Mt. Abram’s Evan Allen leaps into the air in front of a crowd of Mountain Valley players during an MVC soccer game in Rumford. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)
Tucked away in the heart of Salem, which could be the setting for a remake of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” is Mt. Abram Regional High School — home in the fall to boys’ and girls’ soccer teams.
By the way, both clubs are doing well in the Mountain Valley Conference.
But the boys are especially cruising this season and, well, they have exceeded coach Darren Allen’s expectations in a pleasant way and continue to turn heads in the MVC.
“We had optimism about our season,” Allen said. “We were not expecting a season like this. We still have a long way to go to get where we believe we should be.
“This team is dedicated (due to) the summer weight training, the trainings and the off-the-field closeness the group has. The senior leadership has been great so far this season.”
When you talk about Mt. Abram Regional High School, think small because this bucolic and proud community isn’t a metropolis. Mt. Abram’s total enrollment, according to publicschoolreview.com, is 251 students for the entire four grades.
The Roadrunners are kind of like the little school that could.
The school offers one sport in the fall — soccer — for boys and girls. That’s it for students who love athletics. Large schools with deep pockets elsewhere in the Pine Tree State have the advantage of tapping into higher enrollments and bigger budgets that fund soccer, cross country, lacrosse, football and golf teams in the fall.
But being a small school hasn’t stopped the Roadrunners from doing big things in the MVC.
There is no question the boys’ and girls’ teams benefit from soccer being the only game in the fall. Soccer doesn’t have to compete with other sports at Mt. Abram and that might explain the Roadrunners’ depth.
“It has been some time since we’ve had a start to a season like this, and I have to keep reminding the group: one game at a time,” Allen said. “Part of the reason we’ve been having success is we’ve had timely goals and a stingy defense.
“Also the willingness of Dillan Wells and Ben Butterfield to be willing to play center back, which they never have. They sacrificed their normal positions so they could solidify the back line. Jack Deming in goal has been great.”
But Allen is quick to point out that his Roadrunners are still working on other aspects of the game as they move closer to the postseason.
“We have quite a few things to work on before we get to the playoffs,” Allen said. “We struggle at times to score goals, which we’ve been lucky to get away with. We continue to work on this in training, as well as many other weaknesses.”
Following Thursday’s win over Spruce Mountain, the Roadrunners are rolling along with an 8-0 record.
They collected their seventh victory on a soggy Tuesday when they beat Wiscassett 8-0.
Tyson Hill and Nate Luce each scored two goals and Evan Allen, Oskar Martinez, Cam Walters and Jackson Masterson added one apiece. Wyatt Siemeski and Denny Marble added assists, while JB Jordan contributed two.
“Jordan and Evan Allen are having great seasons,” Allen said. “Evan has the creativity on the offensive end and can also play in a defenders role if needed. Jordan is a winger who possesses breakaway speed to put pressure on the defense.”
But along the way Darren Allen has witnessed other players bloom and make important contributions to Mt. Abram’s success.
“Our defending has been good with Denny Marble, Dillan Wells, Ben Butterfield and Dylan Starbird,” Allen said. “Levi Bouchard has been great at the holding position. Oskar Martinez continues his growth, he is a big target and wins a lot of balls in the air.
“Hill is starting to get into the flow of the season and is gaining confidence. Freshman Cam Walters has been a pleasant surprise and has a high soccer IQ and good skill.”
Going undefeated can put pressure on a high school soccer team and there is no guarantee the Roadrunners will pull off such a incredible feat.
“The team is still striving to be more consistent on the offensive end,” Darren Allen said. “We are taking it one game at a time.”
But look for the Roadrunners in the postseason. That’s a sure bet.
Mt. Abram’s Levi Bouchard (17) dashes for the ball in a Mountain Valley Conference soccer game against Mountain Valley in Rumford. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)
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