Marshwood continues winning ways en route to 4th straight state championship
SOUTH BERWICK, Maine (BVM) — Back in 2020, Marshood head coach Alex Rotsko centered his focus on one thing during the team’s offseason, continuing his team’s extensive championship run. Without a state title game last season, he would have to wait an extra year to see if his next group was up for the task.
“In our program, our younger kids, our freshman and our sophomores, they’re not out there holding bags for the entire time, they’re out there learning just like everyone else,” Rotsko explained last year of what makes his team so dominant each season. “Fortunately, [2019] was a good example. We won a few games by big scores and we had a lot of our kids… done by halftime and it gets the younger kids into the game. It gets them in some game situations at the varsity level, so when they become the guys starting for you or moving up on your depth chart, they are ready to play. They are not going to go out there and be nervous.”
The goal that Rotsko speaks of has provided his underclassmen an opportunity to gain playing time at the varsity level throughout each season. That experience has continued to be an invaluable one for the program, as Marshwood added to its lengthy resume with another Class B state championship in 2021.
The year layoff of the state title game wouldn’t slow down this year’s Hawks squad as the team achieved its record fourth-straight state championship with their win over Windham. The much-anticipated feat had been a long-time coming for Marshwood, after the program came up just short of four-straight in 2016.
The Hawks’ successful season can be traced back to some early adversity the team faced to begin the season. Following a 3-2 start to the year, Marshwood would have to figure out how they wanted to finish its 2021 campaign. The early season struggles however would be a good thing for this year’s team, who would go on to rattle off wins in six of their next seven games.
The loss that put Marshwood at 3-2 came at the hands of the Portland Bulldogs, who beat the Hawks 28-14. The contending Bulldogs had been a threat all season to teams in their division, at one point outscoring their opponents 220-35.
With the early season loss setting a different trajectory for the Marshwood football team, it felt only fitting that the Hawks would line up in a rematch to decide who would play in the state’s championship game. This time around however, Marshwood would play spoiler.
Led by solid attack on both sides of the ball, the Hawks’ dominated with a 35-0 win over the undefeated Bulldogs in the regional finals. The positive momentum gained from the game would be pivotal in Marshwood’s championship aspirations as the team headed towards its matchup against Windham in the Class B state championship game.
With scoring at a premium in the team’s championship game, the Hawks would secure a win over another previously undefeated opponent, with a 14-13 victory over the Windham Eagles. With all the scoring done in the first half, Marshwood would go on to rack up 294 yards of offense throughout the game as they played keepaway throughout the second half.
The one-point title victory seemed to be fitting of the season Marshwood had faced as adversity had never been too much for this year’s Hawks team. Now, after capturing their sixth state championship in seven years, it’s clear that Rotsko has discovered the template for sustained success.
“I think when you’re successful, younger kids are going to see that,” Rotsko said last year. “The kids coming up through the elementary and middle schools and so forth, when they see the kind of success you have, it becomes a goal for them to be part of that. I think if you do it long enough, you get that tradition built up so that kids want to be part of the program.”
