Despite a comeback attempt in the final two quarters of play, a 28-0 halftime deficit proved to be too much to overcome as the Scarborough High football team fell at Kennebunk last Friday by a 35-14 margin. The Red Storm and the Rams will not be in the playoffs and both close out the regular season at 3-5.
“They (Kennebunk) played very well in the first half and we got in some situations where we just didn’t execute (on one play) and it would really burn us,” said Scarborough head coach David Sterling.
Kennebunk scored on its first play from scrimmage for a 7-0 advantage and they added a second touchdown in the closing minutes of the opening period. Scarborough’s offense started to move the ball with more success in the second quarter as the Storm pushed into Kennebunk’s end of the field on a pair of occasions, but the Rams’ defense managed to turn away those scoring threats.
With less than five minutes to play before the break, Kennebunk again marched downfield. Scarborough’s Colin O’Connor jarred the ball loose from Ram fullback DJ Stockbridge with a hard hit at the 2-yard line, but Kennebunk pounced on the loose ball to retain possession and scored on the next play.
Kennebunk’s fourth touchdown of the first half came after a series of passes moved the ball 52 yards in the final minute of the second quarter.
Scarborough re-grouped during the break and they gave the Rams all they could handle in the third quarter of play.
The Red Storm defense, behind the solid play of Brian Woodbury, Spencer Jordan, Peter Doyer, Tyler Millett and Peter Tuma, stopped the Rams on downs. Scarborough took possession at its own 12-yard line. A pass completion from quarterback Zack Bean to Brendan Ham went to the Rams 30-yard line as Ham raced the Rams’ defense down the right sideline. Three plays later, Tuma bulled his way into the end zone from two yards out for the Storm’s first points.
Scarborough recovered an onside kick and they were quickly in business again. But a relentless Kennebunk pass rush (and a Scarborough holding penalty) slowed the Storm and they turned the ball over on downs at midfield.
The Rams drove inside the Scarborough 20 before a fumble gave the ball back to the Storm. From their own 15, Scarborough’s Brendan Ham went over left tackle and through the Kennebunk defense for an 85-yard touchdown run to pull the Storm within 28-14 with 1:46 to play in the third.
“I think it says a lot about the people we have in this program because a lot of kids would have just packed their bags and gone home at halftime,” said Coach Sterling. “We put two touchdowns on the board and put ourselves back in the game. I’m really proud of those young men who came out like that after halftime.”
The Rams answered with a 55-yard drive and another score that stopped the Storm’s gritty second-half rally.
“We’re looking forward to the coming season because the people who are in this program – that were seniors – really set a good standard,” Sterling commented. “The underclassmen are going to have them around for the next seven months telling them what to do and how to get better.”
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