BOX SCORE

Bonny Eagle 18 Scarborough 7

S- 7 0 0 0- 7
BE- 0 12 0 6- 18

First quarter
S- Flaker 21 run (Fossett kick)

Second quarter
BE- Brilliant 48 pass from Meredith (pass failed)
BE- Graves 36 pass from Meredith (run failed)

Third quarter
BE- Maturo 3 run (kick failed)

Fourth quarter
No scoring

STANDISH—You can’t quantify heart or pride.

Especially Bonny Eagle Scots heart and Bonny Eagle Scots pride and Scarborough found that out the hard way Friday evening in the teams’ early season Class A showdown.

The Scots, who gave up a whopping 61 points to the Red Storm in last year’s postseason, finally got another shot at Scarborough and after giving up an early touchdown, shut down the visitors’ high-powered attack.

After an interception on the game’s second play, the Red Storm took a 7-0 lead on a 21-yard touchdown scamper from senior Jarett Flaker, but late in the first quarter, after its offense had been held in check, Bonny Eagle got a spark when senior Zach Maturo moved the chains on a fake punt.

The Scots then got on the board early in the second period, as senior quarterback Keegan Meredith found senior Shaun Brilliant for a 48-yard score.

Bonny Eagle went on top to stay with 1:49 to go before halftime, as Meredith made an athletic play to scoop up a bad snap before hitting senior Chase Graves with a 36-yard TD pass for a 12-7 advantage.

With the Scots’ defense continuing to stymie the Red Storm, Bonny Eagle tacked on another touchdown midway through the third quarter, on a 3-yard run from Maturo.

Scarborough had its chances in the final period to get closer, but despite driving into Scots’ territory, the Red Storm never again struck paydirt and Bonny Eagle went on to an 18-7 victory.

The Scots snapped a three-game losing streak against Scarborough, made an early season statement, improved to 2-0 on the year and in the process, dropped the Red Storm to 1-1.

“When you take a beating like (last year) and give up that many points, there wasn’t much to say honestly,” said longtime Bonny Eagle coach Kevin Cooper. “It was in the back of our minds that we wouldn’t come out and play like that again this year.”

First test

With Scarborough, Bonny Eagle and defending Class A champion Thornton Academy again perceived to be at the top of the heap, any time two of those teams square off it’s a pretty big deal.

Last year, the Red Storm dominated the Scots, winning at home in the regular season, 48-35, then crushing visiting Bonny Eagle in the Class A South semifinals, 61-23.

That cut Bonny Eagle’s all-time lead in the series, which dates to 2003, to 7-5 (see sidebar, below).

Scarborough kicked off its 2019 campaign last Friday with a 42-3 home win over defending Class A champion Portland.

Bonny Eagle, meanwhile, rolled over visiting Edward Little, 49-6, in its opener.

Friday, on a chilly evening (55 degrees at kickoff and dropping to 46 degrees by game’s end), in front of a large and raucous crowd, the Scots beat the Red Storm for the first time since a 40-20 victory in the 2016 Class A South Final, handing Scarborough to its lowest points total since a 21-7 home loss to Bonny Eagle Sept. 9, 2016 (a span of 30 games).

The Red Storm won the opening coin toss, but chose to defer possession to the second half and as fate would have it, the visitors would get the ball quickly regardless.

The Scots got good field position, as Maturo returned the opening kickoff 26 yards to the 42, but after Meredith completed a four-yard shovel pass to senior Nate Ferris, Meredith threw a pass over the middle that was deflected and intercepted by Scarborough junior Jacob Keim, who returned it to the Bonny Eagle 49.

Three plays later, the Red Storm were on top.

Senior quarterback Chase Cleary kept the ball on first down, gaining seven yards, then he ran again for 11 and after a personal foul penalty on the Scots was tacked on, Scarborough had a first down at the 21.

Flaker then got the ball for the first time and he took a sweep toss to the right, turned the corner and with his nonpareil speed, outraced the pursuit and got to the pylon for a 21-yard touchdown with 9:52 to play in the first quarter. Junior Collin Fossett added the extra point to seemingly send the Red Storm on their way.

