BANGOR – Shaun Sullivan had no guarantee he’d be the starting quarterback for Bangor High School this fall, after his junior year as a backup to Fitzpatrick Trophy semifinalist Zak Ray ended prematurely due to a concussion.

Far from it.

“I thought Shaun Sullivan was too slow, too small and too weak to play quarterback here,” said Rams’ coach Mark Hackett. “I love him as a person, and hoped he would have the kind of season he’s had. That’s what we all wish for all our kids. He earned it, he deserved it, but he wasn’t going to get the job by default just because he was next in line and was a senior.”

But the 5-foot-9, 140-pound Sullivan persevered, overcoming challenges on and off the field to earn his dream job and lead the Rams into Friday night’s Eastern Maine Class A championship game against Brunswick.

Sullivan has completed 46 of 99 passes for 652 yards and four TDs for the Rams, all while exhibiting a calm leadership in the huddle.

“It’s hard on the coaches to be looking to fill a spot when you were comfortable with the competitive edge and athleticism Zak had,” said Hackett. “But Shaun’s done it. He’s done it in his own way, on his own time. Shaun can do a lot of things, and what he does is manage the game very well.”

Sullivan spent much of the last school year mentally preparing for the quarterback competition ahead – that is, after he recovered from a medical procedure designed to alleviate a heart murmur.

“I was born with it but I never felt it until open gym before basketball season started,” said Sullivan. “We had a preseason game against Lawrence and there was a minute left and I just blacked out. I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t breathe. I thought it was asthma.”

He resumed his workouts in the spring, and intensified them during the summer.

“Coach Hackett always told me that if the season started right now you’d be starting, but you haven’t earned it yet,” said Sullivan. “I went into the summer thinking this could be mine if I want it, so I went to the weight room every other day, ran every other day, and just went out and did what I could to earn it.”

When preseason practices arrived in mid-August, so did another challenge. Jordan Heath, an accomplished multisport athlete at Bangor High, opted to switch from soccer to football for his junior year, and immediately emerged as Sullivan’s primary competition for the starting QB role.

“He’s a great quarterback, but I wanted it, too,” said Sullivan. “I basically said to myself, ‘I have nothing to lose. It’s my last year, so go out there and leave everything on the field, because I don’t want to look back and say I wish I’d done this or I wish I’d done that.'”

Sullivan emerged from training camp as the starting quarterback, and Heath has been a defensive leader at free safety. Neither has looked back, and the Rams have thrived in their current configuration.

“We were honest with Shaun right from the start,” Hackett said. “I think he handled that situation very well, and I think he’s played well beyond what we ever thought he would.

“He’s become a leader, and I’d say he became a man. I don’t know if at 44 I’d be able to handle what we put on him as well as he handled it at 17 or 18. He was positive, it was his team, and his teammates looked up to him. They see him as the quarterback, and they did almost right from the beginning.”

For the coaching staff, Sullivan’s quarterback coming of age came during a midseason win over Skowhegan, when he improvised during a critical stage of the game and produced a key touchdown pass to senior tight end P.J. Dowe that led to the Rams’ 17-0 victory.

“That was the first real big play he made in a big game,” said Hackett.

“He’s made big plays since then, too. We started out the season saying ‘Shaun, just don’t lose the game,’ but now, while he may not be winning the game, he’s making plays that allow us to win the game.”