls defeated Mt. Ararat 10-4 to advance to the semis against No. 6 Freeport (10-6), the reigning state champion. That game will also be played at Mt. Ararat High. Although Kennebunk (8-8) scored early to take the lead, Messalonskee followed with a period of dominance. The Eagles scored six of the next seven goals, three by Peyton Henning, to take a 6-2 lead midway through the second quarter. After a timeout, however, Kennebunk immediately answered with goals by Grisam Shields and Taggart Connor. Jimmy McClellan cut the deficit to 6-5 late in the first half, and coach Luke Myers felt his team was in position to take over. “We felt great with it 6-5 going into halftime,” Myers said. “It was scary calling that second timeout so early in the first half, but we needed to take that gamble, and our guys pulled through. That’s just a testament to how the beatings we’ve taken all season have made us stronger for these types of games.” No. 2 Messalonskee (11-4) got a pair of goals from Colton Enos in the third quarter to stretch its lead back to three, but Kennebunk scored five straight to make it 10-8. Landon Stewart then scored twice for the Eagles, sending the game to overtime. Messalonskee took early possession as Kennebunk complained about what it thought was a missed a tripping call. The Rams immediately got the ball back, however, and Wells ended it. “It was a fast break; Ty (Samson) had a good faceoff, Grisam had an awesome feed, and we ran it like clockwork,” Wells said. “We run that all day in practice and all night. That’s just how we do it, and it paid off for us.” The Messalonskee girls (12-3) were outpossessed significantly by Mt. Ararat but withstood the visitors’ long spells of possession in the first and third quarters and scored in quick bursts to earn a relatively comfortable victory. Despite 10th-seeded Mt. Ararat (7-9) controlling the ball for much of the first quarter, Messalonskee scored first on a goal by Baylee Dillon with 16.2 seconds left. The home team then got goals from Giuliana Roderick, Grace McKay and Isabella Murphy in a 2:24 span in the second quarter to make it 4-0. “In those first four goals, the girls were seeing their teammates; it wasn’t just a one-person operation,” said Messalonskee coach Cora Clukey. “They kept the ball moving, they saw openings, and they took some different kinds of shots so that it wasn’t always the same thing that the goalie kept saving.” Mt. Ararat got goals from Avery Creek and Isabella Murphy, but Messalonskee maintained a 4-2 lead through a scoreless third quarter and then strung together five goals in quick succession from Rylee McKay, Chloe Masse, Sophia Ventimiglia, Grace McKay and Masse again. “We always do it in the second half,” Masse said. “It’s kind of what we’ve always done. Our coach kind of lights a fire under (us) at halftime, and we always talk and always end up putting it away. … The key is to just move the defense and find a way to put it in the back of the net.” Mike Mandell came to the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel in April 2022 after spending five and a half years with The Ellsworth American in Hancock County, Maine. He came to Maine out of college after More by Mike Mandell
