Four Hersoms have one goal: Win the gold ball

FAIRFIELD – In 1976 and 1977, twin brothers helped Edward Little of Auburn win back-to-back Class A football state championships – and their dad was the coach.

Three decades later, twin brothers along with a third sibling hope to help Lawrence of Fairfield win the Class A football state championship – and their dad is the coach.

And it’s all from the same family.

The 1976 and 1977 Edward Little teams were led by Lawrence R. “Doc” Hersom, who was the head coach at the Auburn school for 17 years of his 35-year coaching career.

Among his top players during those championship runs were his twin sons, Jim and John.

The Hersom sons both followed their father’s footsteps and went on to play football at the University of Maine before embarking on successful careers as high school teachers and coaches.

Now John Hersom is living out the coaching dream his father experienced 30 years earlier, coaching his sons into a state championship game.

When undefeated Lawrence High squares off against Gorham in an 11 a.m. start Saturday from Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland, John Hersom will be on the sideline while senior twins Tom and Mike Hersom and junior Jack Hersom seek to help execute his game plan one more time.

“It’s been a lot of fun coaching them, very enjoyable,” said John Hersom. “They’re very intense about what they’re doing when they’re on the field, and they’re very attentive.”

Sure, there’s a lot of football talk between father and sons at home during the fall of the year, but on the field the relationship is more traditional.

“When we’re out there playing football, he’s the coach,” said Jack. “That’s what I refer to him as when we’re out on the field, because that’s what he is.”

All three of the Hersom siblings are about the same size – 5-foot-10, 150 pounds on average – but all three have made different contributions to Lawrence’s success.

Tom Hersom is a defensive back who returned an interception for a touchdown in last week’s 19-5 victory over Bangor in the Eastern Maine championship game.

Jack Hersom is the quarterback who has managed a Lawrence offense that relies primarily on the run but is capable of attacking defenses through the air.

One of his passing targets is Mike Hersom, a senior split end and defensive back.

“Me and Mike both prefer playing defense, I think,” said Tom. “Jack’s a quarterback, so I think he likes playing offense a lot more.”

The Hersom trio has played a key role in the rebirth of a Lawrence program that struggled early in the decade.

Three years ago, Tom and Mike played on a Lawrence freshman team that went 7-1, offering a sign of good things to come.

“As sophomores we went 1-7 on varsity, but the year before we went 7-1 so we knew there was talent there,” said Mike. “We felt that if we stuck together, by the time we were juniors we’d be OK.”

John Hersom, who had been an assistant at Lawrence after a stint as head coach at Messalonskee of Oakland, took over as the Bulldogs’ head coach in 2005. He led Lawrence to a 6-2 record and a trip to the playoffs that year, with Mike Hersom stepping in at quarterback after starter Aaron Champagne was injured.

This year, both those players were back, but Champagne moved full time to halfback, where he has gained more than 1,000 yards. Champagne also could play quarterback if needed, but coach Hersom wanted a younger player in the mix so Jack Hersom – the JV quarterback last year – took over as the starter while Mike focused on other duties.

“This season we knew Aaron was going to be a leader for us,” said coach Hersom. “And as things progressed, Aaron was better suited to play running back and Jack stepped in at quarterback.”

The results have been impressive – a 10-0 record and a chance for the school’s first state football title since 1984, when Maine had four classes and Lawrence was in Class B.

“To be honest, ever since last season ended we felt like we could be at this point,” said Tom Hersom. “A lot of people worked hard in the weight room in the off-season to get here.”

No matter the outcome of Saturday’s game, it’s not impossible a similar scenario could play itself out in another three decades, provided the next generation of Hersoms includes another set of twins.

“I could see myself following in my father’s footsteps,” said Mike. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do, to be a teacher and a coach.”