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It’s been less than a month since Lewiston, Maine was rocked by the horrific mass shooting that claimed the lives of 18 people and injured 13 others. People across the United States and beyond quickly rallied around the community, and on Saturday, an incredible scene unfolded when the town’s high school boy’s soccer team rallied to win a state championship.
The Maine Principals’ Association understandably decided to postpone fall sports playoffs across the state in the wake of the tragedy, and the group of guys representing the Lewiston High School Blue Devils on the soccer pitch embraced “Do It For The City” as a rallying cry when the postseason got underway.
Lewiston has experienced a fair amount of success in that particular realm over the past decade, as the Blue Devils had previously secured a trio of state championships in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
On November 11th, Lewiston had the chance to add a fourth title to the trophy case when they faced off against the Deering Rams (who hail from Portland) in the Class A championship game.
According to The Sun Journal, Tegra Mbele opened up the scoring to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute, which marked a back-and-forth exchange that saw the teams tied at 2-2 at the end of regulation.
It looked like there was a chance the game was going to be decided in a shootout, but Mbele emerged as the hero with around a minute left in the sudden-death overtime period with his second goal of the game as pandemonium broke out in the wake of Lewiston’s 3-2 victory.
💙Unbelievable.
Just 17 days after its community reeled from a horrific mass shooting, Lewiston High School’s boys soccer team won the Maine State Championship 3-2…in overtime.
A lightning bolt of joy when the town needs it the most. Just incredible. pic.twitter.com/pvy4Ir4RLE
— Religion of Sports (@religionofsport) November 14, 2023
The winning scorer acknowledged how much the win meant after the game, saying:
“It was the joy we brought to the fans, which made them go crazy.
We just wanted to give back to the city with all they have gone through. It brings me great joy, and to everyone who made it happen.”
You absolutely love to see it.