SKOWHEGAN — Nov. 5, 2022, will forever live as an iconic day in the history of a Skowhegan field hockey program that’s had had many of them — and the River Hawks players weren’t alone in celebrating it.

In a rare position as the underdog (in the public eye, at least), Skowhegan silenced its doubters with a 3-2 win over defending champ Cheverus in the Class A state title game. The Skowhegan football team was there, too, and was every bit as boisterous in celebrating the victory.

“They came out to watch us, and when we won, they were just as excited as we were,” senior field hockey captain Laney LeBlanc said. “They said, ‘This is your time, and our time is next.’ To come together with them, it was amazing to win our (state title) and then see another team win.”

Indeed, the football team would add its own state title two weeks later by topping Portland 20-14 in the Class B championship game. Although there’s work to be done as teams began fall practices Monday, both teams have expectations to make it just as far in 2023.

There’s no need to spend too much time detailing what Skowhegan field hockey has done in Paula Doughty’s tenure as head coach. The River Hawks seemingly have a state and regional title for every doughboy to be sold at the ongoing fair in town, and it’s rare that they aren’t expected to win the games.

Cheverus, though, had won 35 straight games and had beaten Skowhegan 4-1 the year before to hand the River Hawks their worst state final loss in their stretch of 20 straight appearances. Outscoring foes 138-5 over 17 games, the Stags looked even better in 2022 — but in the 18th, a Skowhegan masterpiece knocked them from their perch.

“We knew people were saying, ‘Oh, they lost last year, and Cheverus is really good again,’ but we felt like we would be ready for them,” said Layla Conway, another Skowhegan senior captain. “We knew we had to work to get a lot better, but we knew we could do it if we came together as a team, and that’s what we did.”

Conway, LeBlanc and Sydalia Savage, all three of Skowhegan’s All-Kennebec Valley Conference Class A first-teamers from last year, are back for 2023. Elsewhere, though there’s been quite a bit of roster turnover with this year’s team set to field just 25 players, a significant drop from last season’s 38.

It’s a challenge for Doughty, who’s been able to assemble varsity, junior varsity and freshman squads in the past with as many as 60 girls playing field hockey. Still, even if this year’s squad lacks the numbers and depth of those from years gone by, it does have a quality to it that Doughty feels is unique among those she’s coached.

“We’re definitely down (in numbers), but the thing about this team and what I told them this morning is that this group is the most committed group I’ve ever had,” said Doughty, Skowhegan’s head coach since 1981. “Each and every one of them, they were here all summer; there were no days where we were missing people.”

Whereas last year’s field hockey title was one in a long line of many for Skowhegan, the school’s win on the gridiron had been a long time coming. The win over Portland ended a 44-year state championship drought in a season that saw the River Hawks live up to their massive hype as Class B North favorites.

Unlike field hockey, Skowhegan’s football roster size has stabilized in going from 43 players in 2022 to 44 this fall. Yet the look of that roster is different after the departure of a talented senior class that included Adam Savage, brothers Collin and Kyle LePage, Hunter McEwen and Quintcey McCray, just to name a few.

“It’s definitely different (preparing with a new group),” said senior lineman Owen Falardeau, one of the few returning starters from last year’s team. “It’s hard to replace that because there just aren’t many guys like them, but we’ve got a lot of talented young kids, and with a lot of work, I think we can be that team again and be in states.”

There’s a new head coach on the sidelines, too. Ryan Libby, Skowhegan’s head coach since 2017, resigned from the position over the summer to accept the job as the school’s assistant principal. Brad Cyr, an assistant coach for the team for more than a decade, has taken over on an interim basis.

After being the overwhelming favorite to win Class B North entering last year, Skowhegan will face stiffer competition from Falmouth and Lawrence this year. Even if Cyr’s group this year is younger, though, it’s one that’s energized after experiencing a championship run.

“The kids are hungry; they saw what we did last year, and they want to be back there,” Cyr said. “We’re counting on a lot of new places in a lot of new places, but they’re here to work, and they know things haven’t changed just because of the guys we lost from last year.”

The team’s identity hasn’t changed, either. Although the River Hawks were good at seemingly everything a year ago, they took particular pride in their toughness and physicality — two things a football team in a blue-collar community can always be counted on to have.

“To quote Hunter McEwen, we had that northern Maine country boy can-do attitude,” Falardeau said. “I don’t think it’s any different this year. … We have the same goal: Play tough, work hard and put ‘em in the ground.”

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