Penobscot Valley High School fans have gotten pretty spoiled in recent years, thanks to a group of student athletes who just won’t stop winning state titles.
The Howlers just won their second-straight girls basketball championship, following up last year’s Class C title with Saturday’s Class D championship win over Mt. Abram.
Not only is that consecutive basketball crowns for the team from Howland, but it’s also now a staggering five total state titles in recent years for several members of the team.
That’s because the Howlers have also won three straight girls soccer championships.
Led by a core group of seniors Rylee Moulton and Lila Cummings and junior Brooklynn Raymond, this generation of Howlers has been nearly unstoppable on the basketball court and the soccer pitch.
Not unlike a song by DJ Khaled, all they do is win.
A reporter said as much to Howlers head coach Nate Case, and he didn’t miss a beat.
“DJ Khaled, right?” Case responded with a smile.
And he praised the group girls as both athletes and people.
“They are incredible athletes, but they’re also very smart. They’re smart girls,” Case said about the five-time state champions. “They do the right things. They’re great examples in our community. That equals a championship mindset. Everything that they’ve done, just as people, turns them into champions.”
The coach said that’s a testament both to them as individuals and their families.
“They’re champions, but they’re championship people,” Case added.
Moulton explained that the Howlers have forged a bond by playing together since elementary school.
“We all love each other and care about each other so much,” Moulton said. “And we just have developed this trust in each other.”
That trust includes knowing that, even if one player might not be having their best night, the rest of the group is there to step up.
“I think it starts off with our community,” Cummings said, noting that there are strong youth programs that start players young. “And our winning culture, we just want to keep winning for our community.”
Jeremy Dursot, who coaches the Penobscot Valley girls soccer team and is also the school’s athletic director, was also on hand in Augusta for the newest championship on Saturday.
He also stressed the strong youth program in the community, and the length of time these players have been together across multiple sports.
“It’s just a great group of girls,” Durost said. “They have something inside them that just can’t stand losing. So when push comes to shove, they just find another gear. And they’re able to be calm and focused through it as well, which is rare.”
Durost said Cummings was particularly impressive with her blocked shots and timely rebounds down the stretch in the championship game.
“Lila was a beast,” he added. “She’s kind of seen as like the third fiddle sometimes between Brooklynn and Riley’s scoring. I thought she made a huge difference today.”
And the entire Penobscot Valley team has made a difference, time and again, for a community that has gotten used to winning.
“They’ve seen this so many times,” Durost said about those fans. “it’s almost common now.”
