SOUTH PORTLAND — Nick Laughlin had himself a night to remember on Friday at Martin Memorial Field.
And that’s an epic understatement.
Laughlin returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, intercepted a pass, scored five times and even kicked off as Cape Elizabeth came to South Portland and dominated the Red Riots in an inter-class showdown, 41-13.
“We brought the energy in practice and this week, our scout team really brought it and forced us to get better and it showed tonight on the field,” said Laughlin, who finished with over 300 all-purpose yards.
Laughlin set the tone on the opening kickoff, which he fielded at the 14, then found a seam to his right before outracing the pursuit for an 86-yard touchdown return.
“I was surprised they were going to kick it deep and we had to capitalize,” said Laughlin. “It’s always a scoring opportunity on special teams.”
Cape Elizabeth missed the extra point, but that would be one of the few things it did wrong in the first half.
After Tom Hennessey ended a promising South Portland drive with an interception in the end zone, the Capers went 80 yards to add to the lead when Ceroi Mello scored on a 33-yard dash, making it 13-0 after one quarter.
Things didn’t get any better for the Red Riots in the second period.
South Portland did recover a fumble deep in its territory, but gave the ball right back when Laughlin intercepted Jackson and returned the ball to the Red Riots’ 15. Three plays later, Foley connected with Laughlin for a 10-yard scoring pass.
Then, just 17 seconds before halftime and out of the wildcat formation, Laughlin leaped into the end zone to complete a 4-yard rush and Cape Elizabeth took a commanding 27-0 advantage to the break.
South Portland got on the board to start the second half on a 28-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jaelen Jackson, but Laughlin countered with an 87-yard burst to make it 34-6.
“I’ve coached a lot of great guys, but Nick Laughlin is the best football player I’ve ever coached,” said Capers Coach Sean Green. “He simply just does it all for us.”
The next, and last time Laughlin touched the ball, he broke free for a 90-yard score in the fourth period. Backup quarterback Easton Healy scored a late TD for the Red Riots to account for the final score.
“I’m really proud of our football team,” said Green. “We took a step in the right direction tonight.”
South Portland Coach Aaron Filieo spent 15 years with Cape Elizabeth prior to taking over the Red Riots in 2019 and he said he wasn’t feeling nostalgic before or after the game.
“I expected it to be a more competitive game than it was tonight,” said Filieo. “We’ll lick our wounds and get back at it and get ready for Noble next week.
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