The Bucksport girls outdoor track and field team made school history on Tuesday by winning the Class C state championship, a first-ever title for the Golden Bucks girls.
And they did it without head coach Matt Morrison there with them.
Morrison, who was named Penobscot Valley Conference Small School Coach of the Year a few weeks ago, got some unwelcome news when the state track championships were rescheduled from Saturday to Tuesday because of bad weather.
Morrison was already scheduled to head to Michigan for a work conference on Tuesday, and wouldn’t be able to make the reshuffled meet at Messolonskee High School in Oakland.
“I felt a little sick to my stomach when I saw the message of the rescheduling,” Morrison said. “And after reflecting on it and thinking about the athletes themselves and my assistants, I knew that the team was well prepared — the athletes, the coaches — and that everyone would do a great job in my absence,”
And did they ever.
Under the leadership of assistant coaches Lindsey Gordon and Johanna Styles, and paced by twin runners Haley and Madison Rose, the Bucksport girls made history by bringing home that first-ever state title.
Haley Rose dominated the sprints with wins in the 100, 200 400 meter races. Madison Rose added second place finishes in the 100m and 300m hurdles. And a long list of other team scoring included first place in the 4x400m relay, with Belle Valenzuela and Aivah Tweedie combining with the Rose sisters for 10 more points en route to the state title.
“It was a team effort, all around,” Gordon said.
Both Gordon and Styles are former Bucksport track and field athletes themselves, who would have had a hard time imagining a Golden Bucks state championship years ago.
“We’re just so happy for the girls,” Gordon said.
Both of the assistant coaches highlighted Morrison’s absence, and emphasized the way he has helped shape the program.
“He lives for this, and he’s been such a great coach, and so good with all the kids in the different events,” Gordon said about Morrison. “So we’re just really sad that he’s not here.”
“I couldn’t thank him enough,” Styles said. “He’s part of the reason why this whole team got here.”
Though Morrison was unable to be there in person on Tuesday, technology enabled him to still be engaged and connected with his team and coaching staff. He was getting updates, photos and videos throughout, and was even able to provide some coaching advice from afar based on what he saw.
“I thought it was going to be harder to enjoy it in real time with the team, but the coaches and the athletes were so great about updating me constantly throughout the day,” Morrison said. “I got to see so much of the meet through FaceTime or through short videos that were shared. I could hear the crowd, hear the athletes, see the celebration. It was amazing, and it really made it possible for me to enjoy it with them. I almost felt like I was there.”
Morrison called the team a group of “hard working, really dedicated, really good kids” who support each other and deal with adversity well. He emphasized the mental toughness it took for the team members to deal with yet another form of adversity on Tuesday. After weather setbacks, injuries and other challenges, the athletes were facing a new wrinkle by not having their head coach at the state championship.
“I was so pleased that they were able to overcome,” Morrison said. “For a lot of them, I do a lot of active coaching during a meet and they were really nervous that without that, they wouldn’t live up to their potential,” Morrison said. “And they did.”
And by doing so, they made Bucksport history. The all-around team effort from the Golden Bucks was good enough for 91 points, ahead of Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield with 72.50 and Orono High School with 65.
Bucksport Athletic Director Daniel Magas credited the athletes for their championship performance and Morrison for his preparation ahead of time.
And he emphasized the way that Gordon and Styles stepped up and stepped into the emergency head coaching role together.
“They are a great asset and we couldn’t have done it without them,” Magas said about the assistants.
The Bucksport girls have “been right there” with a strong team for a few years, Magas said.
“Coach Morrison always puts them in a great position to succeed. And unfortunately he couldn’t be here today, but he prepares all these athletes really well,” Magas said. “And we have some really talented girls right now that have gotten us into this position, and they all performed today.”