By Duncan Leahy and Ry Wood
“[In] the first game of the season, our fans didn’t believe that the scoreboard said home was ahead… we put in the work, and it paid off,” linebacker Rufus MacVane passionately told Channel 8 news after the Clippers football team won states earlier this month. Rufus, who tallied a record 152 tackles this season and helped rally fan support for the team, also correctly pointed out in the same interview that the team went 1-7 last year. This year, the team turned things around and finished the season with 10 wins and only one loss.
What changed?
For one, as Rufus and others on the team will tell you, they put in the work. After scoring a game-winning TD with 30 seconds left in the state final, runningback Michael McGonagle told the Portland Press Herald, “I knew we could do it. We got it done with heart. That’s been the name of the game all year”.
The team certainly did win with heart and hard work, but the personnel didn’t hurt. McGonagle rushed for over 2500 yards this season (state record), with 433 yards and 5 touchdowns in one game that earned him the player of the week title from BigTime Football, a social media account covering Maine high school football. Often blocking for Mike was 270-lb Spencer Labrecque, who himself had an unbelievable offensive season with 660 rush yards, and 21 TDs.
Another key player was Rufus, who, as coach Hartman said, “always does something special,” and broke the tackle record with his aforementioned 152. Although the team often ran the ball, Quarterback Sam Bradford also contributed 780 passing yards over the season, with eight passing TDs. On the defensive end, Bradford also tallied 5 interceptions as a cornerback.
Lily Tyau // Clipper Chronicle
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