Without warning, a cheer went up in the cafeteria of Rangeley Lakes Regional School.

Members of the softball team had been doing a little Internet surfing at lunch and were checking the most recent Western D standings. The Lakers were in second.

“Pretty much the entire team was screaming in the cafeteria,” senior third baseman Ellie Brooks said. “We got a couple weird looks, but it was really exciting.”

Rangeley finished the regular season at 11-3 and won 10 of its last 11 games. The Lakers finished second in Western D. It is the best regular season for the Lakers since Rangeley went 9-3 and finished third in 1994.

“We’re all really excited,” said senior outfielder Sandra Campbell. “We’ve all wanted to go to St. Joe’s to play. So it’s really exciting to picture ourselves there. That would be amazing.”

Western D has been quite predictable over the past few decades. When Monmouth was still in Western D, the Mustangs, Richmond and Buckfield dominated. When Monmouth moved to Western C, it left the Bobcats and Bucks as the two Western D super powers. The last time a team other than Richmond, Buckfield or Monmouth won in Western D, Valley was victorious in 1988.

Rangeley has never reached the softball regional finals.  They’d either just miss the tourney, or get in only to be bounced by the tradition-rich Bobcats or Bucks. This year has been different. Two of the Lakers’ final 10 wins came against Buckfield and one came against Richmond. Finishing second could have the Lakers hosting a Western D semifinal against the Bucks in the tournament.

“I don’t think we’re surprised but other people are surprised,” Rangeley coach Ashley Quimby said. “I think we knew how good we were, but I think we surprised a lot of people by the way we’ve played and the teams we’ve beaten.”

The Lakers just missed the postseason last year, finishing 5-8, but had enough talent back to make them think big this year. That gave the team enough confidence to aim higher.

“I think we were a good team last year,” said Brooks. “We played as well as we could. This year, we’ve just all matured into better softball players.”

Rangeley started the year 1-2 with losses to Richmond and Buckfield, but the Lakers say they’re a different team than back then.

“We’re a really close team and we’ve been working really hard just to do what we can to better ourselves,” said Campbell.

The Lakers have a core of four veteran seniors in Campbell, Brooks, Emily Carrier and Chantel Carrier leading the way. There’s a solid group of underclassmen, including sophomores and freshmen that have varsity seasoning.

Rangeley was also able to get a jump-start on the season. Typically a wet and wintry spring keeps the Lakers off the field until late April. This year, Rangeley was able to practice outdoors before April vacation.

“All year long, we’ve worked really hard on being a team and always staying by each other,” said Quimby. “Even when things weren’t going or way, we fought through it. That’s what we’ve been doing.”

In a small community, the Lakers success is creating a buzz that goes beyond just the lunch room. The community is excited about this team and its potential.

“We want to play at St. Joe’s,” said Quimby, a former player who’s in her second year as coach, finally giving the program some stability at the top after three coaches in three years. “That’s what we’ve always wanted to do. I think everyone realized that this is the year we can do it.”

It’s been a special year for the Lakers, one they hope has more to come. But the Lakers have simply just tried to do what they do and do it a little better.

“It’s really fun,” said Brooks. “We’re just trying to play the game we know we can play. That’s what we’ve been doing and it’s working for us.”

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