Scarborough’s defense then did its part again, forcing a three-and-out, as Bonny Eagle began at its 30 and after a holding penalty, Meredith ran for just two yards, then twice threw incomplete, with Ferris dropping a sure big-gainer on third down.

After a short punt, the Red Storm took over at their 48 with a chance to extend their lead and Cleary got things started with a 13-yard run to the Scots’ 39. After an incomplete pass, Cleary threw a quick pass to Flaker, but Bonny Eagle swarmed him for a two-yard loss. Cleary gained just two yards on third-and-12 and on fourth down, junior Thomas Galeckas was held to four yards and the Scots got the ball back on downs at their 35.

Again the hosts would go three-and-out, as Maturo ran for a yard and after Scarborough jumped offsides and Meredith ran for a yard, an incomplete pass necessitated another punt.

After Flaker returned the kick 27 yards to the Scots’ 47, the Red Storm were again in position to open up a healthy lead, but again, they failed to do so.

After Galeckas ran for six yards and Scarborough was backed up five yards for a false start, a hold negated a nice Galeckas run, Cleary threw incomplete and while Cleary hit Flaker for 15 yards on third-and-20, another false start penalty forced the Red Storm to punt again and with 1:19 left in the opening stanza, the Scots took over at their 19.

In a drive that took eight plays and ate up 2 minutes and 48 seconds and spanned the end of the first period and the start of the second quarter, Bonny Eagle got its offense going.

Thanks in part to a trick play.

After Ferris ran for six yards on first down, Meredith twice threw incomplete and it appeared the Scots would punt again on the final play of the first quarter, but Maturo, the punter, instead kept the ball and ran to the left sideline for nine yards and Bonny Eagle’s first first down of the game, at the 31.

“That was huge,” Meredith said. “When that happened, the momentum they had built was lost.”

“I think we just missed an assignment,” lamented Scarborough coach Lance Johnson. “We had a contain player on each side and didn’t execute.”

The first play of the second period saw Meredith hit Ferris for 22 yards over the middle with Ferris absorbing a hard hit and holding on for a first down at the Scarborough 47. Meredith then threw incomplete and Red Storm senior Nate Mars dropped Ferris for a one-yard loss, but on third-and-11, Meredith hit Brilliant on a quick slant and Brilliant left the defense in his wake, racing into the end zone for the touchdown with 10:31 left in the half.

“We saw it was man coverage,” Meredith said. “(Shaun’s) great off the line. I tried to isolate him. I got him the ball and he just took off.”

“We’ve got good skill guys,” Cooper said. “We had a good summer throwing the ball in 7-on-7. All of our receivers can catch the ball and Keegan can throw it. We have confidence in him to throw it.”

The Scots went for two and the lead, but Meredith threw complete. Regardless, Bonny Eagle was on the board and only trailed by one, 7-6.

Scarborough looked to answer, starting at its 44, but after a personal foul penalty, Cleary ran for five yards, Galeckas lost two and Cleary threw incomplete, forcing a punt.

Cleary pinned the Scots at their 10, but again, Bonny Eagle would embark on a long scoring march, this one 90 yards in 11 plays and 6:45.

Meredith got things started with a 13-yard scamper. Maturo then got the ball and spun off tacklers for an eight-yard gain. Ferris ran for two, setting up third-and-inches where Maturo ran for four yards and a first down at the 37. After a delay of game penalty backed up the Scots five yards, Meredith hit Maturo for five yards, Meredith scrambled for six yards and Meredith kept the ball for five more yards and a first down at the 48. After a false start penalty, Maturo ran for 11 yards and Meredith picked up six for a first down at the Red Storm 40. After Ferris ran for four yards, Cooper called timeout and on the next play, Meredith demonstrated his athleticism and his arm.

The snap was high and went off Meredith’s fingertips and behind him. With the rush closing in, Meredith scooped up the ball, turned, then spotted a wide open Graves downfield. Meredith launched a pass that Graves caught inside the 10 and he ran in for the 36-yard touchdown with 1:49 to go in the half.

“I wasn’t really thinking,” Meredith said. “I just tried to stay calm and I saw him standing by himself. It was broken coverage. I saw him and let it go. I didn’t know what was happening around me.”

Maturo tried to run in the two-point conversion, but he was stuffed and Bonny Eagle’s lead was just five, 12-7.

