Orono football stands tall on final play to win 8-man state title

All season long, Orono football has battled through adversity and stood tall when it mattered most. It was fitting, then, that their season would come down to a final play, with one stop needed for a state title. Eli Schaff and Josh Wood were there to make that happen. The pair of Red Riot defenders combined for a game-saving goal-line tackle as time expired to give Orono a 22-14 win over Orchard Beach, capturing the program’s second 8-Man Small state championship in four years. “We have a saying around here,” said Orono head coach Bob Sinclair. “Offense wins games. Defense wins championships.” Orono’s huge defensive stand sealed the win in a game the Red Riots trailed 14-0 at halftime. “We’ve got such a good group of kids here,” said Sinclair. “To come from behind and then to make that stand in that situation, it’s incredible.” Orono has knocked off 8-Man Small stalwarts for two weeks in a row.

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