Want to know what high school football is all about? Talk to coaches after a tough playoff loss.

If you’re ever looking to hear some tough men share their feelings, talk to high school football coaches after their teams have lost a hard-fought playoff game. You’ll probably hear a lot about joy, gratitude, pride and love. The Bangor area had three teams in particular that shined on the gridiron this fall, and all three fell just short of their respective state title games over the weekend. The Bangor Rams lost to defending state champion Portland in Class A, the Hermon Hawks missed out on their second straight Class C championship game appearance with a loss against Leavitt, and the John Bapst Crusaders had an otherwise perfect campaign stall against Winslow in Class D. Longtime John Bapst head coach Dan O’Connell paused for a moment after Saturday’s game when he was asked what it was like to lead a senior-laden Crusaders team that put together such a fantastic season. “I’m just lucky,” O’Connell responded. “I’m so thankful that I get to be around this great game with great kids, great families.” Hermon coach Kyle Gallant, a former assistant and player under O’Connell, had a similar answer when asked about the Hawks’ 8-2 season coming to a close. “Like I said to my guys, 48 minutes of football doesn’t define who we were this season. I’m super proud of them,” Gallant said. “You know, they’re just a joy to coach.” Both of Hermon’s losses this year came against Leavitt. “I just find myself trying to figure out what to do at night without football practice and being around those guys, because I love them that much,” Gallant added, “Unfortunately the season didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but it didn’t take away what those guys were able to do.” Bangor coach David Morris said his Rams players would be the first to tell you that they didn’t want to have their season end in the state semifinal against Portland for the second year in a row. But most importantly, he said his players could look themselves in the mirror and be proud of who they are. The Rams battled it out with top-seeded Portland in a back-and-forth contest for the ages, but came up just short against reigning Gatorade Player of the year Cordell Jones and the Bulldogs. “That’s the biggest thing really proud about what kind of people these guys are,” Morris added about his Bangor team. He was also proud of their commitment to Bangor High School in general. “Not to get sentimental, but one of our mottos was, ‘LEO,’ which means love each other,” Morris explained. “And yeah, they exemplified that to the fullest.” All three of these Bangor-area teams had an impactful group of seniors who played their final high school football game over the weekend. “They came to work every day, especially the seniors,” Gallant said about his group of five seniors in Hermon. “The senior leadership was amazing. The sad part about it being over was it was so fun to be with them every day.” That made his job as coach an easy one. “I’m just so honored to have been able to coach them, especially those seniors, for the last four years,” Gallant added. Morris shared similar sentiments about Bangor’s 15 seniors, who he said have “tremendous character” after weathering difficult seasons in their early high school careers and seeing the rewards later down the road. “They’re really a coach’s dream in terms of just the commitment that they made, not just in football, but in the offseason,” Morris said. He couldn’t recall any of the seniors missing practice at all this season. “Each of them have their own story, as to what they not only contributed to football, but what they brought to Bangor High School,” Morris added. The Rams, like the Hawks and Crusaders, fell just short of the state championship game. Things didn’t work out quite like these three talented teams had hoped. “But that’s what’s so great about this great game of football, is that it teaches you so much about life,” O’Connell said Saturday when reflecting on the John Bapst season. “For these kids, this is a hard lesson. But sometimes in life, you can work as hard as you can, you can put the time in, you can want something so bad. And sometimes, you just don’t get what you want.” That’s not where the story ends, however. “You’ll be measured by how you come back from that,” O’Connell continued. “And I have zero doubt that these kids will rally from this, because they’re great people they’re great football players, but they’re great people, and we’re awful proud of them.”.
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/11/18/sports/high-school-football/maine-high-school-football-coaches-after-playoff-loss-joam40zk0w/