Editor’s note: The Sun Journal sports staff is voting on the region’s top sports stories of 2023 and counting down the top 10.
After one of the most horrifying events in Maine’s history, we were reminded of the positive role sports can play in society.
On Oct. 25, a gunman entered a Lewiston bowling alley and restaurant and killed 18 people, leading to a search for Robert Card and sports suspensions in the area and across the state for the next week.
One of the games that was postponed was the annual Lewiston vs. Edward Little football showdown, the Battle of the Bridge.
In the end, the game was moved to the following Wednesday, exactly one week after the shooting. An already big and important game just got even bigger and more important.
While wins and losses were certainly important, the main purpose of this game was one of the first steps Lewiston and Auburn took to move past the tragedy and begin to heal.
Can high school games played by high school students meet that responsibility? Should we do that?
Should we move forward when just one week ago 18 families lost their loved ones and 13 others were injured and their lives changed?
Healing had to start somewhere, and for many, that place and time was Nov. 1 at Lewiston High School’s Don Lue Field.
“Tonight, we are here to replace the sights, sounds and horrors of last week with new memories,” Lewiston Schools Superintendent Jake Lenglet said during the pregame ceremony. “Tonight, as our two teams reunite, we thank those who risked everything to protect and heal our communities, and the loved ones we kissed as we left our homes in the line of duty. Masu.”
Lewiston Athletic Director Jason Fuller made sure the Battle of the Bridge was more than just a game.
Using what he only described as “Lewiston connections,” he arranged for Will Ferrell, Rob Gronkowski, Robert Kraft and Mac Jones to make videos wishing the players and community well. .
First responders were recognized on the field before the game. There was also a viaduct. James Taylor sang the national anthem.
A large sign on the side of Lewiston High School reads “L/A Strong,” a sign that while the two cities are physically separated by the Androscoggin River, they are otherwise not separated at all. It’s so close that it admits it’s impossible. Because tragedies within one’s borders do not have nearly equal impact on the other.
It was a success even before the game started.
The Blue Devils ultimately won 34-18, clinching a postseason berth.
“It was important for this community to come together,” Lewiston football coach Jason Bursey said. “Games can do that. Games can bring communities together and allow them to forget for a moment and actually get engaged in playful competition that has meaning and pride.”
As if fate was somehow willing the Twin Cities to recover, two days after the football game, the Lewiston Little and Edward Little boys soccer teams met on the same field in the regional semifinals.
When the shootings began on Oct. 25, the Lewiston soccer team had just won a 1-0 overtime victory over Mount Blue in the Class A North quarterfinals.
The Blue Devils dedicated their playoff berth to their city.
“Our city cried a lot. And we cried a lot,” senior defender Obed Antonio said in a video posted to the Men in Blazers’ social media accounts. “So we’re like, ‘The next tear will be a tear of happiness.'”
Meanwhile, Red Eddie was midway through their quarter-final match against Ararat when news of the shooting reached Topsham and the match was suspended. Edward Little won a rematch of the quarterfinals and qualified for the semifinals.
The Blue Devils defeated the Red Eddies 2-1 in a well-played and hard-fought game that displayed some of the best attributes of Lewiston and Auburn.
Lewiston defeated Camden Hills 1-0 in the regional final, then headed to Messaronski High School in Oakland to take on Deering for its fourth state championship.
Lewiston’s boys soccer program has already been immortalized in books and documentaries about its first state championship season in 2015. Now, the Blue Devils have the opportunity to add an exciting chapter to their history.
Tegla Mbele and Mohamed Gabou each scored for Lewiston in regulation, but Deering scored both and the game went into overtime.
With about a minute left in overtime, Mbele received a long pass from Gabou. He kicked the ball past the charging goalkeeper and into the net. The 3-2 overtime victory gave Lewiston the Class A state title.
“We’ve been saying the last few weeks, ‘Do it for the city,'” Lewiston goaltender Payson Goyette said after the game. “It feels great to win for the city and bring good things to the city.”
While some of the pain from the Lewiston shooting may never heal, sports have strengthened in the weeks since Oct. 25, and many in the Twin Cities and across the state have begun the process of recovery. It was useful.
While the boys soccer team won the state title in Oakland, Lewiston and Auburn were holding day-long softball tournaments to raise money for shooting victims. Players included Patrick Dempsey, who was recently named Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine, and former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill “Spaceman” Lee.
The softball tournament started out as a small idea, but continued to grow as support gathered.
“The best word to describe this is pandemonium,” said Derek Haskell, who started the softball tournament in the first place. It’s great to see everyone here supporting this. ”
The New England Patriots invited the Lewiston boys soccer team to play in their game against the Los Angeles Chargers on December 3rd. Players’ Day included a private meeting with Kraft and the opportunity to ring the bell atop Gillette Stadium’s lighthouse before the game.
Although not directly related to the shooting, Lewiston women’s hockey players participated as part of the Bruins’ “Hockey is for Everyone” night at TD Garden on the same day the soccer team was watching the Patriots game. Four members and two coaches attended the Boston Bruins game. The Bruins also honored the first responders of the Oct. 25 shooting that night.
Blue Devils captain Fiona Landry skated on the ice in a Lewiston uniform during the pregame ceremony, and after the game, the Blue Devils were invited to the locker room area where goaltender Jeremy Sway, who played the main role, man and defenseman Charlie McAvoy.
“Swayman was great. He’s been in the room for quite a while,” Lewiston coach Scott Laberge said. “He talked to (assistant coach) Scott (Cloutier) and me specifically about what’s going on here and everything going on. That’s what’s on his mind. I understand.”
Additionally, Lewiston University senior basketball player Natalie Beaudoin is selling shirts to raise money for the victims. The Boston Celtics honored the heroes of Oct. 25, including Auburn’s Tom Gilberty, Green’s Megan Hutchinson, Lewiston’s Kenny Moore, and one of the victims, Lewiston’s Joe Walker. The Maine Celtics hosted a Lewiston Strong night on Dec. 16, which included G League teams wearing special Lewiston-themed uniforms.
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