After sophomore Jayden Flaker returned the short ensuing kickoff 23 yards to the Scots’ 47, Scarborough looked to go back on top, but again would be frustrated.

Cleary scrambled for five yards, then threw incomplete before scrambling for six more and a first down at the 36. After an eight-yard Cleary scramble, Cleary threw deep to the end zone, but Bonny Eagle junior Jacob Humphrey made an athletic play to race back and intercept the pass in the back corner of the end zone.

After Meredith was dropped for a one-yard loss, the game went to halftime with the Scots ahead, 12-7.

In the first 24 minutes, Bonny Eagle had a 177-81 advantage in yardage, as Meredith threw for 117 yards and a pair of scores and ran for 32 more yards. The Red Storm were hindered by five penalties for 33 yards.

Scarborough got the ball at its 42 to start the second half, but continued to shoot itself in the foot.

After a fumbled exchange lost a pair of yards and a false start cost the Red Storm five more, Cleary threw incomplete, then ran for just four on third-and-17, forcing a punt, which went only 14 yards.

Bonny Eagle took over at its 47 with 10:01 to go in the third and once again, marched down the field, this time in 10 plays, milking five minutes off the clock in the process as it extended its lead.

After Meredith was held to no gain, he ran for six yards and Maturo picked up five for a first down at the Scarborough 42. Ferris ran for six yards and Maturo gained one, but at the end of the play, a facemask personal foul penalty was tacked on and the Scots had a first down at the 20. After Ferris ran for five yards, Maturo caught a pass for no gain. On third-and-5, Maturo got the handoff and pushed the pile for a first-and-goal from the 10. Maturo then pinballed his way for seven yards, then he got the ball again and this time, he ran to his left and scored on a 3-yard run with 5:11 left in the third period. Junior Cam MacDonald couldn’t convert the extra point, but Bonny Eagle had an 18-7 advantage.

A 10-yard return by Jarett Flaker on the ensuing kickoff and a 15-yard late hit penalty on the Scots set Scarborough up at Bonny Eagle’s 43, but the Red Storm simply couldn’t stand prosperity and failed to cut into the deficit.

After Cleary ran for two yards, a holding penalty set up second-and-21 back at the Red Storm 48. Flaker was dropped for a five-yard loss by Maturo and senior Alex Dyer and on third down, Cleary threw incomplete, forcing another punt.

With 2:50 left in the third, Bonny Eagle took over at its 29 and began driving again.

Meredith ran for seven yards, Ferris picked up two and on third-and-1, Meredith gained four for a first down at the 42. After Maturo picked up two yards, the Scots were called for illegal procedure, backing them up five yards and after Meredith hit Brilliant for 16 yards, Scarborough senior Zach Alofs forced a fumble and Jayden Flaker recovered at the Red Storm 34, seemingly turning the tide.

On the final play of the third quarter, Galeckas ran for a yard. After Galeckas was held to no gain to start the final stanza, Cleary ran for six yards and a personal foul penalty gave Scarborough a first down at the Scots’ 44. Cleary pitched the ball to Galeckas for 11 yards on a option, then he kept it for 13 and a first down at the 20, but that’s as close as the Red Storm would get.

After Dyer broke up a pass intended for Scarborough senior receiver Manny Galarraga in the end zone, Cleary threw incomplete, Scarborough had a false start, Cleary threw incomplete and on fourth-and-15, Clearly was stuffed by junior Eli LeBlanc to give Bonny Eagle the ball back on downs at its 16 with 9:35 to play.

The Scots got a one-yard run from Maturo, then Maturo ran for 10 more and a first down. A personal foul penalty was called on the play against the Scots, but runs of five-yards by Meredith and three-yards and six-yards by Maturo moved the chains again to the 28. After an incomplete pass, Ferris ran for six yards and Ferris caught a pass for one, forcing a punt.

With just 5:25 remaining, the Red Storm took over at their 32 and again threatened to make it a one-score game.

Jayden Flaker gained 28 yards on a reverse to the Scots’ 40 and after Cleary ran for nine yards, then threw incomplete, Alofs gained six for a first down at the 25. Cleary kept the ball for five yards, hit Galeckas for four, then ran for two and a first down at the 14. After a one-yard Cleary run, an illegal motion penalty backed Scarborough up five yards. Sophomore Ryan Kelly caught a pass to set up third-and-4 from the 8, but after throwing incomplete, Cleary’s fourth down rush was stopped two yards short and with 1:46 left, Bonny Eagle got the ball back at its 6.

