The story of the 2023 Greely Rangers had everything but the happy ending.

Saturday at Cameron Stadium in Bangor, the Rangers hoped to cap the most memorable campaign in program history with a first-ever Gold Ball, but instead, Greely was shut down by Mt. Desert Island, 28-0, in the eight-man, large school state final.

The Rangers, who failed to win a game in 2022, then started this season 1-3, beat Waterville, reigning champion Yarmouth and Gray-New Gloucester to earn the No. 2 seed in the South Region.

After a 38-0 semifinal round victory over No. 3 Mt. Ararat, a team which beat it during the regular season, Greely held off No. 4 Brunswick, 40-22, in the regional final.

That sent the Rangers north Saturday for the state game against an MDI squad Greely made history against once before, beating the Trojans in its first-ever varsity contest, back in 2003.

This time around, however, the Rangers had no answers for MDI.

After the Rangers couldn’t score on their first drive, MDI went on top, 8-0. Greely had chances to answer, moving the ball and getting into Trojans’ territory, but it couldn’t punch it in and MDI added another TD with a minute to go, taking a 16-0 advantage to the half.

The Rangers’ chances were compromised when junior quarterback Andrew Padgett, an integral piece to the team’s success all season due to his ability to run and throw, went down with injury, but Luke Piper stepped up admirably in his stead.

“Luke’s a good player and we trust in Luke,” said Greely coach Caleb King. “It’s not just one football player who wins or loses football games. It’s the ultimate team sport.”

Regardless, Greely couldn’t find the end zone and when the Trojans got another score early in the third quarter to go up, 22-0, the Rangers were in serious trouble. MDI then scored again, courtesy its defense, which produced a fumble return for a TD and the Trojans went on to a 28-0 victory.

“I’m super proud of the guys,” King said.  “They made a commitment to be a good football team, and they did that.

“The state game was a tough loss for us. We didn’t do any one thing that lost us the game, but we just weren’t able to put enough plays together to get the win. We’d have some big plays on offense, then the drive would putter out. Offensively, we have been able to catch a lot of other teams out of position with our play action and counter-action plays throughout the season, but MDI did a good job staying disciplined on defense. Defensively, we played well, but they beat us up front with their size and their quarterback was a dynamic player. They had two scores on toss passes plus a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Other than that it was 8-0, and most of the game was played between the 25 (yard lines).

“The guys really played their hearts out to the last minute, but we just couldn’t gain any traction on offense or defense. This team has never quit or given up, and Saturday’s loss was no different.  I’ll give credit to MDI, they’re obviously a good team with a tough group of kids, they have a lot of size and stayed disciplined throughout the whole game.”

Greely finished 6-4, but has a ton to be proud of.

“Losing a state game obviously hurts, but if we take a step back and look at what this group was able to accomplish this season and even over the last two years, it is something that I hope they are really proud of,” said King. “Before last year, Greely didn’t take the field as their own team since 2018 and because of players like Brayden Van Pembrook, we were able to suit up in the maroon-and-white again. Last year, we didn’t win a single game. This year, we won six and made it all the way to compete in a state championship game. We hosted Greely’s first-ever regional football championship, won the first-ever regional championship and went to our first-ever state championship game. By all accounts, this is the best football team Greely has ever had.

“All credit to the players for their great season. They worked out hard in the offseason starting way back in June. All year we did conditioning every practice. We’d do full contact drills at least once a week and they really pushed themselves through it all season because they understood that’s what it would take to be the best. We had told this group at the first practice of the preseason that they had the ability to make a state championship, but they had to believe in themselves and each other first. We started the season as a group of 44 guys, but ended as a true team and family. They stuck with each other and lifted each other up through thick and thin. We ended last season as the bottom of the barrel in eight-man large teams, but now, we’re a team that has to be respected.”

The Rangers lose several seniors who not only stood out on the field, but played a major role in re-establishing the program. While they’ll be missed, the cupboard isn’t bare and Greely will be starting from a strong place in 2024, when it hopes to finish the job that this admirable group started.

“We’re obviously going to miss this senior class,” King said. “They’re really tough, really talented and a dynamic group of players. Some of them will continue to play at the next level, but all of them will do great things with their lives.

“Fortunately, we also have a tough and talented group of players coming back next season who are hungry to get back to and win a state championship. Talking to the younger guys after the game, they all said we would be back to states next year and win it. It will take a lot of work and dedication, but I believe they have the drive and desire to do it. I have an unwavering belief in this group of guys. They all want to accomplish great things, we just have to give them the opportunity.

“The Rangers are back and here to stay.”

Press Herald staff writer Travis Lazarczyk contributed to this story.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. For game updates and links to game stories, follow him on Threads: @foresports2023

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