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One of the great things about sports is the unpredictability that surrounds just about any contest.
Even in the most lopsided matchup, there is usually at least the sliver of a chance for an upset.
As we see across Maine, sports can be a great equalizer. The favorite doesn’t always win. Sometimes an underdog smashes through the expectations and shocks the competition, delivering a thrilling victory that electrifies their community.
On any given day, everyone has at least some chance of coming home with a win. That’s part of the magic of sports, and it was certainly on display across Maine this past year. Here are some of the top upsets of 2025 that surprised and inspired fans around the Pine Tree State.
Stearns-Schenck upsets Old Orchard Beach in eight-man football
The Old Orchard Beach Seagulls have been nothing short of dominant in eight-man, small-school football, winning two of the past three state championships heading into this season. That included a convincing win over the Stearns-Schenck cooperative team in last year’s final.
But the Minutemen from Millinocket, East Millinocket and Medway would not be denied again this year, and secured a significant upset over Old Orchard Beach to claim this year’s state title.
After losing to the Seagulls by 14 points earlier in the season, the Minutemen found a way to hold Old Orchard’s high powered offense under 20 points. The entire Stearns-Schenck defense seemed to rally for the fateful tackle that denied the Seagulls a late two-point conversion in a game that the Minutemen won 20-18.
“Coach is always preaching eight men pursuing to the football,” Stearns co-captain Lucas Pelkey said about that decisive play. “And eight men pursued to the football and stopped them short of the goal line.”
The Stearns-Schenck defense made one last stand to close out the game and win the championship, with freshmen Jackson Savage and Lincoln Daisey combining to force a fumble and recover it.
Assistant coach Nick Cullen said he and head coach Cody Herring turned to each other before that pivotal final moment.
“We just need a stop. We need one big play,” was their shared sentiment, according to Cullen. “And fortunately for us, we got it. One of those endings that nobody’s ever going to forget.”
UMaine men’s basketball gets rare playoff win at Vermont
Last season was the best one in a long time for University of Maine men’s basketball. The Black Bears made it to the conference championship game for the first time in two decades, and no win better encapsulated that turnaround than the America East semifinal victory over the Vermont Catamounts.
To say Vermont has gotten the better of UMaine in recent years would be an understatement. The Black Bears lost both regular season games to the Catamounts last year and were just 2-34 in games against Vermont dating back to 2011.
But UMaine took an us-against-the-world attitude to Burlington and rode strong team defense to a 57-42 win.
“I’m just proud of our guys,” UMaine head coach Chris Markwood said in a postgame interview on ESPN+. “To come into this environment, and to guard the way they guarded, to make the plays they needed to make to come out of here with a win, just really proud of them. I’m happy that they’re getting to experience this. Still playing, still got one more to get, but proud of the effort tonight.”
Camden Hills girls deal Lawrence first and only loss
Few Maine basketball teams were as dominant as the Lawrence High School girls of Fairfield last season. Powered in part by then-junior star Maddie Provost, one of the top players in the state, the Class A Bulldogs didn’t lose a game all season heading into the playoff tournament.
Lawrence was one of only three teams in the state that went a perfect 18-0 entering the tournament. Then they met No. 4 seed Camden Hills of Rockport.
The Windjammers overcame a 28-point performance from Provost and notched an unlikely 64-56 upset in the Class A North semifinals.
Leah Jones scored 18 points for the Windjammers, and Rose Tohanczyn and Thea Laukka each had 16.
Lawrence previously beat Camden Hills by 14 points in their only other meeting last year.
Calais turns into the upset capital of Maine
For a brief point in time during the high school basketball tournament, the Calais Blue Devils were the upset kings and queens of Maine.
The Calais boys struck first, taking down the No. 2 Machias Bulldogs in a Class C overtime thriller after dropping both of their regular season contests against Machias. That 48-47 classic helped inspire the Calais girls in their own upset win the next night.
“We wanted to feel the way they did, so we came out and gave it everything we got,” Blue Devils senior guard Kayleigh Scott said.
She and her teammates had been watching the boys game on TV the night before and drew inspiration from it. Scott led the way for Calais with 14 points as the Blue Devils orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback to beat No. 4 Mount View 36-30.
And for those two days at least, Calais was the upset capital of Maine.
Coaches model sportsmanship in basketball tourney
Though they usually get the bulk of the attention, the winners aren’t the only ones involved in an upset. As thrilling as an upset can be for the underdogs, it can also be heartbreaking for the vanquished favorite.
You can learn as much if not more about a team and its community after a gutting loss than a joyous win. And if there was one upset that showcased the power of sportsmanship in these difficult moments, it was the response from Bangor Christian and Schenck coaches in the Class D North girls basketball tournament in February.
The Schenck Wolverines had just knocked out the top-seeded Bangor Christian Patriots. And as Bangor Christian coach Kevin Reed was talking to a Bangor Daily News reporter, Schenck coach Kirsten Hutchins was leaving the gym.
Hutchins congratulated Reed on his team’s season, Reed congratulated her, and not long after Bangor Christian’s season came to a halt, Reed was encouraging the opponents who ended it.
“Keep it going,” Reed told Hutchins.
It was a quick and simple exchange, but it spoke volumes about the power of the Maine high school basketball tournament. There are small but significant moments like that across Maine and throughout the yearly sports calendar, but they’re not always as visible as the big play or controversial call.
Ultimately, the upset victories and defeats show some of the best qualities of Maine athletics. Yes, those memorable moments shock and entertain. But they also instruct, teaching athletes and their communities valuable lessons amid the wins and losses.