A fourth quarter fumble recovery by Robert Wohltjen resulted in a Scarborough touchdown with 2:35 remaining, giving the Red Storm a 14-7 victory at Biddeford on a rain-soaked Friday night.
Scarborough’s defense withstood a late Tigers (3-4) charge for the team’s second win in a row and the guys were jubilant at the outcome.
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Wohltjen said. “This is like a measuring tool for many teams in the state, and we passed it tonight.”
“Any time you come into Waterhouse Field and you get a win, it’s a lot of fun,” said Red Storm quarterback Spencer Murray.
The game was played in a steady rain that worsened field conditions throughout the evening. As a result, both teams found offense hard to come by. The punt was employed a combined 13 times.
Scarborough’s Jason Quirk (13 rushes for 94 yards) had the most success on the ground, and his runs of 39, 18 and 16 yards helped his team sustain a nine-minute, 17-play drive that culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by Brendon LeBlanc with 4:11 to go in the first half.
Neither team could get anything going again until Biddeford drove 65 yards in the middle of the third quarter to tie the score. Justin Tarbox ran 13 yards for the TD, but half the yardage on the drive came from Derek Jones (15 carries for 67 yards), who was his team’s most reliable offensive option in the contest.
“They put wind back in their sails in their third quarter by putting together a hell of a drive,” said Red Storm coach Eric Klein.
As precipitation continued to fall, the field became a muddy, puddle-filled mess. Merely handling the slippery ball became more difficult and both teams had some trouble holding onto it.
Scarborough, however, didn’t have a single turnover, while their opponents coughed the ball up three times.
The third fumble, with 7:26 remaining in the game, was pounced on by Wohltjen at the Tigers 34-yard line. None of the nine plays from scrimmage that followed gained more than six yards, yet each took the Red Storm forward, until Andy McNaughton ran the last three yards for the score.
Biddeford came right back with a drive of their own and brought the ball down to the Scarborough 21 with a half-minute left, but the hosts couldn’t complete a pass on fourth-and-one and the game was over.
“I’m covered in mud and I had a good time,” Wohltjen said, “and the score helps.”
“Biddeford is such a great program and this is the epitome of football,” Klein said. “It was a great game for us against a great program. I’m so proud of our boys.”
The Red Storm raised their record to 2-5 and play Kennebunk (3-4) at home Friday night to close out the season.
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