After Maturo ran for five yards, Meredith twice took a knee and time ran out on the Scots’ 18-7 victory.

“We worked hard all week and we just came out today and knew what we wanted to do,” said Bonny Eagle senior defensive standout Will Horton. “We’d lost to them three times in a  row and we knew we had a great chance to beat them and the guys worked really hard. The backs were awesome, the line worked hard. We knew we had to play all four quarters and that’s what we did. That (playoff) loss stayed with us all offseason. We didn’t want to lose to them again.”

“We understood that we had to be more physical and get to the football,” said Meredith. “That’s the difference from last year to this year.”

“Last year, we were tentative, but this year, we’re aggressive on defense,” Cooper added. “We just fell back on what we preached all week, being physical and tough and letting things fall where they may.”

Bonny Eagle finished with 263 yards of offense.

Meredith ran 11 times for 54 yards and completed 8-of-16 passes for 134 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Maturo rushed for 81 yards and a TD on 16 carries. He caught two passes for 5 yards.

Ferris gained 27 yards on eight carries and caught three passes for 27 yards.

Brilliant had two receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown and Graves caught one pass for a 36-yard TD.

The Scots turned the ball over twice and were penalized nine times for 79 yards.

Self inflicted wounds

Scarborough gained 176 yards, but was penalized eight times for 58 yards and committed one turnover.

Cleary rushed 17 times for 103 yards, but completed just 4-of-16 passes for 27 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

Jarett Flaker only touched the ball five times on offense, rushing three times for 24 yards and a TD and catching two passes for 13 yards.

“It was the flow of the game and we didn’t get a lot of chances,” Johnson said, of Flaker’s limited use. “They were keyed up on what Jarett was doing, so we tried to do some stuff off him. He’s too good not to touch the ball more. That’s probably not good coaching.”

Galeckas rushed seven times for 22 yards and had one catch for 4 yards.

Kelly had a 10-yard reception.

“It started really well for us, then the next two drives also went well except for penalties,” Johnson said. “We could have gotten out to an even better start. After that, they just did a great job against our perimeter run game and the quarterback runs we run off that stuff.

“I’m proud of the guys. They played hard. We made too many mistakes, but we competed right to the end. That’s a good sign. this is a tough place to play. Bonny Eagle played really hard and they earned it. They weren’t happy having lost to us.”

On the road

Bonny Eagle has another tough test next Friday, as the Scots travel to Kennebunk (2-0) for an interclass battle.

“This is a really good momentum booster for us,” Horton said. “It pushes us to work hard every day because it shows that when we come in and work hard, we can do great things as a team.”

“It’s only week two,” Cooper said. “This isn’t the end-all, be-all. I’m sure Lance is telling his guys it’s just one loss and they’ll come back. No one would be surprised if we play again. It’s a nine-game schedule this year, which is different. We have seven games left. We have a good Kennebunk squad, then a good Oxford Hills squad, then TA, so it won’t get any easier.”

Scarborough, meanwhile, is at 1-1 Bangor, as it looks to return to form.

“We have to take it one week at a time,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of young guys out there who don’t have experience. This was their first big game and we’ll watch the film and learn from it.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

Previous Scarborough-Bonny Eagle results

2018
@ Scarborough 48 Bonny Eagle 35
Class A South semifinals
@ Scarborough 61 Bonny Eagle 23

2017
Scarborough 35 @ Bonny Eagle 14

2016
Bonny Eagle 21 @ Scarborough 7

2015
Scarborough 27 @ Bonny Eagle 26

2014
Bonny Eagle 49 @ Scarborough 6

2013
@ Bonny Eagle 34 Scarborough 26
Western A semifinals
@ Bonny Eagle 27 Scarborough 0

2012
@ Scarborough 35 Bonny Eagle 18

2011
Bonny Eagle 34 @ Scarborough 20

2004
@ Bonny Eagle 44 Scarborough 6 

2003
Bonny Eagle 27 @ Scarborough 0

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