Apr. 17—WELLS — Last spring, the Wells boys lacrosse team made history, even if it didn’t expect to.
With a 14-9 win over Maranacook/Winthrop, the Warriors became the first public school to win the Class C boys lacrosse state championship in the six seasons since the Maine Principals’ Association added the third class in the 2018 season. Waynflete won four of the first five, with North Yarmouth Academy breaking the Flyers monopoly in 2019.
Wells graduated 15 players off its 2023 team, including a group that scored 192 goals that season. The 2024 season began with a talented defensive group that had to find its way offensively.
“The kids were hungry. They just wanted it after coming so close three years in a row. They didn’t want to go four years and not get one,” said coach Matt Petrie.
This season, Class C looks a little different than in recent years. Longtime powerhouse Waynflete will play a junior varsity schedule as it looks to increase participation. Other contenders should include North Yarmouth Academy, Oak Hill and Maranacook/Winthrop.
As they look to repeat, the Warriors have the experience they say is a key, along with the championship mindset that comes from not just winning a lacrosse state title, but football and wrestling crowns in each of the past two years.
“Last year, we had five kids on our team who celebrated three state championships. They’ve got football and wrestling again, so it puts a little pressure on you,” Petrie said.
The 2024 state title came after Wells fell in the Class C semifinals three consecutive seasons.
“It was a hard feeling to lose that close to a state championship. Last year, we finally did it. Last year, we didn’t think like, this is the team to do it. We had so many better guys two years ago,” said senior Dominic Buxton, the team’s faceoff specialist. “We’re kind of the same right now. We don’t have the guys we had last year, but I still think we can make that solid run and bring it home.”
The title was the next step in the development of the program under Petrie. Hired in the spring of 2020, he took over a team that went 4-8 the previous year and missed the playoffs. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Petrie had to wait more than a year before coaching the Warriors in a game. Looking back, he says that delay was a good thing.
“Losing that season was a good opportunity to hit the reset button, change the culture a little bit and convince the kids they could be a winning program. We definitely had the athletes. We just had to change the mindset,” he said.
To the team’s leaders, that mindset is the biggest asset the team has.
“It’s a lot of confidence. Especially on defense, where I play, it’s a lot of commitment to what you’re doing, and doing it 100%,” said senior defender Sabin Piatek. “For the younger kids, they’ve just got to commit to what they want to do.”
Petrie coaches the Warriors hard, but his players know it comes from a place of love.
“Coach Petrie definitely pushes us. He knows what we have. He knows our capabilities, so he knows when we’re slacking off,” Buxton said.
Added senior goalie Riley Murphy: “Out of all my sports, he’s one of my favorite coaches. He’s always making us better, and giving us space when we need it.”
Wells’ varsity roster has 25 players, including seven freshmen and eight sophomores. The schedule does the Warriors no favors, either: eight of the 14 games are against Class A or B competition, and five opponents made the Class B playoffs last season. The Warriors’ Class C opponents include Oak Hill and NYA.
If the team starts slowly against strong competition as it works younger players into the lineup, that’s fine, Petrie said. One thing Wells doesn’t want to do is play down to its competition.
“We just have to turn a lot of these younger kids into varsity guys,” Petrie said.
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Senior defenseman Alex Gagnon passes the ball during a drill at Wells boys lacrosse practice Monday. The Warriors are the reigning Class C state champions. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
WELLS — Last spring, the Wells boys lacrosse team made history, even if it didn’t expect to.
With a 14-9 win over Maranacook/Winthrop, the Warriors became the first public school to win the Class C boys lacrosse state championship in the six seasons since the Maine Principals’ Association added the third class in the 2018 season. Waynflete won four of the first five, with North Yarmouth Academy breaking the Flyers monopoly in 2019.
Wells graduated 15 players off its 2023 team, including a group that scored 192 goals that season. The 2024 season began with a talented defensive group that had to find its way offensively.
“The kids were hungry. They just wanted it after coming so close three years in a row. They didn’t want to go four years and not get one,” said coach Matt Petrie.
This season, Class C looks a little different than in recent years. Longtime powerhouse Waynflete will play a junior varsity schedule as it looks to increase participation. Other contenders should include North Yarmouth Academy, Oak Hill and Maranacook/Winthrop.
As they look to repeat, the Warriors have the experience they say is a key, along with the championship mindset that comes from not just winning a lacrosse state title, but football and wrestling crowns in each of the past two years.
Wells boys lacrosse head coach Matt Petrie instructs players during practice on Monday. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
“Last year, we had five kids on our team who celebrated three state championships. They’ve got football and wrestling again, so it puts a little pressure on you,” Petrie said.
The 2024 state title came after Wells fell in the Class C semifinals three consecutive seasons.
“It was a hard feeling to lose that close to a state championship. Last year, we finally did it. Last year, we didn’t think like, this is the team to do it. We had so many better guys two years ago,” said senior Dominic Buxton, the team’s faceoff specialist. “We’re kind of the same right now. We don’t have the guys we had last year, but I still think we can make that solid run and bring it home.”
Dominic Buxton, a senior, is part of a group of Wells players who have already won state championships this school year in football and wrestling. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
The title was the next step in the development of the program under Petrie. Hired in the spring of 2020, he took over a team that went 4-8 the previous year and missed the playoffs. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Petrie had to wait more than a year before coaching the Warriors in a game. Looking back, he says that delay was a good thing.
“Losing that season was a good opportunity to hit the reset button, change the culture a little bit and convince the kids they could be a winning program. We definitely had the athletes. We just had to change the mindset,” he said.
To the team’s leaders, that mindset is the biggest asset the team has.
“It’s a lot of confidence. Especially on defense, where I play, it’s a lot of commitment to what you’re doing, and doing it 100%,” said senior defender Sabin Piatek. “For the younger kids, they’ve just got to commit to what they want to do.”
Petrie coaches the Warriors hard, but his players know it comes from a place of love.
“Coach Petrie definitely pushes us. He knows what we have. He knows our capabilities, so he knows when we’re slacking off,” Buxton said.
Senior defenseman Sabin Piatek runs through passing drills during Wells boys lacrosse practice. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
Added senior goalie Riley Murphy: “Out of all my sports, he’s one of my favorite coaches. He’s always making us better, and giving us space when we need it.”
Wells’ varsity roster has 25 players, including seven freshmen and eight sophomores. The schedule does the Warriors no favors, either: eight of the 14 games are against Class A or B competition, and five opponents made the Class B playoffs last season. The Warriors’ Class C opponents include Oak Hill and NYA.
If the team starts slowly against strong competition as it works younger players into the lineup, that’s fine, Petrie said. One thing Wells doesn’t want to do is play down to its competition.
“We just have to turn a lot of these younger kids into varsity guys,” Petrie said.
