High school football rivals in Maine take to the field in emotional game exactly a week after mass shooting at bowling alley left 18 dead

The metropolis of Lewiston took different tentative measurement successful recovering from Maine's deadliest mass shooting arsenic a storied precocious schoolhouse shot rivalry resumed Wednesday night.

Known arsenic nan Battle of nan Bridge, nan crippled featured cross-river rivals Lewiston High School and Edward Little High School of Auburn. Lewiston won 34-18.

Kasey Clark, who handed retired a trophy named for his begetter to nan winning team, said nan crippled was 'something nan organization desperately needed.'

'After nan calamity that unfolded successful our organization this - our relationship pinch 1 another, our enslaved pinch each different - this makes our organization strong,' Clark said astatine midfield, surrounded by some teams. 

'That spot is connected afloat show for nan full state, state and nan full world,' he said earlier bringing some teams together to chant: 'Strong.' 

Last Friday's crippled betwixt nan Blue Devils and nan Red Eddies was postponed aft nan communities were locked down while constabulary searched for 40-year-old Robert Card. 

He was recovered dormant Friday, days aft shooting and sidesplitting 18 group and injuring 13 others astatine a bowling alley and a barroom successful Lewiston. Residents successful some Lewiston and Auburn mislaid family and friends successful nan October 25 shooting.

Singer James Taylor performed an acoustic type of nan nationalist anthem up of kickoff. There was a infinitesimal of silence.

'Words cannot definitive nan tremendous condolences our communities are experiencing complete nan calamity of this past week,' a speaker said complete nan nationalist reside system. 'As a organization we are stunned. We mourn nan tragic nonaccomplishment of lives and injuries, and our deepest sympathies spell retired to nan victims, their families and friends.'

Then nan personification publication retired nan names of nan 18 who were killed, saying, 'Let america not hide these names.'

'One week agone today, this organization faced an unforeseeable tragedy,' Lewiston Police Chief David St Pierre told nan crowd. 'I tin corroborate pinch unwavering assurance that Lewiston's resilience has been proven and continues to radiance brightly done these trying times.'

Lewiston Public Schools Superintendent Jake Langlais besides spoke, thanking first responders.

'We started this week trying to do nan champion we could. We had an nonsubjective to attraction for those who cared for us, and coming we're doing that,' he said.

'We're looking to gait our return to nan caller normal, immoderate that is, successful what was a bid halfway 1 week ago,' Langlais said, referring to really nan Lewiston field was utilized by rule enforcement during nan monolithic search. 'Today that spot is simply a spot of community. ... We stitchery to opportunity convey you, to admit nan spot of nan history that is family betwixt Lewiston and Auburn.'

Fans and students decked retired successful schoolhouse colors began arriving astir 2 hours earlier kickoff to snag bully seats. Blue and achromatic balloons hung from a obstruction adjacent nan field, and a banner displayed nan interlocked first letters of Lewiston and Auburn and nan phrase, 'We guidelines together.'

Placards pinch nan names of each of nan victims written successful bluish successful nan halfway of a bosom were besides posted connected nan fence.

Among nan first to get was Mark Barrett, a 58-year-old car salesman from Lewiston who knew 2 group who were injured successful nan shooting.

'It's for illustration they say, ''Lewiston strong.'' We are each present together arsenic one,' Barrett said. 'This is astir apt nan cleanable setting, because it's against your crosstown rival. It's going to beryllium awesome game. It's going to beryllium a crippled of unity.'

The crippled is 1 of nan astir important each twelvemonth for nan erstwhile mill towns, pinch friends and family having connections to it that spell backmost decades. In nan past nan schools would person a stepping parade from 1 metropolis to nan next, pinch fans dressing up successful their squad colors - bluish and achromatic for Lewiston, maroon and achromatic for Edward Little.

The victor gets nan trophy for nan twelvemonth and, of course, bragging rights.

Before nan kickoff, organizers held a ceremonial to grant first responders including police, firefighters, EMTs and infirmary workers. Dozens stood successful rows connected nan section while nan crowd shouted for respective minutes,

Kaiya Poulin, a 15-year-old first-year student from Lewiston, said she was heartened to get support moreover from group successful Auburn who would usually beryllium bitter rivals.

'It's decidedly bully to spot everyone,' she said. 'We missed everyone. We couldn't spot each other. We were worried astir 1 another.'

Barrett's granddaughter, 13-year-old Aiyana Warren, said she was a spot tense to travel retired for nan crippled but was gladsome she did.

'At nan extremity of nan day, I conscionable consciousness for illustration we're each coming together,' she said. 'Most of america present person bully intentions, conscionable trying to get backmost pinch our organization and build backmost better.'

New England Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft sent a connection of support.

'Tonight 2 communities travel together to observe a century-old tradition, nan Battle of nan Bridge,' Kraft said successful a video statement. 'Despite dense hearts, shot has ever brought communities together, and ne'er had that been much important than correct now.'

This crippled moreover caught nan oculus of character Will Ferrell, who did a hype video that nan Lewiston High's diversion section posted connected nan societal web X, formerly known arsenic Twitter. In it, Ferrell stares into nan camera arsenic if he is simply a coach prepping his players for nan large game.

'Today's nan day. Showdown. Lewiston versus Edward Little. Everyone's going to beryllium watching, everyone's going to beryllium talking astir it,' he says. 'So lets bring it on! Lets bring it connected for illustration Donkey Kong! Have a awesome game. Go! Fight! Win! Whatever that means.'

The schoolhouse confirmed it worked pinch Ferrell connected nan video, pinch Langlais calling him a 'good quality that thought drama and joke mightiness thief arsenic portion of nan treatment process.'

Brandon Morin, 36, a lifelong Lewiston resident, brought his 3- and 5-year-old daughters to nan game.

'Unity is nan large connection going astir correct now,' he said. 'It's immense we each travel together because aft nan tragic things that did happen, t's bully we retrieve nan value of each different and nan passion of friendship, family and love.'

Jennifer Laroche-Albert, a counsellor astatine Lewiston High, said it was 'awesome to spot families, students and our athletes bonding together.'