What does it take for a rapid rise to the top in Maine high school football?
PORTLAND — In Maine high school football, few stories captivate coaches and fans quite like a dramatic turnaround. Westbrook provided the latest example last fall, going from a 2-6 season that missed the playoffs in 2024 to capturing the program's first Class B state championship in 2025. Falmouth achieved a similar feat the year before, winning a title a year after a 2-6 campaign that included a forfeited game.
Now, attention turns to which team might write the next chapter of gridiron redemption. For Cheverus, the pieces appear to be falling into place.
The Stags finished 4-5 in Class B South last season under second-year head coach Skip Capone, including a playoff loss to Marshwood. But three of those defeats came by six points or fewer, suggesting a team on the cusp of something more.
"We've made progress two years in a row. We lost three games last season that literally came down to the last play of the game," Capone said.
The program enters 2026 with its largest and most talented senior class in years, anchored by two athletic standouts whose junior seasons marked their first with Cheverus. A junior class that was forced into significant roles as freshmen now has the experience to match its ability.
Perhaps the most intriguing addition is quarterback Colton Jewett, who transferred from Gorham. Despite saying he never played offense for the Spartans, Jewett rushed for over 1,500 yards last season. His dual-threat capability has prompted the coaching staff to abandon last year's run-focused scheme in favor of a spread formation designed to maximize his skills and those of the team's tall receiving corps.
"Last year, we were young, skillwise. We had a lot of sophomores, a lot of juniors starting at skill positions," Jewett said. "I think this year, it's all juniors and seniors starting at those positions. Having that experience definitely helps, being able to capitalize in those big moments."
Jewett isn't the only newcomer making an immediate impact. AJ Lauture didn't play football as a freshman or sophomore, but his first year of high school competition saw the 6-foot-4, 190-pound athlete emerge as an immediate standout at wide receiver and safety. This season, he'll shift to inside linebacker.
"We have a lot of playmakers. I trust in anyone on this team to make a big play when we need it," Lauture said.
Lauture believes the path to improvement runs through mental preparation as much as physical talent.
"I think it's all about your belief and if everyone on your team believes in the goal, then that's what's going to happen," he said. "They pushed through the battles that we fell to," Lauture added, referencing Westbrook's championship run as a model for what sustained effort can achieve.
The ingredients for a turnaround in Maine high school football typically include a core of experienced players who weathered early losses, trust in the coaching staff, key additions, and occasionally, a bit of fortune. For Westbrook, that luck came when Marshwood miscommunicated on a fourth-down play in the playoffs, allowing the Blue Blazes to recover and ultimately win the title.
Cheverus doesn't expect dramatic help from transfers or returning injured players this season. Instead, the transformation lies in the maturation of a young roster and the implementation of a scheme better suited to its personnel.
Class B South presents a more balanced landscape than some other classifications, where a few programs have dominated for over a decade. In the southern region, fewer gimme victories exist, and the gap between contenders and pretenders remains narrow.
Whether Cheverus can follow Westbrook's path from also-ran to champion remains to be seen. But in a sport where belief and togetherness often matter as much as X's and O's, the Stags appear positioned to make noise this fall.
