Messalonskee tops Mt. Ararat, regains Class B lead in Topsham

Messalonskee did more than beat Mt. Ararat. The Eagles turned a tight first quarter into a 13-3 victory in Topsham on Wednesday, reclaimed the top spot in the Class B Heal point standings and gave themselves a clear path into the final week of the regular season.

The win was Messalonskee’s second in as many days after an 11-5 victory over Morse on Tuesday, a sharp turnaround for a team that had lost two straight games on back-to-back days the previous week. Now 10-3, the Eagles were ranked No. 7 in the Varsity Maine Top 10 and showed the kind of late-season response that can define a playoff run. Mt. Ararat fell to 6-5.

The game was still in reach early. Messalonskee led just 2-1 after the first quarter despite controlling possession and forcing repeated turnovers, a sign that the Eagles were creating chances but had not yet fully separated. That changed in the second quarter, when Messalonskee’s offense found its rhythm and the pressure on Mt. Ararat finally broke. Five Eagles scored in the final 5:26 of the half, including two man-up goals, turning a close game into a lopsided one before the break.

That surge came with milestones layered into it. Junior goalie Andrew Witham recorded his 500th career save, and senior attack Landon Stewart reached 100 career points on an assist to Daymion LeBlanc in the second quarter. Stewart finished with a goal and three assists, adding another layer to a Messalonskee attack that kept answering every Mt. Ararat push. On the other side, senior midfielder Phoenix Norton, who had reached 100 career points in Mt. Ararat’s previous game against Marshwood, added to that total with a first-quarter goal against the Eagles.

Messalonskee coach Tom Sheridan pointed to the defensive side of the field as the separator. His team settled in after the early scoring, limited Mt. Ararat’s best looks and kept the game in a range that matched the Eagles’ identity. Earlier this spring, that same group beat Kennebunk 9-5 in a statement win, a rematch of the 2025 Class B quarterfinal in which Messalonskee rallied from a six-goal deficit to win 12-10. Against Mt. Ararat, the message was similar: when Messalonskee controls the tempo and finishes its chances, it can look like a team built for the stretch run.