Brewer’s soccer workforce makes historical past by driving to Massachusetts
On Saturday, the Brewer soccer workforce bused 4 hours south to play a Massachusetts-based workforce in Salem.
The exhibition sport had been within the works since March, and was the primary time a Maine highschool workforce had traveled out of state to play soccer.
However what made Saturday’s sport actually particular is the shared bond between Brewer and Salem: they’re the one two soccer packages nationwide nicknamed the Witches, and the 2 most profitable packages coached by the legendary Ken Perrone.
Perrone coached Brewer to 2 Class A state championships from 1967 to 1973, together with a 1970 marketing campaign by which the workforce completed No. 1 in New England and ranked No. 5 nationally. Beginning in 1974, Perrone coached Salem for 21 seasons, main them to 2 state championship appearances and 5 Northeastern Convention titles.
“He’s a legend. I went to high school right here and performed right here, and all the time heard about his groups,” stated Brewer’s head soccer coach Scott Flagg. “It was actually cool that he was there Saturday, and to have the ability to honor him. He’s an incredible man; filled with vitality.”
Dozens of locals adopted the workforce south this weekend, drawn in by what Flagg referred to as “the Ken Perrone impact.”
Carrying a Brewer cap and Salem t-shirt, Perrone accompanied each groups out to the coin toss pregame. The exhibition sport was dubbed the Ken Perrone Witches Traditional, by which each groups battled to take house the primary Cauldron Cup.
“He was humble, too,” junior quarterback Ethan Leavitt stated. “He had the choice of flipping the coin, and determined to offer it to his assistant coach, who he stated was ‘among the finest in Maine.’”
Massachusetts begins its soccer season later than Maine, so the coaches determined to deal with the occasion as a scrimmage fairly than a typical exhibition sport. Each groups took turns trotting out their A and B squads, earlier than enjoying aggressive drives from the opposing 40-yard line to find out the winner of the Cauldron Cup.
Brewer finally turned the ball over on downs, and Salem scored on a hard-fought ultimate drive, profitable 6-0.
“Our youngsters battled all afternoon,” Flagg stated. “That final drive was our greatest. We took them to fourth down twice.”
The journey all the way down to Salem was formative for Brewer’s gamers, who took the time to bond on the bus trip and had the chance to witness the depth of Massachusetts soccer.
“Rising up in Maine, the sports activities tradition is totally completely different from down there in Massachusetts,” junior huge receiver and defensive again Jake Perry stated. “There was positively a extra intense feeling going into the sport.”
“It was a helpful expertise we will depend on for the remainder of the season,” senior offensive and defensive sort out Colby Largay stated. “I’m actually glad we did it.”
This fall, Brewer will play its first season within the Maine Principals’ Affiliation’s Class C program, and appears to bounce again from two consecutive dropping seasons. The Witches’ house opener on Friday, Sept. 1, towards Hermon is a extremely anticipated sport, as is their week two sport at Hampden Academy.
Brewer will even play defending Class C regional champs Medomak Valley at house on Sept. 15, and two Class B groups in Messalonskee (house Sept. 22) and Lawrence (away Oct. 20).
“Salem was aggressive, loud and bodily. We’re too, however that was one other degree,” Flagg stated. “We’d prefer to emulate that this season. Iron sharpens iron.”
Subsequent 12 months, the plan is to play the second Ken Perrone Witches Traditional in Brewer. There’s an opportunity Brewer and Salem will play a full sport fairly than a scrimmage.
“We want to construct this in as a convention with our new associates from Salem, Massachusetts, who share the identical nickname and lots of connections from the previous,” Brewer Athletic Director Dave Utterback stated.
