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PORTLAND — The state championship was on the line, and the Marshwood boys lacrosse team needed a play.
Senior midfielder Rogan Boisvert had a good one in mind.
“He said ‘Get the ball to Hayden, and everyone get out of his way,’” senior attack Hayden Demeroto said. “(He said) ‘I know he can score.’”
Good plan. Demeroto scored the go-ahead goal, his third of the game, with 39.1 seconds left, goalie Nate Kelley capped an excellent night with a stellar final stand, and fourth-seeded Marshwood edged No. 3 York, 8-7, in a thrilling Class B final at Deering High’s Memorial Field.
It was a memorable finish to an odds-defying spring, as the Hawks (15-2) bounced back from a 3-11 season to claim their first state championship.
“We’ve been saying all season, it feels like a script to us,” said Kelley, who made 15 saves. “We’ve been underdogs, we’ve been the dark horse all season. Nobody thought we could win this. We brought ourselves out of the mud.”
For York (11-6), it was another agonizing what if. The Wildcats reached their fourth straight state final, but lost by one goal for the third year in a row. Yarmouth beat York in overtime in 2024 and 2025.
“I’m proud of the guys, they definitely fought until the end,” coach Billy McNamara said. “They’re devastated. They’re definitely devastated. We’ve unfortunately felt this three years in a row, so it’s tough. No way, really, to make it good.”
A tight defensive struggle was seemingly tilting York’s way when Brett Aceto set up Parker Humphrey for his second goal and a 7-5 lead with 6:33 to go.
But Drake Anderson scored eight seconds later, freshman Damien Gilmore tied it with 4:02 left, and after gaining possession again, Marshwood called a timeout with 1:05 remaining to set up a play.
“Let an impact player do his job,” coach Adrian Ward said. “I don’t have to think for him. He knows what he can do.”
Demeroto was ready for the challenge. He took the ball from the left side behind the net to the right, then worked through increasing York pressure to get off a shot that bounced into the net for the 8-7 lead.
“All the pressure was on me,” Demeroto said. “But that’s what I live for.”
York won the ensuing faceoff and quickly called a timeout with 38.5 seconds to go. The pressure shifted to the goalie at the other end of the field.
“The team was huddled up and I was just doing circles on my own,” Kelley said. “I was staying as locked in as I could. I can’t get distracted, I know it’s on me.”
The Wildcats turned it over but got the ball back for another chance in the closing seconds. Cooper Dodge tried a shot coming around from behind Kelley’s right, but the senior made the save and flung the ball downfield to safety as the last seconds ticked away.
“I knew those 40 seconds were the most crucial of the entire game,” Kelley said. “I work really well under pressure.”
Asked about Kelley’s play all game, Demeroto broke into a smile.
“I think he was the best player on our team today,” he said.
Boisvert netted two goals for the Hawks, while Liam Haggerty, Anderson and Gilmore each added one. Gilmore’s tying goal was pretty, coming on a shot he whipped while on the run from right to left.
“I knew I was going to dodge before I even got the ball,” he said. “I knew I was going to rip it. … It felt so good to tie up the game and bring all the momentum to us.”
Humphrey and Aceto each scored twice for York, and Noah Stone, Tyler Moores and Josh Neal got one goal each. Goalie Brendan Dowling was strong as well, stopping nine shots.
“We didn’t play our best game, but we competed the whole time,” McNamara said. “These kids are awesome. They’ve worked their asses off.”